AYURVEDIC TREATMENT OF AIDS
http://www.lifepositive.com/Body/body-holistic/AIDS/aids-drugs.asp

Ayurvedic practitioner Dr G. Shanthakumar, based in Mumbai, India,
claims that ayurveda identified AIDS over 2,000 years ago. The
ancient malady was termed Rajayakshma (the king of diseases) and its
symptoms were identical to AIDS going by the descriptions of Vagbhata
in Ashtanga Hridayam (Chikitsitam section) and its supplementary
text, the Ashtanga Sangraham, as well as in another ayurvedic
classic, Charaka Samhita (Nidanam section).

The major symptoms are: (1) drastic loss of weight (2) fatigue and
lethargy (3) susceptibility to allergies and contagious diseases (4)
skin irritations (5) bronchial disorders, often leading to
tuberculosis of the lungs (6) damage to intestinal flora resulting in
diarrhoea, dysentery, gastritis and (7) wide fluctuations in body
temperature.

Significantly, the root causes of this disease are: (1) unhygienic
sexual practices such as anal intercourse (2) indiscriminate
intercourse with multiple partners (3) not cleaning the genitals
after coitus (4) washing the body with contaminated or dirty water
(5) bestiality, and (6) contaminated blood.
Top

Despite this, whether AIDS and Rajayakshma are the same disease is a
contentious issue. Dr Shanthakumar, however, believes they are and
says the treatment used for Rajayakshma can be applied fruitfully in
the war against HIV/AIDS.

Initially, the patient is given tonics and rejuvenators (Rasayanams)
to boost immunity levels. Subsequently, select medicines to counter
the virus are administered. Ajamamsa Rasayanam (prepared from cow's
milk, ghee and an extract of goat's meat) and Indukantham Ghritham
are given to strengthen the system and stimulate appetite.

Later, Rasasindoor (prepared with purified mercury) is applied along
with some medicines that impart strength. "This treatment regimen is
followed for six months and usually shows good results, depending on
the severity of the case and associated parameters," says Dr
Shanthakumar. The success could be provisional, though. The virus may
continue to lurk in the body, but it is unable to do further damage
because of the bolstered immune response. The individual may then
live out his normal life span.

If the patient begins to recover, shodhana (elimination) techniques
are used to expel toxins from the body through enemas, purgation and
emesis. The medications administered at this stage are not hard, hot
or drastic, but soft, ghee-based and eco-friendly so that the patient
withstands them with ease. As overall immunity improves, the blood is
purified with cooling medications.

Once the blood has been purified, a strengthening, non-vegetarian
diet along with ghee preparations and soups is recommended. But
spicy, oily and acidic foods are to be avoided. A little alcohol is
recommended as anupana (carrier) to aid the digestive process, and
also remove blockages in the blood vessels, i.e. srothorodham.

The patient is bathed twice or thrice a day with cold water, followed
by applications of sandalwood paste on the body. The baths cool the
body and blood while sandalwood purifies by penetrating the
follicles.

"Heated blood is also said to weaken, and even destroy, the virus in
some cases. If the patient is incapable of exercising or running due
to weakness, then steaming (swedanam) is recommended," Dr
Shanthakumar discloses.

The Healed Ones
Dr Shanthakumar first treated an AIDS victim in 1992: "About eight
years ago, an AIDS patient met me. I applied the ayurvedic therapy
keeping his symptoms in mind. He would collapse with high temperature
once a week, though he did not harbor malarial parasites. After a
month's treatment, the fever and shivering subsided. After three
months, his weight increased from 43 kg to 48 kg. After ten months,
he tested negative for HIV.

"I then became confident about treating AIDS. Through my first
patient, two others came to me and were both equally successful. But
I never cure. I simply assure a longer lifespan with a constitution
and metabolism that functions as close to normal as possible. Out of
the 64 patients I have treated in the past eight years, 43 are
leading healthy, normal lives. Of course, three of my patients died,
possibly because they had reached the last stage."

