Herpes Nation
Newsletter Volume One, Edition Two
Why I am not Ashamed of Having Herpes!
Why should I be?
I will not allow myself to be
ridiculed, stigmatized or disrespected by others for having a disease.
Disease is a natural part of life whether you are human, animal or
plant. Nobody is exempt from disease, almost no one will live their
full life without getting at least one sexually transmitted disease.
These are the facts.
Some people are afraid of diseases
and those who have them. That is an ancient, primal fear, and one I
understand well, but it doesn't excuse anyone from mean-spirited,
ignorant behaviour towards those with diseases.
When I was a kid we made fun of
"retarded" and "handicapped" people. I am deeply ashamed of that now,
but children can be quite brutal. Adults need to hold themselves to a
much higher standard.
Those who make sick jokes about
herpes are not only aping the same mentality as those who make racist
or sexist jokes, but they are also exposing their own lack of courage.
It's much easier to ridicule the things you are afraid of rather than
having the courage to face those fears. They are creating a stigma that
causes millions of people with herpes unnecessary grief.
At least 60% of the population has
herpes above or below the waist. 70% of the population will get HPV as
genital warts or cervical dysplasia. 80% will get chlamydia at least
once- most women will get it more than once.
All animals with backbones get
herpes including cats, horses, elephants and salmon. Most animals
without a backbone get herpes including worms.
Having herpes doesn't make me less
moral, less attractive, less ethical, less worthy of respect, less sexy
or less of a great catch, so why would I be ashamed to have herpes?
I am not afraid of my body. I know
that sometimes I will get sick. I know that my faculties will decline
as I age and that I am destined to die. This is the beauty of life- the
contrast and balance between health and disease, between happiness and
sorrow, summer and winter, fullness and emptiness, life and death.
I am a natural person; I am not
ashamed or at war with any part of my body, including the herpes virus.
I am at peace with the virus, my body and my place in this world as a
person with a lifelong herpes infection.
I am most definitely not ashamed.
Join Us
Please join me and the people
already contributing to this newsletter by sharing your stories and
articles. If you paint or draw or make art of any kind, express your
feelings about herpes through your art and send it to us to share with
the Herpes Nation. If you are a musician send us your herpes songs.
Send your recipes. Empower yourself to sign your work, or use a
pseudonym to protect your privacy. Either way, don't be shy! We want to
hear your voice.
Regards and love,
Christopher Scipio
Homeopath/Herbalist
Holistic Viral Specialist
http://www.natropractica.com
An Interview with Dr. David Koelle
by Angie Richardson
What are your thoughts on the
origin of the herpes virus?
Herpes has been with us for several
hundred million years. It has evolved with us, it has changed with us.
The herpes hosts have changed and evolved over the millions of years,
and the herpes virus is no different.
What are the genetic differences
and similarities between type 1 and type 2?
Overall, herpes type 1 and type 2
are 50 percent identical. Some portions are 95 percent related, and
other portions are 20 percent related. They are very similar on a
global level. Whether herpes will present itself orally or on the
genitals depends on which place the virus likes better, which place is
better suited for the virus. Herpes type 1 and type 2 are extremely
related, though not as closely as the flu strands, which are 95 or 98
percent related. In terms of relation, we could consider type 1 and
type 2 to be brothers, and chicken pox a cousin.
Why has herpes been such a
successful virus?
Simply put, because it is clinically
mild. The overwhelming majority of its hosts have no increased
mortality. This virus is lifelong, and can be transmitted again and
again throughout the lifespan of its host. Herpes' infectious forms are
periodically present on a highly transmittable surface (lips when
kissing, genitals when having sex, etc).
Why has it been so challenging to
find cures for herpes and other viruses, such as chicken pox and
epstein-barr?
This is because of the latent
property of the virus. The virus goes into the neurons, and stays for
the entire life of the cell. The cell itself would need to be killed in
order to successfully remove the virus. No drugs can go into these
cells and take the virus out. There are 8 different types of herpes
that infect humans, and all 8 have the property of latency.
How have viruses impacted human
evolution? Since viruses are neither alive or dead, what evolutionary
and ecosystem niche do they occupy?
