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| health > AIDS > story page |         |
AIDS patients turn to alternative therapiesJuly 27, 1999
By Mark Gray (WebMD) -- People living with AIDS today have more to rely upon than triple-drug cocktails. With the number of alternative therapies available, living with the deadly disease is becoming somewhat less difficult. And for some living with AIDS or HIV infection, choosing an alternative treatment may be a lifesaving option. When AIDS began to emerge as a serious epidemic in the early 1980s, doctors had few treatment options to offer. Those who were afflicted were forced to find their own cures and therapies. "From day one, because there were no choices, it was patients searching for treatments," says Rodger McFarlane, longtime AIDS activist and former director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the country's largest and first AIDS organization. Many found that alternative therapies such as acupuncture, meditation, herbal therapies, massage and homeopathy were useful complements to the conventional treatments, says Carla Wilson, chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Quan Yin Healing Arts Center. She said that some studies now show that up to 60 percent of people living with AIDS and HIV infection use some form of alternative medicine. Some alternative therapies help alleviate the side effects of conventional AIDS treatments, which include stomach pain, bloating and swelling; diarrhea; and nausea, says Wilson, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist who has been treating AIDS patients for 15 years. She added that some alternative therapies also treat the infections that occur as a result of the body's weakened immune system. Australian tea tree oil, used in the form of a mouthwash or topical ointment, contains an effective antifungal agent that helps treat AIDS-related fungus infections in the mouth. Acupuncture eases the pain that persons living with AIDS suffer when HIV attacks the nerves, particularly the nerves in the limbs. The therapy is also effective in stimulating poor appetites, which can be a problem for those with the disease. Marijuana, while perhaps difficult to access, can stimulate appetites as well, says Wilson. In her practice, Wilson uses combinations of Chinese herbs to strengthen the immune system, restore normal function to the body's organs and bolster the body's ability to deal with the harsh side effects of standard AIDS treatments. Herbal therapies can also help treat the depression that is common among persons living with AIDS. Herbal therapies have been particularly useful for the growing number of HIV-infected people who are finding that they also have hepatitis C, which they contracted through intravenous drug use, Wilson says. Because hepatitis C drug therapy carries harsh side effects, many patients have resorted to herbal therapy. However, Wilson emphasizes the need for persons with AIDS to discuss these therapies with their doctor, who can monitor the disease and prescribe both conventional and alternative treatments. Consider these questions before starting on an alternative therapy regimen, for AIDS or for any other health condition:
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