🏳️‍🌈✝️ Living with HIV – Complications from HIV and FDA Approved Medicines.

Living with HIV is a journey that millions of people around the world are living with on a daily basis.

It is NO longer a DEATH SENTENCE; however it is STILL a LIFE SENTENCE.

Rainbow Pastor David

06/11/2017

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Learning about Natural Supplements to help your body fight back from all the medication’s that comes your way while living with HIV. I know that previous statement is a lot to take in, but one must take their health into their own hands because MOST Doctors will NOT teach you or even tell you about Natural Supplements. 

I have been learning from talking with other people who have been living with HIV for years about the different things that go wrong with your body and how they have managed to treat the symptoms. 

Let me start with my first experience with Natural Supplements.  

After several years of being on HIV treatment and having HIV different organs have started to feel the effects of being bombarded with inflammation and highly toxic medication to fight the HIV disease. 

Your Doctors need to know ALL the medications you take even over-the-counter and supplements

The first thing that started going wrong with me personally was my liver enzymes. Come to find out of course I am not the only one this has happened too. My AST/ALT numbers were skyrocketing and of course causing damage to my liver. When I asked my HIV Specialist what I could do she basically told me that it just happens with the HIV medication and it would be monitored. This was the answer that set me on my journey to learn about Natural Supplements. I was told by a dear friend whose mother is a Master Herbalist what to take for my liver. So I got online researched and bought Milk Thistle. At my next visit to my HIV Specialist, which had been 4 months, my liver enzymes were back to normal. The HIV Specialist told me as a matter of fact to QUIT taking the Milk Thistle because it was a WASTE of MONEY. REALLY!?! Was this person NOT looking at the same test RESULTS that I was looking at!?! I left her office that day angry and more determined than before to take MY HEALTH INTO MY HANDS. I fired that Doctor and found a NEW HIV Specialist that actually believes in being PROACTIVE instead of REACTIVE to damage from TOXIC MEDICATIONS. 

I have been blessed with a great TEAM of Doctors to handle all the things that have gone wrong in the last 8 years. It has taken time, prayer and research to put my TEAM of DOCTORS together, but it has been so worth having to fire several Doctors along the way.

Yes, I do take a lot of MEDICATION that is “FDA Approved”; however I am now also taking Natural Supplements that PROTECT my body from DAMAGE that comes along with “FDA Approved” drugs.

Note – It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do your research and TALK to your DOCTORS when starting any Natural Supplements. You have to make sure that there are NO DRUG interactions that could actually do more damage than help you. All I can say is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH and have FACTS when you talk to your Doctors, because MOST of them are being PROGRAMMED by DRUG Company Representatives pushing their “latest” drugs on the Doctors.

Another thing I have learned in this journey is to do everything you can to get the NATURAL HEALING from the FOODS that you consume. What you put in your body has a major impact on how you feel and the outcome of any diagnosis. 

I QUIT SMOKING and QUIT DRINKING ALCOHOL, two things that I actually enjoyed; when I found out I was HIV POSITIVE. I determined early on that my HEALTH was more important than things I enjoyed that were actually harmful even to a person NOT living with HIV. 

I also changed the way I eat. Of course I still have food that I know is bad for me at times but even that is getting less and less. I am still learning what I can and cannot eat now that my Adrenal Glands are failing. More on that below.

Natural Supplements are God's Natural Cures for so many diseases

Here is the list of Natural Supplements that work for me:

Vitamins/Supplements

• Jarro-Dophilus Probiotic (Jarrow Formulas) {B. longum B536, L. acidophilus La-14, B. lactis Bl-04, L. rhamnosus R0011, L. casel R0215, L. plantarum R1012, Inulin-FOS(FructoOligoSaccharides 210mg) (2 capsule 1x  a day) - Digestive and Intestinal Health

