Terrence Higgins Trust has launched two booklets today aimed at helping people with HIV improve their quality of life. ‘Your feelings’ and ‘Your Body’ give general advice on looking after yourself when you’re living with HIV.

‘Your feelings’ suggests simple, everyday things people with HIV can do to look after their emotional well-being and gives advice on coping with difficult times.  ‘Your body’ looks at how exercise, diet and other health issues can improve their quality of life.

HIV drug treatments mean people with the condition can now expect to live longer and are less likely to get sick from HIV than in the past. However, as they live longer, common health problems like cancer and heart disease are increasingly likely to affect them too.  ‘Your body’ describes how the risk of these health problems can be reduced and suggests some basic precautions to help avoid opportunistic infections and reduce side-effects from HIV drugs, such as lipodystrophy.

Roger Pebody, Treatment Adviser for the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Looking after your health when you have HIV is about more than blood tests and popping pills. These booklets suggest straight-forward things people can do themselves to improve their health and quality of life.”

The booklets are part of a new series which aim to offer simple, straight-forward health information for people with HIV.  As well as the booklets above, others focusing on HIV treatment issues will be launched in the coming months.

Both ‘Your feelings’ and ‘Your body’ are available free from Terrence Higgins Trust by calling THT Direct on 0845 1221 200. They can also be downloaded from the website: www.tht.org.uk.

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Notes to editors

• Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity, providing a wide range of services across England, Wales and Scotland.  The charity also campaigns and lobbies for greater political and public understanding of the personal, social and medical impact of HIV and sexual health.