HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that causes AIDs. HIV will weaken a person’s immune system, making it difficult to fight cancer and other infections of the body. Sexual and blood contact is the way to contract it, and the symptoms of the disease vary from person to person. This is why many people are infected with HIV and don’t even know it.

Who Can Get HIV/AIDS?

Anyone can get HIV from an infected person by coming into contact with their blood or having sexual contact. A mother also has the chance of passing it on to her unborn child without intervention before the birth.

Causes of HIV/AIDS

HIV is contracted from an infected person. And with HIV, there is a steady death of crucial immune cells that are most commonly referred to at CD4 T cells. These cells disable the function of the immune system and play a role in causing a different infection called AIDS. AIDS is much more serious and will ultimately lead to death for those infected. This is due to an infection or other disease that the body can no longer fight off.
There are many people who do not develop symptoms after getting infected with the HIV virus. And some people will experience some symptoms, but they seem to point to the flu, and will only last a few days to a week after exposure to HIV. Most who get symptoms complain of fever, tiredness, headaches, and an enlarged lymph gland in the neck. After no more than a few weeks of symptoms, a person infected with HIV may not have any other medical problems for years.

Alternative Treatments for HIV/AIDS

There are no over the counter medications specifically designed for HIV and AIDS treatment, but vitamins and supplements are often helpful for those who have the virus.

There are herbal medicines on the market that will be able to improve the health of a person infected with HIV. Vitamins and minerals in suppelements will often give a person an energy boost. And St. John’s wort is an important drug and popular for treating depression. But those who are on protease inhibitors or NNRTIs should not take this herb because it will decrease the effectiveness of the HIV drugs. Herbal medicine should be monitored by a doctor and taken only when it is deemed that it will not interfere with HIV drugs.

Medical treatment for HIV/AIDS is necessary when the immune system can no longer function on its own. Many people will start treatments with a doctor as soon as they find out that they are infected with the virus.

There are many different types of treatment for HIV/AIDS. There are a host of antiretroviral drugs that will help to boost the immune system and try to fight off the effects of the virus. These have been known to work in many people who are living with HIV, and this has drastically improved the quality of life for those living with the virus.