AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
AIDS is an infectious disorder that suppresses the normal function of the immune system. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which destroys the body's ability to fight infections. Specific cells of the immune system that are responsible for the proper response to infections (T cells) are destroyed by this virus. Characteristically a person infected with HIV initially experiences no symptoms for a variable period of time. This may be followed by the development of persistent generalized swelling of the lymph nodes (AIDS-related lymphadenopathy). Eventually most patients infected with HIV experience a syndrome of symptoms that includes excessive fatigue, weight loss, and/or skin rashes.
Initial symptoms include extreme
fatigue, intermittent fever, night sweats, chills, swelling of lymph nodes,
enlarged spleen, anorexia, weight loss, severe diarrhoea, apathy and depression.
The later stages of HIV infection are characterized by the progressive
depression of T cells and repeated infections that can even occur during a
course of antibiotic therapy for another infection (superinfections). People
with AIDS are particularly vulnerable to "opportunistic infections" from
bacteria that other people normally fight off. Pneumocystis carinii, which
causes severe inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia), is a common infection that
effects people with AIDS. Cancers (malignant neoplasms), and a wide variety of
neurological abnormalities, most notably the AIDS dementia complex, may also
occur. These neurological symptoms when of HIV infects the nervous system.
|
Remedy |
Characteristics Symptoms |
Patient Worse by |
Patient Better by |
| Sulphur | Heat and burning, with itching; made worse
by heat of bed Inertia and relaxation of fiber; hence feebleness of tone Ebullitions of heat, dislike of water, dry and hard hair and skin, red orifices, sinking feeling at stomach about 11 am, and cat-nap sleep Dirty, filthy people, prone to skin affections Aversion to being washed When carefully-selected remedies fail to act, especially in acute diseases Complaints that relapse General offensive character of discharge and exhalations Very red lips and face, flushing easily Complete loss of, or excessive appetite Putrid eructation Food tastes too salty Drinks much, eats little Milk disagrees Great desire for sweets Great acidity, sour eructation Very weak and faint about 11 am; must have something to eat Water fills the patient up Morning diarrha, painless, drives out of bed, with prolapsus recti Frequent micturition, especially at night Mucus and pus in urine; parts sore over which it passes Must hurry, sudden call to urinate Great quantities of colorless urine Menses too late, short, scanty, and difficult; thick, black, acrid, making parts sore Leucorrha, burning, excoriating Difficult respiration; wants windows open. Oppression, as of a load on chest Dyspna in middle of night, relieved by sitting up Pulse more rapid in morning than in evening Dry, scaly, unhealthy; every little injury suppurates Itching, burning; worse scratching and washing; excoriation, especially in folds Frequent flashes of heat Violent ebullitions of heat throughout entire body Dry skin and great thirst Night sweat, on nape and occiput Perspiration of single parts Disgusting sweats Remittent type fever |
At rest When standing, Warmth in bed Washing Bathing In morning 11 am Night From alcoholic stimulants Periodically |
Dry, warm weather Ling on right side From drawing up |
| Arsenicum Album | All-prevailing debility, exhaustion, and
restlessness, with nightly aggravation Great exhaustion after the slightest exertion Irritable weakness Burning pains; burning relieved by heat Fear fright and worry Green discharges; odor of discharges is putrid Complaints that return annually Degenerative changes Gradual loss of weight from impaired nutrition System under the stress of malignancy regardless of location Septic infections and low vitality Cannot bear the sight or smell of foodGreat thirst; drinks much, but little at a time Craves milk, acids and coffee Heartburn; gulping up of acid and bitter substances which seem to excoriate the throat Long-lasting eructations. Dyspepsia from vinegar, acids, ice-cream, ice-water, tobacco Liver and spleen enlarged and painful Urine scanty, burning, involuntary Menses too profuse and too soon Leucorrha, acrid, burning, offensive, thin Unable to lie down; fears suffocation; air-passages constricted Wheezing respiration Itching, burning, swellings; dema, eruption, papular, dry, rough, scaly; worse cold and scratching Icy coldness of body Disturbed, anxious, restless sleep; must have head raised by pillows Suffocative fits during sleep Sleeps with hands over head Dreams are full of care and fear High temperature Periodicity marked with adynamia Intermittent fever; paroxysms incomplete, with marked exhaustion Cold sweats Great heat about 3 am |
