Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Specifically written for those newly diagnosed with HIV, December 7, 2003
The First Year: HIV is a guide specifically written for those newly diagnosed with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), by HIV-positive patient advocate Brett Grodeck who himself has lived with the virus for the past fifteen years. In accessible and plain terms ideal for the non-specialist general reader, individual chapters cover support group resources, advice and strategies for making the needed changes to one's lifestyle, words of wisdom and caution about discussing the issue of one's HIV status with friends and co-workers, the latest medical research, the option of having HIV-negative children even if one is a HIV-positive man or woman, and more. If you or a loved one is having to deal with the medical and social issues of being HIV positive, then this is the book you should begin your personal research with.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Libarary Journal Reviews, August 22, 2003
By A Customer
This is an accessible, nonjudgmental guide for people dealing with an HIV diagnosis, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or needle/drug use status. Grodeck, an online editor for the Rand Corporation who has been HIV-positive for 15 years, does not downplay the complexity of HIV, but his optimism about one's ability to live well with it is clear. His book is broadly arranged by: -- days (one through seven, from adjusting to the news through finding free services, considering a support group, and tracking one's health); -- weeks (two through four, including dealing with the many aspects of HIV status disclosure); and -- months (two through 12, including dating and sex, nutrition and exercise, managing medication -- and a very optimistic chapter on having children). Given the constant changes in drug treatment, Grodeck does not focus on the latest in medications, gives short shrift to alternative medicines, and urges readers to find the best possible health provider, with many tips on how to do so. Experts are frequently quoted by both name and professional affiliation. There are also sidebars on such issues as AIDS-defining opportunistic infections and 25 pages of resources -- all surprisingly lacking URLs. Libraries owning John Bartlett and Ann Finkbeiner's excellent -- though somewhat more densely written -- The Guide to Living with HIV Infection may consider this an optional purchase, but Grodeck's modestly priced and readable guide is suitable for both public libraries and for collections in HIV/AIDS or drug counseling agencies. -- Martha E. Stone, Massachusetts General Hosp. Lib., Boston (August 15, 2003)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New York Times review, January 9, 2004
By A Customer
Books on Health: Smart Approach to H.I.V.
(December 9, 2003)It is hard to be optimistic about an incurable disease, but the author of this supportive resource, a writer who has had H.I.V. for 25 years, manages to do it. "Now that I'm healthy," he writes, "I'm far more worried about getting in a car accident on the Los Angeles Freeway than I am about getting sick from H.I.V." Mr. Grodeck, an online editor for the RAND Corporation, guides readers through the first seven days after diagnosis, the next three weeks, and the rest of the year.
Combining the human element with essential information about treatment options, choosing the right doctors, the importance of diet and exercise, holistic alternatives and sex, the book transforms a complex disease into one that can be understood and managed. In his discussion of treatment options, Mr. Grodeck takes a level-headed approach. While noting that the new generation of medicines, taken together in various combinations, can slow or even halt the virus, he cautions that so-called alternative therapies do not improve the course of H.I.V. and that some are dangerous and can make the infection worse. "If you like gambling," he writes, "you'll love herbal medicine. Most herbal or plant-based medicines haven't been properly tested, so they are risky." Moreover, he says, people taking prescription drugs should "be careful about taking herbs and supplements." "Herbs and supplements do not work for treating H.I.V.," Mr. Grodeck concludes, "but some forms of alternative medicine help with symptoms of anxiety and depression."
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