HIV Longevity Still Fighting…

The Secret

The Secret to Longevity is a blog category that contains lots of useful information pertaining to how I've survived with HIV for more than 25 years. It is actually the original reason I started this blog (hence the blog name, "HIV Longevity"). This page give a short summary of each blog post relating to this topic, and a link to each post. Essentially, this is a glorified Table of Contents.

• Introduction to the Secret This is an introduction to my e-book Blog.
• Who Am I Who am I and Why am I Qualified to Write This Here Blog? I’m Vaughn Ripley. I was born with a blood disorder called, hemophilia. I get injections of Factor VIII (pronounced factor eight) to stop severe bleeding that comes from my hemophilia. The blood products that I get to save my life bring lots of ...
• HIV Medication When I was first diagnosed with HIV, there were no medicines available to combat this deadly disease. At the end of the 80's AZT became available. Early on I didn't take any of the medicines that were becoming available, but it was apparent that I would need them. Since I started on meds, I have ingested a ...
• Side Effects Let's take a moment and talk about the confounded side effects of HIV and its associated medication. Sometimes side effects are unavoidable. And, we usually weigh the pros and cons... For instance, my current triple drug cocktail gives me diarrhea on a daily basis. This is a pain in the ass (no pun intended)! However, ...
• Fitness There is a fad that is sweeping across America (and the world for that matter). It is categorized as healthier living. With more than 30% of Americans being classified as obese, it is time for this fad to kick into action! Gratuitous Disclaimer: I am afraid that before I talk about this fantastic subject, I must ...
• Nutrition in a Nutshell …from soup to nuts… Let’s talk about food! after I go over the rules of engagement: DISCLAIMER - the ideas presented here are merely guidelines to help you on your path to enlightenment. I strongly urge (and insist) you to seek the help of a professional nutritionalist and doctor before attempting to make changes in your ...
• Personal Hygiene The term "hygiene" is derived from Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. It does not come from the other Greek word, Hydra, which is a 9-headed serpent whose breath was poisonous! Personal hygiene is often overlooked as a simple way to stay healthy. When you ask most people to list some easy ways ...
• Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!! This post is rated PG-13 ... It contains sexual inuendos, devious acts, and plain old dirty talk ... If you are easily offended, you may want to consider skipping this one. On the other hand, if you are like me, grab a glass of water, your glasses, and an old ...
• Colds, the Flu, and Other Painful Maladies DISCLAIMER I really hate putting these things in here, but I feel that in today's letigious society it is absolutely necessary. That said, I am not a doctor! I don't even pretend to be one. These posts are merely my opinion and based on life experiences. If I made a mistake in this (or any) ...
• Positive Attitude Let me start by saying that I do not condone, nor believe in positive thinking/attitude without something to back it up. E.g. I don’t think you can look at a weed-filled garden and chant there are no weeds 1,000 times and then they mysteriously and suddenly disappear. That said, I do sincerely believe in a ...
• Suicidal Tendencies Let me start this post by stating that I honestly believe that everyone has thought about, and/or considered suicide at some point in their lives. That said, I was told directly by a psychologist many moons ago, that I was wrong about that … I guess we must agree to disagree on this one, because ...
• Family and Friends (support system) Most of us are looking for support systems in our daily lives. And, the funny thing is that our family and friends surround us and we often fail to recognize that they are the center of our support system. This blog post is as much for me as for you. It is a healing process ...
• How to Live Longer Don’t laugh; the fountain of youth does exist. Living longer does not only apply to HIV+ folks, this information will work for everyone. Following some simple guidelines and principals can have you on the path to increasing your life expectancy. Many people from different walks of life told me precisely what I needed to do to ...
• Stress (fancy word for life) After all of the posts in the secret article thread, I figured it was time to tackle stress. It’s also a very good time to bring it up, considering our last post was about living longer. One thing we didn’t discuss during that article was managing your stress levels. The main reason for this, is ...
• Hobbies and Extracurricular Activities Let's kick this bad boy off with one of my favorite quotes: “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” —Amelia Earhart Most of my blog articles about living longer have been about fitness, healthier living, mental toughness, medication, and other related subjects. One longevity subject that is often overlooked is simply having fun. A main reason for this might be ...
• The War of the Body In many of my previous posts I have talked about the war of the body. I've even posted some information about it. Today's Secret article is going to breakdown my idea and how it has helped me. After all of these peaceful and loving blog entries, let me step out on a limb and discuss how ...
• Giving Back Happy Valentine's Day!!! It is sort of fitting to have an article about giving on such a beautiful and loving day! "From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." —Arthur Ashe All of my previous articles have been about how you can empower yourself. I have worked with you to understand ...
• Urban Legends and Myths Demystified Throughout "the Secret" section of my blog I have tackled a bunch of subjects from staying healthy to preventing the spread through safe sex. Many of these topics have been fairly taboo. This topic might just prove to be the most taboo of all. However, I would be remiss if I didn't put a little ...

The rest of my posts on this topic have not been completed ... They're coming soon. Here's a list of what you can expect:

Amalgamation
*coming soon*