Going Gray With HIV, a Complicated Affair

(ABCNEWS.com)

No one would argue that living a long time after receiving an HIV diagnosis is a good thing.

"I feel fabulous," says Carlton Smith, who was diagnosed with HIV 25 years ago. He is on the cusp of 50, "but I don't look like it," he is quick to say.

But what lies ahead for people like Carlton, diagnosed with HIV decades ago? They are living far beyond what anyone predicted when the HIV epidemic hit the United States in the 1980s.

By the year 2015, more than 50 percent of Americans living with HIV will be older than 50. As the availability of anti-iretroviral medications continues to expand, the rest of the world will not be far behind. But researchers are only beginning to understand how HIV and its treatment affects those living with HIV as they age.

Not that HIV hasn't always been a complicated disease for patients and their doctors to manage.

"Before aging was an issue,

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Health Tip: Going Scuba Diving?

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago (HealthDay News) -- Scuba diving requires careful training and preparation, or you can suffer the health effects of the difference in pressure between the spaces in your body and the higher water pressure as you dive deeper.

Diving without training can raise your risk of problems including dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath. More serious medical problems can include decompression sickness (the "bends").

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these general guidelines for safer scuba diving:

Don't push yourself beyond your comfort level, and always stay within your dive plan.Slowly and gently equalize the pressure in your mask and ears as you descend and ascend.Educate yourself on local dangers, such as currents, tides and dangerous marine life.Always dive with a buddy and stay calm and relaxed; turn to your buddy if you need help.Always use the proper equipment.Make sure your doctor says it's safe for you to dive.Never drink alcohol before a dive.

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Going gluten-free: Is the diet a good fit for everyone?

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2012) — One of the latest trends in the food market and among celebrities is going gluten-free. Snack giant Frito-Lay has announced it will introduce new gluten-free labels and products, and Miley Cyrus has credited her recent weight loss to a gluten-free diet.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossNutritionCholesterolPlants & AnimalsFoodAgriculture and FoodBiologyLiving WellReferenceGlutenGluten-free, casein-free dietMeat analogueOat

Experts at Kansas State University say going gluten-free may be a good choice for some individuals, but that just because a product's label says it's gluten-free doesn't means that it's healthy.

Going gluten-free was an obvious choice for Kathryn Deschenes, a Kansas State University master's student in food science from Ellsworth. She has celiac disease, which runs in her family. The disease is a digestive disorder triggered by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Those with celiac disease often experience symptoms like nausea and diarrhea.

"It can have funny symptoms like depression, acid reflux and it can stunt children's growth," Deschenes said.

For the 1 percent of the population with celiac disease, giving up gluten products usually takes away those symptoms. Deschenes went gluten-free in high school and likes the recent gluten-free trend.

"It's been beneficial for the market," she said, adding that it means more companies are producing gluten-free products and labeling their products as such.

But are products labeled "gluten-free" healthier?

Take a good hard look at those labels, recommends Mark Haub, associate professor and interim head of Kansas State University's department of human nutrition in the College of Human Ecology. Haub studies whole grains and dietary fiber.

"Just because a product says it's gluten-free doesn't mean it's healthy," he said.

The gluten-free product likely contains as many calories as gluten options, Haub said, because a gram of sorghum, corn or rice flour appears to be metabolically similar to a gram of wheat flour.

Haub said that gluten isn't bad for the average person.

"People have been eating wheat, rye and barley for thousands of years, and there are people who live to be 100 who eat wheat products and don't seem to exhibit any types of health issues," he said.

Gluten-free diets are now being adopted by people without celiac disease. Haub said as long as they do their research about the diet, he's fine with the trend.

"I'm totally supportive of people selecting and choosing lifestyle habits that best suit their needs and preferences, and this would fit that category," he said.

If someone eats more varieties of vegetables and fruits and engages in portion control of other foods, then this type of gluten-free living may elicit health benefits, he said.

Deschenes cautions that gluten-free is not necessarily a weight-loss program and can be a bad diet if you aren't aware of the things it lacks, such as a sufficient amount of fiber.

To help add more fiber to her diet, Deschenes buys breads with more fiber. She also said you can add flax seed to your diet, which is high in fiber.

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Get your kids on board with going meatless once a week

Cherry Blossom Festival: Parents weigh the joy vs. the hassleWays to involve kids in gardeningKaren Murphy’s punishment for hot-car death won’t prevent more parents from making this mistakeDeath of baby at Virginia in-home day care not as isolated as it seemsStories By DateFull Monthly Archive Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 03/15/2012TheWashingtonPostBy Casey Seidenberg

I am not a huge meat eater. I haven’t officially broken this to my boys because I don’t want them to get the idea that they can boycott large categories of food. Also, my older son loves meat. Given a choice, he will choose meat every time. He is growing faster than I can buy shoes, so clearly his meat cravings are his body’s way of demanding the protein, iron and vitamins that it needs. I don’t want to discourage that. He should listen to his body.

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