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Table of Contents



Immuno's Defense

Quick Draw




The Common Touch

Seeking for the Perfect Pill

Three’s the Charm With One-A-Day

No Cure, But A Better Liver

Striking Gold

Doctor’s Diary - October 2005

Home Work

Daring to Diet

Do and Don’t-Do Diets

Flu-Shot Time

Smokin’!

In Sickness and In Health

Buzz Off

A Little off the Top

Buddy Up




Who Will Save Them Next?

Pulse - October 2005

Wait-Lifting Stretches

Charlize in Charge

Miss Congeniality 3:HIV

Rap Sheet

Mentors - October 2005

Sex Toys R Us

Trying Trials

Underexposed




Editor's Letter - October 2005

Mailbox - October 2005


Most Talked About

Magic Johnson Accused of Faking HIV (42)

World AIDS Day: Your Feedback (22)

Guidelines Prediction: Start Treatment Earlier (blog) (19)

My First Facebook Demo (blog) (18)

Bone Marrow Transplant: Potential AIDS Cure? (9)

Obama Campaign Set to Boost Domestic HIV/AIDS Funding (8)

Most Popular Lessons

The HIV Life Cycle

Herpes Simplex Virus

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

Shingles

Syphilis & Neurosyphilis

Treatments for Opportunistic Infections (OIs)


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October 2005


The Common Touch

by David Evans

American adults touch one another much less than adults in any other culture. Many feel safe only when the distinction between a chaste hug and a sensual snuggle is unmistakable. For HIVers, who must also contend with society’s discomfort with the virus, the fear of rejection can deprive them of a powerful balm for body and soul.

The benefits of touch are many and practical. Studies show that a daily 20-minute massage helps children overcome learning challenges and physical ailments. Alzheimer’s patients who receive regular therapeutic touch suffer less from troubling symptoms than those who don’t. Touch alone can lower blood pressure and decrease levels of cortisol—a stress hormone toxic to the immune system.

So the next time a pair of arms encircles you, hold onto them just a little longer. Squeeze your loved ones a little tighter. Be the first to lend a calming hand, a spontaneous embrace, a shoulder rub. Just say, “Aahhhhhhhh.”

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