We reprint below our report on this June 2009 forum, which brought together a range of views on managing HIV:

SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER SMART STRATEGIES FOR LONGER LIVING was the title of a panel discussion on traditional, complementary and alternative therapies for HIV presented on June 25, 2009 by the New York Buyers’ Club in celebration of its fifth anniversary. The event brought together experts whose knowledge spans East and West, and whose experience ranges from community organizing and scientific writing, to clinical research and the practice of medicine, whether as an M.D. or as a licensed acupuncturist and specialist in Chinese herbalism.

NYBC was especially proud to host our Guest of Honor, Sunil Pant, the first openly gay Member of Parliament in Nepal, and Founder/Director of the HIV-support organization the Blue Diamond Society, which was recognized by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in 2007 as “one of the most effective human rights groups in the world.” At the start of the panel discussion, our Guest of Honor gave a moving account of the work he and his organization have done over the last decade in securing rights for sexual minorities in Nepal, and in fighting for decent treatment of Nepalis with HIV/AIDS. Sunil also took a moment to recall the many years he has known and worked with our own George Carter, who has directed NYBC efforts to provide supplements and other aid to BDS.

We also felt privileged to hear from our other panelists: Dr. Paul Bellman, a NYC physician who has been treating people with HIV/AIDS since the start of the epidemic; Tim Horn, President and Editor of AIDSmeds.com; Alex Brameier, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist; and George Carter, Director of the Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research. It’s true that the first two of these panelists are in the mainstream of AIDS treatment practice, by which we only mean to say that their main area of expertise is antiretroviral pharmaceuticals. Yet Dr. Bellman also spoke of the usefulness of several supplements that NYBC and its predecessor DAAIR have long recommended: alpha lipoic acid, carnitine, and CoQ10. Tim Horn, whose website focuses largely on pharmaceutical treatments, nevertheless also acknowledged that the “holistic” approach to long-term health for people with HIV makes a lot of sense. And he went on to say that he recognizes that a whole range of “therapies” (including even diet and exercise) may be needed to address worrisome trends in heart and lung disease among people with HIV who are taking ARVs.

Alex Brameier, the Lic. Ac. on our panel, engaged our audience with an impromptu survey on how people view their acupuncture treatments. She then discussed some of the conditions that lend themselves to acupuncture, based on clinical experience: pain relief, stress reduction, neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, to name a few. Very useful as well was the contrast she drew between acupuncture as practiced in China and Japan (where treatment may be daily or every other day), and the West, where time and financial constraints often dictate otherwise. Her tips on how to get the best out of acupuncture and how acupuncture and herbs can work together were also very valuable.

Last but not least among our contributors was George Carter, who’s had two decades of experience with supplements, from clinical research to acting as NYBC Treatment Director. George, as all who know him can attest, is nothing if not thorough, and for this event he prepared a “Short Primer on Side Effects,” a compact but comprehensive review of HIV medication side effects, ranging from malabsorption/diarrhea//nausea, to lipid abnormalities (of concern for cardiovascular health), to fatigue and insomnia, to insulin resistance/diabetes, to liver damage, to bone issues, to peripheral neuropathy. We hope to produce this super-useful handout as a handy pocket guide in the near future, so stay tuned.

An inspirational, lively, and (if we do say so ourselves) immensely informative event. If you were there, thanks for coming! And if not–we certainly hope to see you at the next one.

Reprinted from the SUMMER 2009 SUPPLEMENT: Newsletter of the New York Buyers’ Club, which can be read in its entirety at

http://newyorkbuyersclub.org/supplement/index.html

In addition to the piece above, this issue contains a report on how research on diet and nutrition has led to new knowledge about supplements (“Are You Ready to Join the Food Revolution?”), and a short review on HIV and cognitive impairment.

Note: Email subscriptions to THE SUPPLEMENT are free to NYBC members.