The CDC has stated that weight loss of greater than 10% of body weight is the index diagnosis for almost one-fifth of AIDS cases. Realizing the importance of weight management as it relates to successful recovery from opportunistic infections, medical providers are increasingly including nutritional supplements, hormon
Most of us know about alternative treatments, even if all we know is that there are alternatives. Some of us choose to use them, some of us don t. I have a huge concern when nutrition is lumped together under the alternatives umbrella. This is totally incorrect, and here s why. Nutrition isn t alternative at all. Food
There s good news from the government in 1995 for PWAs who ve survived the two year wait for Medicare coverage. The government will take on the payment of the $46.10 Medicare premium that s being deducted from your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) check if your SSDI and other income total less than $767 mont
(Last month the Newsletter included Walt Senterfitt s report on the NIH s study of IL-2 . A regular reader in San Diego found that article too weighted in the negative. With his letter, he enclosed the attached article to provide a more balanced view of IL-2. ) I was fortunate in July 1993. I happened to be at the righ
While opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ), cryptospiridiosis, and toxoplasmosis seem to have gotten the lion s share of attention among AIDS-defining conditions, a few others have been lost in the shuffle. Nevertheless, these illnesses pose very serious problems for increasing numbers o
(An interview with Dr. Michael Saag, noted AIDS researcher and Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.) * What is HIV Pathogenesis? Generally, pathogenesis refers to the concept of how HIV causes disease. In the case of pathogenesis of HIV, it is a formal study
presented by Steve Miles M.D. and reported by Jim Stoecker
The incidence of all types of cancer among people with AIDS is increasing. In the ACTG019 study, 27% of the study participants developed some form of cancer during the three years of study followup. The Concorde study reported a rate of 26% of participants developing cancer as an end point. And in the
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a neurologic syndrome somewhat similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) that is seen in almost 4% of people with AIDS whose CD4 counts have fallen below 100. Although PML is relatively rare, up to 60% of people with HIV experience neurologic problems at some point which mus
Fat can be pretty hard to understand and manage when it comes to living a good Nutrition Power lifestyle, Since fat is loaded with calories, it can be a useful agent if you want to gain weight. It can also hurt you if there s some liver trouble, or if fat malabsorption makes you crampy, gassy, and miserable. Also, fat
Dermatology is a visual specialty. Dermatology is also about touching people-touching their skin to make a diagnosis. Before asking a lot of questions about a particular rash or lesion, dermatologists must look closely and describe for themselves what they see. It is only then that a diagnosis can be made and a treatme
I and my weary immune system are going to go way out on a limb to predict that 1995 will be the year in which those of us with HIV/AIDS will have true reason for hope. Medical science may, for the first time, offer proof that the war against this disease is actually turning in our favor. I realize so well that many are
The March 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contained a report by NIH (National Institutes of Health) researchers on the intermittent administration of interleukin-2 ( IL-2 ) intravenously to a small number of HIV-infected patients. The study found that IL-2 significantly boosted CD4 cell counts in some of
For years, AZT worked well for Alan. He began taking the drug in 1989 with few adverse side effects and good immune responses. Over time, his T-cell count rose from 360 to 553. But then in the spring of 1992, his count began to decline. By the summer of 1993, his dwindling numbers began to worry him. He decided to add
A year ago, Being Alive was in the throes of crisis. Our bank balance was so low we had to juggle our bill payments. Board membership was low and often dysfunctional. Staff morale was low. Rumors on the street had us near death. I was writing painful messages begging for funds and tinged with organizational self-critic
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
We have heard about low testosterone levels in HIV+ men in a number of past updates. However, very little information has been found in the medical literature. That is why I bring to your attention a study out of Columbia University and published in the Journal of AIDS. In this study, researchers looked at 234 HIV+ men
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
We have made the case many times that anyone whose T-cell count falls below 200 should be on PCP prophylaxis. And we have also made the case that PCP prophylaxis should be, if at all possible, Bactrim. Many people have problems with the drug, but there are a number of desensitization regimens available. And many studie
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
Integrase is an enzyme needed for incorporating HIV into a cell s DNA. This is yet another point in the virus s life cycle where we can intervene to stop proliferation. To develop an inhibitor, we need to understand the structure of the enzyme, and researchers now know the detailed three-dimensional structure of integr
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
In the years to come, the viral load tests (bDNA and PCR) will become mainstays of HIV treatment. These tests will help us to determine when an individual should start or change antivirals. The tests show their results in terms of the number of copies of HIV detected in a given amount of blood. We are beginning to unde
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
We have suspected that the function of an individual s CD4 cells may be related to how quickly that individual progresses to AIDS. Now, a report out of Amsterdam and published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases establishes a correlation between functional markers of CD4 cells and progression to AIDS. Thus, we need t
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker
We have emphasized for some time that saliva does not carry HIV and is thus not a source of transmission of the virus. A number of researchers have believed that saliva carries a substance that may kill HIV. Recently, researchers at the National Institute of Dental Research announced that they have identified a protein
You re in love. Or you want to be. Or you were, but somehow you two act more like strangers these days. What starts out so grand and transforming too often sinks to a disappointing or ugly level. What happens? Perhaps our greatest challenge, our hardest task in life is to be a good partner to another person. It s easy
Shit happens! That is, if you re lucky. Otherwise you may have massive, intractable, watery, secretory diarrhea, as your doctor might put on your medical chart. That s the first sentence of the first Nutrition Power column in the Being Alive Newsletter. The article was called Diarrhea and What You Can Do About It wit
In 1988, Skip s T-cell count fell to just below 200. Vulnerable to opportunistic infections, his statistical life expectancy was only three years. He started an aggressive regimen of medications to prevent the infections, and today, more than six years later, is alive and active, never having experienced an opportunist
The threat of mandatory testing for HIV infection is at our door once again. Earlier in the epidemic, such threats targeted gay men and evoked massive, coordinated and for the most part effective campaigns to defeat them. This time the target is women. Will the AIDS community mount a similarly massive counterattack?
