The acronym for 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome' is AIDS. In fact, it must be understood that AIDS is not a singular disease, but a syndrome, or rather a set of diseases. People suffering from AIDS suffer from an immensely compromised immune system that makes them vulnerable to a number of diseases. Once infected with HIV, it may take anywhere between 5-10 years to develop AIDS.

Some of the major symptoms of AIDS are:

Lethargy and fatigue
Skin irritation
Drastic loss of weight
Loss of appetite
Bronchial ailments- which often lead to end stage tuberculosis of the lungs
Diarrhea, gastritis and dysentery
Prolonged fever
Sleeplessness and others
How is AIDS treated by Ayurveda?
Tonics, also known as  Rasayanas  in Ayurveda are administered for stimulating appetite and strengthening immunity. Once enough strength is regained, an elimination technique is administered by incorporating enemas, emesis and purgation in the treatment. This process is known as  Sodhana  and is carried out to eliminate toxins from the body.

Next the patient s blood is purified with appropriate herbal medications. Apart from this, AIDS patients are advised to perform regular exercise, yoga and pranayama.

AIDS - Can Ayurveda Treat it?


- hiv testing in pregnancy should be done early so as standard care can be taken for the pregnant women.


- this hiv testing must be repeated in the third trimester, usually before 36 weeks of gestation. This should be done in women with hiv-seronegative and also in pregnant women who are at a high risk of developing hiv infection.


- expedited hiv tests should be performed at the time of delivery and labor and this is a must in women who have not been documented for hiv. The results of the test should be available in one hour of the test and the testing should be available 24 hours. In case the results are positive then, infant postnatal antiretroviral and intrapartum drug prophylaxis should be started immediately.


- women who have not been able to be tested for hiv at the time of labor and delivery are suggested expedited screening for hiv. Their screening can be done immediately postpartum or their babies should undergo screening. In case the infant and mother, both are positive, then infant antiretroviral drug prophylaxis should be started immediately. These mothers should avoid breastfeeding their babies, until the supplemental hiv tests are negative. In infants with positive hiv, prophylaxis should be discontinued and antiretroviral drug therapy should be started.


- in case of acute hiv infection during pregnancy, that is in the intrapartum period, or during breast feeding, initial testing can be performed with an antigen/antibody combination immunoassay. If the supplemental test is negative, then an additional test which is the virologic test (dna, rna) are necessary for the diagnosis of the hiv infection.
- if the mother is hiv positive then this information must be documented in the infant's medical record and also communicated to the infants care provider.
The knowledge of an antenatal maternal hiv infection allows the:
- women with hiv infection to get the correct antiretroviral therapy along with prophylaxis for the infections which might occur due to the immunocompromised state of the body. This also prevents and decreases the risk of transmission to their partners.
- when there is provision for antiretroviral therapy for the mother during pregnancy and labor along with antiretroviral drug prophylaxis for the baby there is less risk of perinatal transmission of the hiv.
- the hiv infected women should be counseled for a cesarean delivery. The option of an elective cesarean reduces the perinatal transmission of the hiv.
- the hiv women should be counseled about the risk of breastfeeding.

Identification and Management of Perinatal HIV Treatment

Warts are benign growths on the skin. They are hard in nature and are caused due to virus infection. Warts usually infect the upper layer of the skin. This virus is generally passed through a cut in the skin or a damaged skin. If a person with a cut or a damaged skin comes in contact with another infected person, then the virus may spread rapidly. There are different kinds of warts depending on the areas they grow on.

