1.What is AIDS?
A: AIDS is an infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV can specifically invade T4 lymphocytes (CD4) and cause serious defects in the body’s cellular immune system, leading to various opportunistic and persistent infections, malignant tumors, and fatal damage to various systems, especially the nervous system, which is known as “super cancer” due to its high infectivity and mortality rate. It is the number one sexually transmitted disease and the number one infectious disease in the world today, and has attracted the great attention of all mankind.
This disease belongs to the scope of “epidemic disease”, “deficiency labor” and “scrofula” in Chinese medicine.
2.What are the causes of AIDS?
A: The causes of AIDS include the external attack of evil toxins and the deficiency of positive energy. The evil toxin is epidemic gas, which is strongly contagious. Insufficient vital energy is mainly due to the kidney’s failure to store essence and the weakness of the kidney, as the saying goes, “where evil comes from, its vital energy must be deficient”.
3.What are the manifestations of AIDS?
A: The manifestation of AIDS varies according to the length of the incubation period, which can range from 6 months to 5 years or more. After HIV infection, the clinical symptoms can be divided into 3 stages due to the different degrees of cellular immune deficiency.
HIV infection: Most are asymptomatic, i.e. carriers of the virus, and are the source of HIV infection. Some have early symptoms similar to infectious mononucleosis, and some develop chronic lymph node syndrome, which manifests as persistent enlargement of at least 2 or more lymph nodes throughout the body, except in the groin area, for more than 3 months.
AIDS-associated syndrome: It accounts for about 10% of the disease population. Patients have clinical symptoms and chronic lymph node syndrome due to some degree of T-cell immune deficiency, with prolonged fever (38°C for more than 3 months), weight loss, fatigue, night sweats and persistent diarrhea, and often non-fatal fungal, viral or bacterial infections, such as oral candidiasis, cutaneous herpes simplex Herpes zoster and impetigo, etc.
AIDS: About 1% of HIV-infected patients can develop AIDS, and the clinical manifestations are severe cellular immune deficiency resulting in conditional pathogenic infections and rare malignant tumors, the more common ones are Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma.
4.What are the abnormalities in the laboratory tests of AIDS?
A: Laboratory tests for AIDS can reveal the following: immunological tests can reveal a decrease in T4 lymphocytes (less than 1×109/L, T4/T81), a decrease in natural killer cell activity, and dysfunctional B lymphocytes; HIV testing can reveal positive HIV antigen detection, and cell culture can isolate the virus; HIV antibody testing can appear positive.
5.What are the treatment measures for AIDS?
A: There is no specific treatment for AIDS. Western medicine immunomodulators, antiviral agents and the implementation of integrated therapy can partially control the development of the disease, prolong the survival time of patients, and improve the quality of life of patients. Chinese herbal medicine and other natural therapies have been used in the prevention and treatment of AIDS, and herbal medicines with anti-HIV virus and immune function can be screened and pushed to the clinic; the overall regulation function of acupuncture can also play a certain role in the treatment.
Identification and treatment.
Lung and kidney yin deficiency evidence: seen in the acute infection period, fever, slight chill, slight cough, body pain, weakness, sore throat, light red tongue, thin white or thin yellow coating, floating pulse; treatment to promote the lung and dispel wind, clear heat and detoxify the main, the formula used Yin Qiao San plus reduction: honeysuckle, forsythia, bamboo leaf, thorny mustard, burdock, tempeh, peppermint, licorice, orris, rhizome, Tu Fu Ling, Xia Ku Cao, etc.
Pulmonary and kidney yin deficiency: mostly seen in early and middle stage patients with respiratory symptoms, especially Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, fever, cough, no sputum or a small amount of mucous sputum, or blood in the sputum, shortness of breath and chest pain, shortness of breath, general weakness, emaciation, dry mouth and sore throat, night sweating, light red rash around the body with mild itching, red tongue, little coating, sunken and fine pulse; treatment to nourish the lungs and kidneys and The main treatment is to nourish the lung and kidney, detoxify and resolve phlegm.
Spleen and Stomach Weakness: Mostly seen in people with digestive system symptoms, diarrhea that is not cured for a long time, diarrhea in dilute watery stool, a few with pus and blood and mucus, the urgency is not obvious, there may be abdominal pain, fever, emaciation, general weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, swallowing because of the difficulty, or abdominal distension and intestinal tinnitus, goose sores in the mouth, light tongue with teeth marks, white greasy moss, moist and thin pulse; treatment is to support the evil, cultivate the spleen and stomach as the mainstay. The formula is based on the following: Astragalus, ginseng, roasted licorice, angelica, orange peel, asclepias, bupleurum, atractylodes, poria, white lentils, yam, licorice, sand, lotus seeds, coix seeds, orris, poria, Tian Ji Huang, cat’s claw, etc.
Spleen and kidney deficiency: mostly seen in late stage patients, with poor prognosis, fever or low-grade fever, extreme emaciation, lassitude, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, soreness in the waist and knees, syncope in the limbs, loss of appetite, nausea, frequent erratic, violent diarrhea, diarrhea on the fifth night, withered hair, pale face, pale or fat tongue, white fur, thin and weak pulse; treatment to warm the spleen and kidney, benefit the qi and return the yang, the formula is Kidney Qi Pill combined with Si Shen Wan Add reduction: Shu Di, Yam, Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum, Dampi, Poria, Ze Xie, Radix et Rhizoma, Cinnamon, Poria, Roasted Licorice, etc.
Qi deficiency and blood stasis: Kapoji’s sarcoma is commonly seen with weakness, shortness of breath, lazy speech, pale face, poor diet, multiple tumors in the limbs and trunk, purple color, easy bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, dark tongue, sunken and weak pulse; the treatment is to tonify Qi, resolve blood stasis, activate blood and clear heat. The formula is based on the following: Radix Paeoniae, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Radix Astragali, Radix Astragali, Rhizoma Curcuma, Rhizoma Blood, Radix Myrrh, Radix Gentianae Sinensis, Radix Ginseng, Radix Zingiberis, etc.
The symptoms of phlegm and phlegm closure are mostly seen in advanced patients with central neuropathy, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, confusion, or faintness and confusion, convulsions, or epilepsy or dementia, with dark or fat tongue, or dry, yellow and greasy moss, fine or slippery pulse; treatment is based on clearing heat and phlegm, opening and closing the orifice, and oral administration of Angong Niuhuang Wan, Zixue Dan and Zhibao Dan.
In addition, acupuncture treatment, western medicine anti-HIV, immunomodulators treatment, combined with conditional infection and malignant tumor, symptomatic treatment can be taken.
6.What are the preventive measures of AIDS?
A: Preventive measures for AIDS include: strengthening knowledge of AIDS prevention and treatment; strengthening sexual morality, eliminating impure sexual behavior, avoiding sexual contact with HIV-infected persons, AIDS patients and high-risk groups; prohibiting drug use; always conduct HIV testing before using imported blood and blood component products; routine HIV testing should be conducted when donating blood to prevent blood-borne infection; AIDS patients or HIV-positive persons should use contraception. The HIV-positive person should use contraception and not breastfeed their babies; strengthen psychological guidance, create a good environment, and do not discriminate against patients.