Washington, D.C., Church Addresses HIV Stigma, Teaches Safe Sex To Black, Gay Congregation
The Washington Post on Sunday featured Washington D.C.,-based Inner Light Ministries, a 16-year-old black community church with about 100 members, where many go "to share their experience of being black and gay, living and loving in a city where HIV and AIDS lurk in epidemic proportions. ò€¦" Some members of the congregation, as well as four of its leaders including Bishop Rainey Cheeks are HIV-positive. Cheeks teaches safe sex as a part of his sermons and the church provides condoms to its members. The article also discusses the stigma associated with HIV among gay black men. "Some men are reluctant to reveal their health status to possible partners for fear of being rejected," according to the Post. "That attitude, Cheeks said, is part of why gay black men in the District are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. And why he has to keep preaching the message of safe sex," the article states (Fears, 7/26).
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What Is Astigmatism? What Causes Astigmatism?
and PRK are better procedures than LASIK if the cornea is thin. Laser eye surgery is not suitable if: *The patient is under the age of 21 - The structures of the eyes of people under 21 are still changing and should not be altered. The minimum age in different countries varies from 21 to 18. *Vision is still changing - the vision of some older people may still be changing. Experts say that a person"s vision should be stable for at least three years before undergoing laser surgery. *Patients with diabetes - in some cases laser surgery may worsen abnormalities in the eye caused by diabetes. *Pregnant or breastfeeding mothers - during pregnancy and breastfeeding hormone fluctuations still exist within the eye, making it more difficult to carry out surgery accurately. *People with some immune conditions - people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or HIV, for example, may find it harder to recover after surgery. *People with other existing eye conditions - people other eye conditions will need to have those treated first, before becoming eligible candidates for laser eye surgery. Examples are cataracts and glaucoma. *People taking certain medications - if the patient is taking medications, such as Accutane or oral prednisone, he/she should not undergo laser eye surgery. What are the risks of laser surgery? *Correction error - the surgeon may have taken out the wrong amount of tissue and the patient"s vision worsens. *Epithelial in-growth - the surface of the cornea starts growing into the cornea itself. This can cause vision problems and may need further surgery. *Ectasia - the cornea becomes too thin. This can result in worse vision. Sometimes the deterioration of vision may be severe. *Keratitis - the cornea becomes infected. In most countries the risk of complications from laser eye surgery is very small. It depends on how experienced the surgeon is, and how accurately the patient was assessed beforehand. According to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, UK, the risks of complications in the UK for LASIK surgery are as follows: Correction error - 0.6% chance Epithelial in-growth - 1.3% chance Ectasia - 0.2% chance Keratitis - 0.16% chance Patients should ask the surgeon about his/her experience with the procedure, success rates, what equipment is going to be used, and what follow-up program there is. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayPages: 1 [2]