QUESTION: I'm a 32-year-old gay male with AIDS. I'm in pretty good health right now, and I'd like to stay that way as long as possible. My doctor said to take care to avoid infections. How should I go about this?
ANSWER: You'd do well to get a booklet from the Gay Men's Health Crisis (Box 274, 132 West 24th Street, New York, New York, 10011) titled "Medical Answers About AIDS," by Lawrence Mass, M.D. Here, adapted from that booklet, are some suggestions for keeping healthy despite AIDS:
>> Attempt to reduce stress in your living and working environments. Studies suggest that stress and depression can contribute to immune deficiency.
>> Eat a balanced diet, making sure you are getting sufficient vitamins, minerals, proteins and calories.
>> Avoid recreational drugs. Some studies have suggested that the repeated use of drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, nitrites ("poppers"), narcotics, tranquilizers, cocaine, amphetamines and tobacco may, in some people and especially in high doses, interfere with the immune system.
>> Take antibiotics only when they are prescribed by a physician. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics to prevent or treat ailments can precipitate fungal infections, and encourage the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
>> Be wary of household pets. They may harbor disease-causing organisms. This is especially true of cats, which commonly shed in their stools parasites that cause toxoplasmosis (although cats are not specifically known to be a significant source of toxoplasmosis in people with AIDS). Check with your veterinarian regarding your pet's health, and any preventable diseases of which your pet could be a source. Use rubber gloves and face masks when handling pet wastes, to minimize the possibility of contamination.
>> Avoid old, dusty environments, especially where birds, rodents and insects are likely to have bred. Disease-causing organisms likely to be present in such locations may be inhaled or ingested or may enter the body through breaks in the skin.
>> Avoid using another person's toothbrush, razor and dirty eating utensils, cups and glasses.
>> Clean minor injuries immediately with soap and water, then cover them to prevent the entry of germs. Wounds that do not heal well should be examined by a physician or health care provider who is knowledgeable about AIDS.
>> If you eat meat, especially pork, be sure that it is well-cooked.
>> Avoid travel to areas where sanitary conditions are poor, infestations with parasites are common, or rates of dysentery and other diarrheal and transmissible diseases are high. If you do travel to such areas, be sure that fruits and vegetables are peeled.
>> Be sure the health care worker knows that you have AIDS before you accept any type of vaccination. Many vaccines have living viruses or bacteria that will not harm people with normal immune systems, but may be dangerous if you have a compromised immune system. There is no known risk from flu and pneumococcal vaccines, which your doctor may recommend as a precaution.
>> Avoid activities that could result in injury, especially if your platelet count is low. Since aspirin further reduces the ability of platelets and blood to clot, especially with increasing doses, avoid aspirin and all aspirin-containing products.
>> Avoid people who are coughing and sneezing, or who have communicable diseases.
