The first time I treated a patient with HIV I felt completely overwhelmed. I was concerned that I didn't know enough about the virus and that I was too ignorant of the pharmaceuticals to correctly prescribe an herbal formula. After doing a thorough intake and consulting with my supervisor my fears were relieved. I was advised to go back to the basic principle of diagnosis and to consider the imbalance in terms of Chinese medicine.
In a sense, this simplified my understanding of the disease. It also made treatment more approachable; we are not attempting to cure disease but to bring the body toward a state of balance. Excess patterns, such as heat, phlegm, or blood stasis, must be eliminated and the body must be strengthened and nourished.
While Western treatment of HIV/AIDS is still quite limited, I would never advise a patient to work solely with Chinese medicine. Thus far, we've not come up with any mono-therapy that will effectively treat the virus. What I dislike about the western treatment of HIV and AIDS is the same thing I dislike about cancer treatment [see below]. I firmly believe that TCM can not only strengthen our immune systems but also offer a different, more holistic perspective of healing and the body. We can use nutritional therapy and qi gong as a means of strengthening and balancing. Thus, we are not required to rely solely on non-participatory treatment, which I find empowering.
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