Activists Condem Harpers Indifference to aids on World Aids Day~!

Activists condemn Harper’s indifference to AIDS on World AIDS Day

Toronto, November 28, 2007 — AIDS ACTION NOW! will protest the Harper government’s indifference to the AIDS epidemic in Canada and worldwide on the eve of World AIDS Day 2007.

Friday November 30, 2007, 12:00 noon

Toronto AIDS Memorial, 519 Church Street, Toronto

World AIDS Day 2007 marks another year of government duplicity, inaction and policy changes that harm and threaten the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS.

* The “new money” Stephen Harper committed last February to the important Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative is in fact being taken out of vital prevention projects funded by the AIDS Community Action Program. As a result, Federal project funding for prevention and support in Ontario has already been cut by 58%.



* A year after promising to reform Canada’s broken Access to Medicines Regime, supposed to provide cheap generic medicines for HIV infection in developing countries, the program still remains unchanged. Not one pill has left the country.



* Although harm reduction strategies have been shown to be effective in preventing HIV transmission among drug users, the Harper government has quietly dropped the concept from the National Anti-Drug Strategy as part of a new American-style “get tough” policy on drugs.



* The Harper government has refused to recognize the Kelowna Accord, which included a five billion dollar commitment to Aboriginal health care, education, housing and economic development. Severe poverty and lack of access to health care are driving the spread of HIV in Aboriginal communities across Canada.



The consequences of Harper’s indifference are clear: avoidable new infections, poorer health for People with HIV/AIDS, and higher costs down the road.

“The Harper government doesn’t give a damn about AIDS,” said AIDS ACTION NOW! spokesperson Tim McCaskell. “It must be held accountable.”

For more information: aidsactionnow@googlegroups.com / 416-534-2799

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Well Access Aids will be Having a CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL on 27

IT SHOULD BE ATSRTING AT AROUND 7 OR 8 & WE LOOK FORWARDS TO SEEING THE PUBLIC ATTENDING,AS HIV EFFECTS EVERYONE EVENTUALLY,GET TESTED TODAY AND EMPOWER YOURSELF AND KNOW YOUR STATUS FOLKS@!@!@

HIV & Me,A Poem by Jasmes joey gough

HIV & Me,My Attemp At Poetry!!!by james jc gough
ITS ALMOST IMPOSSABLE I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY,when will love come my way?I been poz since 2001,let me tell you it hasn't been fun!!At first i was angry,then depressed,i didnt know if i would regress,about HIV,i knew even less!!!So i read and researched on this Virus callede HIV,i wanted to know what was killing me,slowly but surely it killed my desire,but now i was off of that cokecaine highwire,and my head slowly cleared from its deep quagemire.I lost so many friends and loved ones too,HPV,HIV & hep-abc just to name a few,diseases and drugs go hand in hand like a spreading evil across this great land,Drs and scientists searching for cures,while pain and suffering are what we endure,money pours in from all kinds of places,the guilt and greed on rich mens faces,money money money,its all i hear,how shortfalls and cutbacks are always near,and of course its always the poor,that are hit that hardest and yet they endure and have no fear,could it be their faith and hope?thats brought them through the slippery slopes?of life and trials and tribulations,of the joy and love & constelations,of dreams unfulfilled & desires unmet,so many gone never to see the sunset,lost to us early ,no more to rise,Untill the end of days ,no more blue skies,this isnt the way,kindness and love are what we need,to practice and promote,love and not greed,Jesus & Bhudda & Alah too,all knew love would see them through,For isnt this what each one preached?So why the Wars,i cryed,i beseached,to stop this stigma & discrimination that has engulfed so many a nation,So wars & fighting are not the right way,to love our naybers now this we may,hope to win this end to fighting,Then this poem would need no writing,to try and change Mans love of War,into a war of love,why isnt this what He said from HIM above,that man should practice alot more LOVE,so this it it i got to go,i 'm off,I have HIV and my name is joe!JOE GOUGH!!!!typed today by james "joey"gough,sudbury ontario canada GODBLESS ALL MY FELLOW HIV-AIDS WARRIORS WITH PEACE,LOVE,AND HAPPINESS 4 EVER

JOIN ME AND VOTE NDP!JACK WANTS TO MAKE WEED LEGAL!!!