Wet weather After midnight From cold, cold drinks, or food Seashore Right side |
From heat From head elevated Warm drinks |
| Natrum Mur | Intermittent fever Great debility; most weakness felt in the morning in bed Coldness Emaciation most notable in neck Great liability to take cold Dry mucous membranes Constrictive sensation throughout the body Great weakness and weariness Oversensitive to all sorts of influences Immoderate thirst Hungry, yet loose flesh Heartburn, with palpitation Unquenchable thirst Sweats while eating Craving for salt Aversion to bread, to anything slimy, like oysters, fats Painless and copious diarrha, preceded by pinching pain in abdomen Has to wait a long time for it to pass if others are present Emission, even after coitus Menses irregular; usually profuse Leucorrha acrid, watery Cough from a tickling in the pit of stomach, accompanied by stitches in liver and spurting of urine Cough, with bursting pain in head Shortness of breath, especially on going upstairs Sleepy in forenoon Nervous jerking during sleep Dreams of robbers Skin greasy, oily, especially on hairy parts Dry eruptions, especially on margin of hairy scalp and bends of joints Crusty eruptions in bends of limbs, margin of scalp, behind ears Chill between 9 and 11 am Heat; violent thirst, increases with fever Coldness of the body, and continued chilliness very marked Sweats on every exertion |
noise, music, warm room, lying down about 10 a m;, at seashore, mental exertion, consolation, heat, talking | Open air Cold bathing Going without regular meals Lying on right side Pressure against back Tight clothing |
| Calcarea Carbonica | Increased local and general perspiration, swelling
of glands Tickling cough, fleeting chest pains, nausea, acidity and dislike of fat Gets out of breath easily A jaded state, mental or physical, due to overwork Easy relapses, interrupted convalescence Persons who take cold easily, with increased mucous secretions Great sensitiveness to cold; partial sweats Is fat, fair, flabby and perspiring and cold, damp and sour Aversion to meat, boiled things; craving for indigestible things-chalk, coal, pencils; also for eggs, salt and sweetsMilk disagrees Frequent sour eructations; sour vomiting Dislike of fat Loss of appetite when overworked Heartburn and loud belching Ravenous hunger Repugnance to hot food Thirst; longing for cold drinks Cannot bear tight clothing around the waist Increase of fat in abdomen Diarrha of undigested, food, fetid, with ravenous appetite Frequent emissions; increased sexual desire; semen emitted too soon Coition followed by weakness and irritability Menses too early, too profuse, too long, with vertigo, toothache and cold, damp feet; the least excitement causes their return. Leucorrha, milky Tickling cough troublesome at night, dry and free expectoration in morning Extreme dyspna Expectoration only during the day; thick, yellow, sour mucus Bloody expectoration; with sour sensation in chest Suffocating spells; tightness, burning and soreness in chest; worse going upstairs or slightest ascent, must sit down Longing for fresh air Scanty, salty expectoration Ideas crowding in her mind prevent sleep; horrid visions when opening eyes Starts at every noise; fears that she will go crazy Drowsy in early part of evening Frequent waking at night Same disagreeable idea always arouses from light slumber Night terrors Dreams of the dead Chill at 2 pm begins internally in stomach region Fever with sweat Pulse full and frequent Chilliness and heat Partial sweats Night sweats, especially on head, neck and chest Heat at night during menstruation, with restless sleep Skin unhealthy; readily ulcerating; flaccid Small wounds do not heal readily |
From exertion, mental or physical Ascending Cold in every form Water Washing Moist air Wet weather During full moon Standing While eating |
Dry climate and weather Lying on painful side |
