Maintaining good health

When you are HIV positive, maintaining good health is important.  Medications can cause hypertension (high blood pressure), increased bad cholesterol levels, liver and kidney problems and diarrhea which can severely impact your nutrition.

Getting regular exercise, eating properly and avoiding alcohol and drugs are key to keeping yourself in great shape. Research shows that people who regularly exercise and eat right have healthier immune systems.

Mental health

Maintaining good health also means learning to cope with stress, loss and grief effectively.  Research also shows that stress can depress the immune system, leaving you vulnerable for influenza and other viral and bacterial infections – it can also do this in people with normal immune systems.  Stress also contributes to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have been diagnosed with HIV. Learning to deal with this stress will be a key component of your overall health.  AIDS PEI is here to help you deal with your diagnosis and give you as much support as possible.

Sometimes you might feel like you need additional support for things that might not be related to your HIV – like family stress, work/life balance and other stresses that are due to your everyday activities.  The PEI Mental Health Association can help.  They provide counseling and other services that can help you. Visit them online at www.cmha.pe.ca or call 566-3034.

If you are worried about confidentiality as a result of your HIV status, we can help refer you.  Just give us a call or e-mail alana@aidspei.com.

Managing your health: a guide for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Canadian AIDS Treatment and Information Exchange publishes a guide for people living with HIV/AIDS. You can order one directly from AIDS PEI or read the entire document online. You may also download the entire book.

To request a copy by mail, contact us.