Hope is Associated with a Stronger Immune System in HIV+ Individuals
Tuesday 29 December 2009 at 2:13 pm
Having studied hope for many years, in 2006 I contacted Susan McNeil, director of AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region (ASMR) in New Hampshire to see if she and her agency were interesting in a collaborative study. I had spent almost ten years developing a new theory of hope as well as a new questionnaire to measure this complex but vital emotion. I proposed that we investigate whether hope, as assessed with this new tool, might be associated with self-report measures of health, and even more importantly, to immune functioning.
Fortunately, Susan was more than willing to help. In fact, she was thrilled at the prospect of tracking the hope levels of her clients, and exploring the potential impact on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
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On December 20th, the Keene Sentinel ran an article about Uganda's proposed legislation, which will punish gay men and hamper AIDS efforts in that country. In its current form the legislation would mandate a death sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV.
A friend of the agency, Bob E. Kelly, has done a video for World AIDS Day. He wrote this after he heard someone refer to intentional transmission of HIV as "the gift". Play safe. Wear your rubbers.
A brief but heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported the work
of AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region and our housing facility, The
Cleve Jones Wellness House throughout 2009.
