antiretroviral therapy has changed the face of HIV

antiretroviral therapy has changed the face of HIV over the last decade and a half. Patient life expectancy has increased tremendously and we no longer associate many of the opportunistic infections as early-onset symptoms. Drug regimen pill burdens have also decreased for most, making adherence to protocols easier as well.

When changing protocols or adding in new therapies, however, sometimes side effects can interfere with quality of life and the likelihood that a patient will want to maintain the therapy. I have worked for almost 10 years with HIV-positive patients and have seen firsthand how natural therapies dramatically help manage side effects of medications, improve quality of life, protect the body from the chemical processing of the medications, and possibly prevent 'drug failure'. The following is a review of natural therapies for optimizing the benefits of antiretroviral drug treatment.