Introduction
Aids is one of the most common diseases in the world. Unfortunately, there is no cure for aids quite yet but medical researchers are working on it. We are currently waiting on a cure, which has been talked about in the medical field for several and several years. Current Aids treatments are not meant to cure the disease but are made to help make the Aids patient more comfortable and improve their quality of life. The aids virus attacks the immune system, making it weak and extremely more vulnerable to infections. If HIV is left untreated, it can take years for the virus to spread and eventually turn into Aids.
Different Treatments Available
There are quite a few treatments available for aids. Some work better than others, for some patients, whereas some do not have high success rates at all.
Antiretroviral Drug Treatment: Antiretroviral drug treatment is the most common treatment for aids. This treatment involves the patient taking prescription medications every day for the rest of their lives. The whole purpose of this treatment for aids is to lower the amount of HIV in the body. Doing so, allows the immune system to recover from any damage that the Aids may have caused.
Combination Therapy: Combination therapy is another treatment for aids. It's not as popular as antiretroviral drug treatment but it is becoming more and more popular, with great results. Combination therapy involves taking two or more antiretroviral drugs at a time which reduces the chance of the patient getting ill again.
Healthy Living and Changes: Another common form of treatment for aids is basic life style changes and sticking to a healthy living plan. This includes eating all natural and healthy foods, daily exercise, taking whatever medications your doctor prescribes, quitting smoking and drinking and in some cases, natural herbs and supplements.
Preventing Aids
Aids stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It can be contracted by sharing needles, unprotected sexual intercourse, contact with an infected persons blood, blood transfusions and by birth, if the mother is infected. There are a couple ways you can prevent aids. You can practice safe sex, meaning you're using a condom. Birth control does not protect against the virus. You also can make sure any blood transfusions are tested for the virus.
Tips and Comments
The aids virus is growing at a steady and alarming rate. Only in 2003, more than 3 million people died from aids and over 5 million people were newly infected with aids. You can get tested for aids at any local medical center, your doctors office or you could even purchase confidential testing kits that you can personally send into a lab to receive results. When caring for a patient with aids, you will need to be there to provide emotional and at times, physical support. It can cause damaging effects on families, so sometimes families will hire home based care for aids. The end of life care for aids is necessary when the patient is in the very final stages. Home based care for aids is basically for the preparation of death for the patient.
