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By Francis Dimaano and Raymond Manahan Illustration of Baceria Retrieved from:  https://www.needpix.com/photo/1553464/clipart-clipart-illustration-graphic-cartoon-germs-bacteria-bacterial-virus Take self-care to the next level. The Triangle of Self Care doesn’t only apply to HIV. It’s first point, Timely Testing and Treatment is especially relevant to a vast range of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). LoveYourself is now paving the wider road towards a healthier sex life as it offers STI testing, consultation, and treatment services. STI Testing The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of techniques and procedures that test multiple STIs at once. This makes sure that the treatment to be prescribed completely addresses all possible infections. Clients who get tested for HIV at LoveYourself Anglo and Uni get tested for Hepatitis B and Syphilis as well. This is because these STIs have the same modes of transmission as HIV, and are also initially asympt...

The LoveYourself Community Centers have been well-known for their warm  service to all clients getting tested. As an organization, LoveYourself keeps up with maintaining the quality of its operations from counselling and decking to communications and projects. In response to the overwhelming number of clients the community centers have received recently, the schedule of operations have been adjusted to better serve its clients. You can now get tested at  LoveYourself Anglo   and   LoveYourself Uni  from Wednesdays to Saturdays 12nn to 8pm, and Sundays 9am to 2pm;  LoveYourself Welcome  on Tuesday to Friday 2pm to 10pm, and  Saturdays 9am to 5pm ;  Victoria by LoveYourself   from Saturday to Wednesday 12nn to 8pm;  LoveYourself White House  from Wednesday to Sunday 12nn to 8pm; while  Lily by LoveYourself  remains to serve Tuesday to Sunday 12nn to 9pm . More details on how to get to our community centers can be seen h...

LoveYourself introduces an innovation with its new service called Couple’s HIV Counseling and Testing (CHCT), otherwise lightheartedly coined as LoveYourself Purple, designed for couples who wish to undergo HIV counseling and testing together. This service aims to provide intervention for couples so that they may plan for their future and discuss a realistic risk reduction plan that they can implement together. An important note to be mindful of with LoveYourself’s CHCT program is the nuance of the word “couple” which implies that at least two individuals who wish to avail the program are in a pre-sexual or sexual relationship. The Learning and Development arm of LoveYourself, Love University, together with one of its founding members, Chris Lagman, coordinated the training program for LoveYourself volunteers who will be counselors for this service. This service was developed with the backdrop of rising incidence of HIV infections among males who have sex with males (MSM), many of thes...

By: Shey Homol It’s Halloween—the fright-fest movies are playing nonstop on HBO and the kids went all out again in their nastiest, goriest, or Disney-princess-inspired costumes. And yet what really scares you are not those things that go bump in the night… what’s been freaking you out are the sore bumps in your genitalia. You immediately think it’s HIV. You reckon you got it from sharing utensils with a friend who’s living with HIV. So even before Freddy Krueger could utter “nightmare,” you went ahead and bought a bagful of over-the-counter antibiotics that you’re certain would cure you. If you’ve been in this situation or a similar circumstance, don’t worry, you’re not the only one who has been misinformed. LoveYourself has always received queries online and even from walk-in clients about their supposed symptoms of HIV. And before, HEAVENS FORBID, you experience any nasty side effect from self-medication, let this version of “Trick or Treat” inform you more on HIV. “I’ve had multiple...

We spoke with one of LoveYourself's top counselors Jack Torres, a man whose enlightenment and life of volunteerism beautifully, but not without its challenges, unravelled in seven years. He shares, "I believe life is not meaningless. If I'm able to find meaning in what I'm doing, others should have the same chance to find meaning in their lives." By Jean Natividad Jack made himself comfortable on the couch, wiping his sweat and catching his breath. It was a scorching Saturday noon in Manila, and we had a few minutes to chat before he had to leave for volunteer duty. In his gray shirt, blue jeans, and trusty sneakers, he looked pretty ordinary. But it's true there's a story behind every person we meet, and Jack's is one of depth and meaning that's worth sharing. Jack, 31, wears many hats as an educator, researcher, teacher trainer, and LoveYourself counselor. He has been contributing to making students, teachers, and clients better informed, than...

