Debate On Hiv / Stds And Visiting Sauna + What are the chances of getting STD in sauna?(compiled)

[Steve5380]

If scientists and biologists of our time can already decode and decipher the map of genome/DNA structure in man and all creations including virus and bacteria why can't a cure be invented?

 

Why?  The answer may be too difficult for the majority of us.  But you can go to school and get degrees in biology, immunology, chemistry, medicine, physics,  and you will surely find an answer.  By then, you probably will be in awe that we already have medications to change HIV from a deadly to a chronic disease.

 

Spoken like an someone who is living with it.

 

Spoken like an someone who was handicapped and sterilized by the HIV medicines and wishes that others don't have it better than his own miserable life...   :yuk:  :twisted:  :yuk:

[Guest Student]

If scientists and biologists of our time can already decode and decipher the map of genome/DNA structure in man and all creations including virus and bacteria why can't a cure be invented?

 

Why don't you go and study biology and try since it is so easy? I am a Life Sciences student and it certainly isn't as easy as you think. Do you know the extent of work that goes into research?

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

Why don't you go and study biology and try since it is so easy? I am a Life Sciences student and it certainly isn't as easy as you think. Do you know the extent of work that goes into research?

You speak for yourself on your own perspective and not on a global collective perspective.

How can minds like yours achieve greatness and breakthrough in the field of science?

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

Why? The answer may be too difficult for the majority of us. But you can go to school and get degrees in biology, immunology, chemistry, medicine, physics, and you will surely find an answer. By then, you probably will be in awe that we already have medications to change HIV from a deadly to a chronic disease.

Spoken like an someone who was handicapped and sterilized by the HIV medicines and wishes that others don't have it better than his own miserable life... :yuk: :twisted: :yuk:

You have deflected my question.

And you seem content with living with medications that manage and suppress chronic conditions instead of a cure?

Edited March 9, 2014 by Raiden Alpha

[Steve5380]

You have deflected my question.

And you seem content with living with medications that manage and suppress chronic conditions instead of a cure?

 

Me content?  Yes, I am content.  And no, I could try and not be content until all illnesses of society have been eradicated and everybody is totally healthy.  The world doesn't care if I am content.

 

I have a dear acquaintance who has been living with HIV for nearly twenty years.  He is in reasonably good health and great spirits.  He takes his various HIV drugs faithfully like he brushes this teeth.  And every 6 months he sees his HIV doctor to check on him.

 

We should avoid contracting HIV at all costs. The big deal about HIV today is that there is no cure yet.  But this chronic condition is preferable to many common illnesses, like cancer, a defective heart, incurable diabetes, incurable alzheimer's, etc. 

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

Me content? Yes, I am content. And no, I could try and not be content until all illnesses of society have been eradicated and everybody is totally healthy. The world doesn't care if I am content.

I have a dear acquaintance who has been living with HIV for nearly twenty years. He is in reasonably good health and great spirits. He takes his various HIV drugs faithfully like he brushes this teeth. And every 6 months he sees his HIV doctor to check on him.

We should avoid contracting HIV at all costs. The big deal about HIV today is that there is no cure yet. But this chronic condition is preferable to many common illnesses, like cancer, a defective heart, incurable diabetes, incurable alzheimer's, etc.

I understand your point and I prefer to keep to a friendly cordial discussion over this issue and am not out to oppose or refute your views.

But personally I prefer more than just suppression medications and a cure for illness.

In the case of HIV I wish to see a cure for it because healthcare here is not as comprehensive as the western countries.Meaning it is not cheap or free and secondly it carry a very negative social stigma til this day. It shouldn't and doesn't have to be so.

Also I have read up on lots of articles that expose,reveal the red tapes and limitations on how certain organisations have hinder and hamper the findings and research on scientific teams from developing cures for cancers,HIV,diabetes etc.

The worldwide canabis awareness movement and the direct links of how GMO foods can be link to cancers and allergies problems etc..

All these made me lose faith in the current medical institutions that is holding people lives at stakes in the face of making healthcare revenue out of world populations.

[Steve5380]

I understand your point and I prefer to keep to a friendly cordial discussion over this issue and am not out to oppose or refute your views.

But personally I prefer more than just suppression medications and a cure for illness.

In the case of HIV I wish to see a cure for it because healthcare here is not as comprehensive as the western countries.Meaning it is not cheap or free and secondly it carry a very negative social stigma til this day. It shouldn't and doesn't have to be so.

Also I have read up on lots of articles that expose,reveal the red tapes and limitations on how certain organisations have hinder and hamper the findings and research on scientific teams from developing cures for cancers,HIV,diabetes etc.

The worldwide canabis awareness movement and the direct links of how GMO foods can be link to cancers and allergies problems etc..

All these made me lose faith in the current medical institutions that is holding people lives at stakes in the face of making healthcare revenue out of world populations.

 

And you make a lot of sense in your position.   The best course of action I see is to influence the SG government to subsidize treatment of HIV to those who cannot afford it and make it less expensive for those who can.  This is the way progressive Western countries deal with it,  and SG is a RICH country, fully able to afford this.  

