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Author Topic: Alternative Medication For HIV  (Read 23619 times)

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Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #50 on: July 12, 2012, 07:15:38 pm »
No mad hornets stirring around here , in fact this whole thread has been an example of the forum exhibiting our best manners .

Its a post and respond kind of thing and sometime people don't care for the advice they get .   

Yep. Though I have never tried acupuncture, I would absolutely be open to the notion. I have been on a few chiropractic studies to see whether spine adjustment impacted cd4 counts in lieu of HAART (it does not) but I am a BIG proponent of using every bit of the available arsenals to fight this virus and the many conditions that spring from it's existence.

Many of these conditions are depression, anxiety, guilt, fatigue, and so on. Meditation, massage, the use of aromatherapy, herbs, dietary and lifestyle changes can all help the body not only heal, but maintain it's fight against HIV without having to also fight other situations.

Of course, a lot of herbs and stuff are far from benign (it always frustrates/amuses me when people at the SAME TIME rely/advocate herbal stuff as very powerful and NEVER talk about them with their doctors to determine if there are unwanted interactions. Shit's either strong or not, amirite?) and it's easy to get lost/waterlogged with information (both valid and in) unless one has a strong idea of what they are doing, or trust someone who does have that knowledge to guide them.

My school of thought is along the lines of, never let someone give you health advice until and unless you would be willing to buy - and eat - shrimp from them.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline mecch

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #51 on: July 12, 2012, 08:59:49 pm »
limiting HAART treatment failure,
Welcome to the forum by the way.
Why don't you open a new thread and explain how Chinese medicine limits HAART treatment failure. This is a new one to me and I would be interested to learn more.

“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline leatherman

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #52 on: July 12, 2012, 10:14:08 pm »
Chinese medicine limits HAART treatment failure. This is a new one to me and I would be interested to learn more.
for sure.  ;)
silly me, ::) I always thought that just staying properly adherent to a med regimen usually limited HAART treatment failure.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline anonomous

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #53 on: July 13, 2012, 05:09:51 am »
hi Guys and Gals

Well im new at this forum and i have read alot of things and some of which is very confussing, i was diagnosed hiv positive 3 weeks ago so its still very fresh for me,i read all thay you guys had to say in this regard and i think some people need to say what they mean and hold nothing against any of you for doing that, i want to thank you all for the advice and the facts of HAART medications, i must say i am very scared of this as i hear all kind of nasty things that this medicine can do to one and how sick it really can make you but hell if it saves my life then i say bring it on,my doctor at the clinic told me that my cd4 count is 533 above normal which is a good thing, but at the same time she put me on her vitamins and told me to eat healthy, i just want to know is this the way to go as i dont need the HAART right at this time but in the meantine i want to know if this is a good thing as i declare it foir now as an alternative.Any advice would be greatly appreciated as you guys know alot more than what i do at this stage and i dont know what my viral load is as the doctor did not mention this so i gather it must bge undetectable or vcan i be wrong in saying that?

Offline Ann

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #54 on: July 13, 2012, 06:11:03 am »
limiting HAART treatment failure,

Welcome to the forum by the way.
Why don't you open a new thread and explain how Chinese medicine limits HAART treatment failure. This is a new one to me and I would be interested to learn more.


for sure.  ;)
silly me, ::) I always thought that just staying properly adherent to a med regimen usually limited HAART treatment failure.

I could be wrong, but what I think David means is that if one can alleviate or eliminate med side-effects through the use of some sort of alternative therapy, that would help a person remain adherent, thereby limiting the chance of treatment failure.

Let's face it, some people who aren't adherent, aren't adherent because they get fed up with side-effects.
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline mecch

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #55 on: July 13, 2012, 08:15:33 am »
hi Guys and Gals

Well im new at this forum and i have read alot of things and some of which is very confussing, i was diagnosed hiv positive 3 weeks ago so its still very fresh for me,i read all thay you guys had to say in this regard and i think some people need to say what they mean and hold nothing against any of you for doing that, i want to thank you all for the advice and the facts of HAART medications, i must say i am very scared of this as i hear all kind of nasty things that this medicine can do to one and how sick it really can make you but hell if it saves my life then i say bring it on,my doctor at the clinic told me that my cd4 count is 533 above normal which is a good thing, but at the same time she put me on her vitamins and told me to eat healthy, i just want to know is this the way to go as i dont need the HAART right at this time but in the meantine i want to know if this is a good thing as i declare it foir now as an alternative.Any advice would be greatly appreciated as you guys know alot more than what i do at this stage and i dont know what my viral load is as the doctor did not mention this so i gather it must bge undetectable or vcan i be wrong in saying that?

