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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

General Introduction

AIDS is a worldwide infectious disease discovered in recent years Its case-fatality rate is very high. AIDS is known to be viral infection, but the isolation and culture of the virus has not been successful. The Western medicine has had no effective treatment for the disease yet. AIDS is frequently found in homo-sexuals and drug addicts. It also occurs in infants and children. AIDS is mainly transmitted by means of sexual contacts, infusion, injection and mother-to-infant. This disease, in TCM(TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE),probably pertains to the categories of “wen re bing”(epidemic febrile disease), “xu lao”(consumptive disease),etc.

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MAIN POINTS OF DIAGNOSIS

1. Major criteria:
• A marked loss of weight, up to 10 percent or more than before.
• Marked weakness, tiredness and fatigue.
• Severe diarrhea persisting for more than one month.
• Continuous or intermittent fever lasting for more than one month.
2. Minor criteria:
• Multiple hemorrhagic and sarcomatoid lesions on the skin.
• Candida albicans infection on the oral and pharyngeal mucosae.
• Herpetic skin disease or herpes zoster persisting for more than one month.
• Generalized pruritus of the skin.
• Pulmonary infections(pneumocystic carinii pneumonia being common).
• Generalized lymphadenectasis .
• Signs of neurologic disorder.
• Meningitis showing no obvious response to treatment.
3. Laboratory tests:
• Immunological tests show a defect and hypofunction in cellular immunity, while in humoral immunity IgG, IgA and IgM are increased. The cause of the immunological changes is not well understood.
• Virological examination may find infection of HTLA-III virus.If three major criteria and one minor criterion are present in a suspected case ,serumal immunological tests should be performed to confirm the diagnosis.

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DIFFERENTIATION AND TREATMENT OF COMMON SYNDROMES

1. Prodromal Stage:Deficiency of Both Qi and Yin
   Main Symptoms and Signs :Low fever, night sweat, fatigue and weakness, headache, poor appetite, nausea, reddish tongue with little fur.
   
2. Stage of Attack:
1. Hyperactivity of Fire due go Yin Deficiency
   Main symptoms and Signs: Low fever ,lassitude and listlessness, emaciation, cough ,dyspnea,shortness of breath ,night sweat, sore throat, dry mouth and tongue,red tongue with yellowish fur.
2. Invasion of Heat into Ying and Blood Systems
   Main Symptoms and signs: High fever, mucocutaneous hemorrhage, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematuria, even the presence of coma and deliria,convulsion, dementia or epilepsy in severe cases, deep red tongue.
3. Deficiency of Qi & Blood, Yin & Yang, Liver, Spleen and Kidney
   Main Symptoms and signs: Dim complexion, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, fatigue and weakness, deficiency of Qi disinclination to talk, intolerance of cold, cold limbs, Acting pain and weakness in the loins and knees, poor Appetite and loose stool, puffy face and edema of limbs & etc.

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Therapeutic Principle

1. Prodromal Stage:Deficiency of Both Qi and Yin
   Therapeutic Principle: Supplementing qi and nourishing yin.
2. Stage of Attack:
1. Hyperactivity of Fire due go Yin Deficiency
   Therapeutic Principle: Nourishing yin to bring down a fever and aiding in cooling blood and removing toxic material.
2. Invasion of Heat into Ying and Blood Systems
   Therapeutic Principle: Clearing up pathogenic heat and toxic material located at the ying and blood systems.
3. Deficiency of Qi & Blood, Yin & Yang, Liver, Spleen and Kidney
   Therapeutic Principle: Tonifying the Qi & blood, adjust the Yin & Yang, Warming and tonifying the liver, spleen and kidney to avoid and strong the body phylactic and immunizing power.

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Recipe

1. Prodromal Stage:Deficiency of Both Qi and Yin
   Recipe: American Ginseng, Ginseng,, Ophiopogon root, Schisandra fruit, Rehmannia root, Dogwood fruit, Chinese yam, Moutan bark, Poria, Anemarrhena rhizome, Phellodendron bark , Wolfberry fruit, Glossy privet fruit, Astragalus root ,Sweet wormwood, Hawthorn fruit,Rubia root & etc.
2. Stage of Attack:
1. Hyperactivity of Fire due go Yin Deficiency
   Recipe: Sweet wormwood, Fresh water turtle, Anemarrhena rhizome,, Wolfberry bark, Stellaria root, Picorrhiza kurrooa royle, Large leaf gentian root, Rehmannia root, Dogwood, Chinese yam, American Ginseng, Ginseng, Eclipta, Red salge root, Arnebia & etc.
2. Invasion of Heat into Ying and Blood Systems
   Recipe: Gypsum, Buffalo horn, Rehmannia root, Red peony root, Scutellaria root, Coptis root, Capejasmine fruit, Lophatherum gracile brongn, Honey suckle flower, Spready hedyotis herb, Rubia root, Pulsatilla root, Dogwood fruit, Chinese yam, Amomun fruit & etc.
3. Deficiency of Qi & Blood, Yin & Yang, Liver, Spleen and Kidney
   Recipe; Astragalus root, Ginseng, White atractylodes, Chinese angelica root, Cimicifuga rhizome, Bupleurum root, Aucklandia root, Wild Or sping jujube seed, Chinese cassia bark, Schisandra fruit, Dodder seed, Pilose antler, Wolfberry fruit, Eucommia bark, Prepared aconite root & etc.

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