AIDS and HIV Information
 

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: The Basic Facts

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as the name implies is a Immune Deficiency syndrome. The bad news is that the disease is fatal. 25 million people throughout the world have died from the AIDS virus since the epidemic began. Today, Aids has reached epidemic proportions (worldwide spread). The disease is a virus that is passed along from one person to another through exchanging body fluids such as blood or semen (sperm & fluid from a male). The virus is called human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus attacks the patient's white blood cells. Our white blood cells are what our bodies use to fight off infections. This is why so many AIDS patients die from various types of infections; because they lack the ability to fight off the infection.

The Aids virus is thought to have started in Africa and made it's way to America in 1981. It was first noticed among the homosexual population and through shared contact like with needles it started to make it way through the heterosexual population as well. Scientists hope to discover more new drugs to help AIDS victims manage their disease better and perhaps even stem the flow of fatalities.

In U.S.A., AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 25 through 44.

The AIDS virus can be passed from one person to another through various ways:

By having sexual contact that includes anal sex, oral sex, or vaginal sex.

By way of blood either through a blood transfusion (which is rare now in the U.S.A. because of precautions taken) or by sharing a needle, or being stuck by a needle accidentally (as in medical personnel)

A mother can pass on the Aids virus to her unborn baby because of the shared blood circulation in utero.

A mother can pass on AIDS virus through her breast milk.

It is rare for AIDS to be transmitted through artificial insemination (donor sperm) or organ transplants due to precautions taken, but it is possible.

You cannot contact the HIV virus merely by casually contact: hugging, touching the person in passing, or when playing alongside them in sports, or by being bit by a mosquito.

The following people are at highest risk for contracting the AIDS virus:

Those who engage in unprotected sex

Those who have multiple sexual partners

Those who participate in activities that are considered "high risk" such as having anal sex, sharing used needles with others.

Infants who are born to mothers who have the HIV virus and have not taken the HIV therapy during the pregnancy are at high risk.

Those people who may have received blood transfusions between 1977 and 1985. Also at high risk are those who received clotting products during those same years.

Did You Know? 

Homeopathic medicine is another form of alternative treatment plans that are available to the AIDS patient.

Many doctors who treat AIDS patients have had success with combining conventional and homeopathic medicines. Alternative methods of treatment are becoming more accepted in the medical world especially for patients with AIDS.

The conventional medical world should not ignore these alternative ways of treatment. Patients with AIDS may insist on trying other methods of treatment while still taking conventional AIDS drugs.

Alternative treatments have been proven to give some patients a better quality of life while being treated for AIDS. Patients with HIV or AIDS should take an active role in the treatment of their disease.

Don’t be complacent or allow others to make critical decisions in your treatment. Work with your medical team and find a group that will help you if you decide to use homeopathic treatments as well as conventional drugs.


Someone who has been infected with the AIDS virus may not show any symptoms for up to 10 years and during that time be contagious and capable of passing the virus on to others. This is why it is so important to know who is in the high-risk group and how to protect yourself as much as possible from being exposed to the AIDS virus.

It has been shown that most people experience the following symptoms approximately two weeks from the initial exposure to aids and may or may not realize that what they are experiencing are actual AIDS symptoms:

Flu-like symptoms
Rash
Fever
Sore throat
Swollen lymph nodes



Most people contract the virus and then go on for up to ten years not knowing they have the AIDS virus and then start experience symptoms.

The major way to recognize "symptoms" is to watch out for reoccurring infections and infections that do not normally occur in those who are healthy  (opportunistic infections).

 

AIDS Facts

You can’t get the virus by breathing the same air as an AIDS patient. It is not an airborne virus. Y

ou can only get the infection by coming into direct contact with body fluids of a person who has the HIV virus.


Someone who has been infected by aids and not yet diagnosed may experience and seek medical treatment for:

Night sweats
Fever
Swollen glands
Chills
Feeling weak
Unexplained weight loss

 

 

Better Your Health

HIV and AIDS Information and Resources
◦ World Health Organization’s AIDS Staging
◦ History of AIDS Looking Closer at the HIV Virus and AIDS
◦ Living With HIV and AIDS
◦ Know the Basics about AIDS
◦ What are the Causes of AIDS
◦ Homeopathic Ways of Treating the AIDS Patient
◦ AIDS and the Nervous System
◦ Options If You Are HIV Positive
◦ The AIDS Patient and Opportunistic Infections
◦ Advanced Signs of the HIV Virus
◦ Tests For the HIV Virus
◦ Other Health Concerns For The AIDS Patient
◦ Prayer And Spirituality Used In The Treatment Of AIDS
◦ How To Prepare For Your AIDS Medical Appointment
◦ Aids and Viral Complications
◦ Parasitic Infections Common to HIV Patients
◦ AIDS Related Lymphoma
◦ Treating AIDS Related Lymphoma
◦ Serious Complications Associated With The HIV Virus
◦ White Blood Cells And AIDS
◦ Neurological Complications Associated with AIDS
◦ What To Do If You Think You Might Have Aids
◦ New Developments In AIDS Research
◦ Coping With Your AIDS Diagnosis
◦ The Symptoms of HIV Infection
◦ Education Is The Key To Stopping the AIDS Epidemic
◦ The Emphasis Must Be On Prevention for HIV and AIDS
◦ AIDS Medical Terms
◦ Take An Active Role In Your AIDS Medical Treatment
◦ Reducing The HIV Risk Factors
◦ Keeping A Positive Outlook For AIDS Patients
◦ Acupuncture To Relieve The Side Effects Of AIDS Treatment
◦ A Healthy Lifestyle Can Help You Treat AIDS
◦ AIDS Patients Are In It For Life
◦ Basic AIDS Information
◦ Do You Need To Let Everyone Know That You Are HIV Positive
◦ Important Vitamins and Minerals for a Person with HIV
◦ Treatments Available for the Patient with HIV or AIDS
◦ Ways You Cannot Get The HIV Virus
◦ Treatments Available for the HIV Positive Woman
◦ Understanding the Basics of HIV
◦ The United States AIDS Policy
◦ Treatment Guidelines for the AIDS Patient
◦ Treating Serious Illnesses in The AIDS Patient
◦ HIV Transmission
◦ How The HIV Virus Progresses
◦ The Fear the AIDS Stigma Brings
◦ I Tested Positive For the HIV Virus: What Now
◦ How To Tell Other People You Are HIV Positive
◦ Facts And Myths Regarding HIV Transmission
◦ Some Recent Advances In The Fight Against AIDS
◦ Preventive Measures You Can Take Concerning HIV Infection
◦ Dates In AIDS History
◦ The Impact of AIDS On MSM, Men Who Have Sex With Men
◦ Dealing With Malnutrition For The HIV Infected Person
◦ Know Your Personal HIV Risk Factors
◦ Keeping Yourself AIDS Free
◦ Are Condoms Effective As Protection Against AIDS Transmission
◦ Juicings Possible Benefits To The Person With HIV
◦ What Are The Initial Signs and Symptoms of HIV Infections
◦ AIDS Faqs
◦ Five Classes of Antiretroviral Drugs for Treating AIDS
◦ Dietary Needs And The HIV Patient
◦ Misconceptions About AIDS
◦ Oh No I have AIDS
◦ The Staggering AIDS Statistics
◦ Exercise May Boost Your Imune System
◦ Aids And The Toll On Families
◦ Immunization Needs For Adult AIDS Patients
◦ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: The Basic Facts
◦ Is There A Silver Lining in The Cloud of AIDS
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