Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
encompasses a spectrum of disorders that result from the cellular and humoral
immune dysfunction caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV-1). Since it was first recognized as a clinical entity in 1981, AIDS
quickly rose to become the leading cause of death of American adults aged 25 to
44 in 1993. However, since the widespread adoption of effective
combination antiretroviral therapy in 1996, AIDS-related death rates have fallen
sharply despite a growing number of known HIV infections. By 1998, AIDS
had fallen to fourth among the causes of death in this age group, and the
ranking continued to decrease until in 2000, AIDS was not included in the top
ten causes of death.2
Reflecting the decrease in death rate, the number of people living with AIDS
cases has steadily risen. Today, the cumulative
estimated number of diagnoses of AIDS through 2003 in the
United States is 929,985. Adult and adolescent AIDS cases total
920,566 with
749,887 cases in males and
170,679 cases in females. Through the same time period,
9,419 AIDS cases were estimated in children under age 13.4
Given the staggering number of people living with AIDS, the relentless nature
of the disease, and the increasing portion of patient with AIDS who cannot use
the current FDA-approved anti-HIV drugs due to their adverse effects,5
it is not surprising that many have turned to alternative therapy in search of
palliative, symptomatic, or psychological benefits. The use
of alternative medicine in AIDS patients in was studied by Gore-Felton et al.
This group found that in a gender-balanced, ethnically diverse sample of people
living with HIV/AIDS, more than two-thirds of those who were taking anti-HIV
medications were also taking an alternative supplement. Specifically,
approximately 50% were taking one or more multivitamins, 17% reported using
mineral supplements, 12% reported using Chinese herbs, and 12% reported using
botanicals. In addition, many people also reported using alternative
therapies such as acupuncture (31%), massage (23%) and meditation (28%)to treat
specific AIDS-related symptoms.
Clearly, alternative medicine is being used by AIDS patients in substantial
numbers. This behooves the physician to familiarize him or herself with
the available alternative therapies and their possible benefits, adverse
effects, and interactions with conventional anti-HIV pharmacotherapy.
This website was created specifically to explain the relationship between
Chinese herbal medicine and AIDS. In addition to background information on
AIDS and Chinese herbal medicine, this website will explore possible anti-HIV
mechanisms and review several published studies on the subject, including any
information on possible adverse effects and interaction of herbal medicine.
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