Viruses help speed up evolution,
they help to stir up the DNA, to create more mutations and to allow for
more transfer of DNA. Retroviruses (not herpes) have contributed to
evolution in a positive way, they make DNA mobile. They can move DNA
laterally from one person to another. In fact, 20 percent of our DNA is
made up of old retroviruses. Retroviruses copy and paste themselves
into our DNA, they insert into our chromosomes.
Which came first, type 1 or type 2
herpes?
There is no way to be sure. The
share a common ancestor. If one looks at two brothers and asks which
came first, the question does not really make sense: they both came
from common ancestor. One did not differentiate or evolve into the
other.
What is the prospect for new types
of the herpes virus evolving?
Imperceptibly slow. As evolution
continues, people will slowly begin to look different, just as herpes
will slowly begin to look different. It will happen so slowly over time
that we wont even be able to notice it. Its not like the flu, where a
new from of it will show up in another country. When herpes replicates,
the accuracy of its replication is extremely high. It doesnt mutate on
a time scale that is easy for us to perceive from our human lifespan
scale. The likelihood of it mutating or evolving while we are alive is
almost zero.
On the Path
by Jessica Lauryn
Why? Why is this so hard for me to
write about something I've been so open about, yet so troubled by, for
over a year now? Herpes. That insidious cellular parasite that crept
into the nerve ganglia of my sacral cells. Sacral. Sacrum. Sacred?
The quote I remember most from Tom
Robbin's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," was, "I believe in everything.
Nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing. Everything is sacred."
In the past seven years, I have
grown closer and closer to believing in the sacred nature of my vulva,
my vagina, my breasts, my womb, my clit. I study myself in the mirror.
Breasts beginning to sag, their firm, supple nature a relic of a past
body, a body that had yet to mother. They are now reminders of the
suckling of two tender infants and toddlers, nourished by their
goodness during their formative years. My breasts, heavy on my belly,
have served their primary purpose. A job well done.
My belly, stretched to its skin's
very limits, is defined by pale scars, soft depressions reminiscent of
tree roots. It protrudes a soft mound of loosened flesh reminding me of
its emptiness, void of the life it once had the divine privilege of
manifesting.
My vagina, in all its pains and
glories, sheds the blood of my womb each month with the moon to remind
me of my sacred role as a woman, creator of new life. My vulva, sweet
mound I hold so dear, home to the holy bundle of glorious nerve
endings, all of which I had no words for until post-pubescence. All of
the sweet, mysterious sensations that I felt while secretly pleasuring
myself as a young child were accompanied by a predominating sense of
guilt and fear. There were years of disdain for my vulva. How it looked
(when I was brave enough to examine it,) how it felt, when I was
finally overcome by desire enough to touch it, and most importantly,
how I thought I was supposed to feel about having one.
A little girl learns that the pains
of childbirth are akin to torture. It filled me with a fear most
morose. Menstruation. . ."the curse." I felt condemned to a life of
inconvenience, monthly pains, and a dirtiness I was required to hide to
avoid embarrassment. Shame. There was no mention in sex-ed of female
masturbation, but plenty of information about erections and "wet
dreams." I had no language to describe my own experience. I lived with
the guilt and anxiety that I was somehow "hurting myself." I lived in
fear of the inevitability of the pain that would accompany my first
penetration and the new realization that virgin or whore, there lay the
same degradation.
And now, seven years into my own
personal sexual revolution, having finally freed myself of the guilt I
harbored for so long for being so sexually alive and curious from such
an early age, I must choose to transform my relationship with my herpes
virus.
Herpes. Oh, herpes. Why must you
attack that which I love and pride so much, so violently? Why do you
send little shoots of pain, panic, neurotic, spasmodic, low voltage
shocks directly through the path that brings me ecstasy? Why do you
birth and multiply in my wetness that I once reserved for myself and my
lovers? Why do you rob me of my of energy and insist in keeping me away
from the goodness of the sunlight? Why do you make me cry? Again, and
again?
In this moment, I can feel the lymph
nodes in my groin begin to swell, trying to protect me from another
attack. In my mind, I imagine the beauty of my lover, sending currents
of pleasure rushing to my clitoris. I hesitate to engage it. To quell
it. To LOVE it. It seems my vagina is plagued and confused by your all
too frequent reappearances and sudden disappearances. Can I not grow to
understand you better so that I can once again reclaim the purity and
the goodness of my sexuality?