 

The negative social stigma comes many notches below in importance.  There is also much negative social stigma to being gay. The SG society needs to be educated in social values by those who it stigmatizes.  This means overcoming such evil discrimination by abandoning the excuse of "keeping harmony".  The  pursuit of harmony should be limited to music.

 

The medical profession is riddled with immorality.  But it is not the worst offender:  politics is much more harmful,  and some may even add here the damage caused by organized religions...

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

And you make a lot of sense in your position. The best course of action I see is to influence the SG government to subsidize treatment of HIV to those who cannot afford it and make it less expensive for those who can. This is the way progressive Western countries deal with it, and SG is a RICH country, fully able to afford this.

The negative social stigma comes many notches below in importance. There is also much negative social stigma to being gay. The SG society needs to be educated in social values by those who it stigmatizes. This means overcoming such evil discrimination by abandoning the excuse of "keeping harmony". The pursuit of harmony should be limited to music.

The medical profession is riddled with immorality. But it is not the worst offender: politics is much more harmful, and some may even add here the damage caused by organized religions...

Not in this present era when it come to healthcare the old ethos (stinginess)of the government is still firmly entrench here. But Singapore is in an age of transitioning and elderly here are recently benefiting from some medical reforms... We'll see whether Sg can made it through successfully or not in the end. Now is too early to foresee.

Social stigma is not unimportant here.Though I wish I could share the same thought with you on this one. Here the lives of people are propel and rule by social perceptions. Many people are very unhappy trying to be accepted and adapting to social conformity without realising it on a conscious level. HIV is just one of the medical stigma here,over here we have an immense pressure to chase the "Singapore dream". Jobs,salary,car and social class can also warp people hearts and values over time. Social stigma is hard to eradicate in this country at this stage of time simply because the populace maturity level and social awakening process develop too slowly.

And over here politics is influence by greed,profits and coporatism not religions unlike certain places in the west.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Raiden Alpha

[nothandsome]

Me content? Yes, I am content. And no, I could try and not be content until all illnesses of society have been eradicated and everybody is totally healthy. The world doesn't care if I am content.

I have a dear acquaintance who has been living with HIV for nearly twenty years. He is in reasonably good health and great spirits. He takes his various HIV drugs faithfully like he brushes this teeth. And every 6 months he sees his HIV doctor to check on him.

We should avoid contracting HIV at all costs. The big deal about HIV today is that there is no cure yet. But this chronic condition is preferable to many common illnesses, like cancer, a defective heart, incurable diabetes, incurable alzheimer's, etc.

How old is he now ?

[Steve5380]

How old is he now ?

 

He is fifty years old. 

[nothandsome]

He is fifty years old.

Usually can live till 70+ maybe?

[Steve5380]

er...i came across articles ,http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1265917/alternatively-speaking-will-chinese-medicine-lead-new-diabetes-cure ,the western medicine is really not as good as they claim,as more and more research into chinese herbs have shown they are able to cure stuff western medicine cannot..But  the west don't want  to admit their medicine inferior to the east..so they not really wanted to research chinese herbs much because if it proves chinese herbs does really works and nature no side effects,people would abandon western medicine and start taking chinese herbs instead to cure,treat their illness..

 

nogan, you are welcome to take all the Chinese herbs you want.   Some would trust more Western medicines,  but the winning solution definitely is NO medicines:  diabetes type II is preventable,  the very article you posted implies this too.  Those who follow the basics of good nutrition very rarely get this disease.

[Guest Student]

You speak for yourself on your own perspective and not on a global collective perspective.

How can minds like yours achieve greatness and breakthrough in the field of science?

I don't see how your answer addresses any of the issues I have raised about the difficulty of carrying out research. So you are claiming you know what the global collective effort on HIV is and the current methods that are being explored?

 

 

i am curious ,they already can prevent hiv infection..which means they already know enough to know how to stop it,yet they are making treatment medicine to only suppress it,don't u find it strange?? 

 

They can prevent infection by preventing the virus from entering in the first place. But that does not mean they can find a functional cure which is elimination of the virus from the body. That is the difference. You know how to prevent a vase from being broken. But you can't unbreak it once it has happened. Do you follow the logic?

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

I don't see how your answer addresses any of the issues I have raised about the difficulty of carrying out research. So you are claiming you know what the global collective effort on HIV is and the current methods that are being explored?

They can prevent infection by preventing the virus from entering in the first place. But that does not mean they can find a functional cure which is elimination of the virus from the body. That is the difference. You know how to prevent a vase from being broken. But you can't unbreak it once it has happened. Do you follow the logic?

No offence but having difficulty in doing research doesn't mean there isn't a way to formulate out a cure. You should understand that by working together as a team effort the chance of it being invented naturally become higher.

And in the span of these 30+ decades there have been cases of people being cure of aids even though officially speaking a cure haven't come out yet in this world as we speak.

I'm trying to point out the inconsistencies and cracks in the medical field. Are you a student currently or are you a researcher already? Please do not think on a personal individual perspective when this field of work can have immense benefits on mankind ,learn to be open mind and receptive to news,informations and well meaning public enquiries so as to open up a new chapter in human civilisation developments.

