By: Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at MetroHealth Medical Center If you’ve made the decision to get a dog, then you might be asking yourself some logistical questions. Is my house big enough? Do I have access to a park? Am I active enough for a dog to enjoy living with me? Is my dog active enough for me? These are the questions every new dog owner thinks through, but for those living with HIV there’s a bigger question: Can dogs get HIV? Read on for some great news, a basic background on what HIV even is, and how having a dog comes with amazing benefits. Wait, what even is HIV? H ..read more

Louis Catania, Patient Navigator, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Are you hooking up with someone casually, but it’s also kind of serious? Is it starting to feel almost like you’re in a relationship? Are they not your official partner, but they’re not just a friend either? Well, you might just be in a situationship! We’re talking a romantic connection that’s undefined and unestablished. It can be awesome, exciting, wonderful, and freeing. At the same time, a situationship can also be confusing-- o ..read more

By: Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at MetroHealth Medical Center For many of us, making the decision to go see a health care professional about any chronic condition is tough. Believe it or not, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve already taken the first big step to seeing a specialist at an HIV clinic! Hats off to you for clicking on the link. Once you’ve read a few paragraphs into this article, you’ll feel so much more ready for that first HIV clinic visit. So, let’s dive right in! Why should I go to an HIV clinic? Because of the services they provide! These vary from place to pl ..read more

Louis Catania, Patient Navigator, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Let’s set the scene: You’re there with someone. You love everything about them, they laugh at all your jokes, the vibes are incredible, but there’s something nagging in the back of your mind. See, you’re worried about how to approach your HIV status disclosure. First of all, if someone has a bad reaction to learning about their friend or loved one’s HIV status (in 2024 ) that’s on them. Some people still don’t understand how normal ..read more

Louis Catania, Patient Navigator, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Any form of exercise is good. Going for a walk once a day is a fantastic way to get your steps in and stay fit. Even doing five minutes of physical activity can’t hurt! The same goes for sex. If you’re going to get your heart rate up, any sexual position is the right one. But, if staying fit is the name of the game, and you’re just not feeling up to going to the gym, well… why not bring the gym home? Sex is great for the body and t ..read more

By: Jennifer McMillen Smith, MSSA, LISW-S, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center First things first: everyone can benefit from therapy. Doesn’t matter if you’re feeling good, bad, or anything in between or beyond. There’s no problem too small or too big (you don’t even need a problem that you want to solve, really ) where talking it out with someone can’t help. So never be discouraged from wanting to try therapy! But how to pick a therapist can feel discouraging. There are all those different words like ..read more

Sleigh, Queen. Sleigh. The holidays are expensive. The bigger your family, the worse it gets, and it can sure suck the fun out of celebrating with your loved ones when you also have to worry about money. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Festivities on a budget can be just as fun (or even more fun because you must get creative) than a big-budget celebration. Whether you’re looking to spend Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, or Christmas on a budget, we’ve got you covered. S-know what you’re working with If you’re doing the holidays on a budget, then you gotta start with a bu ..read more

By: Louis Catania, Patient Navigator, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Planning to go solo for Thanksgiving this year? Hey, we get it — we’ve seen every reason under the sun for not spending time with our families. If you want to just chill under the covers and take a load off, you go, boo. You’ve earned it, and self-care is one of the best things we can do with our time off. And, of course, no need to worry about being bored! With a bit of creative planning, spending Thanksgiving alone can end up ..read more

By: Louis Catania, Patient Navigator, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Which is more important: food or sex? If we’re being real, it’s a toss-up, because your sex drive is heavily impacted by food. We’re talking about nutrition, stamina, heart health, libido…lots of meaningful aspects of health. Believe it or not, food and sex are more connected than you might think, and they are both important in their own ways! So, which types of food will boost your sex drive? Let’s dig into some answers. Wait ..read more

By: Jennifer McMillen Smith, MSSA, LISW-S, Division of Infectious Disease and medically reviewed by Ann Avery, Infectious Disease Physician at Metrohealth Medical Center Having healthy boundaries is important for everything we do. It’s also suuuuuuper hard, and some struggle to do it their entire lives. We’re here to help you figure out why you need to set healthy boundaries and how to make them stick. Let’s do this! Are boundaries really that important? You know that phrase, “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person?” The thing is, the busiest person is usually the one who ..read more