| Carbo Vegetabilis | Disintegration and imperfect oxidation The typical Carbo patient is sluggish, fat and lazy and has a tendency to chronicity in his complaints Blood seems to stagnate in the capillaries, causing blueness, coldness, and ecchymosis Body becomes blue, icy-cold The patient may be almost lifeless, but the head is hot; coldness, breath cool, pulse imperceptible, oppressed and quickened respiration, and must have air, must be fanned hard, must have all the windows open Faints easily, is worn out, and must have fresh air Hæmorrhage from any mucous surface Very debilitated; seems to be too weak to hold out Persons who have never fully recovered from the effects of some previous illness Sense of weight, as in the head, eyes and eyelids, before the ears, in the stomach, and elsewhere in the body; putrid (septic) condition of all its affections, coupled with a burning sensation General venous stasis, bluish skin, limbs cold Eructations, heaviness, fullness, and sleepiness; tense from flatulence, with pain; worse lying downEructations after eating and drinking Rancid, sour, or putrid eructations Crampy pains forcing patient to bend double Distress comes on a half-hour after eating Digestion slow; food putrefies before it digests Aversion to milk, meat, and fat things The simplest food distresses Cannot bear tight clothing around waist and abdomen Frequent, involuntary cadaverous-smelling stools, followed by burning Premature and too copious menses; pale blood Leucorrha before menses, thick, greenish, milky, excoriating Cough with itching in larynx; spasmodic with gagging and vomiting of mucus Deep, rough voice, failing on slight exertion Wheezing and rattling of mucus in chest Occasional spells of long coughing attacks Cough, with burning in chest; worse in evening, in open air, after eating and talking. Spasmodic cough, bluish face, offensive expectoration, neglected pneumonia Breath cold; must be fanned Hæmorrhage from lungs Coldness, with thirst Chill begins in forearm Burning in various places Perspiration on eating Skin blue, cold ecchymosed; marbled with venous over distension Itching; worse on evening, when warm in bed Moist skin; hot perspiration Falling out of hair, from a general weakened condition Ichorous, offensive discharge; tendency to gangrene of the margins |
Evening Night Open air Cold From fat food, butter, coffee, milk Warm damp weather Wine |
From eructation From fanning Cold |
| Phosphorus | Tall, slender persons, narrow chested, with thin,
transparent skin, weakened by loss of animal fluids, with great nervous
debility, emaciation, amative tendencies Great susceptibility to external impressions, to light, sound, odors, touch, electrical changes, thunder-storms Suddenness of symptoms, sudden prostration, faints, sweats, shooting pains, etc Inflammation of the respiratory tract Hunger soon after eating Sour taste and sour eructations after every meal Belching large quantities of wind, after eating Vomiting; water is thrown up as soon as it gets warm in the stomach Painless, copious debilitating diarrha; green mucus with grains like sago Stools involuntary; seems as if anus remained open Great weakness after stool Lack of power; irresistible desire; involuntary emissions, with lascivious dreams Menses too early and scanty-not profuse, but last too long; weeps before menses Leucorrha profuse, smarting, corrosive, instead of menses Cannot talk on account of pain in larynx Cough from tickling in throat; worse, cold air, reading, laughing, talking, from going from warm room into cold air Sweetish taste while coughing Hard, dry, tight, racking cough Congestion of lungs Burning pains, heat and oppression of chest Tightness across chest; great weight on chest Sharp stitches in chest; respiration quickened, oppressed Much heat in chest Pneumonia, with oppression; worse, lying on left side Whole body trembles, with cough Sputa rusty, blood-colored, or purulent Pain in throat on coughing Great drowsiness, especially after meals Vivid dreams of fire; of hæmorrhage Lascivious dreams Goes to sleep late and awakens weak Short naps and frequent wakings Chilly every evening Cold knees at night Profuse perspiration Wounds bleed very much, even if small; they heal and break out again |
Touch Physical or mental exertion Twilight Warm food or drink Change of weather From getting wet in hot weather Evening Lying on left or painful side During a thunder-storm Ascending stairs |
In dark Lying on right side Cold food Cold Open air Washing with cold water Sleep |
| Nitricum Acidum | Selects for its special seat of action the outlets
of the body where the mucous membrane and skin meet; these pain as from