Thank you.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Raiden Alpha

[Guest HIV research]

there is  western medicine  that can be taken to prevent infection once expose to the virus 48 hours right?how does that work?(the virus already inside,yet they can prevent the person from getting hiv virus?)..is there any immunity booster medicine in the west? for hiv destroy immunity,and it seems western medicine does not have any immunity medicine at all..only chinese herbs are well known for their immunity boosting effects.should not  the west focus on the study of these herbs instead? and that vase metaphor is so wrong(human body can self heal unlike a vase)...u can superglue it back. if is it not too broken. by the  way i read the virus is not alive how could it  mutated? i read it is a code that attach itself to white blood cells? so are the treatment medicine causing the mutation?   bascialy most western medicine suppress bacteria or virus until the body's own immunity gets strong enough to fight  it,but this virus so strong own immunity not strong enough so logical way to battle it would be to boost body immunity level  instead of suppressing  the virus...logical?

 

The treatment regime you are referring to is Post-exposure prophylaxis where HIV medication is taken as soon as possible after exposure to prevent entry of the virus into the CD4 T cells of the immune system. It works in the same way as anti malaria medication (which should be distinguished as pre-exposure prophylaxis). In either case the aim is to prevent the disease. It does not cure it. That's why you must start it asap after exposure. and my metaphor aims to point out that prevention and cure are both functionally different. you can glue back the vase, but it has already been damaged and will be more easily damaged in future. hiv medication is like the glue but once you stop taking it, infection by other 'normal' pathogens will result in it breaking again.

 

I do not know much about chinese herbs so I cannot say for sure that they are 'well known' for their immunity boosting effects. it certainly also does not have much relevance in researching a vaccine which can prevent infection in the first place.

 

 

As for mutation, it results when improper copying of genetic material (DNA or RNA) takes place, resulting in a change in the sequence of the nucleic acid. this is not done by the virus itself hence it does not have to be 'alive'.

 

immunity boosters do not work because the immune system itself is under attack. 'boosting' it will simply result in the virus having even more cells to infect. your grammar is a bit hard to understand, but the definition of a cure is complete elimination of the HIV virus from the body.

 

No offence but having difficulty in doing research doesn't mean there isn't a way to formulate out a cure. You should understand that by working together as a team effort the chance of it being invented naturally become higher.

And in the span of these 30+ decades there have been cases of people being cure of aids even though officially speaking a cure haven't come out yet in this world as we speak.

I'm trying to point out the inconsistencies and cracks in the medical field. Are you a student currently or are you a researcher already? Please do not think on a personal individual perspective when this field of work can have immense benefits on mankind ,learn to be open mind and receptive to news,informations and well meaning public enquiries so as to open up a new chapter in human civilisation developments.

Thank you.

i am being open minded! notice i did not say that a cure is impossible. i am merely pointing out that it is not as easy as you say to develop one! just because great progress has been made in the field does not necessarily imply that it should be 'easy' and that scientists are being money grubbing leeches who are hoarding the cure for themselves in order to make big bucks. that, to me is highly offensive since it seems to clearly reflect that you do not have much knowledge of the work involved in HIV or for that matter, any scientific research.

[Guest]

Oh dear.. This thread is rather amusing haha.. Some points:

With the advancement in medical technology, HIV is now listed as chronic illness. Life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the population average (~65 years). There is no cure currently - sure I understand the conspiracy theories you guys have stated here and MAYBE they are true. But the truth is.. If there was truly a cure, pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to conceal it. Instead they would rather patent it first and monopolize the market. You must understand that such ground breaking research does not occur in isolation. Before the real "cure" is created, there would probably have been several smaller promising trials first. And once the small trials have proven that the prelim results are promising, different companies will then strive to outdo each other. HIV research has one of the biggest amount of money pumped into it - because people are definitely willing to pay for the cure.

To the comment about the current treatment is merely delaying death, I completely agree. So is the treatment of other chronic diseases.. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes etc. That is unfortunately only what modern medicine can offer today. Maybe extend the life by 5, 10 or 20 years. But for people, this extra bit of time can be well utilized.

I scoff at the comment about Chinese medicine "curing". I do not deny that western medicine is symptomology treatment-centric but Chinese medicine is perhaps no more superior. And to those complaining why western medicine does not bother investigating into Chinese medicine.. Your ignorance shines through. There are. The limiting factor lies in western's medicine's principle of purity. We like to isolate the ONE agent for the therapeutic effect and searching for one specific compound in a stack of herbs can be like searching for needle in haystack.

"I don't understand why XXX don't do XXX because it's so obvious (to the layperson without any knowledge)." To which I reply:

1. Sure, always get someone else to do it. Because it's so easy. Someone else MUST be able to. Why don't you do it yourself? Because you're poor thing and did not receive the education? Because you are always the victim? Scoff.

2. Many novel methods/ways are constantly being tested - most aren't successful.

3. HIV virus invades CD4 cells and integrates themselves into the host DNA and remains silent before its reactivation. There are postulated theories on how to stop this. In research.

Yes, HIV has been isolated. Even I did it before in lab.

[Guest]

I am cock-sure (pardon the extreme expression) that any reputable practitioner of western medicine has not EVER said there will NEVER be a cure for HIV. there is no cute CURRENTLY.

