march 2012 newsletter
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The Queen’s Award for
Voluntary Service 2006
Registered Charity Number 900089 March 2012
*Tues 6 Mar 11am-12noon
‘Chat ‘n’ Chill’ (free)
Female only support group
*Weds 7 Mar 11am-12noon
‘Talk-2-Men’ (free)
Male only support group
*Tues 13 Mar 2.30pm
‘GUM Discuss Changes’ (free)
Staff from GUM come to explain changes to services
*Thurs 15 Mar 1.15pm
‘Service Users Lunch’ (£2.50)
Come and have a munch and a chat
*Thurs 15 Mar 2.30pm - 3.30pm
‘Harm Minimization’ (free)
Staff from the CRI Drug Intervention Program offer friendly support relating to substance misuse. Sessions are informal and confidential.
*Thurs 29 Mar 11am-12.30pm
‘Peer Support’ (free)
Come to give and receive support in a Service User only support group
*Thurs 29 Mar 3pm
‘Guest Speaker - Living with HIV (free)
Philip Hawkins, the founder of Body Positive Dorset is coming to give a talk about coming to terms with HIV
In the Pipeline…
If you fancy the following events or workshops please contact Reception. These will take place if we have sufficient interest
‘Literacy’ (Adult Ed) ‘Maths’ (Adult Ed) ‘Transformations’ (Art
Therapy) ‘Meditation/Voice Therapy’ NOW BOOKED for 5th Apr at 11am. Details to follow ‘Harm Minimization’ NOW BOOKED - see above
‘Other’ - Tell us what you want!
Events…………
Marathon Sponsorship Page open NOW!Marathon Sponsorship Page open NOW!
Diana, Princess of Wales House 24 Lorne Park Road
Bournemouth
Dorset BH1 1JL
Tel: 01202 297386 Fax: 01202 290385
24 Hour HIV Helpline: 01202 311166 Internet: www.bodypositivedorset.org Email: [email protected]
Please sponsor Matt’s brave London Marathon attempt in aid of Body Positive Dorset at:
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/mattday
Treatment....................................................
We have been working with Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch
Hospital (RBCH) to remove all discrimination against patients who
are HIV Positive. I am delighted to be able to report that we have
had some very encouraging feedback from service users who
have recently undergone surgery at RBCH. Not only were they
not made to wait to be the last patient on the list but there was
no double gloving and no mention of HIV.
Similar work is in hand with Poole Hospital and I hope to be able
to give you some good news from that quarter in the near future.
It would be of very real help if you could tell me about any good,
bad or indifferent experiences you have with medical treatment.
We want to celebrate the good news and we want to take
action against the bad news.
Richard
email : [email protected]
The beadier-eyed amongst our readers will have noticed Matt’s latest bid to attract sponsorship for his London Marathon... a life size poster of Matt in his running gear in Flirt cafe in the Triangle! (shown right)
This has already attracted lots of attention! Thanks to Rob and Peter at Flirt for letting Matt’s 2D double take up residence!
Your support is vital. Thank you
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/mattday
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HIV News Corner........................................................................
HIV is ‘starved’ by some cells in the body say scientists........................................
It is possible for macrophages and dendritic cells
to produce SAMHD1 as they are "mature cells"
which do not go on to produce new cells.
Prof Baek Kim, one of the researchers from the
University of Rochester Medical Centre, said: "It
makes sense that a mechanism like this is active
in macrophages.
"Macrophages literally eat up dangerous
organisms, and you don't want those organisms
to have available the cellular machinery needed
to replicate and macrophages themselves don't
need it, because they don't replicate.
"So macrophages have SAMHD1 to get rid of the
raw material those organisms need to copy
themselves. It's a great host defence."
Dr Jonathan Stoye, virologist at the Medical Research Council National Institute of Medical Research, was part of the team whichdetermined the chemical structure of SAMHD1 last year and predicted that it would attack the dNTPs.
"We hypothesised that it works in this fashion
and the paper tells us we were right. It is
depleting cells of these dNTPs, in cells which are
not proliferating (dividing)."
However, some cells do need to divide to boost
numbers as part of the immune defence. Such as
CD4 cells which are the prime target for HIV.
"Cells which are proliferating would be in trouble
if we took dNTPs away," Dr Stoye said.
He added: "How we can use the anti-retroviral action of this protein is not clear to me."
Scientists have shown how some cells in the
body can repel attacks from HIV by starving
the virus of the building blocks of life.
Viruses cannot replicate on their own; they must
hijack other cells and turn them into virus
production factories.
A study, published in Nature Immunology, showed how some parts of the immune system destroy their own raw materials, stopping HIV.
It is uncertain whether this could be used in
therapy, experts caution.
HIV attacks the immune system and can weaken
the body's defences to the point that everyday
infections become fatal.
However, not all parts of the immune system
become subverted to the virus' cause.
Macrophages and dendritic cells, which have
important roles in orchestrating the immune
response, seem to be more resistant.
Last year researchers identified the protein SAMHD1 as being a critical part of this resistance. Now scientists believe they know how it works.
They have shown that SAMHD1 breaks down the
building blocks of DNA. So if a cell needs to
make a copy of itself it will have a pool of these
building blocks - deoxynucleoside triphosphates
or dNTPs - which make the new copies of the
DNA. However, they can also be used by viruses.
The study, by an international team of
researchers, showed that SAMHD1 lowered the
levels of dNTPs below that needed to build viral
DNA and prevented infection. When they
removed SAMHD1 then those cells had higher
levels of dNTPs and were infected by HIV.
