Take An Active Role In Your
AIDS Medical Treatment

The most important person on your medical team is not your doctor it is you.  You need to be educated in what you can do to help prolong your life and give you the best quality of life you can have under the circumstances.  Your attitude will play a part in whether your treatment regime will work.  There are a few rules you can follow to help you take an active roll in your treatment of HIV and AIDS.

1. Find a doctor you are comfortable with, and preferably one who has experience in treating AIDS patients.  You should have a doctor you feel you can work with and who has a respect for you as a person.

2. Follow all of your doctor’s instructions.  Treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved since the disease was discovered.  Sometimes a patient may only need to take one pill each day.  Even so, you are in this for the long-haul and sticking to your treatment will require persistence and willpower.  If you get sick from your medication, don’t stop it or change it on your own.  Always talk to your doctor about any medication changes.

3. If you have tested positive for HIV, don’t smoke or use illegal drugs.  These habits can weaken your body even more and make it more difficult to fight off any infection you may get.  Get all of your immunizations such as the flu and pneumonia shots.  These will help prevent you getting an infection that could weaken your body and speed up the process of your disease.

4. Eat a healthy diet full of vegetables, lean meat, fresh fruits, and whole grains.  Eating healthy is an important part in everyone’s life, but especially if the immune system has been compromised.  Eating a healthy diet will give you more energy and give needed support to your immune system.  You may not feel like eating if you are HIV positive, but eating is an important part of your treatment.  Check with a registered dietician if you are having problems with chronic diarrhea, weight loss, or having trouble eating.  Your doctor or dietician may ask you take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement each day.

Did You Know? 

Homeopathic treatments for patients with the early stages of HIV and for patients with early stages of AIDS have been proven effective. Some homeopaths have been able to help patients in advanced stages of AIDS but these are not considered a normal result. There are exceptions to this rule and some patients were given a better quality of life after receiving homeopathic treatment. The use of conventional drugs takes a toll on the body because of the many side effects. Conventional drugs can stop working if the virus becomes resistant to those drugs. An advantage to using homeopathic treatment is they can begin immediately when a patient starts displaying symptoms of opportunistic infections. Homeopathy has a history for success in treating infectious diseases. Many of the most fatal infections have successfully been treated with homeopathic treatment. History shows patients treated with this natural therapy had lower death rates from diseases like scarlet fever, pneumonia, typhoid, and cholera. Hospitals, prisons, and insane asylums experienced high success rates in treating patients with these diseases with homeopathic treatments. Homeopathic medicine is now being used to treat viral infections in the world today.

5. There are foods that can put you at further risk of infection.  Avoid dairy foods that are unpasteurized, and raw foods such as eggs, oysters, or sushi.  All of your protein should be cooked until there is no trace of any pink in the meat!

6. Be sure you drink only purified or bottled water.  If you buy a water filter for home use, be sure it uses the reverse osmosis purification process.  If you have tap water, be sure to boil it first, or use bottled or filtered water.

7. Regular exercise will increase your energy level and help combat depression.  Depression is common for those patients who are battling HIV and AIDS.  Regular exercise will keep your body stronger and is noted for relieving feelings of stress.

8. Sleep when you need to and don’t feel guilty.  Your body is fighting a battle and there are times when you will need extra rest.  Find ways to relax.  Listen to music, read, or play video games, anything that will help you relax and take your mind off your disease.

AIDS Facts Researchers are looking into new classes of AIDS drugs that will prevent the virus from getting into the cells. Instead of suppressing the virus from multiplying itself, it is a drug that will stop the virus from reaching the healthy cells. These medications can be safer and more effective but more testing and research needs to be done before they are available.

9. Keep your hands clean always.  Wash with soap and water after using the bathroom, always before eating, and preparing food.  Wash your hands thoroughly after being in the public.  It may be useful to carry an alcohol-based sanitizer with you incase you do not have access to soap and water.

Important Information in AIDS and HIV Issues

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