And if you claim that TCM has had a longer history and it must be everyday superior, that is clearly a flawed logic. TCM works - the problem is western doctors don't know how. They accept that it works but cannot use it until the scientific evidence is available (and they are researching!) but it's just in the methodology to not advocate something without evidence. It is perhaps slower but oh god, you have no idea the pain it takes to write a research paper.

While you condemn western medicine for being organ/system specific, that's actually the pride of western medicine. That's called targeted therapy to minimize side effects from the other (normal) systems. Western medicine does advocate improving WHOLE BODY immunity - it's called healthy lifestyle and diet. Follow it.

[Guest]

Please provide proof for your claim that western researchers are not looking into Chinese medicine. Pubmed seems to suggest otherwise.

Yes I agree with you. Western medicine is well entrenched in it's pursuit for scientific basis of things. But we have never condemned the possibility of TCM being useful.. But until we know why we cannot advocate/prescribe for our patients.

Edited March 11, 2014 by urakin

[Guest]

[my last point on TCM vs western med cos this is very tangential to the topic, sorry mods]

I agree with your analogy about human living. We don't understand how we live, and we spend our time to discover why. The same for Chinese medicine. We don't know why it works so we discover and explore. WESTERN MEDICINE HAS NEVER SAID CHINESE MEDICINE HAS NO VALUE.

The treatment of HIV is plagued with so many difficulties. If they could clearly identify what TCM works for HIV, western doctors will be jumping on it I'm sure. But there isn't. That's the difficulty.

What's wrong with finding out how Chinese medicine work to make money? You mean Chinese physicians are altruistic and don't make money? Huh?

And why we cannot prescribe Chinese medicine? Because the training is different. We spent 5 years learning a system of understanding. The Chinese doctors spend 4-5 years learning their way.

And for the final hilarious point... If western doctors give equal emphasis to western and Chinese medicine... It wouldn't be called western medicine won't it? Lol.

HIV is a highly defective virus. It mutates so easily. Scientists are scratching their heads on this issue for years/decades.

Pm me if you are interested to know more about HIV or western/Chinese medicine.

[nothandsome]

Oh dear.. This thread is rather amusing haha.. Some points:

With the advancement in medical technology, HIV is now listed as chronic illness. Life expectancy is approximately 10 years less than the population average (~65 years). There is no cure currently - sure I understand the conspiracy theories you guys have stated here and MAYBE they are true. But the truth is.. If there was truly a cure, pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to conceal it. Instead they would rather patent it first and monopolize the market. You must understand that such ground breaking research does not occur in isolation. Before the real "cure" is created, there would probably have been several smaller promising trials first. And once the small trials have proven that the prelim results are promising, different companies will then strive to outdo each other. HIV research has one of the biggest amount of money pumped into it - because people are definitely willing to pay for the cure.

To the comment about the current treatment is merely delaying death, I completely agree. So is the treatment of other chronic diseases.. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes etc. That is unfortunately only what modern medicine can offer today. Maybe extend the life by 5, 10 or 20 years. But for people, this extra bit of time can be well utilized.

I scoff at the comment about Chinese medicine "curing". I do not deny that western medicine is symptomology treatment-centric but Chinese medicine is perhaps no more superior. And to those complaining why western medicine does not bother investigating into Chinese medicine.. Your ignorance shines through. There are. The limiting factor lies in western's medicine's principle of purity. We like to isolate the ONE agent for the therapeutic effect and searching for one specific compound in a stack of herbs can be like searching for needle in haystack.

"I don't understand why XXX don't do XXX because it's so obvious (to the layperson without any knowledge)." To which I reply:

1. Sure, always get someone else to do it. Because it's so easy. Someone else MUST be able to. Why don't you do it yourself? Because you're poor thing and did not receive the education? Because you are always the victim? Scoff.

2. Many novel methods/ways are constantly being tested - most aren't successful.

3. HIV virus invades CD4 cells and integrates themselves into the host DNA and remains silent before its reactivation. There are postulated theories on how to stop this. In research.

Yes, HIV has been isolated. Even I did it before in lab.

Ten years lesser!!! So much ?!?

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

The treatment regime you are referring to is Post-exposure prophylaxis where HIV medication is taken as soon as possible after exposure to prevent entry of the virus into the CD4 T cells of the immune system. It works in the same way as anti malaria medication (which should be distinguished as pre-exposure prophylaxis). In either case the aim is to prevent the disease. It does not cure it. That's why you must start it asap after exposure. and my metaphor aims to point out that prevention and cure are both functionally different. you can glue back the vase, but it has already been damaged and will be more easily damaged in future. hiv medication is like the glue but once you stop taking it, infection by other 'normal' pathogens will result in it breaking again.

I do not know much about chinese herbs so I cannot say for sure that they are 'well known' for their immunity boosting effects. it certainly also does not have much relevance in researching a vaccine which can prevent infection in the first place.

