March 22, 2022 BY imani leave a comment
Dealing with HIV starts with you!
With the right treatment and care, you can expect to live a long and healthy life. Keep reading to find out how you can look after yourself and stay healthy.
Anti Retroviral treatment: If you have been diagnosed with HIV then starting treatment as soon as possible is the first step to taking care of yourself and maintaining a strong immune system. Even though antiretroviral treatment is not a cure for HIV, it helps to keep the virus under control. The key to staying healthy is to make sure that you take it religiously as prescribed – which usually means every day at the same time.
Eat healthily: This is very important Nutritional advice for people living with HIV: eat a balanced diet, without too much-processed fat, sugar or salt. This will also help your body to absorb the treatment and fight off everyday infections.
Exercise: An active lifestyle is a majo
r part of maintaining your health for everyone – it builds muscle, keeps your bones strong, your heart healthy and burns fat. Exercise also reduces feelings of stress and symptoms of depression.
Avoid alcohol or drug use: If you are living with HIV, there are risks associated with alcohol and recreational drug use. Alcohol can damage the liver which the body uses to process anti-HIV medication. Heavy drinking and taking recreational drugs can also weaken your immune system, making it harder for your body to recover from infections.
And finally, if you’re living with HIV, checking in with your healthcare professional regularly is also very important. They should monitor you for other health conditions, which you may experience more as you age, and adjust your treatment as needed.