AIDS Nelson Vergel, AIDS expert, talks HIV and healthy aging by Kate Sosin, Windy City Times

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	AIDS Nelson Vergel, AIDS expert, talks HIV and healthy agingby Kate Sosin, Windy City Times2011-06-08
Nelson Vergel and Jeff Berry from TPAN. Photo by Kate Sosin
Nelson Vergel is not what you think of when you say "AIDS over 50."With hefty round muscles pushing out against a tight blue t-shirt and a lively demeanor, Vergel looks more like Mighty Mouse than a person resistant to nearly every HIV drug on the market. But Vergel is in the business of de-bunking myths about aging with HIV, and while his own HIV is a struggle, he's also the living example of his work. Vergel presented some of the latest findings on HIV and aging at Center on Halsted May 31, during his free talk, "Promising Advances in HIV Cure and Healthy Aging Research." The event was sponsored by Test Positive Aware Network. The Houston-based author and activist focused heavily on the scientific reasons why a cure to HIV/AIDS is both a distant dream and an impending reality. But while Vergel is following progress on possible cures, his own work focuses on informing other HIV-positive people on the changes HIV causes in the body and strategies for living well with the virus. "We're getting older. What is the quality of life going to be?" Vergel asked an audience of about 30 people. According to Vergel, medication is just one of four useful in battling HIV. He also includes stress reduction, exercise, and nutrition. In three years, he said, there will be four once-a-day HIV pills on the market (there is currently just one—Atripla). Still, HIV drug production is slowing because it's less profitable than other drugs. "We're moving into a new world," Vergel said. He expects that some HIV patients will be asked to go off their medications in time so that new possible cures can be tested. That possible cure might include one found four years ago in an American living in Germany. The famous "Berlin Patient" may have been cured of his HIV when he received a bone marrow transplant from a donor whose genetic mutations made him resistant to HIV. Research on that method is ongoing, Vergel said, but it's also still very risky and not enough information is available to make it a viable option yet. In the meantime, Vergel recommends nutrition and exercise. Because people living with HIV are at heightened risk of osteoporosis, HPV, and other illnesses, Vergel said it is especially important to remain vigilant about getting screened for other illnesses, especially HPV. "We're not talking about bottoms or tops or women or men," Vergel said. "[HPV] is affecting everyone." Medicine aside, exercise is the best medicine, said Vergel. "We [HIV-positive people] have an acceleration of the aging process by about 15 years," Vergel said. "Frailty in aging is most related to body strength." Vergel suggests leg squats for preventing frailty. He also said a healthy combination of cardio and muscle resistance can slow the aging process. New research has also shown merits of some vitamins in relieving some HIV symptoms. D vitamins can help maintain bone strength, while B vitamins can help relieve depression. Vergel warned, however, that patients talk to their doctors about vitamins as some can interact with HIV medications. Vergel doesn't stop at health, however. His talk also included strategies for fighting changes in body fat and fat under the skin (also known as lipohypertrophy and lipoatrophy) because Vergel said, "it's not about getting older. It's about getting your healthy look back as you age." Vergel thinks that a lot of doctors are reluctant to offer facial treatments to HIV patients who lose fat under facial skin because they see it as unnecessary, but he said that changes to body weight prevent some people from going on medication at all. However, a number of treatments exist for preventing weight changes while on HIV medication. Finally, Vergel discussed testosterone treatments, which he has covered in his latest book Testosterone: A Man's Guide. Testosterone is often taken by HIV-positive patients to combat fatigue, lack of motivation, poor appetite, and muscle loss. Vergel warns that these should be taken with caution because they can fuel cancer. Before making any decisions, he said, talk to your doctor. But do your own homework, too, he said because not every doctor will cover all the bases on HIV management. "The thing is, we don't have standards," he said. "We don't have guidelines." Information on Vergel's work as well as his complete slideshow presentation is available on his website:www.powerusa.org .

Chicago: "Promising Advances in HIV Cure and Healthy Aging Research" on Tuesday, May 31 from 6:30-8 pm

I hope to see anyone living in Chicago in this lecture!

Read the last two paragraphs for details.