As for mutation, it results when improper copying of genetic material (DNA or RNA) takes place, resulting in a change in the sequence of the nucleic acid. this is not done by the virus itself hence it does not have to be 'alive'.

immunity boosters do not work because the immune system itself is under attack. 'boosting' it will simply result in the virus having even more cells to infect. your grammar is a bit hard to understand, but the definition of a cure is complete elimination of the HIV virus from the body.

i am being open minded! notice i did not say that a cure is impossible. i am merely pointing out that it is not as easy as you say to develop one! just because great progress has been made in the field does not necessarily imply that it should be 'easy' and that scientists are being money grubbing leeches who are hoarding the cure for themselves in order to make big bucks. that, to me is highly offensive since it seems to clearly reflect that you do not have much knowledge of the work involved in HIV or for that matter, any scientific research.

Of course I do not have any in depth knowledge involve in the field of bioscience I am not a scientific researcher,just a layman raising questions at the science field. Does that mean I am not allow to espouse my thoughts on this subject?

Have I say a HIV cure come about easily and is a easily achievable task? Answer is no.

And I did not implied the scientist themselves are money grubbing people hoarding up the cure for private gains. I'm implying the pharmaceutical giants that employ the scientific researchers such as you are ones hoarding up a cure formulation and limiting funds and imposing red tapes to certain scientific research team to prevent a cure from coming up.

It seem like you are currently just a medical student right now and thus are not fully capable of grasping the situation and answering my queries. You should go out and work for your employer and only then come back to this discussion. And why should you be offended when I direct my doubts toward the pharmaceutical giants entities and not toward you research workers? You choose to read it in your own way and get work up over your own flawed interpretation of my posting,for that I shall made no apologies to you.

It would be best if you leave me alone and don't engage me further because I have no desire to interact with you and plan to end this exchange on a polite and cordial terms.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Guest]

Ten years lesser!!! So much ?!?

haha see from the other way la. at least you dont die within 12-15 years of contracting the disease.

 

though having said that, there are still the side effects of the drugs to content with...

 

And I did not implied the scientist themselves are money grubbing people hoarding up the cure for private gains. I'm implying the pharmaceutical giants that employ the scientific researchers such as you are ones hoarding up a cure formulation and limiting funds and imposing red tapes to certain scientific research team to prevent a cure from coming up.

 

this I agree. money would (unfortunately) be pumped into research for profitable ideas (not necessarily the best curative one). but but but hor, we can always still count on the research grants given to university researchers (unless they are under one huge conspiracy theory... possible still but I hope not la).

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

haha see from the other way la. at least you dont die within 12-15 years of contracting the disease.

though having said that, there are still the side effects of the drugs to content with...

this I agree. money would (unfortunately) be pumped into research for profitable ideas (not necessarily the best curative one). but but but hor, we can always still count on the research grants given to university researchers (unless they are under one huge conspiracy theory... possible still but I hope not la).

How big is the research grants given to university researchers compare to big fundings approve and given out by the governments/pharmaceutical themselves to the projects they wish to commission and take in a further direction?

Now you see why I have no faith in this world at all. Without political power and wealth working together all hopes is lost.

[nothandsome]

haha see from the other way la. at least you dont die within 12-15 years of contracting the disease.

though having said that, there are still the side effects of the drugs to content with...

this I agree. money would (unfortunately) be pumped into research for profitable ideas (not necessarily the best curative one). but but but hor, we can always still count on the research grants given to university researchers (unless they are under one huge conspiracy theory... possible still but I hope not la).

Cause I read an article about a study in Holland they say one average if u are monitored immediately right after u r contracted then ur life expectancy is probably 2/3 years shorter than normal healthy ppl

[Guest]

How big is the research grants given to university researchers compare to big fundings approve and given out by the governments/pharmaceutical themselves to the projects they wish to commission and take in a further direction?

Now you see why I have no faith in this world at all. Without political power and wealth working together all hopes is lost.

aiyohhhhhhhh you really want to crush that lil' bit of hope left inside me.. but yes, you are definitely right. university grants (usually ranges less than a million).. lesser than the pharmaceutical firms lah. but some of these kind of 100k-500k grants are probably still useful in advancing research albeit slowly la.

 

 

Cause I read an article about a study in Holland they say one average if u are monitored immediately right after u r contracted then ur life expectancy is probably 2/3 years shorter than normal healthy ppl

probably right. I am sure there is a huge range. the point is with early detection and compliance to medication, life expectancy is probably not going to be very bad.

Edited March 11, 2014 by urakin

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

aiyohhhhhhhh you really want to crush that lil' bit of hope left inside me.. but yes, you are definitely right. university grants (usually ranges less than a million).. lesser than the pharmaceutical firms lah. but some of these kind of 100k-500k grants are probably still useful in advancing research albeit slowly la.

probably right. I am sure there is a huge range. the point is with early detection and compliance to medication, life expectancy is probably not going to be very bad.

Well since this topic is being brought out into the light I might as well go for the kill haha.

Even if university grants researchers come up with a breakthrough in medical science developments,their results and findings are still subjected to pending for approval by government health boards before their findings can be distribute out and mass manufacture to benefit the world populations.

Eg. Cannabis/Marijuanna in its beneficial fight against a whole host of cancers etc. but FDA will not acknowledge and recognise it and prevent it from being coming out into the market to help patients because of it threats to various economics industries.

This is how grim and heartless the field of healthcare is in the 21st century.Making money take priority over human lives.