Below mentioned are eight remedies to get rid of warts:

1. Try to be hygienic: warts may pass from one body part to another. So do not touch the infected parts of your skin several times. Make sure to wash your hands with clean water every time you touch the infected areas.
2. Eat healthy: make sure to eat healthy, exercise and sleep well as this will help you to develop a strong immune system. A strong immune system can help you to get rid of warts.
3. Garlic: a paste made of garlic can be very useful for treating warts.
4. Lemon juice: lemon juice has great healing powers for treating warts. It contains vitamin c which can destroy the viruses causing warts.
5. Using lukewarm water: soaking the infected parts of your body in lukewarm water will soften the warts and help you to get rid of them too.
6. Laser therapy: laser therapy can also help you to get rid of warts. In some cases, it might require anesthesia.
7. Oils: applying essential oils on the affected areas can also prove to be very helpful. You can use oils like tea tree oil or bergamot oil.
8. Acetic acid: acetic acid can also help you to get rid of your warts, especially from the areas of your feet or hand.
Apart from the remedies mentioned above, you can also consider special surgeries for removing warts after consulting a dermatologist.

8 Remedies to Get Rid of Warts

Testosterone is the most important hormone that drives most of the male characteristics from their physique, stamina, energy, vigor, voice, to sexual performance. Higher the testosterone level, greater the masculine characteristics. It is no wonder then that most men want more testosterone flowing in their system. There are simple ways to increase testosterone flowing in your system; read on to know more.

Eat more fat: While staying away from fat is the most common thing to do when body building, remember that testosterone is mainly made of cholesterol. So, a diet rich in fat directly translates to more testosterone. Mono-saturated and saturated fats are proven to be extremely beneficial for good testosterone production. Red meat, eggs, coconut oil, dark chocolate, cheese, peanut butter, fish, avocados, almonds, olive oil are all proven to be highly beneficial in improving testosterone levels.
Include ingredients for testosterone: Include foods that are rich in zinc, vitamin D, D-aspartic acid, Di-indolyl-methane (DIM). Foods rich in zinc promote higher levels of testosterone production and so are advisable. Vitamin D is the most important vitamin in the production and availability of free testosterone in the body and is highly recommended for people wanting to have higher testosterone levels. D-aspartic acid is an amino acid that is essential for proper functioning of the neurotransmitters that control testosterone synthesis and release into the system.
Modified gym routine: Contrary to what most people may think, long hours in the gym does not help you stay in better shape. Regular, drawn-out workouts with long rest periods and too many exercises aimed at building endurance are not necessarily good for testosterone levels. Optimal duration is about an hour, after which cortisol levels (stress hormones) go up and testosterone levels go down. Shorter rest periods between sets are also shown to be more effective. Also, there are specific exercises and workouts which are aimed at improving the testosterone levels. These workouts could be aimed at the legs, arms, back, chest, or shoulders. These moderate to high-intensity protocols stress large muscle masses, which stimulate testosterone production.
Beat the stress: None of our lives are free of stress, but the trick lies in managing them well. Whether you have physical or mental stress, try and work on reducing it, by meditation, music, or any relaxation technique that works for you. Even cardio exercises, if not overdone, are a good way to relax. Try not to fatigue yourself during your workout. Have a well-balanced meal and a good sleep to manage stress better.
Talk to your instructor to know more about ways to improve testosterone production. Higher levels of testosterone take the quality of life to a different level.

4 Ways to Boost Your Testosterone Levels!

Chlamydia is a very common STI caused by bacteria. Those patients who are suffering from chlamydia usually don't see the side effects in the early stages, which makes it that much more difficult to diagnose it. Chlamydia can bring about a lot of severe problems in the later stages. These include not being able to get pregnant later or causing dangers in pregnancies. This disease is often easily spread since it shows no noticeable symptoms and can be passed on the partner very easily. 75% of the infection in women and 50% of the infections in men cannot be noticed and are without any symptoms.

