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HIV/AIDS cure: 4 alternative treatments that can help control the disease as scientists search for the ‘real cure’

Photo by: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay

Doctors and scientists are still trying to find a cure for HIV/AIDS ailment. But even so, a person afflicted with this disease still has a chance to live normally since there are treatments and anti-viral drugs that can help in suppressing the human immunodeficiency virus.

Although they are not really the HIV/AIDS cure that the world is searching for, they can at least minimize the effects and progression of the disease. There is no cure yet as of this time, but luckily, some techniques and procedures are available today to make patients live comfortably and longer.

Shock and kill method

The shock and kill technique may sound like one of those tactics used in the military, but this is actually one of the procedures that scientists using today in their bid to find a cure for AIDS. HIV can hide and remain silent in the body as long as the patient takes antiretroviral therapy.

However, once he or she stops the therapy, the fatal virus will reactivate, multiply, and then eventually spread in the body again. The Shock and Kill are used to “wake up” the dormant virus, and once they are all awake, they will be killed; thus, the whole group of the HIV will be destroyed all at once and in one go. The downside is that when one virus survives, it can multiply again and live in the patient’s body.

The Lock and Block method

This method traps the virus in its reservoir cell so it will stay there and will not be reactivated. The HIV is still in the body, but since it was trapped, it cannot come out and multiply, so the disease is controlled.

Stem-Cell Transplant

This is not considered as HIV/AIDS cure, yet even if it was reported that two patients used this stem-cell therapy method and were cured. The reason why this is not yet listed as a “cure” is because not all of those who have the virus responded well to this treatment. The same method was tried on other patients, but only two have gotten rid of the HIV virus in their body, which caused their AIDS illness.

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