The report said: "By depleting the pool of
available dNTPs, SAMHD1 effectively starves the
virus of a building block that is central to its
replication strategy."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Food for
Thought
‘ I love myself just
the way I am,
There’s nothing I
need to change,
I ’ll always be the
perfect me,
There’s nothing to
rearrange
Jai Josephs - Daily meditation for 3rd March from
‘The Colour of Light’ by Perry Tilleraas
We are pleased to
confirm that from March
the centre will be open
on Fridays between
10.30am and 5pm as a
drop-in service only.
There will not be any
Counselling or Support
Services available on a
Friday.
This is in response to
Service User input and
we are pleased that we
are now in a position to
resume this service.
Feedback regarding this
Friday service would be
gratefully received.
3
Every Last Thursday of the Month Please sign up with Reception in advance.
This group only meets if people sign up
As part of our continuing quest to offer the best service we possible can we have now signed up to Skype. This will enable any of us to be in easy and visible contact with any service user who has access to Skype. The idea is particularly attractive in our work with service users who live in remote or distant areas who do not have ready access to transport to get them to our Centre.
If you would like to speak to someone here by Skype please arrange a time with them in advance. This is especially crucial if you wish to contact Tracy or Samantha as they will not be available without an appointment.
We hope this new service will be of considerable benefit to our service users, albeit only a small number to begin with.
Our new skype ID is:
Body Positive Dorset
Bournemouth
now on
4
.
Mary is available from Monday to Thursday
Sports Remedial Massage Holistic Massage Indian Head Massage Reiki Thai Foot & Leg Massage
Holistic Hands @
Mary is an ITEC Diploma Member of the .... Federation of Holistic Therapists.
Don’t be a
Sourpuss...
...come to
Service User
Lunches Dates are shown in Events Listings on page 1. Please sign up with reception in advance. Price: £2.50pp
Gender Specific Support at BPD. Please contact reception as these only take place if people sign up:
Snippets..... Snippets..... Snippets.....
Webpage of the Month:
www.eventbrite.co.uk
is a...
“
5
“ Come to World Music Evening 2012 or else!
Jon Owen
The Monthly Volunteer Task-list is back! You’ll find it on reception. Currently the main tasks for March are Gardening & Cleaning
Existing Volunteers
sign up at Reception Thank you
GET TESTED.
Where Can I get Tested?
We discovered Eventbrite this month in our
search to find an online solution to ticketing for
World Music Evening 2012 (7pm, 26th May at
Centre Stage, Queen’s Road, Bournemouth -
yes that was another plug! Can you spot any
more?) Here’s what they say about themselves:
Eventbrite is an online service that people
everywhere use to create, share, and join any
event imaginable. Whether it's a photography
class with a local artist, or a sold-out concert in a
city stadium, Eventbrite makes it happen. We
enable event creation, promotion and ticket sales.
We help people discover events that match their
passions. And we let everyone share the events
they're creating or joining, bringing more people
together around the world.
Quote of the Month:
Funding Update We are once again delighted to announce
funding support from Wiltshire Council who have recently confirmed that
they will be renewing their Financial support for
another year.
The amount is not huge but it really makes a difference
to our ability to support service users from the
county who can be difficult and/or
expensive to support.
(01202 704644)
(01202 704644)
“Dear Delilah...” Body Positive’s Resident Agony Aunt
Delilah is ready to lend a friendly ear & to offer her advice. Quirky Questions, Silly
Scenarios & Deeper Dilemmas are all welcomed. So if you would like Delilah to
answer your question, whether it’s light-hearted or serious, why not drop Delilah a line.
“Dear Delilah...
I have been HIV+ for 3 years and I am very healthy. I
am currently on a trial (combo Ritonavir/Raltegravir/
Darunavir) and responding well. My only health
complaint is an intense feeling of fatigue where some
days I can barely get out of bed. Other days I can
cope but it is always there. Any advice would be
much appreciated.
‘Knackered’ in Knyveton Road
Delilah says...
Whilst fatigue (an intense tiredness that does not go
away when you rest) does not affect everyone with
HIV, various studies suggest between 35% and 65%
of positive people experience acute fatigue at some
point.* The impact of fatigue can be devastating—
physically, emotionally and socially. Muscles may
lose strength or limbs may feel so heavy that normal
physical activities are difficult. You may have trouble
concentrating, remembering things or taking an
interest in your work or social life.
‘Did you spot the deliberate mistake?....email us!! No prizes...it’s just for fun!!!’ 6
Even though fatigue is common among people with
HIV/AIDS, you should not assume your lack of
energy is something you should "just live with." The
good news is: it is possible to address HIV/AIDS-
related fatigue through a range of medical treatments
and lifestyle changes.
The first step in fighting your HIV/AIDS-related
fatigue is for you and your doctor to determine the
underlying cause of your fatigue. Your doctor is likely
to recommend tests to see if your fatigue has medical
causes, such as anaemia or hormonal imbalances, and
you may require some type of medical treatment. In
addition, there are also a number of ways you can
fight HIV/AIDS-related fatigue by making changes in
your daily life including Nutrition, Exercise,
Improving Sleep & Relaxation. For more advice on
these areas, try the great HIV resource and info
provider ‘The Body’ at:
www.thebody.com/content/art2640.html
Hope this helps, Delilah
Phone: 01202 297 386
Fax: 01202 290 385
www.bodypositivedorset.org
Mon - Thurs: 1pm to 7pm
Fri: 10.30am to 5pm
Contact Details...
Centre Opening Hours...
Follow us online...
bodypositive
@BPDorset ‘...is this in black & white? Tell us your email address to
receive a colour E-newsletter.’
Single Ticket: £7
Table Tickets for 6 people: £35
tic
Buy tickets online at www.eventbrite.co.uk
*Source: www.aidsmap.com