Dear Dr. D, I am a healthy 38-year-old gay man and have been HIV-positive for six years. I’ve never told anyone but my sister about my condition, but recently she mentioned it to a friend of hers who happened to know my best friend. When he later found out, he called me very angry and told me I was dishonest for not telling him myself. I’m not afraid he’s going to ...

Let's face it: no matter how pink, puckered, squeaky clean, and appealing your partner's asshole is, you know what comes out of it. And you're putting your tongue up there. How healthy can that be? It's natural to be concerned about contracting an infection or disease through oral-to-anal contact. For answers about the risks associated with analingus (also called eating ass, rimming, or tossing salad), we went straight to the horse's ...

Dear Dr. D, What are the chances of getting AIDS from your domestic worker? I asked my domestic to take a test and she came back as HIV-positive. Now I'm worried she can give us HIV if she does certain everyday tasks, and I'm not certain I'm willing to take the chance unless it's 100% guaranteed. Can you advise? Thank you, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Sure, you can get HIV from ...

Dear Dr. D, You once said in one of your articles that the lower the viral load, the lower the risk of (HIV) transmission. I also read one expert saying that the risk of transmitting HIV when you have an undetectable viral load is next to nothing. Does this mean that two men on antiretrovirals with undetectable viral loads can have unprotected sex? What are the real “statistical” risks? ...

SORE SUBJECT Dear Dr. D, I have sores around my anus for a couple of weeks and I don’t know what to do. They’re starting to heal, but a lot are still open and oozing, and I nearly pass out from pain whenever I go to the toilet. I’m too embarrassed to go to Medi-Clinic to show them to a doctor who I don’t know since I’m still not “out” as ...

Face to Face nyc spa has been named "One of the Best Gay-Owned Spas in the US" by Out Traveler magazine and its owner/lead esthetician Enrique Ramirez has been featured on everything from The NBC Today Show and Howard Stern Show to an upcoming "Derek & Romaine"on Sirius Satellite Radio. Whereas most spas focus primarily on women, Enrique specializes in treatments for men, and even somewhat risque services such as anal ...

So this is it. The twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day, first established in 1988 at the World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. And as we look back at these past 20 years, one has reasonably to ask if it we’ve come to a time when we can, in fact, both celebrate our successes while remain ever-vigilant to the challenges ahead? And I think for ...

They have Clifton Beach, Table Mountain, the wine estates, a buzzing gay scene and now Cape Town ‘s gay community is privileged yet again: South Africa’s first dedicated gay men’s sexual health service is up and running in the Mother City. What makes Health4Men so different to other projects working with gay men, such as OUT (in Pretoria) and Triangle Project (in Cape Town)? “We literally offer a one-stop sexual health service ...

Dear Dr. D, I would like to find out if it is possible do have an anal pap smear in Cape Town… as it is important to diagnose anal cancer early with this pap smear. Anonymous, Cape Town Dear Anonymous,   This is actually a good question.  Sexually active gay man are at an increased risk of acquiring infection from the human papillomavirus (HPV), a rather hardy virus that can lead to abnormal rectal cells of the anus ...

Dear Dr. D, My friend told me that since I am HIV positive, I am at greater risk for getting really sick from the H1N1 virus because my immunity is compromised. Is she correct or is this whole flu thing being blown way out of proportion in the media? Micheal V. Pretoria Dear Michael, I do understand what you are saying about the panic sometimes portrayed in the media, particularly when you consider that one ...

Dear Dr. D, I am at wit’s end. I have been HIV positive for three years and have been taking Triomune®. I have been completely adherent but in the last year my stomach has been getting bigger and it now looks like I have a middle age spread. I am only 32! I know it’s from my ARVs (antiretrovirals) and I don’t want to change, but maybe there is some ...

Dear Dr. D, I am at wit’s end. I have been HIV positive for three years and have been taking Triomune®. I have been completely adherent but in the last year my stomach has been getting bigger and it now looks like I have a middle age spread. I am only 32! I know it’s from my ARVs (antiretrovirals) and I don’t want to change, but maybe there is some ...