World AIDS Day

While most people associate December 1st with an excuse to finally put up holiday decorations, snuggle up close to the fire, and spend time with loved ones, it also marks an important international holiday that increasingly gets under represented: World AIDS Day.

World AIDS Day was founded in 1988, and each year a campaign slogan is chosen by the World AIDS Campaign, this year’s being, “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise, Leadership.” The slogan serves as a reminder for all governments across the world to meet goals they have set in HIV & AIDS funding public programs for research, care, and awareness, as well as for everyday people to also do what they can to prevent the spread of the disease, raise awareness, donate money, or volunteer in the fight against HIV & AIDS. Additionally, World AIDS Day is a yearly day of reverence to mark the passing of 25 million people that have died from AIDS since 1981. Today, there are 33 million people living with HIV, and 95% of those infected live in developing countries.

How far we have come

The red ribbon is the symbol synonymous with AIDS awareness, so familiar in fact that it has blended into our cultural understanding of the disease. When the disease broke in the early 1980s, spreading like wildfire in urban populations of gay men in New York City and San Francisco, the disease was first termed “gay cancer.” Since so little was known about the diseases, and it was afflicting an already stigmatized population, people generally feared even touching those infected with HIV. The Regan and Bush administrations did little to fund research and awareness of the disease, and major newspapers were silent on the topic for years, so it fell to the public sector to take action, raise funds, and get the word out about the disease. The grassroots organization Visual AIDS invented the red ribbon to mimic the yellow ribbon for soldiers overseas. Awareness and funding fell into the hands of celebrities, like activist Elizabeth Taylor, to amplify the original message of the red ribbon, in order to bring awareness and funds to the fight against HIV & AIDS.

How far we have to go

Today both private organizations, charities, and governments around the world are engaged in the fight against HIV & AIDS. To combat the spike of HIV & AIDS in developing countries, some $8 billion was spent in 2005, although close to $20 billion will be needed to maintain the fight by 2008. Differences of cultural understandings and controversies over distributing birth control for protection in developing countries, combined with inadequate funding, inhibit effective control over the pandemic. There is still no cure for AIDS, although there are antiretroviral treatments can prolong and improve the quality of life of HIV infected persons.

What to do

While wearing the red ribbon promotes solidarity, there are other things that can be done, in keeping with this year’s “Leadership” slogan for World AIDS Day. The international AIDS charity Avert features a How to Help page, to donate money and offer tips on what you can do. Also check out the World AIDS Day Campaign page on Taking the Lead. Also look for events or organizations in your area that help those living with HIV & AIDS in your area, or around the world, because there is usually something you can do in your own neighborhood that can make a difference. Most importantly, if you are sexually active, make sure to get tested.

–Matthew Krajewski

Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain

Holiday weight gain. Everyone fears it, in that dreaded holiday rush between Thanksgiving and New Year’s that so often has people professing the diet starts New Year’s Day. The reality is that people put on less than three pounds during the holidays, but it can feel like a lot more. To avoid even this slight gain, and make the most of the holidays and your health, heed these simple pointers:

 

Change your fitness routine…temporarily

Days are short and free time is even shorter, reorganize any fitness routine you have to reflect that. Get up earlier to run with the sun, or do a quarter or half your normal workout in order to save time. Don’t make it a permanent change, but be willing to be a little flexible so that you at least do some working out, and don’t cut it out completely due to lack of energy or time. Make the holidays a time to maintain your current weight, and don’t expect any miraculous weight losses during this time with lofty diet/fitness goals.

 

Work out with the family

There is always the temptation to hit the couch and turn on “It’s A Wonderful Life” after a holiday meal, but whether with friends or family, take a stroll around the neighborhood to work off a little of those potatoes and stuffing. It will also inspire some conversation with your loved ones, and make the best use of time spent with them during the holidays.

 

Eat beforehand

There are always tons of festivities and get-togethers during the holidays, with family or friends, which include indulgent food. The holidays only come around once a year, so feel free to give yourself a little break and enjoy the season, but don’t over-indulge. How do you walk that line effectively? Think about Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind,” and the advice she is given before attending the Twelve Oaks barbecue: eat before the party. That way you won’t feel famished halfway through and overindulge in chocolates, liquor, and appetizers as a substitute for a complete meal.

 

Eat healthier

There are always options for eating healthier, even with the traditionally rich holiday meals. Salad with vinaigrette dressing, cranberries, and substituting low fat sour cream or low fat butter in that baked potato are a good way to start. Also, if turkey is a tradition for you and your family, reach for the white meat rather than dark meat since it is a good source for lean protein.

 

Cheat sheet

If you are plagued by worries of holiday weight gain, there are two simple tricks to curb the temptation. First, make sure to drink plenty of water. Oftentimes people will overeat because they are dehydrated, not because they are hungry. Second, brush your teeth after each meal. You may pass on the chocolate cake or pumpkin pie if you brushed your teeth after the main course; no one wants to mix that toothpaste taste with food.

 

Above all, remember that the holidays only come around once a year, so don’t sacrifice anything at the cost of enjoying yourself. ‘Tis the season, after all!

RightHealth Introduces Videos!

RightHealth is committed to providing the most relevant health information to our users. So we heard what you had to say and – voila! RightHealth is excited to introduce videos as part of our topic portal pages.

Ready to see it in action? Try this link – which will take you to the topic page for “allergies”. Okay, so now that you’re warmed up and somewhat impressed, we are ready to really wow you – check out this link – which will take you to the topic page for “excessive daytime sleeping”, which isnt as popular a query as, say, “diabetes”. RightHealth is still able to present highly relevant videos for sleep apnea and others. Cool!

Now, head over to Truveo (a video search engine) and see the results for the same query.

Ooops – you ended up with videos about Paris Hilton in jail! So how in the world did we do it? Secret sauce, baby!

Note that we are still testing out this feature, so you won’t be able to see videos on every single search. But if you like what you see, drop us a line! We want to hear from you.