Today, you make me so sad. You make
me wish I would have never trusted my former lover who passed you on to
me. But what good is dwelling on regret? This image, branded somehow
into my psyche of a single, suspicious, small wound on the tip of a
flaccid penis. The lovemaking was over when I noticed you. The damage
already done.
Ten days later, my genitals had not
experienced such burning and misery since the crowning of childbirth.
And when the diagnosis was confirmed all I could think of was, "No! No!
No! Please, no! Not that! Anything but that! There is no cure! It will
never go away!" Such a loss I am feeling. A loss of my sexual health,
and my sexual freedom, an essential part of my being.
I trust that my body, this body who
has birthed and re-birthed itself, will in time learn to better
accommodate this virus so that it will lie asleep, contentedly asleep.
I want to love again. I want to fuck again. I want to be relieved of
any shame that I carry for having contracted this disease. I want to
enjoy my own body without the fear of an orgasm disrupting the nerve
endings and causing me more grief. I want to be understood and
accepted. I want to be humbled by the reality of the vulnerability of
the human body without wallowing in self-pity and remorse.
If I were to believe in everything,
and that nothing is sacred. . .then I am one with all the is good and
bountiful and beautiful as well as all that is dark and scarce and
subject to pain and suffering. If I were to believe in nothing, and
that everything is sacred. . . then I fully embrace the same paradox
that is life with the possibility of finding something sacred,
something true and something to be grateful for. . .in Everything.
Profile of a Dater by Karen Weiner
When you read my profile you may
not want to date, but I'd rather tell this to you now before it gets
too late!
I hope you'll have the patience to
listen to what I say, because this is a scenario that happens every
day.
What follows is a story about 3
women and a guy. (Now that got your attention - if it didn't...then you
lie!)
Mr Lucky Dater goes on a date with
"one", and they have a great evening full of laughter and of fun. But
she tells him she has HSV and he is quite dismayed. So of course he
does a runner and she feels a bit betrayed.
So onto number "two" he moves, and
she is *squeaky clean*...of course as far as she's aware, clean she's
always been!
But like so many people here she
has the virus too. The problem is she cannot see it, yet it can spread
to you!!
They share many nights of passion,
but this comes to an end. Lucky for Mr Dater, number "three" is around
the bend.
Number "three" is a wonderful gal,
and they date for quite some time...but sex is on the horizon (as it is
in any good rhyme)!
She isn't sure what to tell him
before they get too 'wild'. She had a coldsore as a kid, but now it’s
really mild.
She decides it’s not a problem and
they spend the night in bed. She still avoids the issue and decides to
give him h**d!
But like all his romances so far,
this one too must end...and now our Mr Dater is back looking for a
"friend".
And when he finds the next one,
and she asks if he's been tested, he'll say "Oh not to worry, I would
know if I'm infected"!
And when she says "well that’s too
bad 'cause I have HSV", he'll turn around and run right back to number
"two" or "three"!!!!
So am I woman number "one", number
"two" or number "three"?
And are you absolutely sure YOU
don't have HSV?
A Recipe for Herpes Health
Being healthy and outbreak-free need
not mean deprivation. In each edition of this newsletter we will be
sharing recipes for a deliciously holistic herpes diet. Have you got a
particularly good healthy recipe? Send it to us, and we will publish it!
Baba Ghanoush's Herpes-Friendly
Cousin
by Beki Rosenthal
Choose local organic ingredients as
much as possible.
1 lg eggplant
1/4 cup whole plain yogurt
1 tbsp tahini
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
1-2 lemons, juice and pulp
3 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp hemp seeds
dash cumin and coriander (optional)
dash hot pepper (optional)
dash salt & pepper (optional)
dash cinnamon (optional)
1. Cut eggplant in 1/2 lengthwise.
2. Put cut side down in roasting pan.
3. Bake 30 min @ 375° or until
soft.
4. Transfer to plate to cool.
5. Spoon out cooled eggplant flesh
onto cutting surface and mince.
6. Put in bowl and mix with other
ingredients.
7. Adjust seasonings to taste.
8. Dip with cut veggies or baked
chips.