Have you read the information people have given to follow up your posts in other threads? 
Have you started to read the lessons here?
One thing you can do is open a new thread, just for yourself, and ask all your questions so people can see the responses you are getting and how to add to them.

Zinc Fingers is NOT a treatment or cure of HIV.  It is a research idea.

There is only one treatment for HIV infection - anti-retroviral medicine.

The vitamins your doctor prescribed are not treating your HIV infection.  He or she thought they were a good idea for something else.  All HIV+ people are encouraged to eat healthy, and take some supplements for very specific challenges, none of which are stopping HIV replication.  Your immune system is not in a crisis situation, so you have time to learn about HIV and HIV treatment before you will need to start it.

Finally, HIV treatment is not toxic. But you can start to learn exactly about the HIV drugs that are routinely available in your country.  Get the names and post the names here.  Yes, there are older drugs that do cause some people some pretty serious challenges.  Are they still used in your country, and who gets them.  You should ONLY be worried about that if someday you might have to take these older drugs.  If not, then those miseries apply to other people, and another time, NOT you.   Many people nowadays follow "first line" HIV medicine with little to know side effects.  They lead normal lives as far as their health goes.  Stigma and discrimination and bias - that is another issue!

Any time you are reading about HIV, or HIV treatments, you need to pay attention to the date of the articles, the date of the research, and what HIV+ people are in the sample of the research.   People who have had HIV for 15, 25 years, taking part in a research may or may not have any experiences that would apply to you.   

Medicine is not poison or toxic.   These are common fears in the world, but its not based on the reality.  It is not describing the situation now in 2012 for many HIV+ people taking medicine.   It may  have NOTHING to do with your experience with HIV and HIV medicine going forward.

Does that makes sense to you?
« Last Edit: July 13, 2012, 08:18:02 am by mecch »
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline agulha14

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #56 on: July 13, 2012, 08:49:01 am »
FUNNY, it hasn't done much for the Chinese

http://www.avert.org/aidschina.htm

I'd have thought we were all aware of the limits of government policy in dealing with AIDS. The Chinese government has strenuously denied until very recently that they even have AIDS sufferers in China, just as they denied until recently the possibility of gay Chinese.

Under the totalitarian regime of the Chinese government, people with AIDS are not given treatment options, so their morbidity and mortality rates serve only as an indicator of how inhuman and bigoted their leadership are.

David
03/15/1999 - dx as HIV+
07/30/2003 - started HAART (Sustiva + Epzicom)
long history, not very interesting...
07/10/12 - started Atripla

Offline mecch

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #57 on: July 13, 2012, 10:31:03 am »
I could be wrong, but what I think David means is that if one can alleviate or eliminate med side-effects through the use of some sort of alternative therapy, that would help a person remain adherent, thereby limiting the chance of treatment failure.

Let's face it, some people who aren't adherent, aren't adherent because they get fed up with side-effects.

So wouldn't the choice of words be:  "helps for treatment adherence". 

You see my cynical, critical mind sees the phrase "limiting HAART treatment failure" and that could be interpreted as implying that HAART fails, as in its not always effective medicine.  Like in the old days when it could fail.  HAART failure nowadays is a very rare thing. Right? Doc got to find the right combo to take into account resistances.  Maybe absorption issues.  Both challenges rather rare.  But the chemicals work.  People don't adhere, that is conceptually different challenge.


"limiting HAART treatment failure" - this is an example of the fuzzy wording, the blurring the lines, the obfuscation.   No doubt you, agulha12 are very acutely aware of what works where.  But right and left in these threads and in the world, you have newbies who are completely confused and the first step is coming to terms with the basics... Not all the complimentaries.... Which can and do suck people away from the basics till they get in such terrible shape, its difficult to be patched up with HAART.  Or they just die, still in denial.
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline agulha14

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #58 on: July 13, 2012, 10:15:04 pm »
So wouldn't the choice of words be:  "helps for treatment adherence". 

