A person is said to have AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections. First discovered in 1980’s it is said to have taken the life of millions of people and left 34 million living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.
It is caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV destroys CD4 helper lymphocyte (a type of defense cell in the body.) These are part of the body’s defense system that fights infections. When HIV destroys these lymphocytes, the immune system becomes weak and people can get serious infections that they normally wouldn’t. As a result the body becomes vulnerable to infections which otherwise it would have fought easily.
Symptoms:
When the number of CD4 cells fall below a certain number in the body, then such a person is said to be HIV positive. Given below are the symptoms when one is infected by HIV.
• If you feel weakness or fatigue always
• You start loosing weight rapidly
• You get frequent fevers that last for several weeks with no explanation
• You sweat heavily during night
• Your lymph glands are swollen
• If minor infections leads to skin rashes and mouth, genital, and anal sores
• If white spots appear in the mouth or throat
• If you are infected with chronic diarrhea
• Having a cough that won’t go away
• If you tend to forget things
• Severe vaginal yeast infections that don’t respond to usual treatment
Causes:
Some of the common ways in which the deadly virus HIV enters one’s body are what the doctor’s call “high-risk behaviors.”Some of them are described below:
• If people have unprotected sexual intercourse whether it is oral, anal or sexual.
. If the same needle which is used to inject drugs, steroids is used for multiple persons.
• People who have another sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• If a woman with HIV is pregnant, her newborn baby can catch the virus from her before birth, during the birthing process, or from breastfeeding.
• HIV can also spread through transfusion of contaminated blood or blood components.
• When organs from an infected person are transplanted into an uninfected recipient.
Wrong Interception:
As many people are deducted with this deadly disease many myths are also developed regarding its transmission which are not true.People believe that the virus spread through casual contact such as preparing food, sharing towels and bedding, or via swimming pools, telephones, or toilet seats. The virus also does not spread by contact with saliva, unless it is contaminated with blood. The only way by which kissing an infected person may be the cause for transmission is when both people have bleeding gums or open sores in their mouths. Otherwise, you can touch, hug, and even kiss someone who has HIV, without getting infected.
Cure:
There is no cure to AIDS. However many researches are being made in various countries to find a cure to it.
Treatment:
There is no complete cure for AIDS at this time. But many treatments are available that can help to keep symptoms at bay and improve the quality of life of those who are infected with this deadly disease.
Several antiviral drugs and those which boost the immune system taken combined have helped many people with HIV to resist infections and stay healthy.
Several other treatments are designed to reduce HIV in human body, keep its immune system as healthy as possible and decrease the complications developed.
Herbal treatment to AIDS:
• Eat food with less spice and oil
• Chyavanprash, is extremely helpful to keep AIDS at bay.
• Chyavanprash in the form of Raktavardhak (1 spoon) in the morning and Sookshma triphla tabs (2 tablets) twice a day keeps away the deadly infections.
Other herbs useful in treating AIDS are Amla (Emblica officinalis), Bala (Sida cordifolia), Nirgundi (Vitex nirgundo), Haritaki (Terminalia chabula), Amrita (Tinospora wedifolia.
But it is not advisable to stop taking the medicine and doctor’s advice until AIDS is completely cured.