Symptoms: Since the side-effects are not always visible, when they do happen, they are normally recognizable within one to three weeks of contacting and include the following:

In women these are:

    Vaginal discharge with strong odour
    Abnormal bleeding during periods
    Excruciating periods
    Stomach pain with fever
    Pain while engaging in sexual activities
    Burning around the vagina
    Pain during urination

In men:

    Cloudy discharge from the tip of the penis
    Excruciating pain while urinating
    Burning around the opening of the penis
    Swelling and pain in the testicles

Treatment: Chlamydia is easily treatable. Since it is bacterial in nature, it's treated with anti-infection agents. Following are some of the most common treatments for chlamydia in men as well as women:

1. Azithromycin is an anti-infection generally recommended in large dosage, yet the dosage may be spread out more than 5 days.

2. Doxycycline is an anti-microbial that must be taken twice every day for around one week. Your specialist may recommend different anti-infection agents.

Regardless of which antibiotic you are given, you should follow the dosage guidelines properly to ensure the infection is cured completely. This can take up to two weeks, even with the single-dosage medications.

Try not to engage in sexual relations while your treatment is going on. Unfortunately, you can get chlamydia again in case you're uncovered, regardless of the fact that you've had it and it was treated.

Women with extreme chlamydia infection may require hospitalisation, intravenous anti-microbial and painkillers. Your doctor might use a few tests to diagnose chlamydia. He or she will probably take samples from your urethra and cervix and then send it for further analysis. There are also other tests that include urine samples for presence of bacteria. Sometimes, even blood tests are taken depending upon your symptoms or in case the doctor is not able to diagnose it with previous methods and tests.

After taking the medication, individuals should get a follow-up on the treatment after three months to make certain that the disease is cured. This is highly important in case you are not sure whether your partner has been treated or not.

How to Treat Chlamydia in Men and Women?

The year 2014 has seen a massive increase in the number of patients affected by Gonorrhoea. The most infected age group is between 15 and 24. This is mainly due to lack of knowledge in this age group about the disease. Here are some facts about Gonorrhoea that one must know.

Gonorrhoea Transmission
Gonorrhoea, also known as drip, is transmitted when a normal person comes in contact sexually with an infected person. Infected fluid of a mother can also pass to her newborn infant during delivery. The disease can affect both the genders.

Cause of Gonorrhoea
Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria cause the disease. The bacteria grow in mucus membranes and usually grow in the warm and moist areas of humans' reproductive tracts such as uterus and fallopian tube of women. These can also grow in anus, mouth as well as throat. As a matter of fact, the infection can be passed even via oral or anal sex.

Symptoms of Gonorrhoea
An infected person will develop symptoms of the disease in 2 to 14 days. Men may feel burning or painful sensation while urinating. Other symptoms are as follows:

1. Swollen and painful testicles
2. Swollen or redness at the tip of the penis
3. Penis may have a drip or discharge
4. Frequent urination
5. Recurrent soreness of throat

Females have milder symptoms of the infection. This makes it difficult to diagnose, and is sometimes misinterpreted as common vaginal yeast or other bacterial infection.

Following are a few symptoms of the disease in women:

1. Burning or painful urination
2. Frequent urination
3. Vaginal discharge
4. Soreness in throat
5. Fever
6. Lower abdominal pain
7. Pain while sexual intercourse

If the disease is not treated, infection spreads in blood stream leading to rashes, fever and even pain in the joints. Such unnoticeable symptoms make it difficult to treat.

Testing Methods of Gonorrhoea
One method is that penile or vaginal discharge samples are taken from patients and examined under a microscope by adding reactive stain. However, this is not an accurate assessment.
Another test is conducted where exposing samples are incubated. In case of infection, colony of gonorrhoea shows growth. Preliminary test may take 24 hours. Final assessment may take around three days. Samples can be from the patient's anus, joint fluid, blood, throat, vagina or tip of the penis.

Treatment
The disease is treatable under proper medical supervision. However, the bacterial resistance to Azithromycin drug has made it more difficult for treatment.

Protection
It is highly recommended to have a protected intercourse. Women of age group less than 25 need to have STI evaluation once a year.

Know All About Gonorrhoea

Don't wait any longer, manage your Sexologist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Sexologist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES