Albert knows first- hand what stigma means for an HIV patient in the Hispanic community. When Albert s brother was diagnosed with HIV, the only family member he confided in was Albert, because he thought no one else would support him. When the truth later became known and Albert s brother died of AIDS complications, the family refused to admit it-instead, friends were told the cause of death was a brain tumor. Years after his brother s death, Albert found out he himself was HIV positive. Supporting his brother when he was sick made Albert realize that, in order to lead a fulfilling life and fight against HIV, he had to fight the stigma that made his brother s struggle against the disease even more difficult. We need to rise above the stigma by talking about our conditions and caring for our bodies and minds, says Albert. Albert s work as a personal trainer and a patient educator for a New York-based nonprofit organization has allowed him to give back to the community and provide support for others-something he saw...

One afternoon about six years ago, Hallie, the second of our four daughters and also a twin, decided she had had enough crawling and stood up to walk. Down the hallway she went, teetering like she had had one too many drinks, determined to get to the end. She made it about halfway and plopped down, apparently satisfied with her short journey, then looked up at the cheering audience and smiled. That s when Liza, her older by 11 minutes identical twin sister decided it was her turn. And off she went. That s how Liza and Hallie have done things since birth. They rolled over, crawled, walked and even got their first tooth all within minutes of each other. They ve taken turns being the first on the physical milestones as well as in other ways. Maybe Liza will like art for a few weeks and then it s Hallie s turn. That s when Liza decides she wants to do what Hallie was interested in maybe dressing up or playing soccer. But whether it s something social, academic or physical, they re never too far from each other when it...

Halitosis also known as bad breath is one of the problems which many people face. It gives out a disgusting feeling when you encounters such a person with bad breath. The origin of the word halitosis is derived from a Latin word. Bad breath as we must have learnt in school is that, if we do not brush our teeth properly they will rot due to the bacteria. Rotten food in your mouth just makes things worse. But this cannot be the only reason for bad breath. The lung abscess at the time of bronchitis also causes bad breath. Some of the serious illnesses give out different kinds of odor. Conclusions have been drawn for the bad odor is due to poor digestion too. Saliva plays a very important part in keeping the odor under check. Saliva regulates the odor by washing away food particles and other unwanted junk which creates bad breath. Morning breath usually smells as the salivary glands become sluggish leading to a bad breath. This would help if you have a proper breakfast and the people who skip their breakfast please...

Few of us book a holiday without looking for the best deals. Travel is now one of the biggest online sectors, and it s to the internet that we turn to look for cheap holidays. There s no shortage of sites offering extraordinary deals, but it can be difficult to know which are reliable and which aren t. Here are some guidelines to help you tell the difference. Independence A travel agent that isn t tied to any particular company or promoter is best placed to offer great deals. They can negotiate with a range of suppliers, or direct with airlines and accommodation owners to ensure that they get the best price for you. You can be sure that they re not pushing you towards a particular operator and that you re really getting good value for money. Professional membership It s really important that a discount travel agent is a member of a professional body. ABTA members have to abide by a strict code of conduct and agencies are regularly assessed to ensure that they are meeting the organisation s high standards. ABTA...

With so much news coming out about health these days, many people may feel a bit overwhelmed. Fortunately, help may be at your fingertips. A new Web site, HealthNewsReview.org, is designed to support excellence in health and medical news reporting by grading stories on accuracy, balance and completeness. Health care consumers who use HealthNewsReview.org will learn how to look for evidence in any claim made by any source, including news stories, said Professor Gary Schwitzer of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication and publisher of the Web site. Readers will become not only smarter consumers of health care but smarter consumers of news, he added. A team of impartial reviewers at the site assesses the quality of the health stories that run in the nation s top 50 newspapers, the evening network newscasts, Associated Press wire services and weekly news magazines using a standardized rating system. The team includes medical and public health professionals, journalists and researchers...

Research at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center casts serious doubts about the prevailing medical view of the cause of asthma and suggests an entirely new way of thinking about a disease that affects a growing number of people today, particularly children. Until now, doctors assumed that asthmatics were hypersensitive to irritants like dust, pollen or pollutants. This hypersensitivity was thought to cause the airways in the lungs to contract, blocking the flow of air and leaving the patients gasping for breath. This lung airway constriction process was assumed to be absent in nonasthamatics. But the new study strongly suggests that everyone is susceptible to asthmatic attacks and that the crucial difference between asthmatics and nonasthmatics lies in how well they can breathe after the initial assault on their system--specifically how efficiently they can take the deep breaths necessary to reinflate their lungs and clear the blocked airways. Researchers used the inhalant drug metachlorine to deliberately constrict...