Week 8: The Western Approach to HIV/AIDS

Not meaning to be harsh or overly cynical, it seems to me that for most people, a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is essentially a death sentence…and the reality is, that it’s just a matter of time before the disease progresses to the point that passing into spirit is a welcome alternative to the continued suffering. That being said, it’s the same prognosis with life period: no one gets out alive.

Given the nature of this illness, and the relentless progression of the disease, that there are any Western treatments that work -even if only for a short time- against this evasive, ever-mutating invader, will be comforting to many people. It’s a fight against the continuously progressing time-line of HIV and it‘s eroding effects on the immune system and overall health.

For some, any approach that forestalls the inevitable, will be a welcome alternative.
For others, however, the multi-drug cocktail treatments and their side-effects, may be worse than the disease. From protease inhibitors causing nausea and diarrhea, drops in red & white blood cell levels from reverse transcriptase inhibitors, painful nerve damage and inflammation to the pancreas, to long-term liver and kidney problems as well as increased risk for strokes and heart attacks; it’s a wonder that the body is able to maintain any immune response at all under the barrage of the HIV viruses and alopathic medical treatments.

Ultimately, the issue of HIV treatment protocol is an individual one, and its focus becomes one of ‘quality of life‘ versus ‘length of life‘. It’s a very personal decision, that only an individual living with the disease can make.