Until we embrace the entire world AIDS community, we will never receive the attention, effort, and funds that are appropriate and commensurate to the size this epidemic has now reached. I write this in part because I have been so angered at the staleness of the debate. Perhaps the reason donations are down and the movement seems so unenergized is that nobody' s saying anything new or even worthwhile. If I go to a support group or ASO and state these facts, especially my aversion to AIDS meds, I am treated as a pariah at best, and clearly made to feel unwelcome. It happened many times before I realized that there was nothing for me there and that I was an outsider to my own disease community.
Nutrition is certainly one area in which common knowledge has been lacking.
It is now an undisputed fact that a vegetarian diet gives the greatest benefits not only in the case of immune deficiency but when dealing with virtually any illness there is. Patients should eat what they want, especially when dealing with an illness that suppresses the appetite. But it is important to know that meat is loaded with bacteria, pathogens, and unregulated amounts of drugs, including antibiotics, for starters. Dairy products are not only loaded with drugs given to the cows but contain the controversial bovine growth hormone, while containing little in the way of nutrients. Recommending cheap cuts of meat for those economically challenged is a real shame.