Contents:
- Medical Video: Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research: Bridging the Gap 2015 Symposium
- Some PLHIV are not allowed to fast first
- Be careful your body's stamina quickly drops when fasting
- 3 tips for fasting for PLWHA
- 1. Consult a doctor
- 2. The discipline of taking medicine
- 3. Pay attention to food intake
Medical Video: Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research: Bridging the Gap 2015 Symposium
People with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA) may fast as long as their physical condition is good and are not sick. Even so, PLWHA need to take antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) every 12 hours to reduce the risk of transmission of the disease. How do you manage to take the medicine if PLWHA want to join in fasting? Check out the fasting tips for PLWHA below.
Some PLHIV are not allowed to fast first
There is no obstacle for ODHA to fast in the month of Ramadan as long as the condition is healthy. Fasting will actually be healthy for PLWHA, as explained by Dr. Paul F Matulessy MN SpGK, clinical nutrition specialist who was quoted from the Okezone page.
But if people living with HIV feel that their condition is not fit, don't force them to fast. PLWHA who are just starting ARV treatment are also generally not recommended for fasting because their bodies are not familiar with the side effects of ARV drugs such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and not feeling well.
Be careful your body's stamina quickly drops when fasting
There are a number of things that you need to consider before joining fasting. First, you must consider the health effects.
HIV is a virus that destroys your immune system. This condition can make you feel weaker faster and lose weight in a fast time, especially coupled with fasting which in fact does not eat and drink for hours.
Limited intake of nutrients during fasting, especially calcium, can then risk accelerating the decrease in bone density if you are currently on ARV therapy.
The frequency of taking medication will be limited when you fast. In fact, you are required to take medicine every 12 hours. Not taking medication can make the HIV virus wake up and multiply more. In addition, fasting can also reduce the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy a little because the way some HIV drugs work is influenced by food intake.
If you want to fast this year, first consider the fasting tips for PLWHA below.
3 tips for fasting for PLWHA
1. Consult a doctor
Even though your body is really fit and you believe you are strong enough to fast, you should consult a doctor about your decision to fast. Ideally, the consultation should be carried out long before the fasting month arrives, but it is never too late to confirm your condition.
The doctor will then check your CD4 levels to determine how strong your body is. If the results of the examination show that your CD4 levels are good, the doctor will allow you to fast.
2. The discipline of taking medicine
As explained above, forgetting, rarely, or not taking medication can make the HIV virus in the body multiply even more so that it increases your risk of getting opportunistic infections, such as cancer that has fatal consequences. That is why, it is important for PLWHA to be disciplined to take ARV drugs.
ARV drugs have two versions: one taken once a day or two times a day. ARVs must be consumed regularly and on time. If you have to drink once a day, you can drink before bed. Drugs taken twice a day have a 12-hour dose interval, so you can drink at dawn and when breaking.
ARV drugs must be taken regularly and on time. This medicine can usually be consumed once a day or twice a day. If taken once a day, you can take it at night before going to bed. While ARV drugs taken twice a day have a 12 hour lag.
You can make changes when taking ARV drugs slowly 1-2 weeks before fasting. However, consult your doctor first to design a precise schedule for taking medication during the fasting month.
3. Pay attention to food intake
PLWHA have a weak immune system. As a result, they are susceptible to various diseases if they do not protect their bodies properly. One of the tips for fasting for PLWHA is to pay attention to food intake at dawn and breaking fast as a way of protecting yourself from being susceptible to disease.
Make sure your food menu is high in calories, protein, complex carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits, wheat, brown rice, yams and cassava), healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish, canola oil, olive oil, walnut oil, corn oil), vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, B, C, E, iron, zinc), and water.
Calcium is also important for PLWHA. Unfortunately, most PLHIV do not fulfill their calcium needs during fasting. Low calcium intake makes people living with HIV who are active in ARV therapy have a risk of decreasing bone density.
Eat nutritious and nutritious balanced foods at dawn and breaking fast. This is important to increase your body's immunity to fight the virus.
