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Author: Imani Goodall

HIV infection

The Basics: Understanding HIV

May 1, 2017
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Fight Disease

We've been discussing HIV every week here on Black Girl Health and we understand it can be a lot of information to take in. For those who are just beginning to get informed about HIV, here is some basic info to get started. What is HIV? HIV stands for "human immunodeficiency virus". As its name suggests, HIV is technically a virus that leads to an HIV infection. The term HIV itself is often used interchangeably to discuss both the virus and the infection. It is a virus that attacks the body's immune system making it difficult to fight infections and disease. At the worst stage of an HIV infection is AIDS. How is HIV Spread? HIV is spread through bodily fluids. This can include blood, breast milk, semen, and...

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Preventive HIV vaccine

What You Should Know About the Preventative HIV Vaccine

April 24, 2017
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Fight Disease

Did you know: a way to proactively prevent HIV is with a preventive HIV vaccine? This vaccine is for people who are not infected and who would like to prevent a future infection. Although this preventive HIV vaccine is currently available, there's a few things you should know before deciding if this prevention method is right for you. If you've done any research on HIV prevention, you may have come across the relatively new option of a preventative HIV vaccine. This HIV vaccine works to train a person's immune system to fight the HIV infection in the case of exposure. Like any vaccine, the preventive HIV vaccine comes with a lot of questions. The main one being, can you actually get HIV from taking the vaccine. Currently,...

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African Americans

How HIV Affects African Americans

April 17, 2017
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According a CDC report, African Americans that are living with HIV are less likely than their white or Latino counterparts to receive medical care and treatment. Even though HIV diagnoses have been on the decline, this statistic brings to light how far we have to go when it comes to bridging the gap between medical care and HIV in our communities. The fact that HIV diagnosis rates are steadily declining across demographics is a promising sign of progress. In the Black community specifically there has been a 42% decrease in HIV diagnosis amongst African American women since 2005. However, there are still disparities between African Americans and other ethnicities that remain. For starters, even though Black people make up just 12% of the United States population, they...

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dry hair

SUFFERING DRY SCALP, DRY HAIR OR BREAKAGE?

April 14, 2017
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Fight Disease, Look Good

Dry scalp, dry hair and hair breakage can be very frustrating  as our hair is ‘our crown and glory’! Does your scalp look dry despite using lots of moisturizers, deep conditioners or hot oil treatments ? This might be why. Most commonly, your scalp may have dandruff or in medical terms, ‘seborrheic dermatis’. Your scalp may not be dry from lack of oil but actually flaking off from overgrowth of yeast with possible itching. The excess hair products can worsen yeast, especially if scalp is not washed regularly. Often, we fear that if we shampoo too much, our hair will get too dry but, scalp is skin that is connected to the back of your neck and face which we wash every day.  So, why do...

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Know your Risk Behavior

HIV Exposure: Know Your Risk

April 10, 2017
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Fight Disease

Did you know that there are certain behaviors that can put you more at risk of getting HIV? And did you that many of these behaviors are easily controlled by you? The first step in protecting yourself and preventing exposure to HIV is knowledge. Learn about HIV exposure and risk behaviors to know and reduce your risk. The risk of getting of HIV is not one size fits all. Depending on the method of exposure to HIV and the risk behavior that is involved, the risk will vary. For example, there are certain types of HIV exposure that carry a higher risk of transmission than some other kinds of risks. Likewise, there are other types of exposures that carry such a small risk that it's hard...

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A Hair Transition, Regimen, & Styles with @Queeneleem

April 7, 2017
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Look Good

Getting inside a naturalista's hair routine is one of the best ways to research when you're thinking about going natural. Queeneleem, a natural haired beauty with 4B/4C hair shares the deets on her transition, regimen, and styles that keep her natural hair flourishing! I have 4C/4B hair that is light medium brown. My hair is thick with thin individual strands and naturally dry. And man, is my shrinkage real (around 80%). This is my natural hair texture slightly stretched. I braided it into 3 large braids after I showered to keep it from tangling as it dried while I slept. My stretched length in this picture is an inch above my bra strap. I started my natural hair transition January 26th 2013 when I decided to stop using...

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Prevent HIV

Protect Yourself & Prevent HIV

April 3, 2017
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Fight Disease

When it comes to preventing HIV, protecting yourself is key. There are so many tools available that can help you protect yourself from getting HIV as well as protecting others. We're sharing a few simple precautions you can take to lower your risk, protect yourself, and prevent getting HIV Today, we have access to many options and tools to prevent HIV as well as spreading HIV. While, of course, one of the main ways to protect yourself against HIV is abstinence, there are a number of other other tools and lifestyle changes you can make as well. Limit your sexual partners. This simple precaution can greatly reduce the chances of getting HIV as you're reducing your possible chances of exposure. The more sexual partners you have,...

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PEP

Everything You Need to Know about PEP

March 27, 2017
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Fight Disease

If you think that there is the possibility you’ve been exposed to HIV, the time to act is now! PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis) is a medication that can be taken within 72 hours after to exposure to prevent HIV infection. If you’ve been exposed, here’s what you should know, and what you should do, as soon as possible to protect yourself. Exposure to HIV is something that can be avoided by taking a number of precautions to protect yourself. That said, there are instances where you may be exposed to HIV for reasons beyond your control. In those emergency cases, there is a medication available that can help to prevent HIV infection. Post-exposure prophylaxis is an emergency treatment that involves taking HIV medication within 72 hours of...

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A Natural Hair Transition with @JessicaJWalk

March 24, 2017
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Look Good

When it comes to making the decision to "go natural" you have two choices. Big chop or transition. For this week's #fabhairfriday, we're featuring @JessicaWalk. A natural beauty who decided to do a year long natural hair transition that ultimately led a to mini chop. This is her hair story. I started transitioning June of 2009, wearing wash & go styles & gradually cutting off the relaxed ends until my mini big chop in August of 2010. My hair is low porosity (which means the hair has difficulty retaining moisture) & protein sensitive (which means that some proteins can cause allergic reactions in the hair). Because of these characteristics, I stay away from heavy butters, protein, & coconut oil. My current regimen is cleansing & deep conditioning...

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What to Do

What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to HIV

March 20, 2017
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Fight Disease

If you think that you may have been exposed to HIV, it can be a scary time. Your mind races, wanders, and you might feel anxiety or confusion on what to do. This time after exposure is the highest risk of transmitting infection, so you'll need to prepare, plan, and protect yourself. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV here's what you should do. GET TESTED The reality is, that while the HIV virus has many symptoms, you can not rely on symptoms--or lack of symptoms--alone to confirm whether or not you may have the virus. The only way to know for sure is to get tested. The moment you think you may have been exposed to HIV or participated in one of the risk factors,...

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