Starting Treatment & Patient-centred care

The question about when to start treatment has been a hotly-debated one, and over time, the target has been moving back-and-forth between lower and higher numbers of CD4s as a base for recommending the beginning of antiretroviral use. However, the decision remains a personal one that each individual must make in connection, and after discussion, with his or her healthcare provider. Gone are the days where one simply presents to a doctor with an illness and whatever is handed for treatment is taken without question. Patient-centred care is not only a valid buzzword but also a most necessary part of decision-making: When medications no longer have side effects, when food no longer needs to be taken, when housing and other necessities of life are fully assured, then there might be every reason to follow the doctor's advice without question, but still: You have a choice. Things must be carefully weighed and balanced, both medical considerations as well as personal ones, and the decision remains an individual one. If you need help making such a lifelong committment to treatment, you're not alone; there is support, and there are professonals to speak with who may be able to help with the reasoning process, and other important actions, as well. The take-home message is that one doesn't simply take a strong medical recommendation and follow it blindly without thinking about what it means. It has to be a balanced and thoughtful approach toward treatment. What do folks think about this?