An Interview with Alix Bacon,
Sex Educator
By Angie Richardson
What advice do you give your
clients and the general public regarding safer sexuality, and the
testing and prevention of herpes?
I caution them to assume that
everyone has herpes (themselves included unless they have a Western
Blot test proving otherwise). Based on this assumption, I recommend
that people use condoms and dams for each act of sex for the duration
of all their relationships. I think knowing your herpes status is
valuable so if they can afford a Western Blot test I recommend it. That
being said, even if you have a positive result you still may not be
able to recognize an outbreak if one were to happen. Therefore I
encourage them to really tune into their bodies and specifically, their
genitals. Have a good feel and a good look in the shower once a week.
For males this is easily incorporated into their weekly testicular self
exams. Pay attention to “pimples”, “razor burn”, lymph nodes etc.
Become familiar enough that you will notice if something is different.
Why do you feel there is still
such a false stigmata toward herpes?
a) Herpes is the one common STI that
you can’t get rid of. The only other life long STIs are HIV and
sometimes HEP. HIV and HEP have their own stigma- the common
misconception is that only IDUs and sex trade workers are infected.
Therefore for Jo Schmo herpes is viewed as the only incurable STI.
Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphillis are all cured with a course of
antibiotics, HPV and molluscum contagiosum are transient infections (ie
our immune systems will deal with them within 2 years) with cosmetic
treatment options but herpes is with you for life.
b) People don’t realize how common
herpes is (1/5 adults in North America have genital herpes).
c) Herpes is associated with
infidelity.
d) People don’t understand how to
prevent herpes, or don’t want the “hassle” of using condoms.
How do you feel you are making a
difference in the public's perception of herpes?
I have a holistic approach to
herpes. I acknowledge the fear of living with and disclosing herpes
while at the same time taking a clear, scientific approach to sharing
information. I strive to demonstrate that physically (and dare I say
socially) herpes usually doesn't have to be a big deal. We can not
separate the physiological and emotion aspects of our sexuality- they
must be addressed as a package. I feel this is a significant departure
from previous, failed education attempts. These include employing scare
tactics, dispensing misinformation and shaming.
Why is it so difficult to get
herpes tests?
Herpes testing options are
confusing, individual tests can be expensive, tests have significant
limitations and accessibility is poor.
There are 3 ways to test for herpes.
The free blood test looks for
antibodies, which can take up to 12 weeks to develop. 80% of people
test positive for this test (because that's how many people have been
exposed to HSV 1- which is usually what causes cold sores), and it does
not distinguish between type 1 & type 2. It will not tell you if
you have had or ever will have an outbreak.
The second blood test is the western
blot. This is the gold standard of herpes blood tests & it will
confirm for you whether or not you are a carrier and if so, whether you
have type 1 or 2. Some people will have an accurate result after 2
weeks, but some may require up to 12 weeks after exposure before they
will get an accurate result. It will not tell you if you have had or
ever will have an outbreak.
To get a western blot you must
request it by name from a doctor, who will write a lab requisition for
you. You take the requisition to St. Paul's hospital on Burrard St. in
Vancouver, where you will have to pay approx $120 for the test.
The 3rd test is a swab of a
suspicious bump, rash, fissure etc. This is a viral culture & is
the only test that will confirm for i)if you have herpes ii)what type
iii) what an outbreak looks & feels like & where you can expect
them to appear in the future. Unfortunately, the culture is only
accurate in the first 24 hours after the outbreak begins, so its best
to go in as soon as possible when symptoms appear.
Why aren't medical professionals
encouraging people to get herpes tests?
I can't speak for a body of medical
professions but I suspect its a combination of things.
a) herpes is so prevalent and has so
few physiological side effects that it isn't financially sensible to
test
b) they understand the limitations
of the tests
c) they feel confident they can
diagnose based on a visual examination and anecdotal description of
symptoms
d) GPs have to stay on top of so
many things, are overworked and underpaid and they can't possibly stay
on top of everything. STIs are only covered in brief in medical school
and while continuing education is required doctors choose which areas
they wish to further explore.
