HIV
vitamin
hiv disease hiv natural therapy hiv herbs hiv vitamins hiv
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. When HIV enters your body, it
moves inside white blood cells called "CD4 lymphocytes." HIV takes over the CD4
cells and makes billions of virus pieces each day. The virus pieces spread through your
body. Your body tries to defend itself against HIV by making antibodies (these hook on to
the virus and keep it from making virus pieces) and by special cells called macrophages
and natural killer T-cells. These cells help you to get rid of some of the virus pieces.
If antibodies against HIV show up in your blood, you know your body is trying to protect
you from the HIV infection you have picked up. However, it's usually several months before
your body makes enough antibodies to measure.
The AIDS virus entered the United States in about 1969 from Haiti,
carried most likely by a single infected immigrant
After acute HIV infection, your body works hard to attack the virus. With your body fighting, the virus can't make so many virus pieces. Even though you still have HIV infection, you'll begin to look well and feel well again. The usual blood tests will be normal. However, during this time, the virus pieces are still attacking your lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are the centers of your body's immune system. The virus may also attack your brain tissue and slowly cause damage there. Over 10 to 15 years, HIV would kill so many CD4 cells that your body could no longer fight off infections. At this point, a person is diagnosed as having AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Once you have AIDS, you can easily get many serious infections.
38 million people around the world, half of them women, are living with HIV/AIDS,
according to the latest figures from UNAIDS, the United Nations agency spearheading the
battle against HIV or AIDS.
HIV
Medical treatment
The medical treatment of HIV or AIDS is with several antiviral drugs.
HIV Natural options
There are no natural therapies that are endorsed by the medical profession.
However, studies have shown several nutrients and herbs to have antiviral
properties. It is difficult to predict what clinical effect, if any, these herbs and
supplements have in the natural progression of HIV.
Antioxidant--There is evidence suggesting that patients infected with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) are under chronic oxidative stress.
People infected with HIV
may benefit from treatment with antioxidant vitamins.
Green
Tea--Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), one of the components of
green tea has been suggested to have antiviral activity. To determine the effects of EGCG on HIV infection, peripheral blood lymphocytes infected with HIV were incubated with
increasing concentrations of EGCG. EGCG strongly inhibited the replication of the HIV
virus.
Glutamine, the amino
acid, could be helpful for those on anti-HIV medicines.
Glutamine-antioxidant nutrient
supplementation can increase body weight, body cell mass, and intracellular
water when compared with placebo in HIV patients.
Hyssop has antiviral activity against herpes simplex and HIV-1.
Licorice may be helpful.
Olive Leaf--has
anti-HIV activity
Rooibos tea has anti-HIV activity.
Ginseng CD4+ T cell counts in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected patients are
maintained or even increased when treated with Korean red ginseng.
Catuaba, an Amazonian
plan, has anti-HIV activity.
Danshen, a Chinese herb
There is very little information on how these herbs interact with
antiviral medicines used to treat HIV or AIDS. For instance,
Garlic reduces saquinavir blood levels by 50% and may affect
other drugs.
Chinese herbal medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and its identified components
(i.e., baicalein and baicalin), have been shown to inhibit infectivity and
replication of HIV.
Other options for those
infected with the HIV virus.
Writing about emotional
topics appears to reduce stress in HIV-infected patients and may improve immune
responses.
HIV infection and circumcision
Circumcision reduces the risk of HIV infection by up to 60 percent in African
men, but does not have a noticeable affect in gay and bisexual men of color in
the U.S.
HIV Research Update
A study of HIV-infected African women
found that daily doses of multivitamins appear to slow down the disease and cut
the risk of developing AIDS in half. The researchers who conducted the study in
Tanzania suggested that vitamin supplements could be used in developing
countries to delay the need for HIV drugs, saving them for use at more advanced
stages and avoiding their side effects.
A randomized trial of multivitamin supplements and HIV disease progression and
mortality.
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115,
USA. mina@hsph.harvard.edu
Results from observational studies suggest that micronutrient
status is a determinant of the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
disease. We enrolled 1078 pregnant women infected with HIV in a
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to examine
the effects of daily supplements of vitamin A (preformed vitamin A and beta
carotene), multivitamins (vitamins B, C, and E), or both on progression of HIV
disease, using survival models. The median follow-up with respect to survival
was 71 months (interquartile range, 46 to 80). Of 271 women who
received multivitamins, 67 had progression to World Health Organization (WHO)
stage 4 disease or died--the primary outcome--as compared with 83 of 267 women
who received placebo. This regimen was also associated with reductions in the
relative risk of death related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,
progression to WHO stage 4, or progression to stage 3 or higher. Multivitamins
also resulted in significantly higher CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts and
significantly lower viral loads. The effects of receiving vitamin A alone were
smaller and for the most part not significantly different from those produced by
placebo. Adding vitamin A to the multivitamin regimen reduced the benefit with
regard to some of the end points examined. Multivitamin supplements
delay the progression of HIV disease and provide an effective, low-cost means of
delaying the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected women.
Advances in studies on flavonoids of licorice
College of Chemical Engineer, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian
116012, Liaoning, China.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2003 Jul;28(7):593-7.
The progress in the research of the active ingredients of licorice flavonoid
and the pharmacological activities was reviewed. Licorice flavonoid constituents
mainly included flavones, flavonals, isoflavones, chalcones, bihydroflavones and
bihydrochalcones. Pharmacological investigation concluded that they had
antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumer and inhibiting HIV activities. It is
important to study further the flavonoid constituents and pharmacological
activities.
A clinical review of micronutrients in HIV infection.
Ottawa Health Research Institute, Canadian HIV Trials Network, Ottawa,
Canada.
J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic Ill). 2002 Spring;1(2):63-75.
This article reviews current literature on the role of micronutrients in
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Deficiencies of micronutrients are
common in HIV-infected persons. They occur due to malabsorption, altered
metabolism, gut infection, and altered gut barrier function. There is a
compelling association of deficiencies of micronutrients in HIV-infection with
immune deficiency, rapid disease progression, and mortality. Also, there is
increased risk of vertical HIV transmission from mother to child with deficiency
of vitamin A, and of neurological impairment with vitamin B12. The last five
years have been exciting in micronutrient research, and there is promise that
some micronutrients may be key factors in maintaining health in HIV
immunodeficiency, and in reducing mortality. Selenium appears important in
reducing virulence of HIV and slowing disease progression. Vitamin A
supplementation in pregnant women with HIV may reduce maternal mortality and
improve birth outcomes. Supplementation in children with HIV may accelerate
growth. Carotenoid supplementation is being evaluated. Vitamin B12 may slow HIV
immune deficiency disease progression, and reverse neurological compromise.
Clinical benefit of supplementation with some micronutrients may be measurable
in the presence of pre-existing deficiency. Apart from improved general
nutrition, the impact of micronutrient supplements on health and their optimal
use in HIV infection is controversial because there are so few controlled
clinical trials. Further research is needed to elucidate the role of
micronutrient deficiencies on the course of HIV infection, and the preventive
and therapeutic role of supplementation in its clinical management.
Nevertheless, current knowledge supports the use of routine multivitamin and
trace element supplementation as adjuvant to conventional antiretroviral drug
treatment as a relatively low-cost intervention.
hiv natural therapy hiv herbs hiv vitamins