• Alive! Men’50 (1x a day) – Make sure my body gets Vitamins and nutrients
  

• Fish Oil/Vit. D-3 (1200mg/2000iu 1x a day) – High cholesterol/Osteopenia
  

• Red Yeast Rice + Co-Q10 (Jarrows Formulas) (1200mg/100mg 1x a day) Cardiovascular Health
  

• B-Right Complex (Jarrows Formulas) (1x a day) energy
  

• Milk Thistle Extract (Puritan’s Pride) (1000mg x2 1x a day) liver
  

• Vitamin D3 (Jarrows Formulas) (10,000 IU1x a day) to bring my vitamin D levels back up which is depleted by HIV and Medication. Sunlight is the best source but sometimes we just need more. I started out with 5,000iu's and to go up to 10,000iu's. My numbers are now back where they need to be and my PCP told me to keep doing what I am doing because it is working...
  

• Zinc (Jarrows Formulas) (15mg zinc and 1 mg copper 1x a day) Immune Support and Antioxidant Protection
  

• Hyaluronic Acid (Jarrows Formulas) (100mg 1x a day) Osteoarthritis in back/knees
  

• JarroSil (Jarrows Formulas) {Zinc 1mg, Silicon 4mg, Boron .5mg} (10 drops in water once a day) Bone Health
  

• Acetyl L-Carnitine (Jarrow Formulas) (500mg 2x a day) – helps with the depression and Neuropathy.
  

• Coconut Oil (Jarrow Formulas) (1000mg x1 a day) - regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels
  

• Aloe Vera Gels (Now) (100mg x1 a day) – Digestive Health
  

• Insositol (Jarrow Formulas) (750mg x1 a day) – Liver Function
  

• Curcumin95 (Jarrow Formulas) (500mg x1 a day) – Antioxidant, Detoxification and Liver Protection, Joint Health
  

• Vitamin C (Jarrow Formulas)  (C 500mg, Calcium 50mg, Bioflavonoid 200mg x1 a day) – Antioxidant/Immune Support
  

• PomeGuard (Jarrow Formulas) (Pomegranate Extract 425mg x1 a day) – Heart Health/Antioxidant
  

• Raw Adrenal Glandular (Swanson Premium) (Raw Adrenal Tissue {bovine} 350mg x1 a day) – Adrenal Support
  

• Melatonin (Swanson Ultra) (10mg x1 at night) – Helps with insomnia
  

 

I am still learning and will continue to educate myself so I can help others who are on their journey living with HIV. 

The most recent malfunction is my adrenal glands are now starting to fail. I have been told by my Doctors that there is NOTHING that can be done, except WAIT till they are bad enough to remove. That is NOT an acceptable answer. I have been researching so I will know the dietary changes I need to make along with what I can do NATURALLY to help.

I have ordered Adrenal Optimizer from Jarrow Formulas. While I wait for it to come in I have started taking Raw Adrenal Glandular to start on my journey to RECOVER and HEAL my Adrenal’s so I can once again PROVE to the Doctors that Natural Supplements work and GOD makes NO mistake with HIS HEALING Substances. God made is always so much better than Man Made… 

Let me just say that I had to FIRE my Cardiologist that I had been going to for years. I know he was doing what he thought was best for me; however he was NOT taking care of the newest issue I was having that is still actually making my life miserable. I have had HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE for 8 years now and on medication to keep it under control. However, for the last 8 months it has been off the chain and we have not been able to control it. The last office visit I had with him earlier this year he told me to QUIT taking my blood pressure medicines. He also made a comment about finding a new Doctor if I was not going to do what my HIV Specialist told to do. I will go into more detail on that below. Those words stuck so I decided that day that he was NOT going to address the issue any further so it was time to MOVE ON and find a NEW Cardiologist.

 

I made an appointment with a NEW Cardiologist that next week. After just one visit the NEW Doctor put me through a series of blood work and urine tests. This is when we discovered that my ADRENAL GLANDS were the issue with my blood pressure. I am now taking 4 medications for my blood pressure and still not under control. I have researched and found out that I will deal with this issue as long as my Adrenal’s are not functioning properly. At least the NEW Cardiologist has gotten to the ROOT of the Problem now I can work to correct it. My Endocrinologist will keep track of the Adrenal’s. He has already been monitoring my Thyroid for several years. That will be the next issue I have to work on. It seems when it rains it pours. 