[nothandsome]

aiyohhhhhhhh you really want to crush that lil' bit of hope left inside me.. but yes, you are definitely right. university grants (usually ranges less than a million).. lesser than the pharmaceutical firms lah. but some of these kind of 100k-500k grants are probably still useful in advancing research albeit slowly la.

probably right. I am sure there is a huge range. the point is with early detection and compliance to medication, life expectancy is probably not going to be very bad.

Sometimes hiv patients who take care od their health... Monitor their diet and workout regularly end up living longer than those ppsitive guys who smoke and drink and diabetic

[Guest]

I'm sure there are HIV patients who refuse medicine and still led a longer life than some conscientious health guy. It's a statistics thing la

[needFun]

let me try best to summarize about different takes on TCM and western medicine.

TCM is effective in its own varied means and methods, but because western medicine

requires very specific perimeters, resulting in specified findings, TCM cannot exactly be

so-called recognized as a course of treatment or medication pertaining to HIV, in accordance to western medicine quantifications.

Please dont crucify me if I should miss out anything. Just a lay person's take.

[needFun]

having said that, different means of prescribed treatments/medication need to be tailored to the individual.

Not all will work for everyone.

One needs to factor in things like lifestyle changes, diet, daily physical activity(adequate exercise), stress exposure levels, country family friend support systems etc. so as to adopt a more holistic approach to things, and enabling a more complete picture to be taken into consideration.

In a nutshell, do whatever works for you.

In this instance, HIV wise, some things have been set in stone, but there's still a lot of room for interpretation, exploration and discovery.

As always, we should all remain hopeful, for the human race will prevail, one way or another.

[Guest Raiden Alpha]

that is precisely the point~the west decide what is acceptable and what is not, base not on effectiveness, but their own perception,by their standards..even though chinese medicine have proven many many times how effective they work! both types of medicine have their strengths and flaws but if the west stop undermining chinese medicine and work together as equals,not treat chinese medicine as assistant to their medicine,then the medicine world would truly benefit tremendously !

If you see it in economic terms $$$ you might feel why they might have a reason to focus and market their own western medicine.

Who is in control of the global healthcare industry and the economic systems that is build up upon it? The east or the west?

Why would the western civilisations promote the image and usage of Eastern wisdom /lore to break up the monopoly and stranglehold they are enjoying over the globe at this moment?

What good will it do for them to spread awareness and open the market of the orients and in turn the eastern civilisations capitalise on the shift of fortune and refuse to share the raw materials with the west?

Economics and power struggle first human lives last.

A story of greed,power,money and sufferings.

[Steve5380]

that is precisely the point~the west decide what is acceptable and what is not, base not  on effectiveness, but their own perception,by their standards..even though chinese medicine have proven many many times how effective they work! both types of medicine have their strengths and flaws but if the west stop undermining chinese medicine and work together as equals,not treat chinese medicine as assistant to their medicine,then the medicine world would truly  benefit tremendously !

 

Nogan,  you seem to have paranoia over the way Chinese medicine is treated. Undermined by the west?  Did the west undermine the Chinese athletes who have won gold medals?  No, they were simply better.  There are more than a thousand million people in China who can use Chinese medicine without being "undermined".  If this medicine is so good, the results will speak for themselves.  People will go for the better medicines no matter where they come from,  if Chinese, Eastern, Western, Southern or Northern.

[pathseeker]

^^

Edited May 14, 2015 by pathseeker

[Guest by]

how about those TOP who tried to put condom, but he wrongly put condom upside down, then once he realize he change the other way to the right side.

it means his precum already stained the outer layer of condom, which mean his precum will contact with his bottom's during anal intercourse.

 

how dangerous of infecting hiv for that scenario?

[Guest Guest]

You guys do know the difference between a functional cure and sterilizing cure, right? Details are important.

[Asianboinkers2]

Just like to know..... when a massager hand job me only...... will I still get HIV or any VD?

[Steve5380]

how about those TOP who tried to put condom, but he wrongly put condom upside down, then once he realize he change the other way to the right side.

it means his precum already stained the outer layer of condom, which mean his precum will contact with his bottom's during anal intercourse.

 

how dangerous of infecting hiv for that scenario?

 

It is said that the HIV virus cannot survive in open air.  It needs to be in a carrying fluid, but as soon as it dries, it dies.  So it is very improbable that if a condom that was put on reversed is turned inside out and reused, the HIV in any cum left outside will survive,  unless the guy can do all this very fast!

 

Also, being masturbated is considered safe.  The virus is not passed on through dry hands.

[Guest Owen]

I went there on Saturday late evening and ran away in half an hour. Full of sick old people, maybe just waiting to go in room , lock and sleep! Really disgusting to see those old uglies staring at you - cannot they go and do in own in their age group?? what a shame! Keybox also will close soon like 1-7 because of that old gang chasing away all customer!

Aiyo. You should be lucky hor. Every year statistic shows that the HIV+ new cases are of the younger gen. The recent saga of that 23 yo university undergrad blood donor who is HIV + already casted a bomb in the local gay community.

My ex colleague kana AIDs from Thailand. He loves hook ups from gay dating app and quick fix at saunas.

