AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome – a disease that started in Africa from a monkey, and quickly spread to the United States as early as 1981, became a major worldwide epidemic, and attacked more than just ordinary people. This virus became and still is a deadly killer. Why is AIDS so dangerous? To understand why, you have to learn what AIDS is and how it works.

AIDS is the final stage of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS works by destroying the body's ability to fight bacteria and viruses that a normally functioning immune system for kill. And without a good working immune system, the body is left exposed to all diseases and infections. It starts out in the form of HIV. HIV works by killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system. It does so gradually by destroying the body's ability to fight infections. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases.

HIV enters the body by means of having unprotected sex or by sharing an infected needle. If it is by sex, the virus enters the body through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum, or mouth during sex. HIV is also spread by means of the virus entering the blood stream through an infected needle.

One concern people have when dealing with people who have AIDS, including their loved ones, is with kissing. They are afraid that they can get AIDS through the saliva. However, researchers have found that, although HIV was seen in saliva, there is no evidence that the virus is spread by contact with saliva. As a matter of fact, laboratory studies revealed that saliva has natural properties which limit the power of HIV to infect.

How AIDS Works
To fully understand AIDS and why it is dangerous, you need to know exactly how it gets started and how the virus works.

A virus is made up of an outer shell. This shell is made up of protein, fat and sugar wrapped around a set of genes and special enzymes. The proteins are strongly attracted to certain cells from the immune system. When the HIV virus attaches itself to the cell it becomes activated, and activates all other proteins on the shell of the virus.

To understand this better, what happens is the HIV virus acts like a retrovirus, one that stores its genetic program in the nucleic acid RNA instead of DNA and that uses a special enzyme, reverse transcriptase, to make a DNA copy of its RNA program. The conversion enables the retrovirus to assimilate itself into DNA-formatted cells, turning them into factories for more viruses. This process continues either until all cells in the immune system are taken over by the virus, or the virus is eradicated. This total conversion may take months, or it may take years, depending on how strong the immune system is at the time of attracting HIV and how strong the virus is when the body gets infected.

There is one thing that HIV infected people notice and that is the symptoms they experience. There have been those who have not experienced any symptoms until the virus turns to full blown AIDS.
For those who did experience symptoms, here is a list of the most common ones:
     • Swollen glands.
     • Unexpected loss of appetite, and large increase in weight loss within two months.
     • Leg weakness.
     • Unexplained fever that lasts for more than a week.
     • Night sweats.
     • Persistent diarrhea.
     • Persistent, dry cough.
     • White spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth.
     • Hairy leukoplakia - white sores and thickening of the mucous membrane, in the mouth, on the tongue, or in the vagina.
     • Shingles.
When the HIV turns into AIDS, these symptoms become reinforced ten fold. Without proper treatment, those who do get AIDS can die fairly quickly. Some have died within months of getting it, while others were able to live for years.
Certain countries have found to contain the disease more than other countries do. Countries like Africa, especially South Africa are well known for it. By the end of 2002 it was estimated that 25 million had died from AIDS. The disease also hit in sub-Saharan Africa, which has been especially hard hit. The epidemic also has manifested itself in Asia (especially in India, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia) and Latin America.
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Treating HIV/AIDS
There are various blood tests used to detect HIV. The most frequently used test for detecting antibodies to HIV-1 is enzyme immunoassay. If it indicates the presence of antibodies, the blood is more definitively tested with the Western blot method.
Other drugs such as AZT, ddI, and 3TC, which are reverse transcriptase inhibitors, have proved effective in delaying the onset of symptoms. The addition of a protease inhibitor, such as saquinovir, amprenavir, or atazanavir, to AZT and 3TC has proved very effective. However, to be more effective, Efavirenz (Sustiva), another type of reverse transcriptase inhibitor, must be taken with protease inhibitors or older AIDS medicines. These measures may prolong life or improve the quality of life, but drugs for AIDS treatment may also produce painful or debilitating side effects.
Scientists have tried to develop a vaccine to fight AIDS, but has been slowed because HIV mutates rapidly, causing it to become unrecognizable to the immune system, and because, unlike most viruses, HIV attacks and destroys essential components of the very immune system a vaccine is designed to stimulate.