You see my cynical, critical mind sees the phrase "limiting HAART treatment failure" and that could be interpreted as implying that HAART fails, as in its not always effective medicine.  Like in the old days when it could fail.  HAART failure nowadays is a very rare thing. Right? Doc got to find the right combo to take into account resistances.  Maybe absorption issues.  Both challenges rather rare.  But the chemicals work.  People don't adhere, that is conceptually different challenge.

"limiting HAART treatment failure" - this is an example of the fuzzy wording, the blurring the lines, the obfuscation.   No doubt you, agulha12 are very acutely aware of what works where.  But right and left in these threads and in the world, you have newbies who are completely confused and the first step is coming to terms with the basics... Not all the complimentaries.... Which can and do suck people away from the basics till they get in such terrible shape, its difficult to be patched up with HAART.  Or they just die, still in denial.

I begin to get the impression that Mecch and I have a disagreement about language, as much as anything - either that or a simple personality conflict. I am not interested in having a cat-fight about this. I am in favor of HAART meds, always. Do I need to say it yet again? But the truth is it seems that most of you have understood my comments as they were intended.

I do not see Chinese medicine as an alternative to HAART meds. I do not see anything as an alternative to HAART meds - Mecch, I have stated this clearly in every post I put on this forum. For some reason, you seem to have decided to take offense at everything I have said - without actually reading for comprehension.

In every topic I have seen about specific meds, there have been references to side-effects, and in many of them the person posting refers to having to change protocols because of those side-effects, or as least being faced with that possibility. In many of the posts, the signatures of the person posting show a history of changing medicine regimens. Chinese medicine can help address side-effects, and thereby limit problems with treatments (if you are skeptical about this, I invite you to do your own research... you will find plenty of evidence to help you understand it if you have room for it). If by addressing complications with medications - and I treat patients daily who have exactly this kind of concern - I am able to help them get the most out of their pharmaceutical treatments, and keep their physical and emotional strength up, how could that be perceived as a threat to the treatment they are on?

When you have a headache, do you not take something for it, in addition to your HAART meds? When you get a cold, do you not take medicines that make it easier to breathe, knowing that they don't actually cure the cold, but rather because you know that when your body isn't fighting symptoms so strenuously it can actually heal much more quickly from the cold? How then is what you do for yourself any different than what I have said in my posts?

No, don't answer that. There's no need.

David
03/15/1999 - dx as HIV+
07/30/2003 - started HAART (Sustiva + Epzicom)
long history, not very interesting...
07/10/12 - started Atripla

Offline Dachshund

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #59 on: July 13, 2012, 10:49:58 pm »
If you spend much time around here you'll soon learn Frau Mecch loves to hear herself talk. Jumps feet first into a thread without taking the time to actually read what someone posted. Do like the rest of us and skip right over her posts. They're mindlessly redundant.

Offline leatherman

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #60 on: July 13, 2012, 10:59:58 pm »
So wouldn't the choice of words be:  "helps for treatment adherence". 

You see my cynical, critical mind sees the phrase "limiting HAART treatment failure" and that could be interpreted as implying that HAART fails, as in its not always effective medicine.
the problem, agulha, actually comes from hanging out in these forums. ;) Once you've been around for a while, you'll see that AIDS denialists and HAART denialists frequently make the rounds. The newbies, desperate for a cure or alternative therapies, are often confused by the tales of these denialists. Needless to say, many of us are quick to stop these denialists, or just people posting incorrect information, from spreading their falsehoods and nonsense.

Your second post into these forums clearly spoke about "alternative therapies" which does not sound right when one knows that the only therapy for HIV is HAART. The word "alternative" implies a replacement of HAART not an "additional" treatment for a side effect. You also used the words "limiting HAART treatment failure" which doesn't sound right as the only thing that causes HAART treatment failure is non-adherence.

Both Mecch and I questioned your verbiage, to which you responded that we should re-read what you wrote. Perhaps since we said that we didn't understand you, it should be up to YOU to re-word what you said, not for us to re-read the same words that confused us.

Let me give you a quick example:
I've taken Immodium for many yrs to deal with side effects that I have had with several meds. I would never call Immodium an "alternative therapy" nor would I say that Immodium "limits HAART failure". I would say that Immodium is an additional therapy to deal with a side effect, and that by removing a side effect I can remain more adherent to my regimen so that it doesn't fail.

