AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections. The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands. HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways the most common is unprotected sexual intercourse. Other means of infection are infected blood transfusions, mother to infant (at time of birth, or through breast milk), sharing needles with an infected person, and rarely a healthcare worker that gets pricked with an infected needle. Often people who are infected with HIV have few symptoms and in some cases there are none. Other times, symptoms of HIV are confused with other illnesses such as the flu. This may be severe, with swollen glands in the neck and armpits, tiredness, fever and night sweats. This is where as much as 9 out of 10 of the infected individuals will develop AIDS. At this point the person may feel completely healthy and not even know that he/she has the virus. The next stage begins when the immune system starts to break down and the virus becomes more aggressive in damaging white cells. Several glands in the neck and armpits may swell and stay swollen for an extended period of time without any explanation. As this disease progresses boils or warts may spread over the body. They may also feel tremendously tired, night sweats, high fevers, chronic diarrhea, and they may lose a considerable amount of their body weight. Most cases have shown thrush as a symptom as well. At this point the person is in the final stages of HIV–AIDS. Severe chest infections with high fever are common and survival rate is above 70% but decrease with each recurrence. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she has one or more positive HIV screening and the presence of an AIDS defining condition. Some of the common conditions include but are not limited to: Meningitis, Encephalitis, Dementia, Pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, and Lymphoma. There is also a blood test called an Immune Profile that can be done. This test is used to measure the loss of immunity and help decide on the best treatment. There is a test that is rarely used due to its high cost, it is known as a Viral Load: This test detects the virus itself, and also measures the amount of HIV in the blood. It shows how quickly the HIV infection is likely to advance. A high viral load suggests that the person may progress rapidly to AIDS. Although there is no cure for AIDS there are medical treatments that aide in prolonging, and maintaining the best quality of life possible. These include two nucleoside inhibitors, lamivudine and zidovudine. Actual treatment plans will vary with each patient, along with the physical aspect of this disease. The psychological side has to be addressed in order for a treatment plan to be effective. The easiest way to escape contracting this disease is to avoid the risk factors that you are in control of. Such as: unprotected sex, not sharing a needle, and if you are in the healthcare field be sure to use all precautions necessary to avoid an accidental prick from a possible infected needle (remember that in this diseases early stages it is common for the person not to even know they are infected). Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among all adults aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Among African-Americans in the 25 to 44 age group, AIDS is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women. Our society needs to become aware that by not protecting ourselves we are killing ourselves and that this has to stop.

First of all, whenever debating the Candida diet subject, we should all be aware of what exactly Candida is. Well, Candida is a yeast infection, meaning a type of fungus. The human body is populated with many types of benign Candida which plays an important role for the immune system. But sometimes, in certain conditions and due to some factors, this Candida yeast is multiplying and is causing an infection of the mouth, intestines, vagina, and skin and even of the entire body. The most common type of Candida yeast is Candida albicans and this infection is called candidiasis. The Candida yeast infection has certain symptoms which may cause complications like bladder infections, loss of energy, puffy eyes, constant fatigue, strange food cravings, hay fever allergies, hyperactivity, and inflammation, annoying itching, migraine, unpleasant mouth infections and rashes sore throat and thyroid problems. If you are experiencing any of these complications a healthy Candida diet is required as a treatment of your infection. The Candida diet should be followed in combination with anti-fungal drugs which represent the most important part of the Candida treatment. This Candida diet eliminates the foods which are helping the spread of the Candida yeast infection in your body. But be careful to your Candida diet duration, as its length must be coordinated to the severity of your symptoms and to your overall health. You should be happy to know that patients following the Candida diet have reported improvements in their condition after only 2-4 weeks of using this alternative Candida treatment. However, you will be allowed to start eating some restricted foods after laboratory tests will show the all-clear situation of your organism. So don’t worry, you won’t have to live too long without eating your favourite ‘restricted’ food! The Candida diet consists mainly in cutting off sugar as it is an element that is helping the development of the Candida yeast infection. Therefore, it is most important that you reduce the quantity of carbohydrates you are consuming daily. Whenever following a Candida treatment you must cut off any yeasty foods as they are creating the perfect environment for the multiplying of the Candida yeast infection in your body. So you have to eliminate bread, beer, cheese and alcoholic drinks from your diet habits during the Candida treatment. You must reduce the quantity of dairy products you are usually consuming. The reason for this is one side effect of the Candida yeast infection – the decrease of the human body’s ability to digest fat foods. Another thing you should do while following the Candida diet is to eliminate fungi and mold from your nutrition. And you also have to give up eating processed or packaged foods because they contain sugar, yeast or other substances which are helping the Candida yeast infection to spread. In conclusion, you should pay attention to your daily diet habits and try cutting off any restricted foods. But don’t worry, this ordeal won’t last for long, as the laboratory analysis will show an improvement if you follow the Candida diet correctly!

