Health related information and news from around the world.

The principles of chiropractic treatment state that HIV infection is caused by a poor alignment of the backbone, which impairs nearby nerves. Treatment consists of positioning the body to correct the defect. Chiropractic treatment is probably helpful if your back hurts, probably harmless otherwise.     Homeopathic Medicine-Practitioners of homeopathic medicine believe that a substance that causes a symptom in a large dose can, when given in a small dose, stimulate the body to correct the symptom. The underlying principle is that similars correct similars. In the case of HIV infection, which weakens the immune system, practitioners of homeopathic medicine advocate using small doses of cyclosporine, a drug used in traditional medicine to weaken the immune systems of people whose bodies are rejecting transplanted organs. Homeopathic medicine uses extremely small doses of these various substances; it is harmless.     Mind Work-One kind of mind work tries to foster favorable self-images or self-love.     Another kind of mind work is visualization or guided imagery. During visualization, people imagine their immune systems attacking and killing HIV and their bodies becoming stronger and healthier.     Like body work, mind work can’t hurt. And because it makes people feel more in control and happier with themselves, it can be beneficial.*195\191\2*

Productive cough, shortness of breath, and fever are symptoms of tuberculosis and pneumonia caused by certain common types of bacteria; these symptoms may also be caused by PCP, certain viruses, Kaposi’s sarcoma in the lung, and several other unusual conditions.     Viral pneumonias-The viruses that most commonly cause pneumonias in people with HIV infection are cytomegalovirus and the influenza virus. The pneumonias they cause are quite different. Influenza is a common infection in everyone and is neither more common nor more severe in people with HIV infection. Typical symptoms are fever, cough, production of thick sputum, and achiness. These symptoms in a person with HIV infection may be confused with the symptoms of other, more serious infections. Influenza can be prevented or made less severe by a vaccine that is available during each year’s influenza season. People with HIV infection should get influenza vaccine.     Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common during the later stages of HIV infection, usually when the CD4 count is less than 100. CMV can infect not only the lungs, but virtually all parts of the body. A test of respiratory secretions will show CMV in the respiratory system, but it is difficult to know whether CMV is causing the pneumonia, because when CMV is present, other microbes like Pneumocystis carinii are usually present as well. There are some drugs that can be used to treat CMV pneumonia, although proof that they work in most cases is not well established.     Miscellaneous infections-Other causes of lung problems in people with HIV infection are less common than those above. Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI), though it usually infects other parts of the body, sometimes infects the lungs. Kaposi’s sarcoma may be found in the lungs, where it causes cough and shortness of breath. People with Kaposi’s sarcoma in the lungs will probably have changes on a chest x-ray or on special scans of the lungs, and Kaposi’s sarcoma also on the skin. Occasionally, people with HIV infection will have a pneumonia called lipoid interstitial pneumonia, which has no known cause, except perhaps HIV itself. Diagnosis of lipoid interstitial pneumonia requires a biopsy of the lungs using a bronchoscope. It seems to respond well to treatment with corticosteroids.*109\191\2*