I do not see Chinese medicine as an alternative to HAART meds. I do not see anything as an alternative to HAART meds
....
When you have a headache, do you not take something for it, in addition to your HAART meds? .... How then is what you do for yourself any different than what I have said in my posts?
ah! notice that when you did rewrite your words so that Mecch would better understand, what you said this time was different. This time you said that chinese medicine is NOT an alternative therapy, and that you would take an ADDITIONAL medication to deal with a side effect. You didn't even bother to confuse the issue by saying that these additional medications would "limit HAART failure" by helping you to feel better and remain adherent.

Clearly if you had used the verbiage you used this second time around, without using confusing terms like "alternative therapies" or alternatives that "stopped HAART from failing", we wouldn't have had the confusion that made us wonder if you were a HAART denialist believing in alternative treatments for HIV.
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline Ann

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #61 on: July 14, 2012, 08:17:53 am »
I never had a problem understanding what David meant, and I'm the freaking Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Denialist Army around here. There was never any indication that he was anti-ART or was advocating using alternative therapies instead of ART.

~sigh~
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Online Grasshopper

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #62 on: July 14, 2012, 09:58:29 am »
I never had a problem understanding what David meant, ........ There was never any indication that he was anti-ART or was advocating using alternative therapies instead of ART.

~sigh~

Me too.


Offline Joe K

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #63 on: July 14, 2012, 05:41:14 pm »
I never had a problem understanding what David meant, and I'm the freaking Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Denialist Army around here. There was never any indication that he was anti-ART or was advocating using alternative therapies instead of ART.

~sigh~

Enough with the semantic gymnastics already.  He was talking about additional therapies, for possible side effects from ART therapy.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Joe

Offline eric48

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #64 on: July 14, 2012, 06:31:00 pm »
Hi my name is Ecuro and I was recently diagnosed with HIV, but have decided against taking conventional medication.

Some one else thought he was smarter than docs: he lost 9 precious months of treatment in vain. Name: Steeve Jobs. Rings a bell?

For purely capitalistic and corporate greed reasons, the production of HIV meds is less than the world's population of people living with HIV needs.

The meds you won't take (if you are elligible) , some one else will benefit from.... 

This is a statement I hate to say, but, unfortunatly, this statement is not untrue.

Please put some thoughts on that

Eric
NVP/ABC/3TC/... UD ; CD4 > 900; CD4/CD8 ~ 1.5   stock : 6 months (2013: FOTO= 5d. ON 2d. OFF ; 2014: Clin. Trial NCT02157311 = 4days ON, 3days OFF ; 2015: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02157311 ; 2016: use of granted patent US9101633, 3 days ON, 4days OFF; 2017: added TDF, so NVP/TDF/ABC/3TC, once weekly

Offline Theyer

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #65 on: July 16, 2012, 03:06:58 am »
If you spend much time around here you'll soon learn Frau Mecch loves to hear herself talk. Jumps feet first into a thread without taking the time to actually read what someone posted. Do like the rest of us and skip right over her posts. They're mindlessly redundant.

They are not at all mindlessly redundant and as for skipping over them I welcome his contributions .
theyer/michael

typo ed.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2012, 03:12:19 am by Theyer »
"If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people ."  Tony Benn

Offline J.R.E.

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #66 on: July 16, 2012, 09:38:54 am »

I thought this thread was as good as any place to post this article:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/247794.php


Why The Human Body Cannot Fight HIV Infection
Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 15 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT



Why The Human Body Cannot Fight HIV Infection



University of Washington researchers have made a discovery that sheds light on why the human body is unable to adequately fight off HIV infection.

The work, directed by Dr. Michael Gale, Jr., a professor in the Immunology Department, will be featured in the August print issue of the Journal of Virology.

The researchers discovered that the viral protein vpu, which is created by HIV during infection, directly interferes with the immune response protein IRF3 to dampen the ability of the immune system to protect against virus infection.

"By understanding exactly what HIV does to hamper the innate immune response during early infection, we can develop a clearer picture of how the virus is able to evade immunity to establish a long-term infection," said Dr. Brian Doehle, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the article.

