HIV/AIDS

just got this email - so I am passing it on to you:

John Parsons
Dr John's Health File


Hello John,

Did you know that 25% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. occur among teens 12-19
years of age (CDC, Atlanta)? Or that 50% of all new HIV infections globally are
among youth 15-24 year olds (UNAIDS, Geneva)?

These shocking statistics prompted TeenAIDS-PeerCorp, an international non-profit,
to sponsor their first-ever "Webathon", which uses social media to educate teens
around the world about HIV/AIDS prevention.

Unlike traditional telethons and webathons that focus on raising funds, the sole
purpose of the TeenAIDS Webathon is to educate vulnerable youth, the majority of
whom are sexually active by age sixteen. Young people are being encouraged to
spread life-saving HIV prevention information by pledging to communicate with
friends and peers using the social media of their choice. They post or forward short
educational alerts and then report the total number of youth contacted to the
Webathon's website: www.teenaids.org. The goal is one million pledges by March 31,
2011.

Dr. Chittick, founder of TeenAids-PeerCorp, explained, "Social media has the ability
to connect an entire generation on issues of critical importance (such as protecting
friends from HIV/AIDS) before it is too late. This kind of grassroots outreach on a
global scale would have been impossible ten years ago. Now it is the model for all
future humanitarian campaigns involving youth, and it involves virtually no cost."

The Webathon is the main feature of TeenAIDS' fifth annual Global Webcast that will
be seen on World AIDS Day-Wednesday, December 1. The three-hour Webathon begins at
11 AM (EST / GMT-5). It will be repeated at 3 PM and archived on their
website-http://www.teenaids.org/- for continuous viewing.

Currently no vaccine exists to prevent HIV infection and although some palliative
medicines are available to help those living with AIDS, a cure is still years away.

"Peer-to-peer communication is the most effective prevention tool to combat HIV/AIDS
and youth volunteers are the best messengers," Dr. Chittick said. "With school
health budgets cut to the bone in these tough economic times, it is up to teens to
take the campaign into their own hands - literally, using the social media tools at
their fingertips."Chittick credited hundreds of youth volunteers for creating a vast
network. He also credited major business support for making the Global Webathon and
Webcast possible: Onstream Media of Pompano Beach, Florida for global webcast
facilities; MotionOne Studios of Virginia Beach, Virginia for the studio;
DCIteleport for additional satellite time and Newman Communications of Allston,
Massachusetts for major PR.

Dr. Chittick, a former lecturer on AIDS at Harvard, recently concluded a ten-year
Global AIDS Walk to 85 countries that trained 350,000 peer outreach volunteers.

Please let me know if you would like more information about TeenAIDS-Corps Webathon
or to speak with Dr. John Chittick.

Any support is appreciated.

All the best,
Megan

BodyTalk

I have recently qualified as a BodyTalk Access Technician.

www.bodytalkaccess.com

Ayurveda and Piles (Hemorrhoids)

Piles, also known as 'Arsha' in Ayurveda, is a painful health condition that causes formation of small blood vessels in the anal canal. The root causes of piles are constipation, obesity, stress, sitting too long, genetic factors or during pregnancy. Symptoms of piles mainly include bleeding, intense pain during stool passage, and itching in the rectal region

There are many healing options in Ayurveda for piles:

* Haritaki or terminalia chebula (one of the ingredients of 'Triphala') and jimikand or amorphophallus campanulatus are two most significant and natural herbs that are beneficial for treating piles.
* Cut down potato from your diet as eating potato will aggravate the condition.

* Avoid yellow variety of pumpkins.
* Eat more of fruits, vegetables and seeds such as Java Plum (Black berry) fruits, dry figs, Indian gooseberry ('amla' available in Maharishi Amrit Kalesh), papaya, radish, bitter gourd, turnip, onion, rice, wheat, mango seeds and sesame seeds.
* Ensure that your intestine is clean. Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins from the intestine.
* Avoid relaxing on stiff chairs and hard seats.
* Avoid horse riding.
* Physical activity is equally important in treating piles.
* You can also try yoga exercises. Cobra pose and bow pose are the best yoga poses for treating piles.

unfavorable results from back surgery

MSNBC: Back Surgery May Backfire for Back Pain Patients
October 18, 2010 15:49 by juliecoxcid



MSNBC reports on the statistics of back surgery which aren't all that favorable: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39658423/ns/health-pain_center

1. 600,000 Americans choose back surgery
2. 1450 Ohio Work Comp back pain patients with similar diagnoses:
* 1/2 had surgery with fusion - At 2 years, 26% returned to work...plus a 41% increase in pain killer use.
* 1/2 did not have surgery - At 2 years, 67% returned to work.
3. 2007 Agency for Health Care Policy and Reform reports
* 27 million Americans with back problems
* $30.3 million spent on back pain.
* PT, pain management, chiropractic, spine surgeries (which makes up the most)
4. complicated spine surgeries with fusion - 8 times increase in 15 years
5. "Even when the surgery is a success, it rarely dispels 100 percent of back pain."