Curing AIDS the Natural Way
Instead of conventional methods, there is a way for people with AIDS to get cured of the disease by following certain steps. Even if you are taking drugs, if you take the right steps and follow the right food and nutritional plan, you will have a big chance of reducing the effects of the virus and maybe even rid the body of the virus completely.

We know that AIDS is caused by toxins and enzymes produced by the AIDS virus and the destruction of white blood cells. The virus spreads and replicates by using an enzyme called protease, which destroys collagen. Scientist discovered that the amino acid lysine, when combined with vitamin C, appeared to inhibit the action of protease.

According to scientists, this regimen works in five ways to stop AIDS and symptoms associated with the disease:

1. The core nutrients of the regimen stop the action of protease. They act as a natural protease inhibitor.
2. The regimen helps to build and strengthen your immune system by supplying the necessary raw materials for building healthy white blood cells, which can identify, surround, and destroy viruses and unhealthy cells.
3. The antioxidants in the regimen act as a toxin sponge mop. Antioxidants neutralize these toxins into harmless chemicals that are then excreted.
4. The core components of the regimen allow your body to quickly rebuild and regenerate the connective tissue – collagen – that has been destroyed by the AIDS virus.
5. The regimen increases peripheral circulation, including to neurons in the brain and elsewhere.

These tips above along with the following have helped many people fight AIDs with much success:
     • Colon Cleansing
     • Homeopathy
     • Urine Therapy
     • Diet
     • Vitamins and Supplements
     • Fasting

It is best to follow all the steps above to get an accurate amount of treatment necessary. If you lack one or another, the full effect may not be apparent.
Talking about diet – For those with HIV or AIDS, what you eat can have a powerful impact on whether you live long and well. By improving your nutrition, you can help your body fight HIV while improving your quality of life, improving your energy level, or increasing your overall feelings of well-being.

Here are a few tips to remember:

Drink lots of water:
You need lots of fresh, pure water put into your body every single day. Without sufficient water, the body doesn't function. Period. Always remember that any time you're running a fever or have diarrhea, or are suffering from nausea or vomiting or daytime or night sweats, you run the risk of dehydrating and should put plenty of fluids at the top of your list of priorities.

Herbal teas and fresh juices:
Many people find herb teas to be a nice addition to their good liquid list. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are other healthful liquids. Just remember that much of the nutrient content in vegetable and fruit juices is in the pulp. If you're preparing fresh juice for yourself, it's best to use a juicer like Vita-Mix® that retains the pulp.

Bottled fruit and vegetable juices:
These are another source of good liquids which are widely available. Just make sure you pick the un-sugared kinds. There are also canned or bottled juice drinks which are sweet and cold and carbonated and the best alternative to a cola or other junky drinks. They have no added sugar but great flavor and are just as fizzy as the others. They still have simple sugars and so shouldn't be used in excessive amounts, but they do contain far more nutrients than most standard soft drinks, and none of the added chemicals.

Warm beverages:
These include soups, herb teas, and roasted-grain coffee substitutes. Not only are they nutritious, but also less demanding on the body than icy cold drinks. Anything that's drunk icy cold will require some of your body's energy to warm it up. Thus, a large consumption of such cold beverages can actually drain away calories your body needs because it's burning them up heating that cold liquid. And those soups already mentioned as a good source of protein and vegetables can also contribute to your fluid intake.

Caution with caffeine:
Now, does all this mean that your days at Starbucks are limited? Well, actually, no. The fact is that as long as you drink plenty of water (since caffeine stimulates fluid loss from the body), a reasonable number of cups of coffee or tea daily you are okay. Both coffee and either black or green tea are actually loaded with certain classes of nutrients like bioflavonoids of various kinds that may be health promoting. So don't drink them in place of the healthful liquids you need (like plenty of water), but add then in moderation. Just be aware of what you put in them since it's the cream/sugar/mocha additions that can add lots of fat and sugar into your diet that you don't want.
The main factor is just to eat right, drink plenty of water, and avoid certain foods and beverages that can do more harm than good. If you do this and stick to it, you'll find you'll be healthier in the long run and have a body that will be powerful enough to rid the body of the HIV or AIDS virus or prevent it all together.