Alternative Medicine for HIV and AIDS Patients

Many people who get affected by HIV or AIDS use complementary and alternative medicine and treatment methods along with traditional medicine to gain better health and well-being in times of agony. Although not to a great extent, some symptoms of AIDS are said to be relieved by such treatments. While many people prefer these methods as an additional treatment to their deteriorating health, others look up to it as a futile step. But that doesn’t prove that these methods are ineffective; neither does it mean that these medicines can cure or treat such conditions in humans.

Side effects of these medicines are also unknown to this day, making the patients quite skeptical about the effectiveness of these treatment methods. Also, some medicines, though natural, can be unsafe for consumption since they could interact with other medications and bring about further trouble to the health conditions. Healthcare providers are to be informed if you are interested in trying the alternative treatment method in order to manage your symptoms. Here are a few alternative methods that can be used for HIV patients.

Body Therapies

Yoga and Massage Therapy

Some people have experienced an alleviation of pain after taking yoga or massage therapy sessions, and research has proven that yoga could further help the AIDS patients in reducing depression and anxiety and improving feelings of overall health. Levels of CD4 cells are also said to improve with these body therapies, and with the increase in these immune cells that were attacked by HIV, the patients grow stronger and a lot more immune to several other diseases.

Acupuncture

This ancient Chinese medical practice is a method of releasing chemicals in the body to relieve you of the pain. Acupuncture involves placing thin, solid needles into different parts of the body that are pressure points, and it can help HIV affected patients with several treatment side effects and nausea.

Relaxation Therapies

Anxiety can be reduced to a great extent by taking up various forms or relaxation treatment and meditation, and it would also help in coping with the stresses related to chronic illness.

Herbal Medicine

Although herbs haven’t been proven to have the power to relieve HIV symptoms, several people use such medications hoping for better health conditions. However, you need to use these herbal medications with caution since it could impact on different people differently. Since an improvement in liver functions are recorded, and no significant interactions are made with antivirals, milk thistle is considered to be an effective herb in the treatment of HIV. Other herbs could, however, interact with the conventional HIV treatments to affect your already deteriorating health. So, you must inform your healthcare provider about the consumption of such herbs, which will allow them to monitor for any possible side effects or drug interactions.

Helpful Supplements for People with HIV

• Bone health could be improved using vitamin D and calcium
• Cholesterol can be reduced with fish oil
• Progression of HIV slowed by selenium
• Vitamin B-12 would be helpful in time of pregnancies
• Weight gain can be backed by soy or whey protein