Call me cynical. Whenever I see PLUs, I really don't give a damn how hot they are as my first question is 'are you positive?'

[azimuth]

Call me cynical. Whenever I see PLUs, I really don't give a damn how hot they are as my first question is 'are you positive?'

 

 

It's a stigma created because of bias news reporting.

 

I extracted the following information from AFA's website:

 

Of the 454 cases reported in 2013, 428 cases acquired the infection through the sexual route, with heterosexual transmission accounting for 40% of infections, homosexual transmission 46% and bisexual transmission 8%.  Intravenous drug use (4 cases) accounted for 1% of infections.

 

If you look at it statistically, both heterosexuals and homosexuals suffers from equivalent risks.

[Guest Guest]

I have gone to the other extreme of not having sex totally ie no kissing, no blowjobs and no penetration. Its been almost 2 years now. I just grew tired of having this worry at the back of my mind whether I am infected or not through my sexual activities. I am fairly attractive and my sexual escapades was frequent then. I feared having to go for test even though I practised safer sex. That fear over the years finally tired me out and I just thought enough is enough. I dont want to be in that state of mind again.. I still have a high sexual drive and jerk off almost every night. And when I just cant control it I do go to a sauna where I ogle and watch the guys. I get carried away at times as its a battle and have given in to the occasional touching of my chest. And if the hands wonder to my crotch, it wont go beyond the layer of the towel or my underwear and it will be kept brief (pun intended). Sometimes throughout my usual day to day activities I come across really attractive guys and the sexual attraction and tension between us is strong. But my mind has been programmed to such an extreme that I have never pursued sex. Do I feel deprived? Yes. But i feel even better knowing that I dont have to have the worry knawing at me. Just sharing what I am going through.

[Guest Guest]

Aiyo. You should be lucky hor. Every year statistic shows that the HIV+ new cases are of the younger gen. The recent saga of that 23 yo university undergrad blood donor who is HIV + already casted a bomb in the local gay community.

My ex colleague kana AIDs from Thailand. He loves hook ups from gay dating app and quick fix at saunas.

Call me cynical. Whenever I see PLUs, I really don't give a damn how hot they are as my first question is 'are you positive?'

I do realise from personal experience that many younger ones are contacting hiv now and many of them looks cute

So young doesnt mean they are less risker. Don get too high when you see cute guys then do everything with him without protection

[Guest Guest]

It's a stigma created because of bias news reporting.

 

I extracted the following information from AFA's website:

 

Of the 454 cases reported in 2013, 428 cases acquired the infection through the sexual route, with heterosexual transmission accounting for 40% of infections, homosexual transmission 46% and bisexual transmission 8%.  Intravenous drug use (4 cases) accounted for 1% of infections.

 

If you look at it statistically, both heterosexuals and homosexuals suffers from equivalent risks.

 

That is not correct because the proportion of homosexuals and heterosexuals are not the same. Thus the risk is higher for homosexual modes of transmission due to the smaller population size.

[azimuth]

That is not correct because the proportion of homosexuals and heterosexuals are not the same. Thus the risk is higher for homosexual modes of transmission due to the smaller population size.

If you are referring to absolute numbers, yes, you are right.

I am on the view that the homosexual sex process carries equivalent risk compared to what heterosexuals do. There is a general stigma that being homosexual means you will be infected with some STDs eventually.

It is what you do and not who you are.

Edited May 12, 2015 by azimuth

[Steve5380]

I have gone to the other extreme of not having sex totally ie no kissing, no blowjobs and no penetration. Its been almost 2 years now. I just grew tired of having this worry at the back of my mind whether I am infected or not through my sexual activities. I am fairly attractive and my sexual escapades was frequent then. I feared having to go for test even though I practised safer sex. That fear over the years finally tired me out and I just thought enough is enough. I dont want to be in that state of mind again.. I still have a high sexual drive and jerk off almost every night. And when I just cant control it I do go to a sauna where I ogle and watch the guys. I get carried away at times as its a battle and have given in to the occasional touching of my chest. And if the hands wonder to my crotch, it wont go beyond the layer of the towel or my underwear and it will be kept brief (pun intended). Sometimes throughout my usual day to day activities I come across really attractive guys and the sexual attraction and tension between us is strong. But my mind has been programmed to such an extreme that I have never pursued sex. Do I feel deprived? Yes. But i feel even better knowing that I dont have to have the worry knawing at me. Just sharing what I am going through.

 

You really went to an extreme.

There is sex you can have that has very low probability of infection.

 

If you leave out anal sex, you cut out the most serious source of infection.

If in addition you leave out blow jobs, rimming, your chances of serious infections are very low.

If in addition you avoid kissing on the mouth, or you have no sores in your mouth, chances are close to zero.

 

Then... what are you left with ???

 

You can still caress, kiss, lick most of the body you like and masturbate it,

and they can do the same to you.

 

This should be much better than never touch and be untouchable.

