Quack HIV/AIDS treatments

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There is no cure or proven [[vaccine]] for [[AIDS]] as of the present time.<ref>There have been several vaccines in Phase III clinical trials.</ref> Thus, unsurprisingly, a field of '''[[quack]] medical treatments purporting to treat AIDS''' has grown. These treatments are ineffective and range from harmless but worthless to potentially deadly.

==Effective treatment==
The only effective treatment is management with an antiretroviral regimen (often in the form of a multi-drug cocktail), and these treatments can only slow the progression of the disease. HIV-positive people can use antiretroviral treatment to prevent them from getting AIDS and thus often live a long and healthy life (but for the controllable side effects of the antiretrovirals). Antiretrovirals are also used for both post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and the new and somewhat controversial ''pre''-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which has been shown in some clinical trials to reduce HIV transmission among sexually active [[gay]] men by a pretty reasonable amount. The arguments against the widespread use of PrEP to prevent HIV transmission have basically taken two forms: it costs too much, and it'll turn people into massive sluts ("Truvada whores" as some Twitter satirists have mockingly decided to refer to themselves). The latter arguments are amazingly similar to the arguments against the availability of hormonal [[birth control]] pills, [[condom]]s, and other family planning methods when they first became available.

Notably, the antiretrovirals used to treat both HIV infection and to help patients with AIDS are incompatible with some [[Herbal supplement|herbal medicines/supplements]], including the over-the-counter herbal depression treatment, [[St. John's wort]].<ref>[http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/insite?page=ar-00-02&post=10&param=8 Database of Antiretroviral Drug Interactions], HIV InSite, University of California at San Francisco</ref>

==Sex with a virgin==
In southern Africa, there is a widely-held belief that an infected individual can "cleanse" oneself of AIDS by having sex with a [[virgin]]. Similar views regarding [[sexually transmitted disease]]s have existed for centuries, but the growth of this superstition during the AIDS pandemics of recent years is particularly shocking, as it has led to thousands of [[rape]]s of [[children]] and even of babies in Africa.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/1362134/South-African-men-rape-babies-as-%27cure%27-for-Aids.html "South African men rape babies as 'cure' for Aids"], ''The Telegraph'', 11 Nov 2001.</ref>

==Other claimed treatments==
*[[Homeopathy]]<ref name=QW /><ref>http://www.arhf.nl/world-aids-day</ref><ref>https://www.homeopathic.com/Articles/Using_homeopathy_for_ailments/A_Homeopathic_Perspective_on_AIDS.html</ref><ref>http://www.badscience.net/2007/09/homeopathy-gives-you-aids/</ref>
*[[Oxygen therapy]]/hydrogen peroxide<ref name=QW /><ref>http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm235227.htm</ref><ref>http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/oxygen.html</ref><ref>http://www.oxygenhealingtherapies.com/AIDS_Cancer_Cured_by_Ozone.html</ref><ref>http://www.oxygenhealth.com/hiv_man.html</ref>
*"Immune boosters"<ref name=QW>http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/aids.html</ref>, such as [[Kombucha]] tea. Interestingly, this item (falsely claimed as an immune system builder) has led to opportunistic infections in HIV-positive patients.{{cn}}
*[[Goat]] [[milk]]. [[Bill Maher]] gave air time to [[Samir Chachoua]], who claimed to cure Charlie Sheen with [[goat]] [[milk]]. Sheen, interestingly, is back on his antiretroviral meds.<ref>http://www.buzzfeed.com/virginiahughes/goat-milk-cure</ref>
*[[Vitamin]]s<ref name=QW />
*Coenzyme Q10<ref name=QW />
*Germanium<ref name=QW />
*Lecithin<ref name=QW />
*Ornithine and/or arginine ([[amino acid]]s)<ref name=QW />
*Gamma-linolenic acid<ref name=QW />
*"Raw glandulars"<ref name=QW />
*[[Bach flower remedies]]<ref name=QW />
*Blue-green algae<ref name=QW />
*Cysteine (another amino acid)<ref name=QW />
*Miscellaneous herbal baths<ref name=QW />

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:HIV/AIDS]]

Categories: HIV/AIDS