The research expanded on an earlier discovery by the Gale lab that HIV directly antagonizes the early innate immune response in infected cells by impairing IRF3 function.

The new studies found that the HIV protein vpu specifically binds to the immune protein IRF3 and targets it for destruction, thereby, preventing IRF3 from functioning to trigger an immune response within the infected cell.

The scientists also found that HIV strains engineered to lack vpu, which is made during infection, did not impair the immune response.

"We have effectively identified a new Achilles heel in the arsenal that HIV uses to overcome the defenses present in the body's immune system", stated Dr. Gale. "This knowledge can be used to design new HIV antiviral therapeutics that prevent vpu from interacting with IRF3 and targeting it for destruction, thus enhancing immunity.

The development of new HIV antiviral therapeutics is critical to successfully treating HIV-infected people. Even though HIV antiviral therapeutics have already been developed and can effectively treat HIV infections, over time they lose their effectiveness due to the ability of the virus to adapt and spread despite the therapy, said Gale. "Therefore, the identification of new targets for treatment therapy is essential to providing the most effective treatment for HIV-infected patients".

Gale's laboratory has already begun translating the knowledge from these discoveries to tracking the molecular events that occur in patients during infection.

Arjun Rustagi, an MD/PhD student in the UW Medical Scientist Training Program, has developed a procedure to measure IRF3 activity in human blood cells. This new methodology will be used to measure IRF3 function over the course of HIV infection -- from the early stages of acute infection to the later stages of chronic infection that lead to AIDS.

By linking IRF3 function with infection over time, researchers will be able to understand how antiviral therapeutics that are designed to improve IRF3 function might impact the overall course of the disease in an HIV-infected individual.
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @676 /  CD4 % @ 18 %
Lymphocytes,absolute-3815 (within range)


72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline Rockin

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #67 on: July 17, 2012, 10:23:51 am »
At the end of the day "alternative treatments" to me sound like a placebo. If a wise-looking Chinese guy offers you some herbs and say they will make you feel better you might feel better just because of what the guy said.

However...I had a back problem once because of gym training and I did some acupunture sessions and oh boy...it really really works. I highly recommend it for any sort of physical pain.

Offline agulha14

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #68 on: July 17, 2012, 11:53:10 am »
the problem, agulha, actually comes from hanging out in these forums. ;) Once you've been around for a while, you'll see that AIDS denialists and HAART denialists frequently make the rounds. The newbies, desperate for a cure or alternative therapies, are often confused by the tales of these denialists. Needless to say, many of us are quick to stop these denialists, or just people posting incorrect information, from spreading their falsehoods and nonsense.

Your second post into these forums clearly spoke about "alternative therapies" which does not sound right when one knows that the only therapy for HIV is HAART. The word "alternative" implies a replacement of HAART not an "additional" treatment for a side effect. You also used the words "limiting HAART treatment failure" which doesn't sound right as the only thing that causes HAART treatment failure is non-adherence.

Both Mecch and I questioned your verbiage, to which you responded that we should re-read what you wrote. Perhaps since we said that we didn't understand you, it should be up to YOU to re-word what you said, not for us to re-read the same words that confused us.

Let me give you a quick example:
I've taken Immodium for many yrs to deal with side effects that I have had with several meds. I would never call Immodium an "alternative therapy" nor would I say that Immodium "limits HAART failure". I would say that Immodium is an additional therapy to deal with a side effect, and that by removing a side effect I can remain more adherent to my regimen so that it doesn't fail.
ah! notice that when you did rewrite your words so that Mecch would better understand, what you said this time was different. This time you said that chinese medicine is NOT an alternative therapy, and that you would take an ADDITIONAL medication to deal with a side effect. You didn't even bother to confuse the issue by saying that these additional medications would "limit HAART failure" by helping you to feel better and remain adherent.

Clearly if you had used the verbiage you used this second time around, without using confusing terms like "alternative therapies" or alternatives that "stopped HAART from failing", we wouldn't have had the confusion that made us wonder if you were a HAART denialist believing in alternative treatments for HIV.

My apologies to everyone in this forum concerned about my use of the word 'alternative' - it is the standard term used to refer to non-pharmaceutical treatments for anything and everything. Even the shorthand 'CAM,' which I also see used without challenge in these forums, means 'complementary and alternative medicine.'

