Exercise and AIDS

People with AIDS should be extra careful working out. They may be at the stage of their muscles atrophying. Each person will have different reactions to different drugs. Their physicians must be conducted before they start any exercise endeavor. You can find articles on this on www.pubmed.gov. Someone suggested I write a post on this, which I am doing but I am not conducting immense research. The above link will show you the latest, as well as older, studies.

Exercise is not a cure for AIDS. People that are HIV-positive may not have full-blown AIDS. The disease manifests itself differently in each person. However, some studies have found beneficial effects of exercise in HIV-positive individuals. Studies showed that the CD4 cell count increased after 24 months of exercise. See this link with information from Dr. Veljko Velkovic.

The LA Times article today HIV and AIDS Patients Find Exercise Improves Their Health shows that exercise helps persons with AIDS feel better and do more physically. They also cited several studies: a 2006 Massachusetts General Hospital study found that exercise manages symptoms of "metabolic syndrome," which as many as 45 percent of HIV-positive people have. This syndrome increases the likelihood of heart and diabetes complications. A 2005 Columbia University study found that moderate exercise with antiretroviral drugs, led to improved nervous-system function and circulation in HIV-positive persons.

Because I believe there is a lot of truth in mind over matter, exercise can’t be bad for HIV-positive or other people to feel better, breath better, be happier and thereby affect their cells, so I recommend it!

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.