Yoga and the Treatment of Aids/HIV

Aids and HIV have been a challenge for people since its discovery in the US in the early 80s. The disease is transmitted primarily through sexual interaction but can also be transmitted through the blood with shared drug needles or when giving or receiving blood, although most blood is checked for the virus prior to a transfusion. 

When HIV is transmitted through sexual activity, it enters the bloodstream via mucous membranes lining the vagina, rectum and mouth. Macrophages and dendritic cells on the surface of these mucous membranes bind with the virus and move it into the lymph nodes, which contain high concentrations of helper T cells (CD4+ T cells). The T cells are destroyed when the immune system becomes compromised because it initiates anti-HIV antibodies and cytotoxic T cell production. However, it can take one to six months for an individual exposed to HIV to produce measurable quantities of antibody. The immune response is weakened as memory T cells (CD4+ CCR5+) are destroyed. There is a rapid turnover of CD4+ T cells which eventually leads to their destruction and to a change in lymphoid tissues that prevent immune responses.

AIDS affects people worldwide. The following staggering statistics are provided by Until There’s A Cure: 

• Over 22 million people have died from AIDS. 
• Over 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 74 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa. 
• Over 19 million women are living with HIV/AIDS. 
• By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50 to 75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease. 
• There are 14,000 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries). HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with half of the 5 million new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24. 
• The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million. 

In the US AIDS has a grievous affect on over a million people also: 

• An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year. 
• 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women. 
• By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women. 
• 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted. 
• Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger. 

There are many organizations working on a cure for HIV, and there are pharmaceutical drugs which can help alleviate the symptoms, but as of yet, there is no known cure. In a recent Forbes magazine article, a possible cure was found which may take the virus out of cells. They hope to use an enzyme which attacks the DNA of the HIV virus and cuts it out of the infected cell, allowing cells to act in a healthy, normal way. Yoga can help alleviate the symptoms of AIDS, especially discomfort, but there are no scientific studies which prove yoga can cure the disease. 

Yoga can tremendously help an HIV patient deal with the stress that accompanies knowing one has a fatal disease, as well as alleviate diarrhea, muscle tension, weakness, and other problems. Yoga also helps to improve immune system functioning by lowering levels of stress hormones in the body such as cortisol. The circulation of lymph through the glands is also aided by practice of yoga asana. Lymph is a fluid-rich disease-fighting flow that is full of white bood cells. Yoga helps HIV sufferers get better sleep and decreases depression which is an obviously common affect of life-threatening illnesses. There are also preliminary findings that the immune system is greatly enhanced with meditation and pranayama and other relaxation techniques utilized in yoga practice. People who participated in early studies show an increase in NK cells (natural killer cells) which help fight foreign viruses in the body.

Many people dealing with aids require the help of a qualified therapist, but some yoga students are able to recreate a helpful, counsel among the friends in yoga practice – also called Sangha in Sanskrit. A Sangha is essentially a group of people or community which comes together with a common goal or vision. That vision is to help keep you healthy and happy. More strictly a Sangha is known as a spiritual community, but this same group of people can also act as support without religious or spiritual connotations for those suffering from similar health issues.

Many people suffer from reduced energy and lethargy in many stages of HIV, so their yoga practice can include more rejuvenating asanas and less vigorous poses, or alternative poses such as doing a handstand against a wall, instead of independently, and thereby still receiving the benefits of the pose. A good yoga teacher can show a student suffering from low-energy a variation of their regular asana routine as well as suggest meditative poses, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to help reduce stress.

Finally, some studies are also showing a decreased need for medications for consistent yoga practitioners. Along with lessened pain and discomfort, yoga provides a stronger awareness of the bodies subtle changes and can alert a person of their body’s responses to medications faster than without this awareness. This greater consciousness of oneself helps, for example, a person notice something like a fat maldistribution which is a common side effect from some of the prescribed medications used to treat the HIV virus. This decreases major damage to the body and therefore frees the body to fight the virus instead of constantly repairing collateral damage caused by medications.

Although yoga can cure many diseases, it has not yet been shown to cure aids. It can; however, greatly reduce the discomfort associated with its symptoms. Make sure that you check with your physician before beginning a yoga program and be sure to keep your doctor abreast of changes you notice in your body and mind once your practice is underway.

(c) 2009, 2010 Christina Sarich