As an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with a specialty in complex diseases, I don't see acupuncture as an 'alternative' to anything - I, of course, see it as a powerful medical tool with the ability to do good for those who use it wisely. As a patient who takes Atripla to control his HIV, I don't see acupuncture or Chinese herbs as an 'alternative' to HAART. Nevertheless, 'alternative' is the term applied to Chinese medicine by the larger medical community, so I use the term in that sense.

best to all,

David
03/15/1999 - dx as HIV+
07/30/2003 - started HAART (Sustiva + Epzicom)
long history, not very interesting...
07/10/12 - started Atripla

Offline Rockin

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #69 on: July 17, 2012, 11:57:53 am »
My apologies to everyone in this forum concerned about my use of the word 'alternative' - it is the standard term used to refer to non-pharmaceutical treatments for anything and everything. Even the shorthand 'CAM,' which I also see used without challenge in these forums, means 'complementary and alternative medicine.'

As an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with a specialty in complex diseases, I don't see acupuncture as an 'alternative' to anything - I, of course, see it as a powerful medical tool with the ability to do good for those who use it wisely. As a patient who takes Atripla to control his HIV, I don't see acupuncture or Chinese herbs as an 'alternative' to HAART. Nevertheless, 'alternative' is the term applied to Chinese medicine by the larger medical community, so I use the term in that sense.

best to all,

David

Maybe its best to say "additional treatment" or "holistic treatment" or something to avoid confusion.

Offline Jeff G

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #70 on: July 17, 2012, 12:57:33 pm »
David has said a dozen times Alternative medicine isn't a replacement for ART , if anybody is still confused about this I doubt anything he calls it will help clear this up amongst the hair splitters .
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Offline buginme2

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #71 on: July 17, 2012, 01:14:46 pm »
I don't think anyone has an issue with complimentary therapies.

I tried accupuncture for awhile for some nerve damage I had.  I personally didn't care for it.  However, I have complimented my treatment with diet (I'm a big fan of green tea), exercise, even considered seeing a naturopath.

Its all in how you frame your message.
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Offline Assurbanipal

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Re: Alternative Medication For HIV
« Reply #72 on: July 25, 2012, 01:30:37 am »
There are many different HIV drugs these days.  Each of them goes through rigorous testing for safety and efficacy.  If you are experiencing side effects why wouldn't the first choice for managing side effects be exploration of a different HIV combo rather than adding an "alternative" therapy?

This is not an option for everyone -- some treatment-experienced folks have limited numbers of drug options.  But most people have options these days.

While there has been some rigorous scientific research into alternatives, it is pretty limited and rarely rises to the standard of scientific testing used to look at efficacy of modern HAART (e.g. double blind studies).

And clearly it is simpler in the long run to just be on meds than to be on meds plus alternative medicine.

Why are people so reluctant to change meds to manage side effects?  It is as if risk aversion only applies to carefully tested medicine not to alternatives. Is it as simple as the fact that tested drugs are compelled by law to list what might go wrong, while alternatives get a free pass leading people to assume they are less risky simply because their risks are not studied?



5/06 VL 1M+, CD4 22, 5% , pneumonia, thrush -- O2 support 2 months, 6/06 +Kaletra/Truvada
9/06 VL 3959 CD4 297 13.5% 12/06 VL <400 CD4 350 15.2% +Pravachol
2007 VL<400, 70, 50 CD4 408-729 16.0% -19.7%
2008 VL UD CD4 468 - 538 16.7% - 24.6% Osteoporosis 11/08 doubled Pravachol, +Calcium/D
02/09 VL 100 CD4 616 23.7% 03/09 VL 130 5/09 VL 100 CD4 540 28.4% +Actonel (osteoporosis) 7/09 VL 130
8/09  new regimen Isentress/Epzicom 9/09 VL UD CD4 621 32.7% 11/09 VL UD CD4 607 26.4% swap Isentress for Prezista/Norvir 12/09 (liver and muscle issues) VL 50
2010 VL UD CD4 573-680 26.1% - 30.9% 12/10 VL 20
2011 VL UD-20 CD4 568-673 24.7%-30.6%
2012 VL UD swap Prezista/Norvir for Reyataz drop statin CD4 768-828 26.7%-30.7%
2014 VL UD - 48
2015 VL 130 Moved to Triumeq

 


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