DISORDERS

Disorder: AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

Description: AIDS is an immune system disorder in which the body’s ability to defend itself is greatly diminished. When human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the virus that causes AIDS) invades key immune cells called T lymphocytes and multiplies, it causes a breakdown in the body’s immune system, eventually leading to overwhelming infection and/or cancer. AIDS is an umbrella term for any or all of some twenty-eight previously known diseases and symptoms. When a person has any of these microbial diseases or infections, and also tests positive for antibodies to HIV, a diagnosis of AIDS is given.

Symptoms: Many people infected with HIV are not even aware that they have it. AIDS is distinguished from virtually every other disease by the fact that it has no constant, specific symptoms. While some people experience a mild flu like illness within a few weeks of exposure to the virus, it generally takes two to five years before any symptoms of HIV infection appear. In many cases, the first symptoms are nonspecific and variable. They include diarrhea, fever, fatigue, inflamed gums, loss of appetite and weight, mouth sores, night sweats, skin disorders, swollen lymph nodes, and an enlarged liver and/or spleen. In other cases, the first sign of HIV is the development of one or more of the infections or cancers associated with AIDS. One of the most common is a tongue that is coated with white lumps. This is oral thrush, or Candidiasis, which indicates a compromised immune system. Intestinal parasites are another common problem. Other common AIDS related illnesses include Pneumocystis carinii (PCP), which is caused by a parasite found in about 60 percent of people with AIDS; an otherwise rare skin cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma; Epstein-Bar virus (EBV); cytomegalovirus (CMV); herpes simples virus (HSV); Mycobacterium aviumintracellulare; samonellosis; toxoplasmosis; and tuberculosis.

Incidence: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 500,000 Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS since 1981, and approximately 62 percent of that number have died. AIDS is now a leading cause of premature death among Americans. In this country, it tends to disproportionately affect members of minority communities, especially African-Americans and Hispanics, and men who have sex with other men. Those who abuse drugs and those who engage in sexual intercourse with persons whose sex or drug history is unknown, or who have had multiple partners, are also considered to be at risk for the disease. In all population groups, young males are more likely than others to contact HIV.

Causes: HIV is a type of virus known as a retrovirus that is spread primarily through sexual contact or blood-to-blood contact, such as occurs with the sharing of needles by intravenous drug users. It can also be spread by blood transfusion or the use of blood products such as clotting factors, if the blood used for these purposes is infected. In the U.S. as well as many other parts of the world, blood is now screened for the presence of antibodies to HIV. However, because HIV antibodies may not show up in the blood for as much as three to six months after a person is infected; their presence in blood taken from a person who contacted the virus recently may not be detectable. For this reason, infected blood may occasionally pass through the screening process. Babies of mothers with HIV can contract the virus during pregnancy or birth, or through breastfeeding, although this is not inevitable. It is possible for dentists and medical workers who come into contact with bodily fluids of infected persons to become infected under certain circumstances; therefore, it is now routine for all medical personnel, and even police officers, to use rubber gloves to prevent contact with blood or saliva.

Some experts believe that, although strongly linked to HIV, AIDS must be considered a disease caused by many factors. It may be that HIV is necessary but not sufficient to cause the onset of AIDS – that is, the virus needs help in bringing about immune deficiency. There are some people who have tested positive for HIV for many years and have never developed symptoms of immune deficiency. Research indicates that a person who becomes infected with HIV is more likely to develop AIDS if his or her immune system is severely suppressed by other factors at the time of exposure and later. Studies have repeatedly shown that immune-compromised persons are at greatest risk of contracting AIDS.

Treatments: Although there is no cure for AIDS at this time, anyone with AIDS or HIV can make a major contribution to his or her survival and quality of life by getting into an early treatment program, especially a program in which immune enhancement is encouraged. The body’s ability to absorb and use nutrients can be affected by the human immunodeficiency virus in unexpected ways. That is why experts suggest regular consultation with an HIV nutrition specialist, who will work with the individual’s doctor to customize a nutritional plan.

Herbs:

Recommendations:

Include the following in your diet:

Considerations:

Important:. Always consult with a qualified health practitioner in order to optimize any supplementation regimen.

Vitamin For Life Recommended Regimen and cost:

Sources:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2^nd Edition

By James F. Balch, M.D. & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.

Prevention’s Healing with Vitamins, by the Editors of

Prevention Magazine Health Books

Alternative Medicine, The Definitive Guide

Compiled by Burton Goldberg

Brave New Cures, by Julian Whitaker, M.D.