splinters Sticking pains Acts best on the dark complexioned and past middle life. Pains appear and disappear quickly Blisters and ulcers in mouth, tongue, genitals; bleed easily All discharges very offensive, especially urine, feces, and perspiration Persons who have chronic diseases, and take cold easily and disposed to diarrha Excessive physical irritability. Intermittent fever with liver involvement and anæmia, etc Great hunger, with sweetish tasteLonging for indigestible things-chalk, earth, etc Dyspepsia with excess of oxalic acid, uric acid and phosphates in urine and great mental depression Loves fat and salt Urine scanty, dark, offensive; smells like horse's urine; cold on passing Leucorrha brown, flesh-colored, watery, or stringy, offensive Menses early, profuse, like muddy water, with pain in back, hips and thighs Soreness at lower end of sternum Short breath on going upstairs Cough during sleep |
Evening and night Cold climate and also hot weather |
While riding in carriage |
| Lachesis | A hæmorrhagic tendency Purpura, septic states, diphtheria, and other low forms of disease, when the system is thoroughly poisoned and the prostration is profound Very important during the climacteric and for patients of a melancholic disposition Sensation of tension in various parts Cannot bear anything tight anywhere Craving for alcohol, oysters Any food causes distress Hungry, cannot wait for food Gnawing pressure made better by eating, but returning in a few hours Empty swallowing more painful than swallowing solids Menses too short, too feeble; pains all relieved by the flow Intense excitement of sexual organs Upper part of windpipe very susceptible to touch Sensation of suffocation and strangulation on lying down, particularly when anything is around throat; compels patient to spring from bed and rush for open window. Feels he must take a deep breath Cough; dry, suffocative fits, tickling Little secretion and much sensitiveness; worse, pressure on larynx, after sleep, open air Breathing almost stops on falling asleep Larynx painful to touch; sensation as of a plug which moves up and down, with a short cough Patient sleeps into an aggravation Sudden starting when falling asleep Sleepiness, yet cannot sleep Wide-awake in evening Chilly in back; feet icy cold; hot flushes and hot perspiration Paroxysm returns after acids Intermittent fever every spring Hot perspiration, bluish, purplish appearance Dark blisters Bed-sores, with black edges Blue-black swellings |
After sleep; Lachesis sleeps into
aggravation Left side In the spring Warm bath Pressure or constriction Hot drinks Closing eyes |
Appearance of discharges Warm applications |
| Nux Vomica | The patient is rather thin, spare, quick, active,
nervous, and irritable Does a good deal of mental work; has mental strains and leads a sedentary life, found in prolonged office work, overstudy, and close application to business, with its cares and anxieties Takes preferably rich and stimulating food; wine and women play their part to make him forget the close application of the day. Is pre-eminently a male remedy Irritable, nervous system, hypersensitive and over-impressionable Especially adapted to digestive disturbances, portal congestion, and hypochondriacal states depending thereon Zealous fiery temperament Easily chilled, avoid open air Always seems to be out of tune; inharmonious spasmodic action Sour taste, and nausea in the morning, after eating Sour, bitter eructations Desire for stimulants Loves fats and tolerates them well Dyspepsia from drinking strong coffee Difficult belching of gas Wants to vomit, but cannot Frequent ineffectual desire, or passing but small quantities at each attempt Frequent calls to urinate; little and often Easily excited desire Menses too early, lasts too long; always irregular, blood black with faint spells. Cough, with sensation as if something were torn loose in chest Shallow respiration Oppressed breathing Tight, dry hacking cough; at times with bloody expectoration Cough brings on bursting headache and bruised pain in epigastric region Cannot sleep after 3 am until towards morning; awakes feeling wretchedly Drowsy after meals, and in early evening Dreams full of bustle and hurry Better after a short sleep, unless aroused Body burning hot, especially face; yet cannot move or uncover without feeling chilly Cold stage predominates Paroxysms anticipate in morning Excessive rigor, with blueness of finger-nails Chilly; must be covered in every stage of fever Perspiration sour; only one side of body Chilliness on being uncovered, yet he does not allow being covered Dry heat of the body |
Morning Mental exertion After eating Touch Spices Stimulants Narcotics Dry weather Cold |
From a nap, if allowed to finish it In evening While at rest In damp, wet weather Strong pressure |