Hi Eli

There's a distinction in the HIV community---people with the virus with no
symptoms are HIV positive. If you have symptoms of the disease, you have
AIDs. I did massage one day a week at a HIV clinic for two years and was
corrected about this distinction several time.

I worked with a lot of HIV+ clients with no ill effects and never wore
gloves. I saw people who were generally healthy---they didn't exhibit any
symptoms---though there were a few clients who refused to take the drugs or
the drugs were no longer working and were getting skin lesions again or
their temps were slightly elevated. I worked more gently with these people.

Remember, people can have HIV and not know it and these people could also be
our clients--so use universal precautions so you don't get the disease or
spread it to your other clients.

There are alot of other diseases that are a lot more contagious than HIV and
a lot more common. Use common sense as you would for any of your other
clients. Don't work open sores.Work in the mouth with a glove---I was
trained to always use a glove when working in the month of anyone and I sure
don't want anyone sticking their finger in my mouth to do work without them
being gloved.

If you're in or near a major city there should be an HIV clinic listed in
the phone book. It might be wise to talk to the health professionals there
about your concerns. Or you could ask your client if it would be okay to
talk to his doctor---they could probably answer a lot of your questions.

Sherri