HIS FEDERAL PLAN INCLUDES THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA,TAX IT,BRINGING IN BILLIONS OF NEW DOLLARS & JOBS WITH IT.WE CAN USE IT TO PAY OFF THE DEFICIT & HEALTHCARE & FREE EDUCATION FOR All!!!join me & vote ndp today eh!!!bring weed back,& join me & jack!!!

As a PHA speaker going out into the community telling others my life story is very rewarding work.I know not everyone is able to do this & thats cool.there are other ways to be a warrior trying to stem the stigma & discrimination & bring HIV-AIDs issues to other peoples.Blogs are a great example,as you can be who-ever u want,personally i have chosen to just use my own name & face to what i type or blog as i have numerous of them things going ,it sometimes gets confusing,avoid my mistake and stick to under ten blogs.I have about 20 blog sites & it does get confusing,but i look at like this,=I am creating "Front Lines" in the War on HIV-AIDS!!!Join myself & alot of other PHA Warriors & start your own front line on the War against HIV=AIDS!!peace n love not wars n walls folks~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buyers’ Club Blog

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Fish oil, inflammation and metabolic complications in HIV: a clinical trial and related research
November 2, 2007

We noticed with interest that Dr. Todd T Brown, a Johns Hopkins researcher who has studied body fat changes in people with HIV, has recently started a wide-ranging investigation of fish oil / omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as a way of preventing/treating metabolic complications associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Metabolic complications, including fat wasting, central body fat build-up, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and bone loss, have been some of the major side effects experienced by people with HIV on medication, so it’s quite interesting to see research that may “connect the dots” and find links between these various problems.

Furthermore, this is a study that focuses on fish oil / omega-3 fatty acids, which have quite recently gained more respect in US medical circles, especially as a means of preventing/treating cardiovascular disease, but also for a surprising effect on depression. (You can read more about this aspect of fish oil supplementation in the “depression” category on this blog.)

Here’s the description of Dr. Brown’s research, as provided on the website of NCCAM/NIH, one of the major sponsors of the study:

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this proposal is to understand the role of inflammatory cytokines in the metabolic and skeletal abnormalities in HIV disease and to determine whether omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, in the form of fish oil, will alter the pathophysiology of these clinical disorders. Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are used widely among HIV-infected patients, often with the hope of preventing or treating complications associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Metabolic abnormalities, including peripheral fat wasting, central adiposity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, and skeletal abnormalities (reduced bone mineral density and high bone turnover), are common in HIV-infected patients on HAART, yet their relationship is unclear. We hypothesize that these metabolic and skeletal abnormalities are related by abnormal inflammatory cytokine expression and that these conditions can be improved with fish oil, a widely-used CAM agent with anti-inflammatory properties. We have the following specific aims: 1) To understand the association between the metabolic and skeletal abnormalities in HIV-infected subjects and their relationship to inflammation, 2) To determine whether treatment with omega-3 fatty acids will have hypotriglyeridemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bone resorptive effects in a randomized trial of HIV-infected patients, and 3) To clarify the mechanisms of action of omega-3 fatty acids, namely the effect on lipolysis and bone turnover using stable isotope infusion techniques. To accomplish our specific aims, I intend to do a secondary analysis of data from two cohorts of HIV-infected subjects, and to then perform a randomized trial using a standardized fish oil product. These results will help to define the pathophysiology of the metabolic and skeletal abnormalities in HIV and evaluate the efficacy and potential mechanisms of action of an important complementary treatment […]

(According to the published information, the clinical trial of fish oil is scheduled to run from 2006-2010.)

Note: An interview with Dr. Brown on body fat changes in people with HIV can be found on the website of our friends at www.thebody.com.

Entry Filed under: cholesterol, diabetes, hiv, insulin resistance. Tags: cholesterol, fish oil, HAART, HAART side effects, hiv, lipodystrophy, lipodystrophy and HIV, metabolic syndrome, Omega-3 fatty acids, triglycerides.