When AIDS service providers talk about condom campaigns and safer sex, most people assume they're not talking to Chicago seniors. But if experts have it right, they need to start.HIV infection rates among Illinois seniors are climbing, advocates say. But unlike other at-risk groups, seniors present unique challenges in battling the disease, not the least of which is a stigma around sex and older adults that often silences that trend in both the media and in doctors' offices. "Folks often times overlook the fact that older adults are still having sex," said Hope Barrett, senior director of public programs at the Center on Halsted. "Sexuality is a lifetime thing. You don't stop being sexual at 30." According to 2009 Illinois Department of Public Health records, more than 10,000 people over age 50 are living with HIV/AIDS in Illinois. That's not just because the generation hit hardest by AIDS is aging; 15% of that figure is new infections, reported between just 2005-2009. That trend increasingly concerns Chicago AIDS service providers and is the subject a new film produced by Center on Halsted, Aging POZitively. The documentary, which premiers May 23 at Center on Halsted, follows three people who contracted HIV after age 50. "It was incredibly challenging to find folks who would come forward to be a part of the film," said Barrett, noting that most seniors shied away from sharing their HIV statuses. The film also explores the rising rate of infections among older adults as well as the challenges facing HIV-positive seniors. Those challenges are myriad, said Dr. Magda Houlberg, a geriatrician who specializes in HIV care at Howard Brown Health Center. Many seniors don't find out they are positive until much later than young people because HIV symptoms can easily be mistaken for signs of aging, like fatigue, depression, and a host of age-related illnesses. Further, other medications can complicate anti-HIV regimens. Those issues also make older adults undesirable to HIV researchers because they can cloud study results. "Most research in terms of drug treatment for HIV is for people under 50," Dr. Houlberg said. "So most information we have is just from what we're seeing [ among patients ] ." Houlberg also believes that HIV rates among older adults might be higher than statistics suggest because few physicians encourage them to get HIV tests. "The medical community is so uncomfortable with sexuality in general, but with older adults they're especially uncomfortable," Houlberg said. "Some older adults do get offended when you broach the subject. It's almost like you're accusing someone of having risk behavior." The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) recommends that physicians talk about HIV with patients under age 65, but the advent of performance-enhancing drugs like Viagra and the fact that people are living longer has meant that more people are having sex later in life. Some of those people were already married or partnered adults when the AIDS epidemic broke out and may have aged without seeing themselves as susceptible to the disease. Many who are widows or recent divorcees are negotiating safer-sex for the first time, said Hope Barrett. However, people who lived through the onset of AIDS may also be at heightened risk. Modesto Tico Valle, CEO at Center on Halsted, said that some elders who are HIV-positive "assume everyone is HIV-positive," and therefore fail to communicate their statuses to sexual partners. Both causes raise questions for local service providers about how to reach elders. Targeted efforts tend to focus on youth and gay men, making it harder for elders to see themselves in HIV prevention messages. HIV is often passed between generations, however. Valle said that youth and elders who are sexually involved sometimes struggle to negotiate safe sex because partners don't know how to communicate about safe sex in the same ways. Rising infection rates among Illinois seniors follow a national trend. CDC statistics suggest that HIV rates among people over 50 have been on the rise for more than a decade. AIDS diagnoses in that group tripled between 2001-2005, from 1% of seniors infected to 3%. Daniel Montoya, deputy executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, said that until seniors are screened regularly for HIV, service providers won't have the data to prioritize prevention among that age category. Finally, national AIDS organizations have been hard-hit by recession funding cuts, and many are struggling simply to maintain programs that already exist. A campaign directed at prevention among seniors might be a far-fetched idea. Overwhelmingly, Chicago service providers seem to agree that unless the stigmatization around elders and sex is confronted, the trend will continue. But in Chicago, Juan Calderon, executive director of Humboldt Park-based Vida/SIDA, wants to take that analysis a step further. He is seeking greater commitment from Illinois officials to funding HIV prevention beyond just North Side organizations. He said his organization is ready to fight HIV among seniors, but that Vida/SIDA and other West and South Side groups will need more money. "I think [ seniors and HIV ] is a citywide problem," he said. "We do work with seniors, but we have the challenges of not enough funding. … The Department of Public Health needs to strengthen its approach, and Vida/SIDA will be ready when they do." The documentary, "Aging Pozitively," premieres at Center on Halsted May 23 at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and will include a brief reception. More information is available at www.centeronhalsted.org . Test Positive Aware Network, Positively Aware magazine and Center on Halsted are co-sponsoring a community event on "Promising Advances in HIV Cure and Healthy Aging Research" on Tuesday, May 31 from 6:30-8 pm. The free event, featuring popular lecturer, author and HIV advocate Nelson Vergel, will take place at the Center's Hoover-Leppen Theatre at 3656 N. Halsted. Since learning he was HIV-positive in 1986, Nelson Vergel has become a leading advocate for sports nutrition and HIV wellness. He is author of the book Testosterone: A Man's Guide, and is co-author of Built to Survive. Nelson is the founder of the non-profit organizations Body Positive Wellness Clinic and Program for Wellness Restoration. He's also the nutrition and exercise forum expert for TheBody.com and moderator for PozHealth, one of the largest HIV health discussion listserves in the U.S. The event is free but seating is limited. To RSVP call 773-989-9400 or e-mail tpan@tpan.com .