[azimuth]

I have gone to the other extreme of not having sex totally ie no kissing, no blowjobs and no penetration. Its been almost 2 years now. I just grew tired of having this worry at the back of my mind whether I am infected or not through my sexual activities. I am fairly attractive and my sexual escapades was frequent then. I feared having to go for test even though I practised safer sex. That fear over the years finally tired me out and I just thought enough is enough. I dont want to be in that state of mind again.. I still have a high sexual drive and jerk off almost every night. And when I just cant control it I do go to a sauna where I ogle and watch the guys. I get carried away at times as its a battle and have given in to the occasional touching of my chest. And if the hands wonder to my crotch, it wont go beyond the layer of the towel or my underwear and it will be kept brief (pun intended). Sometimes throughout my usual day to day activities I come across really attractive guys and the sexual attraction and tension between us is strong. But my mind has been programmed to such an extreme that I have never pursued sex. Do I feel deprived? Yes. But i feel even better knowing that I dont have to have the worry knawing at me. Just sharing what I am going through.

Personally I feel there must be a balance in life. There are always risks in life we have to undertake daily. The issue is are you taking on a calculated risk or are you being reckless?

We have to understand that viruses and bacteria are everywhere. It is just that this group of foreign invaders are acquired through sexual encounters and there is usually a bad stigma to it because you might be perceived as being a guilty or "unholy" person if you are struck with it.

For example, you can eat food that is not well cooked at stalls and get food poisoning the next day. This is also a form of bacteria infection. It is just that there is no external stigma attached.

[chubachub9]

I just got tested and given the all-clear at DSC 2 weeks ago. I went for testing due to a NSA-experience with a guy who later contacted me to get checked as he has tested positive for an STI (a treatable kind, not HIV). I thanked him for being honest, instead of getting upset. Of course I was nervous doing the tests (some results like HIV are instantaneous, while for others like syphilis, you have to wait a week), but am glad now that I've done them for peace of mind.

 

Since the test, I've told myself that I must refrain from non-condom oral (which is the riskiest thing I do). The nurse/doctor at DSC said that he has seen some cases of oral herpes/syphilis transmitted through non-protected oral. So far, I've done mutual JO but not kissing, unprotected oral. If it comes to oral, I would insist that partner and I should have condoms on, which is a bit difficult but safer for both. Of course anal must be done with condom. Well, there's still a risk of crabs/lice, but I need to still have 'fun' right? The thought of not having fun (simply to be 100% safe) seems more painful than the small chance of contracting something through safe sex. But since we are all well-informed adults here, to each his own.

[Guest wozzit]

I am on the view that the homosexual sex process carries equivalent risk compared to what heterosexuals do

That is absolutely correct. There is evidence in some parts of the world that the rate of transmission by heterosexual means is higher than by gay sex. The virus is equally prevalent in the lubricants produced by the vagina as it is in the male's semen.

That form also seems to be quite stupid! Several studies show that a significant proportion of straight guys have had occasional gay sex experiences before settling down into a straight lifestyle. Is the wording sufficiently clear to stop these guys also from giving blood? If they r married, would they dare admit it?

The real problem for the gay community is that the virus was first discovered amongst groups of gay men who had unprotected sex. That stigma remains today, despite efforts in many countries to get rid of it. Very sadly, this was all discovered in the USA in the early 1980s, a time when the administration of then President Reagan was as right wing as they come. Even with a wealth of evidence that cried out for research funding, the government sat on its collective arse n did almost nothing. It took 5 years for Reagan even to mention the disease, n that was only because his old movie pal Rock Hudson died if it.

Had the US government devoted the level of funding which the CDC begged for in the early stages, the chances r a cure would have been found before now! Instead 30+ million have died n finding a cure is now costing vastly more.

Edited May 13, 2015 by wozzit

[Guest Guest]

I have gone to the other extreme of not having sex totally ie no kissing, no blowjobs and no penetration. Its been almost 2 years now. I just grew tired of having this worry at the back of my mind whether I am infected or not through my sexual activities. I am fairly attractive and my sexual escapades was frequent then. I feared having to go for test even though I practised safer sex. That fear over the years finally tired me out and I just thought enough is enough. I dont want to be in that state of mind again.. I still have a high sexual drive and jerk off almost every night. And when I just cant control it I do go to a sauna where I ogle and watch the guys. I get carried away at times as its a battle and have given in to the occasional touching of my chest. And if the hands wonder to my crotch, it wont go beyond the layer of the towel or my underwear and it will be kept brief (pun intended). Sometimes throughout my usual day to day activities I come across really attractive guys and the sexual attraction and tension between us is strong. But my mind has been programmed to such an extreme that I have never pursued sex. Do I feel deprived? Yes. But i feel even better knowing that I dont have to have the worry knawing at me. Just sharing what I am going through.

How about go into a relationship with someone?

[Guest wozzit]

Call me cynical. Whenever I see PLUs, I really don't give a damn how hot they are as my first question is 'are you positive?'

Sorry but you are not only cynical u r playing a kind of Russian roulette. Surely u realise a negative test generally only tells a guy what his status was 3 months ago? U need to ask a supplementary question in addition - "have u had two consecutive tests 3 months apart n have both been negative n have u also refrained from all forms of transmission of bodily fluidssince you had that last test?" If he stays to listen to all that, I suspect u'll b lucky!

[Guest Hep curious]

Can oral sex cause hep b?

If someone were to diagnose with hep b, does he need to report his status to his employer and family?