January brought wide media coverage of newly published studies by two groups of scientists, independently arriving at the same conclusion. The total amount of both HIV and T-cells in an infected person s bloodstream turns over far more rapidly than previously believed. This new information follows last year s discovery
The Second National Human Retroviral Conference, sponsored by the American Society of Microbiology in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, was held in Washington, DC, late in January. The importance of this conference for HIV/AIDS researchers has grown, now that the
A lot of the appointment-preparation work depends on how your dietitian works best. We should be working under a medical referral for therapeutic nutrition healthcare. Most of us use results of blood labs, though most of us don t specifically mean CD4 counts. The consensus is that most of the information we need will s
The dietitian qualifier has more reliability. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is the only recognized and accepted national nutrition credentialing agency. The ADA administers the RD (Registered Dietitian) certification. There are minimum standards: education, at least a bachelor s degree; training, often a hosp
The word nutritionist is not defined by the State of California. Anyone who says they re a nutritionist is a nutritionist in California. Knowing little or nothing about nutrition and giving general advice based on bad information is not against California law. Here, the state has refused to recognize well-qualified nut
Through many years of maintaining a private practice in general nutrition, I learned of certain phobias that may prevent people from going to a nutritionist. The biggest, fear of having imperfections subjected to examination, suggests a common anxiety based on the assumption that nutritionists all eat the perfectly wel
Dear Gilbert, I did not know what I was going to wear today to remember you. Then I thought of your black sneakers on the floor in the hospital and how I noticed that Cory and I were also wearing the same shoes. I think of how you used to dress for work, most of the time blending in with the colors of the walls. How qu
I think I just may be a very lucky person. A friend of mine up in San Francisco has been telling me for years that I lead some kind of charmed life. And for just as many years, I have been heartily denying that it s true. But now I m not so sure-maybe I am very lucky. In looking back on the last five and a half years,
Combination treatment with AZT (zidovudine) plus 3TC (lamivudine) produces the most pronounced and prolonged effect of any anti-HIV drug regimen yet studied in suppressing HIV replication and increasing CD4 counts, according to study results presented last November, at the Second International Congress on Drug Therapy
Serono Laboratories has developed a recombinant human growth hormone (brand name is Serostim) to treat AIDS-related wasting syndrome. Phase III studies have shown the drug to be safe and well-tolerated. The studies have also shown an average 2.9 kg increase in lean body mass for those on the drug vs a .1 kg loss for th
CMV retinitis remains one of the most common opportunistic infections in late stage AIDS. The big news in treating this OI is the recent FDA approval of oral ganciclovir for maintenance therapy. It should be noted that the oral form of ganciclovir is not for initial therapy; IV ganciclovir should still be used for th
The incidence of AIDS Dementia Complex is something less than 10%. Nonetheless, a majority of people with late stage AIDS will manifest some symptoms. AIDS Dementia Complex was first described in 1986 and was added to the CDC s list of AIDS-defining conditions. Only a small number receive an AIDS diagnosis because of
The Roche protease inhibitor, saquinavir , continues to lead the pack and is now in Phase III testing. More data on the efficacy of this drug should be available next month. Phase I studies of the Merck PI, L-524, shows reduced p24 and increased CD4 count. Abbott Laboratories are also reporting
Last month, in my report of the top ten HIV/AIDS stories of 1994, I once again reported on my long held belief that two drugs generally work better than one. One Newsletter reader challenged this statement by pointing out that there is no proof that someone on combination therapy lives longer and progresses more sl
Researchers recently did a follow up study of people who were part of the original Phase I study of ddI . For those who entered the original study with less than 100 T-cells, the four year survival rate was 8%. Of those who entered the Phase I study with between 100 and 300 T-cells, however, 80% survived at least four
In a recent retrospective study, James Kahn MD went back to the study data of about 100 people who were involved in ACTG 116B/117. This study showed, some years back, that after several years of AZT use, a patient would benefit by switching to ddI (the other antiviral considered in the study).
The FDA recently approved the use of OraSure, a saliva test for HIV antibodies. This test can now be used by clinics as an alternative to the blood test for HIV antibodies. People reluctant to have blood drawn can be tested by the taking of an oral swab of saliva. Saliva testing is slightly less sensitive than blood te
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.