Doctors often treat herpes like its
not big deal. This may be in an attempt to destigmatize the virus, or
perhaps it is because they are jaded by its prevalence. This attitude,
combined with a lack of information, lack of time and lack of
appropriate sensitivity training result often result in health care
providers failing to give clients all the information they need on how
to prevent transmission and how to communicate with their partners
about STIs. They also fail to provide the counseling, emotional support
and validation necessary for a newly diagnosed client to be able to
really hear information on transmission and communication.
Why is their such a temptation
for people who get herpes above the waist to either act like they don't
have herpes at all or at least be more complacent about disclosure and
safer sexuality?
Many people do not realize that cold
sores are caused by the herpes virus. They also do not realize that
they can spread it from the mouth to the genitals. This is aggravated
by the fact that transmission of oral herpes is often not sexual and
therefore it is not framed as an STI. And of course, there is the
herpes stigma!
What more can be done to educate
youth and seniors better about herpes?
Schools need to develop curriculum
requirements for comprehensive sexual health education and they need to
create a system to ensure the curriculum requirements are being
fulfilled. Youth clinics need to proliferate and become more
accessible. In the meantime (since holding our breath isn't going to
help) there are fantastic new forays into using technology as a tool
for sex education. Facebook and mySpace pages, blogs, comic books, SNL
style skits that the Midwest Teen Sex Show
(http://midwestteensexshow.com/). These sassy for-youth-by-youth
provide a social context for sex ed which is not just palatable but
enjoyable. Parents need to educate themselves, if not about STIs then
at least about resources, and share this information with their
children.
As for seniors- where do I start.
First, we as a society need to acknowledge and celebrate sexual
expression among our elders. We need to empower them to access and
share information about STI's. We're talking culturally sensitive, low
tech, large print! The information needs to be shared in a way that
honours their life experience and maturity-after all these are the
experts when it comes to experience. Lions Clubs, Rotary, seniors
centres and care facilities need to offer sexuality education nights
and access to a doctor or nurse for confidential, not judgmental sexual
health information and health services. We need condom dispensers in
the bathrooms at these institutions too!
The Good Thing About Herpes
By Charles Q. Choi, Special to
LiveScience
posted: 16 May 2007 01:00 pm ET
The herpes family of viruses can
have a surprising upside--it can protect against the bubonic plague and
other bacterial contagions, at least in mice.
Research into whether a similar
mechanism applies to humans and other mammalian hosts should be
conducted, said viral immunologist Skip Virgin at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis. "There may be symbiotic advantages to
chronic infections with these viruses."
These new results do not mean people
should go out and get infected with herpes, Virgin stressed. They
probably already are. Nearly all humans become infected with multiple
herpes virus family members during childhood. These germs not only
include the herpes simplex viruses, which lead to cold sores and
possibly genital herpes, but also the diseases responsible for
chickenpox and "mono," as well as several less well-known ailments.
Herpes infections have bedeviled animals for more than 100 million
years.
After the initial period of
infection, these viruses enter a dormant state known as latency. Many
lurk for the lifetime of their hosts "as permanent passengers" without
causing overt symptoms, Virgin said.
Virgin and his colleagues
experimented with viruses highly similar genetically to ones that cause
mono and other diseases in humans. These germs normally cause fatigue
and ruffled fur in mice, although the researchers used dose levels too
low to cause symptoms.
The scientists discovered latent
infections with these viruses could protect mice from bacterial
infections, including Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague, and
Listeria monocytogenes, which causes one kind of food poisoning,
findings detailed in the May 17 issue of the journal Nature.
The herpes viruses spur the immune
system to boost levels of a protein hormone called interferon gamma
"that in effect puts some immune system soldiers on yellow alert,
causing them to patrol for invaders with their eyes wide open and
defense weapons ready," Virgin said. As a result, the bacteria grew
more slowly and were less likely to kill the mice. Future research can
investigate whether these latent infections protect against other
viruses.
Still, while people might benefit
from symbiotic relationships with the herpes family of viruses, they
can also have serious consequences, such as deafness, blindness,
encephalitis and cancer.
"The presence of these viruses seems
to be a two-edged sword," Virgin told LiveScience. "I am quite
concerned that we be sensitive to these true human tragedies while
recognizing the potential of a new way to view these infections."
Uncovering any potential benefits of
these viruses in humans will prove hard, Virgin cautioned, "since
nearly all humans are infected with these viruses at a young age, so it
will be hard to find people without them for comparison. "
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