Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease that severely weakens the immune system, making the body vulnerable to certain infections or cancers, which usually prove fatal AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can be passed along by sexual contact, by contact with infected blood and from mother to fetus.
CONVENTIONAL APPROACH
Because there is no cure for AIDS, allopathic medicine focuses on two aspects of treatment: I) slowing the pro-gression from HIV infection to AIDS and 2) fighting or weakening the accompanying infections or cancers. Drugs are the main weapon in the arsenal.
Their side effects are often severe, and the effects of their long-term use are often unknown. The treatments commonly used include:-
- Antiviral drugs to slow the multiplication of HIV
- Antibiotics to fight opportunistic bacterial infections
- Anticancer drugs or radiation therapy for treatment of some cancers
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES
The goal of many alternative treatments is to treat HIV infection and AIDS as a chronic disease that one may live with for a long time. Patients often combine alternative medicine with conventional HIV and AIDS drugs in the hope of making fewer of the allopathic drugs necessary and minimizing their toxic side effects.
A Seattle study combined several alternative therapies into one naturopathic treatment program for lily infection. The men who followed the program for one year experienced a decline in their HIV-related complications and an improved sense of well-being.
Their treatments included
- Nutritional therapy
- Herbal medicine
- Hyperthermia
- Mind/body medicine
- Homeopathy
NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
In nutritional therapy, a certain diet and nutritional supplements are used to strengthen the immune system. Supplements can also make up for the frequent nutrient deficiencies found in people with HIV and AIDS, which are often caused by chronic diarrhea, the body’s reduced ability to absorb nutrients, or an eating disorder.
Naturopathic physicians, in particular, recommend a diet with plenty of fresh and organic vegetables, beans, and whole grains and Low in sugar, animal fats, alcohol, and caffeine. This diet doesn’t tax the body’s defense system. More nutrients may be absorbed by the body if meals are small and eaten fre-quently. Nutritional supplements, many with antioxidant properties, that can be helpful to people with HIV infection and AIDS include
- Vitamin A (beta-carotene)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Folate
- Selenium and vitamin F
- Zinc
- N-acetyl-1.–cysteine (NAG)
- Quercetin
- Ircarnitine
Several small-scale trials have shown the effectiveness of nutritional supplements for people with HIV infection and AIDS. In one study, 29 patients took over a six-month period:
- Vitamin, mineral, and amino add supplements;
- Essential fatty acids (such as linoleic and eicosapentaenoic acids); and
- Aloe vera juice.
They maintained their regular diet and continued taking conventional drugs. At the end of the trial, all of the participants reported fewer symptoms and a weight gain. None complained of adverse effects from the treatment.
There are many dietary suggestions that people with HIV infection and AIDS can follow to minimize contact with food additives, preservatives, pesticides, bacteria, and parasites. Here are some tips concerning fruits and vegetables:
- Buy fresh instead of frozen and canned.
- Choose organic whenever possible.
- Thoroughly wash and scrub foods.
- At the minimum, lightly steam all vegetables.
HERBAL MEDICINE
Herbs can provide several benefits for people with HIV infection and AIDS. Some may improve the performance of the immune system. Others can weak-en the AIDS virus and prevent its spread. Still others offer relief from the symptoms associated with AIDS. Those herbs commonly prescribed include
- Astragalus (often taken as part of a combination from traditional Chinese medicine)
- Goldenseal
- Isatis (often taken as part of a combination from tradi-tional Chinese medicine)
- licorice root
- St.-john’s-wort
- Curcumin (a constituent of turmeric)
For patients using conventional drugs, herbs may also lessen some of the negative side effects. For example, antibiotics can severely disrupt the healthy balance of flora (bacteria) in the intestines. Lactobacillus acidopbdus and Lactobacillis bifidus bacteria (found in live-culture yogurt) and garlic can offset these effects.
Acemannan (from aloe vent), in addition to being a potent immune system stimulator and antiviral substance, also seems to boost the effects of the conventional anti-AIDS drug zidovudine. The effects can be so dramatic that some researchers say the dosage of Adovudine can be reduced by as much as 90 percent when acemannan is used as an adjunct. Zidovudine has serious side effects, so anything that allows for a decrease in the dosage is welcome.
A sample prescription for licorice root (GO-cyrrbiza glabra) might he three capsules taken three times a day, between meals. licorice is hought to assist the workings of the immune system. It also has antiviral properties, which can be useful against herpesvirus (a common problem for AIDS patients). A word of caution, though: People with high blood pressure should not use this herb.
HYPERTHERMIA
Because the AIDS virus is unstable when exposed to heat, hyperthermia offers some promise. The therapy aims to raise the body temperature, creating an artificial fever. This is thought to weaken HIV and affect the makeup of the blood, in particular increasing the number of white blood cells (which fight off invading organisms).
The common way to apply hyperthermia treatments is to submerge the body (up to the head) in heated water. Lay-ers of clothes and blankets can also be used to keep the body temperature high for a period of time.
A more controversial form of hyperthermia therapy—one that has not been approved for use in the United States—involves filtering a person’s blood through a machine that heats the blood to temperatures above which HIV cannot survive. Unconfirmed reports have indicated that this type of treatment can make 111V-positive patients revert to 11IV-negative status.
A typical hyperthermia treatment for someone with HIV infection or AIDS would be to soak in a tub of water warmed to about 104°F (enough o raise the body temperature to 102°F). The treatment should last about 40 minutes and would be repeated over the course of several months.
OTHER THERAPIES
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture, acupressure, and Chinese herbal therapy may help restore the flow of energy in the body and boost the immune system. A person whose energy flow is in harmony has a better chance of warding off other infections or cancers.
Bodywork
Massage, in particular, relieves muscle tightness and tension, leaving the body free to focus on healing other AIDS-related ailments.
Mind/Body Medicine
Techniques such as guided imagery, support groups, spirituality, and neurolinguistic programming, to reduce stress, enhance the immune system, and perhaps slow the progression of AIDS.
SYMPTOMS
OF HIV INFECTION:
- Finlike symptoms (including fever, nausea, and fatigue) when first infected, lasting for less than two weeks
- Persistent swollen lymph glands, weight loss, fever, diarrhea, skin inflamma-tion, oral thrush, or vagi-nal yeast infection
- Long periods with no symptoms
OF AIDS:
- Presence of certain can-cers (such as Kaposi sar-coma or lymphoma) or certain infections (such as Pneumocystis wind pneumonia and chronic herpes simplex infection) that are unusual and often benign in people without AIDS