A few months back my HIV Specialist decided she wanted me to start a NEW HIV medication that she has ALL her other patients on. I had already done my research and was NOT too thrilled about having to change ALL my medications to accommodate a NEW MEDICATION. I did however go to my Primary Care and Cardiologist {at the time} to talk to them like she asked me too. That is when the Cardiologist yelled at me and told me HE was the Doctor and I should let him make decisions about my health and If I did NOT want to listen to my HIV Specialist I should find a NEW Doctor. I fired him that day!!! I have since had a follow up with my HIV Specialist who NOW agrees with me {her decision of course} not to switch HIV medications at this time because of all the other health issues and medication changes I have gone through, because the NEW MEDICATION would interact with other NEW MEDICATIONS.  Currently my CD4 Count is 2640, I am undetectable and my CD4% is 55. There is absolutely NO REASON to change medications at this time. I am so glad “she determined” that it is not a good thing to change. I know she is worried about my kidneys and bones because of the decline from the ingredients in the HIV medication. Neither of which is very bad at this time so really why change a good thing. 

Remember you HIRE the DOCTORS so put together a TEAM you TRUST!!!

Just to let you know this is a list of my MEDICAL TEAM:

• PCP
  

• HIV Specialist – I am now on my 3^rd HIV Specialist. You have to find the right fit when putting your team of Healthcare Providers together.
  

• Cardiologist – I am on my 2^nd Cardiologist and hopefully the last because He is great.
  

• Endocrinologist
  

• Neurologist – On my 2^nd Neurologist because my first one moved out of state.
  

• Gastroenterologist
  

• Otolaryngologist – I am now with my 3^rd Otolaryngologist who is wonderful.
  

• Dermatologist – I am now with my 2^nd Dermatologist and she is great.
  

I quit seeing the Psychiatrist because the medications they had me on made me very aggressive. We went through a lot of different medications in a few years time. I finally said enough and took myself off the medications cold turkey. I DO NOT recommend anyone ever take themselves off medication like that cold turkey. The withdrawals were horrific. I also lost my counselor because he moved on from the clinic I was going too. After being off medication for several years for depression and anxiety I talked to my PCP about a medication I had researched that did NOT interact with my HIV Medication so we started on it almost a year ago. It has been fantastic and I am so calm now. 

I know sometimes a “Christians” we are told by other “Christians” you should just trust GOD to help you. I believe GOD has put good counselors out there to help you when you just need that person you can talk to who will not pass judgments on you and just listen…

With HIV it is very difficult to control what happens in your head because of the effects of the disease and medication on your neurological and chemical changes that happen. Sometimes we need medications to control all that turmoil. 

I do believe that God has something Natural for everything that happens to these bodies.  I also believe He gives scientist the knowledge to make medications to help with problems. Yes, I wish I could take only Natural Supplements; however I know realistically it is just NOT feasible all the time for things that go wrong.

In closing I would like to leave you with a few suggestions for better health living with HIV:

• Assemble a good team of Doctors that you TRUST.
  

• Keep a positive outlook on life.
  

• Eat healthy and exercise.
  

• TAKE YOUR HIV MEDICATION EVERYDAY.
  

• Research everything Doctors want you to take.
  

• Research and have a plan to talk to your Doctors about when starting Natural Supplements.
  

• TALK to other people who have been on this JOURNEY living with HIV for years.
  

• For me personally having a RELATIONSHIP with GOD has kept me motivated.
  

It is my prayer that everyone who is going through this JOURNEY living with HIV find PEACE in knowing that this is NOW a life journey NOT a DEATH SENTENCE.

Blessings and Peace,

Rainbow Pastor David

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