Sexual Health Buzz

There is a special blessing in the Christmas message which is frequently missed by many. The birth of Jesus is not simply an interesting fact of history wholly unrelated to your present life . . . rather, it has a direct bearing upon it.

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the personal importance of His coming was emphasized. He said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Have you ever thought that it was for you the Saviour was born? Do you realize that when God sent His Son into the world, He sent Him to become your Saviour? Listen to the word of the herald angel, “I bring you good tidings of great joy . . . for unto you is born . . . a Saviour.” Yes . . . it was for you that Jesus came.

He did not come to be the inspiration of sacred art, nor to be the theme of glad song, much less to be merely a good man and a great teacher . . . Jesus came to be the Saviour, and as such He was born to you.

Bound inseparably together are the Saviour’s birth and His death. He came to save, and to save He must die . . . die in the sinner’s stead, bearing the full penalty of divine wrath of sin. This too was personal – it was for you.

And such a very personal message of God’s love and grace demands a personal response. The Saviour who was born was God’s gift to you. And He wants you to receive that gift. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

To receive the gift of God by faith you must believe that Christ actually was born to be your Saviour and that He died for your sins. Because He arose victorious over death, He offers you abundant, everlasting life.

Won’t you receive the gift of God this Christmas? It can be your best Christmas yet! – Dr. Willard M. Aldrich

*The cover art was created by Maya Jo Anderson who was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kentucky Children’s Hospital for 3 months. She is not 3 years old and lives in Lexington. Thanks Angela for the beautiful Christmas card that you send me. Much love ~ Angela

Operation Santa

You can help provide toys for more than 4,000 homeless and needy children.

For drop off locations please visit www.opendoormission.org or call 402.422.1111.

Here is a listing of toys

Pull Toys & Trucks
Action Figures
Lego and Duplo Sets
Hand Held Games
Puzzles
Board Games
Barbies
Baby Dolls
Art Sets
Fleecy Throws
Balls
Coloring Books
Play Doh

The Shepherd’s Lights

November 28 – December 31 view the Parable of the Lost Sheep in form, motion and light from the comfort of your car. A portion of your $5 entrance fee (per car) will be donated to Open Door Mission!

Santa’s Woods
3764 Hwy 133, Blair, NE
402.426.5250

Diaper Drive

Channel 94.1 is collecting diapers December 1 – December 21

To Benefit Open Door Mission

I met my special someone through this website Positive Singles and I was just diagnosed in Jan 2007. I came home for a vacation last Dec 2006 from UK. I figured out that the guy who gave this to me was the guy I was dating in UK for 1 year and a half. He broke up with me when I told him about the Herpes. It is good as I have tested negative for HIV and other STDs including Herpes when I started going out with him. So I was sure that I got it from him though he denies it until now.

I finally decided to come back to Canada for good and with a thought that I will be happy to spend the rest of my life single if I will not meet someone who will accept me as I am. Sometime in October 2007 while searching for more information about Herpes, I came across Positive Singles, I tried it, saying to myself, nothing to lose. I was amazed how many responses I got, and as any other dating website, you have to screen the qualities of persons you want to meet. At least, you don’t have to discuss Herpes but it is also good to know what other stuff they have.

It also boils down to whether or not you have chemistry, the same qualities, same values, sexual compatibility, etc. I do agree that there are websites that cater to specific needs of people. Whether you have herpes or not, you still have to determine what you want. Having Herpes is just one issue that you at least don’t have to talk over. I do agree that you should not limit yourself to people with herpes only but you have to be strong and determine not to be hurt when you disclose your status and that you will be ready for all the rejection and all the stigma and ignorance from people about herpes.

I don’t think having herpes had been a problem with my partner, much to the point that we enjoy each other even if we have our breakouts. And definitely, the more you talk about herpes, the more people understand, stigma becomes lesser. If in any occasion that I need to disclose, I made this decision that whoever I disclose to are people that I know will accept me as I am and whatever their comments will not affect me.

Have you tried Positive Singles?

See what others are saying about Positive Singles

Hi. I want to share my story b/c when I was diagnosed w/herpes over a year ago I was devastated-depressed-the whole nine. The guy who gave it to me accused me of giving it to him and subsequently I ended our already dysfunctional relationship.

I was really afraid no guy that I would want would want me when he found out that I have H and I was paranoid about passing it on so not telling a lover was not an option.

So fast forward to 7 weeks ago when I met a great guy online. He is literally the sweetest man I have ever known but I was still afraid to tell him but after so many weeks of dating I was thinking he was wondering why I wasn’t having sex with him yet. So last night before we went out I told him.

I watched the news sink in on his face and he hugged and kissed me and told me he was sorry. He asked a couple of questions b/c he didn’t know anything about it, and that was it; we had a great time together (even though that night we couldn’t do it b/c i was having an outbreak).

So my advice to people afraid to tell is just make sure you’re telling the right person…who already really likes you and has proven they are not there just for sex in the first place.

Recent results of a Phase III clinical trial involving Gardasil, a vaccine against four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), indicate that the vaccine may help prevent genital warts in boys and men. Results of the study, funded by Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, were presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the European Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia (EUROGIN).

Currently in the U.S., Gardasil is only approved for use in for girls and women aged 9-26. Yet while the vaccine provides protection against two strains of HPV associated with 70 percent of cervical cancer in females, it also protects against strains of HPV that cause genital warts that HPV Newseffect both males and females. The study evaluated approximately 4000 males between 16 through 23 years of age. Study participants received either three doses of Gardasil at regular intervals or a placebo. All participants were followed for 36 months. At the time of vaccination, participants had no evidence of genital lesions, no history of genital warts and five or fewer lifetime sexual partners.