Twenty-five LoveYourself members participated in the ultimate test of speed, endurance and wits in the organization's first-ever Amazing Race held last Saturday, May 23. Patterned after the popular The Amazing Race  reality TV competition, the LoveYourself Amazing Race grouped the 25 participants into 5 competing tribes and took them through a gauntlet of tasks around Metro Manila. The race began at the Kilometre Zero marker in Luneta Park and from there the groups were put through a gauntlet of challenges such as purchasing items in the crowded Divisoria market, taking selfies with pythons and monkeys in Malabon zoo, and answering tricky quizzes on HIV information at the LoveYourself Anglo testing and community center . After 10 hours of racing, the teams arrived at what they thought to be the final pit stop at Amelie Hotel. But teams were met with a surprise final challenge: Field a contestant for that night's Bulaklak ng TLY beauty pageant. Five brave participants from ea...

LoveYourself joins in the celebration and activities of the  National HIV Testing Week, and will be operating on a special schedule for its HIV screening services during May 11 to 17 . Please be guided accordingly: National HIV testing week operating schedule ANGLO - Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong May 11 - 16 (Monday to Saturday): Open from 12nn - 7pm HUB (RITM Satellite Clinic) - Malate, Manila May 11 (Monday): Open from 11am - 5:30pm May 12 - 13 (Tuesday and Wednesday): Closed May 14 - 16 (Thuesday - Saturday): Open from 11am - 5:30pm #Finally Free HIV Screening for me - Victoria Court Malate May 17 (Sunday): 10am - 5pm ANGLO and HUB (RITM Satellite Clinic) will be closed to give way for this event.

by Michael Jamias Pancho Magno has a body built for adoration. Fans worship every inch of this six-foot-tall Bench fashion show model and My Husband’s Lover supporting star: From his intense eyes and razor-sharp jaw line, to those bulging arms and that luscious Moreno complexion. What’s the secret to Pancho’s irresistible sex appeal? He treats his body like a sacred object, nourishing it with rigid workouts, a healthy wheat bread diet and a large dose of self-respect . Pancho, who happens to be straight, shares that any guy can get the same sexy confidence by learning to love himself. And it can begin with something as simple as taking a free HIV test . In the poster above, a wet and torso-baring Pancho represents the LoveYourself ideal --- the attractive and adventurous man ready to take on the world after knowing his HIV status. All Filipino men should get tested, according to Pancho, and feel empowered by it: “Please get tested. Loving yourself is not just physical. It’s everyth...

by Michael Paolo Telan Jamias Many find it impossible to sympathize with Richard Thomas , the 27-year-old British man who knowingly raped a sick woman who turned out to be HIV-positive. Thomas reportedly “ collapsed in terror ” when the police revealed that the victim was living with the virus, and the public has seemingly rejoiced in his predicament: “Hope he catches the virus. That would serve him right.”   “Karma at it’s best.” (sic)   “Now that’s justice!” A flood of these comments came in even as Thomas possibly faces a hard road ahead living with HIV, and the possible onset of AIDS plus other deadly complications. (His results from HIV exposure come out in a week.) Commenters believe Thomas deserved contracting the HIV as punishment for his brutality. He admitted to binging on alcohol and drugs, according to news reports , before breaking into the sleeping woman’s home. He penetrated her until she woke up helpless from the ongoing assault. We understand the thirst for...

Twenty-five of the hottest and proudest gay men in the world converged in Antwerp, Belgium early this month to participate in the Mr. Gay World 2013 . LoveYourself member Erimar Ortigas represented the Philippines , placing 6th overall and also winning GuySpy’s People’s Choice online voting award . The latter accolade came with a $500 donation for LoveYourself , Erimar’s chosen charity, and will go a long way to help build the advocacy’s second HIV testing community center, LoveYourself Anglo . But so much is left out of these headlines – how Erimar rocked a neon-lighted National Costume, the camaraderie and combined hotness of the candidates, and all those sweet lessons one gobbles up while exploring a land of chocolates. So we let Erimar tell his whole story. This is his weeklong diary as told to LoveYourself. Day 1 – Hallo Belgium! The competition started with us arriving in the city of Antwerp, and checking in at the Ramada Hotel in Belgium. Ah, Belgium. The heart of Europe. A ce...