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract. The disease is also called granulomatous enteritis, colitis, regional enteritis, regional ileitis, ileitis, or terminal ileitis and it causes ulcerations of the small and large intestine. The disease can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus, but distinctively affects the terminal ileum as well as demarcated areas of large bowel. The disease is named after the American physician, Burrill Bernard Crohn (1884–1983), who described the disease in 1932.Crohn’s Disease SymptomsCrohn’s disease symptoms may include: • Chronic diarrhea disrupted digestion: It becomes difficult for the patients in the acute phase of the disease to eat and/or digest food. • Painful and debilitating inflammation • Fistulas of the colon • Hemorrhoids • Lipid absorption problems • Anemia: Persistent rectal bleeding may lead to anemia. • Bruising of the shins. • Fever, pain and psychological damage in many cases • Crohn’s disease in children may cause delayed development and stunted growth.Crohn’s Disease TreatmentCrohn’s disease treatment may include medication, surgery, dietary advice and Helminthic therapy (current research). – Medication Treatment Acute treatment: steroids are used in the initial stages. Long-term steroid therapy is discouraged because of their side effects. Corticosteroids like prednisone are traditionally used medications. The side effects of steroids may include insulin resistance and frank diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), glaucoma, osteoporosis, severe psychological issues etc. Chronic treatment (Steroid-sparing): The treatment may include Salicylates – 5-ASA derivates – 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine, Salazopyrin), mesalamine (Pentasa, Asacol), olsalazine, and balsalazide. Immunomodulating drugs such as azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate are given mainly in moderate-to-severe cases. Infliximab (brand name Remicade) is given in patients with therapy-resistant or fistulating Crohn’s. Adalimumab (brand name Humira) has been used in patients who show allergic reaction to infliximab. The drugs like thalidomide are under study trials. – Surgery In the case of widespread intractable Crohn’s colitis, the colon and rectum (protocolectomy) are removed by the surgery ileostomy. Surgery is generally avoided, as this does not cure the disease. Crohns disease can recur at the site of the anastomosis or ileostomy. – Dietary Advice Crohn’s patients should avoid the following foods and liquids: • Dairy foods • High fiber foods should be avoided during flare-ups. • Hot spicy foods • Alcohol caffeine • Foods containing saturated fats, found in meat and dairy products. However some fats such as in fish oil may actually be helpful. • Products containing corn or gluten, those made from wheat, oats, barley, or triticale • Foods, such as soy, eggs, peanuts, tomatoes • Gas-producing foods such as cabbage family vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts), dried peas and lentils, onions and chives, peppers and carbonated drinks • Foods that may irritate the intestine (particularly the cabbage family vegetables) • Simple sugars • Dried fruits or high-sugar fruits, such as grapes, watermelon, or pineapple • Sorbitol (an artificial sweetener) Beneficial Foods: • Fluids to keep the body hydrated and prevent constipation • Fruits may be protective • A high protein diet with lean meats Advice: • Eat small frequent meals • Prebiotics such as psyllium may help in the healing process. • Probiotics may also be helpful in aiding recovery of the intestines. – Helminthic Therapy Recent studies have come up with a promising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis treatment. Helminthic therapy is a new treatment that has shown impressive results in clinical trials. It argues that the absence of intestinal worms (due primarily to higher hygiene standards) from the human intestinal tract may cause the immune system that is not evolutionary adapted to this condition, to over-react causing inflammation and other negative effects, and that reintroducing helminths through ingesting eggs of a certain species (which is not dangerous to humans) can help down regulate and normalize immune responses. Helminthic therapy like the fecal bacterio therapy induces a characteristic TH2 white cell response in the diseased areas which seems to be the key in achieving and maintaining remission, and may prove to be of key significance in further research.

Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been made, the doctor will attempt to determine the stage the lung cancer is at. The staging system is somewhat like a measurement system, with the numbers indicating: whether the cancerous tumors are localized or whether the tumors have spread to other parts of the body; the tumor’s size; and whether or not the tumors have spread to the lymph nodes. There are four main stages of lung cancer (Stages 1 – 4) and identification of one of the stages is what helps doctors prescribe an appropriate treatment method. Different Cancer, Different Stages of Lung Cancer The staging system is a bit more complicated than simply assigning a number. First of all, the stage numbering system differs slightly depending on whether the lung cancer has been diagnosed as small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common form and it progresses more slowly than the other type. Non-small lung cancer can be broken down into 4 stages. Stage 1 means that the tumor is local; it has not spread to the lymph nodes. Adding the letter A or B to the stage 1 classification indicates the size of the tumor (“A” means it is less than 3 cm across) and whether it’s larger and growing in a sensitive area (“B”). Stage 2 means the tumor has spread into lymph nodes or the chest wall. Again, an “A” and “B” designation determines the size and the location of the tumor. Stage 3 is more complicated and can mean several things. For example, it can indicate that the tumor has spread, but it’s still only affecting one side of the lung, or that tumors have spread to other nearby body parts such as the chest wall, or that fluid is collecting in the lungs. Stage 4 is of course the worst stage and means that cancerous tumors have spread into a whole other part of the body like the pelvis or liver. Small-Cell Cancer In cases of small-cell cancer, there are two stages of lung cancer – Stage 1 and Stage 2. These stages are used to designate whether the cancerous cells are limited in number or whether there exists an extensive amount that have invaded the chest and other parts of the body. When they’re limited in number, patients have a good chance of receiving effective treatment and possibly even resuming a near normal life. An extensive amount however, means treatment options are very limited. The Staging Challenge Although the stages of lung cancer seem well-defined, categorizing a person’s cancer into one of these stages is often challenging. Each case of cancer involves so many different factors and the combination of factors can be interpreted in many different ways by different doctors. Proper diagnosis and classification takes time and may take several rounds of testing. CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, bone scans and even testing the pleural effusion (if present) may all be needed.