10 Steps to Staying Healthy With HIV

If you have HIV, it's essential to maintain your health so your immune system stays strong. Use these tips to get started.

People who have been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) need to be especially vigilant about keeping their immune systems strong and healthy. The HIV virus kills white blood cells of the immune system called CD4 lymphocytes, or T cells. In people who have HIV, the T-cell count can fall to dangerously low levels, which eventually leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Because of this, it’s challenging — yet essential — to stay healthy. Following smart lifestyle practices can help you maintain your health with HIV.

Eat a Healthy, Well-Balanced Diet

Maintaining a well-balanced, nutritious diet is crucial for people with HIV. A healthy diet can help keep the immune system strong, help prevent illness, and also help slow the progression of HIV. According to research from the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, a nutritious diet can make it easier for the body to process the many medications that people with HIV often take, and may even help ease common symptoms of HIV, such as diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue.

Avoid Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and recreational drugs can weaken the body’s immune system, which is particularly hazardous for people with HIV. Alcohol and drugs can also interfere or dangerously interact with the medications that are necessary to keep HIV in check. Substance abuse can also lead to poor nutrition and to forgetting to take HIV medications. Channel your energy into more positive ways of spending your time, such as visiting with friends or working on hobby.

Pay Attention to Oral Health

Dental health problems are common in people with HIV, affecting more than one-third of patients. A compromised immune system and HIV medications can lead to conditions such as oral warts, fever blisters, oral thrush, and canker sores. Many people with HIV and AIDS also experience dry mouth, which can increase the risk of cavities. They are also more likely to develop gum disease that can quickly worsen and lead to other problems, such as heart disease, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. HIV patients should brush and floss regularly and see their dentist at least every six months.

Find Ways to Reduce Stress

Reducing stress is an essential part of managing HIV. The chronic stress of living with HIV can take a toll on a person’s health. According to the University of California, San Francisco, research has shown a clear link between stress and reduced immune system function; stress can cause lack of appetite, interfere with sleep patterns, and cause other negative impacts on your health. Some effective ways to manage stress include yoga, meditation, exercise, and counseling. For best results, talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Consider Acupuncture

Many HIV patients opt for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as acupuncture to treat symptoms of the disease and the side effects of HIV medications, including fatigue and stomachaches. Acupuncture, the practice of inserting very thin needles into specific points in the body, has also been shown to boost immune function. One way acupuncture may do this is by reducing stress. In one study done at the Boston University School of Public Health, HIV patients who were treated with acupuncture reported feeling more relaxed, peaceful, and calm.

Travel With Caution

Because people with HIV have weakened immune systems, they have to be especially careful about the food and water they ingest when traveling. While food-borne illnesses can be unpleasant and even dangerous for people who don’t have HIV, they can lead to severe complications and even death in people with HIV or AIDS. It’s best to avoid visiting developing countries where food and water safety can be more difficult to ensure and rates of transmittable diseases are higher. And be sure to talk to your doctor before you travel anywhere to get extra supplies of your HIV medications as well as medical advice.

Watch Your Skin

Skin problems are often among the earliest signs of HIV infection — HIV patients frequently have simultaneous or persistent skin infections. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, common skin conditions in those with HIV include psoriasis, hives, shingles, and impetigo, to name just a few. Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of skin cancer, can also affect people with AIDS.

See Your Gynecologist Regularly

HIV raises a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer, so women with HIV should have regular Pap smears to test for any signs of the condition. Currently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests that women with HIV get two Pap smears in the year right after an HIV diagnosis and then one Pap smear every year after that. Women with HIV are also more likely to develop recurrent and more aggressive forms of yeast infections and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Take Your Medication on Time

Many studies have shown a link between adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) — taking prescribed HIV medications on schedule and as prescribed by a doctor — and an increase in T cells. Other studies have shown that adherence to ART is second only to T-cell count in predicting an HIV patient’s prognosis. Skipping doses of medication or not taking HIV medication on time has been shown to increase the likelihood of hospitalization, the progression of HIV to AIDS, and even death. Work with your doctor to come up with the right combination of medications for your current needs.

Learn All You Can About HIV

Empower yourself and take control of your condition by learning as much as you can about HIV and AIDS. There are many resources available: Start by talking to your doctor. Check out government Web sites such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health: AIDS Info. Your doctor may also be able to refer you to support groups to talk to other HIV patients in your area, and there are online HIV support groups as well. 

Experimental Treatment May Help Fight Deadly Ebola Virus

Therapy led to recovery in nearly half of study animals up to 5 days after infection

 An experimental treatment for the deadly Ebola virus proved effective in about half of monkeys with disease symptoms, findings that show promise for the development of therapies for humans, according to researchers.

The death rate for people infected with the Ebola virus is as high as 90 percent, and the virus has caused numerous deaths in Africa over the past several years. In addition to being a health concern, the virus is also considered a potential bioterrorism threat.

In this study, researchers gave the treatment, called MB-003, intravenously to monkeys 104 to 120 hours after they were infected with the Ebola virus and had developed symptoms. Forty-three percent of the monkeys recovered, according to the study published online Aug. 21 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The MB-003 "cocktail" is made up of so-called monoclonal antibodies, which are able to recognize infected cells and trigger the immune system to destroy them, explained study first author James Pettitt, of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and colleagues.

No side effects of the antibodies were observed in the surviving monkeys, the study authors noted in an institute news release.

In previous research, the same team found that the treatment provided 100 percent protection when given one hour after Ebola exposure, and protected two-thirds of monkeys who were treated 48 hours after exposure.

The next step in the drug development process would be more extensive testing of the safety of the antibodies in animals. After that, the safety of the antibodies would need to be assessed in people.

Currently, there are no approved vaccines or drugs to treat or prevent Ebola virus infection. And while the findings of the new study are promising, scientists note that research involving animals often fails to produce similar results in humans.

Flu Virus May Trigger Diabetes

Italian researchers have discovered that the flu virus may trigger the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes, affects as many as 3 million Americans, most of them diagnosed as children. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells found in the pancreas. The condition is genetic, but an environmental trigger is also necessary for it to appear.

Researchers have suspected the flu virus might provide this trigger since the 1970s, because type 1 diabetes often sets in after an infection.

Study author Ilaria Capua and her team from the World Organization for Animal Health infected turkeys with the flu to test their theory that it could trigger diabetes. They conducted the study on turkeys because they knew birds with the flu often have an inflamed pancreas, according to New Scientist. They found that many of the turkeys infected with flu virus developed severe pancreatic damage, as well as diabetes.

The researchers then infected human pancreatic tissue with two common flu viruses and found that both viruses grew well in the tissue. The flu virus in the pancreatic cells triggered production of inflammatory chemicals that are central to the autoimmune reactions that lead to type 1 diabetes.

Normally, in humans, the virus attacks the lungs and gut, but not typically the pancreas. But it can sometimes get into the blood and travel to the pancreas, researchers said.

Capua is now testing the dibates-producing effects of the flu on mice, according to the New Scientist.

“Our findings indicate that influenza infection may play a role as a causative agent of pancreatitis and diabetes in humans and other mammals,” the study authors concluded in their report.