Participants who were vaccinated with Gardasil were approximately 90 percent less likely to develop genital warts than those that received a placebo. No study participants experienced any serious side effects related to vaccination. Merck intends to submit a supplemental Biologics License Application for Gardasil to the FDA by the end of 2008 for the use of the vaccine in boys and men ages 9 to 26 for the prevention of genital warts.

ASHA’s fact sheet on HPV vaccines addresses some of the most common questions about Gardasil and other vaccines in development. ASHA’s website also offers recent data on the safety of Gardasil.

Talk about HPV

After an extended review, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published final rules governing the labeling of male latex condoms. Following the evaluation of both clinical and epidemiological research as well as public comments on proposed changes to labeling, the FDA concluded that “scientific evidence today continues to fully support the overall effectiveness of latex condoms in reducing the risk of transmission of common STIs.”

Changes to condom labeling were originally proposed in 2005. Among the proposed changes at that time included language specific to STDs: “Condoms provide less protection for certain STDs, including genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, that can also be How to Use A Condom spread by contact with infected skin outside the area covered by the condom. Condoms cannot protect against these STDs when they are spread in this way.”

When the FDA solicited public comment on the suggested changes in 2005, they received more than 100 responses from consumers, health professionals, industry, academia, state and Federal government agencies, as well as professional societies and organizations. After a review of public comment, as well as current research on condom effectiveness, the FDA concluded that recent studies confirmed that latex condoms can reduce transmission risk, and cited recent studies on HPV specifically that provided additional evidence to support this conclusion.

As stated in the federal register, “The benefit of this final rule is that establishing the labeling guidance as a special control ensures that manufacturers will provide consumers with the information they need to make an informed decision regarding the use of latex condoms and to use them safely and effectively. The labeling guidance helps ensure that information provided to consumers does not undervalue the overall STI-risk reduction provided by latex condom use, but does not exaggerate the effectiveness of latex condoms against certain types of STIs.”

This final rule will go into effect January 9, 2009. While latex condoms that were legally marketed prior to the effective date of this final rule will have 11 months from that date to comply with the new labeling requirements, new products will be required to comply immediately upon the rule taking effect.

World AIDS Day, marked annually on December 1, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The theme for 2008 event is leadership, continuing the theme of last year. Promoted with the slogan “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise,” the aim of the leadership campaign is to highlight the discrepancy between promises made to stop the spread of AIDS and the actions that need to be and have been taken to follow through on these promises.

To celebrate the 2007 and 2008 World AIDS Day theme of leadership, the World AIDS Campaign launched the Stop AIDS Leadership Pledge in November 2007. In collaboration with partner organizations around the globe, this initiative asks people from all over the world to World AIDS Day 2008pledge their leadership to help stop AIDS. Aiming for a goal of 100,000 pledges, organizers will use these commitments to create exhibitions, banners and other visibility actions during events in 2008 and 2009.

Individuals can take the leadership pledge at the World AIDS day site, opting to either speak to friends and family members about AIDS, write a letter or join a rally demanding universal access, or volunteer or donate to an AIDS cause. A list of pledges made across the globe can be viewed at the World AIDS campaign site.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, are also working to promote World AIDS Day through the website www.AIDS.gov and its “Facing AIDS: World AIDS Day 2008” Campaign. “Facing AIDS” is a web-based campaign that focused on ways individuals can take action to show support for those living with HIV and AIDS and raise awareness as well. CDC’s efforts also focus on HIV testing, creating web buttons to promote HIV testing for use on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and utilizing text messaging to connect people with local resources. With this latter service, cell phone users can send a text message of their zip code to “KNOWIT” (566948). to receive a text message containing one or more local HIV testing sites.

For more information about HIV and AIDS, visit the ASHA site and message board forums.

What are you doing to help spread the word? Maybe you can share this information on your blog and with your friends and co-workers.

You can also visit our message board here on Shut Up N Post! STD Message Board.

Help help help! How effective is suppression therapy? With Valtrex? My mate doesn’t know I have it and our sex life was finished. then he went and got meds to start it up again. Now I’m panicked. I rarely have outbreaks that I know of. And online articles seem confusing … “shedding is reduced to 8% of the days with suppression therapy” means nothing to me. I’m so confused as to what my odds are to not transmit the virus to him. I can’t find anyone who really knows. My dr. even isn’t sure!!! Do you know anything that may be helpful to me??? – S

Suppressive therapy reduces outbreaks to the point that people don’t experience them like they did when they were first diagnosed. So if outbreaks are a problem for you then suppressive therapy would definitely be the way to go.

For those couples where one has genital herpes and the other doesn’t, suppressive therapy is helpful in reducing transmission to the partner that doesn’t have it. In fact, suppressive therapy reduces transmission by up to 50%. You add condoms to that and I would say that is pretty good protection.

Suppressive therapy also reduces asymptomatic shedding by about 95%. So for those people that do not get outbreaks that they can see or feel.. then they would be reducing the chances of their partner contracting it from them even further by being on suppressive therapy.

It’s really up to the couple to figure out what they want to do though.. that’s why it’s so important to talk about your sexual health, your std status, and make a date to go and get tested together so you will both know and understand what you are dealing with before you have sex.

If you decide that you have more questions feel free and post those on the Shut Up N Post! STD Message Board, ok? – A