--- In aash_4all@yahoogroups.com, "Dr. Avnish Jolly"
<avnishjolly@...> wrote:
>
> Ayurveda can help prevent AIDS
> http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?
> art_id=11079993
> 26 May 2002, 1907 hrs IST,PTI
>
> NEW DELHI: Ayurveda can help in preventing AIDS by strengthening
the
> body's defence system through herbs and a supplementary code of
> conduct, doctors at a recent meeting of international policymakers
on
> HIV here, said.
> "Apart from 'Achaar Rasayan' (code of conduct), the ancient system
of
> Indian medicine provides for a whole range of herbs for the
> prevention of AIDS through strengthening the immune system," Naveen
> Gupta, president of Ashtvaidyan Ayurveda, an NGO of Ayurvedics,
told
> the International Policy Makers Conference on HIV/AIDS 'Towards a
> world without AIDS', which concluded here recently.
> Some of the herbs found useful in the prevention process included
> amla ( Emblica officinalis ), bala ( Sida cordifolia ), haritaki (
> Terminalia chabula ), nirgundi ( Vitex nirgundo ) and amrita (
> Tinospora wedifolia ), Gupta said.
> The code of conduct or Ayurveda lifestyle prohibits organised
> commercial sex or even casual sex with unknown partners, he said.
> "The basis of Ayurveda lies in prevention, strengthening the body's
> defence system and self-repair mechanism to enable the individual
to
> resist the disease process," he said.
> Gupta said the goal of Ayurveda was to preserve health, prevent
> disease and promote longevity of life with the help of prescribed
> regimen of diet and lifestyle including sex behaviour pattern. "The
> prevention of AIDS benefits no one except the patients," he said,
> adding, cure only benefits pharmaceutical lobbies and health
> maintenance organisations.
> --- In aash_4all@yahoogroups.com, "Dr. Avnish Jolly"
> <avnishjolly@> wrote:
> >
> > Ayurveda takes on allopathy in AIDS fight
> >
>
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2002/10/22/stories/200210220253010
> > 0.htm
> > P.T. Jyothi Datta
> >
> > NEW DELHI, Oct. 21
> >
> > IT may not be long before a certain green-eyed Bollywood diva or
> the
> > man who almost won India an Oscar Award this year are roped in to
> > spread awareness on AIDS in the country. But this and much more
are
> > on the anvil in the anti-AIDS segment, with Maharashtra-based
> > Veronica Laboratories Ltd (VLL) set to take on the Goliaths of
> > the "highly-cartelised" drug industry with Herbtab, an herbal
anti-
> > AIDS drug.
> >
> > Mumbai-based Enpee Healthcare Ltd owns Herbtab. But its marketing
> > would be spearheaded by the Rs 22-crore VLL, following a 10-year
> > marketing deal that VLL recently inked with Enpee. India alone
has
> an
> > estimated 3.8 million HIV positive people - , but VLL has no easy
> > road ahead as it seeks to propel itself into the drug industry's
> big
> > league.
> >
> > Given the stiff competition from allopathic counterparts, Mr
Bipin
> > Shah, MD, VLL, told Business Line that Herbtab would be supported
> by
> > social marketing in India, tie-ups abroad and public interests
> > campaigns. Domestic pharma big daddies to contend with in this
> > segment include: Ranbaxy, Cipla, Aurbindo and Hetero, while
> > GlaxoSmithKline is among the biggest global players.
> >
> > "Herbtab is born out of Ayurvedic and Unani therapies and has no
> > toxic elements or side-effects. Unlike the allopathic anti-AIDS
> > cocktail that need to be taken life-long - Herbtab needs to be
> taken
> > only for 12 to 15 months. It strengthens the immune system by
> > facilitating increase in CD4 blood cells, vital for immunity. And
> > this has been proved in clinical trials," he claimed.
> >
> > Priced at Rs 10 per tablet, the dosage per patient is three
tablets
> > taken three times a day or about Rs 2,700 per month. "Allopathic
> > drugs cost between Rs 1,000 to Rs 20, 000 per month, per patient.
> And
> > yet, anti-AIDS drugs clocked a sales of only Rs 30 crore last
> year,"
> > he points out.
> >
> > Cost to patient being of paramount concern, VLL seeks to network
> with
> > non-governmental organisations and government-run institutions to
> > make Herbtab available to the consumer at one-third the cost, Mr
> Shah
> > informs
> >
> > Multi-centre Phase III trials, at an Rs 5-crore budget, are being
> > negotiated with premier government institutes in New Delhi,
> Bangalore
> > and the North East. After successful trials at Mumbai's KEM
> Hospital,
> > Herbtab is available in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh.
> It
> > would be available nationally in three months.
> >
> > Roping in Bollywood
> >
> > VLL has roped in Dr Jabbar Patel, director of Bollywood-flick
> > Ambedkar, for a documentary on AIDS, expected to feature silver
> > screen's biggest names. In the past, Shabana Azmi and more
> recently,
> > Madhuri Dixit had featured in anti-AIDS campaigns. But the
> grapevine
> > has it that film world's leading model-turned-actress and actor-
> > turned-producer may be roped in this time. Unwilling to spill the
> > beans, Mr Shah revealed that different regions would have their
> > respective matinee-idols in the documentary. Meanwhile, public
> > interest campaigns, to be aired in a month, are being done by
> > Avishkar Advertising Services.
> >
> > Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
> > Comment on this article to BLFeedback@
> >
>