Western approaches to HIV/AIDS

HAART has created some positive change in the development of HIV/AIDS but it has not come without it's costs. It has contributed to a noticeably reduced rate in deaths, hospitalizations and new AIDS illnesses. In many cases, people with HIV/AIDS are living longer and are more able than before. However HAART is by no means a cure as it does not eliminate the virus it can only inhibit it and those who are on the drug regime must continually stay on it to keep the virus at bay. If they miss their doses a drug resistance can develop. The long term side effects can also be quite severe, including liver failure, myalgia, increasing risk for strokes and heart attacks, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention that HAART is also outrageously expensive which simply rules it out as a possibility for so many people, but can be a major stress for those who just manage to scrape it together. I can't hate on HAART because of how it has saved many people from a death sentence but I wonder how the quality of life is with so much risk and the potential for so much added long term damage to one's system cannot be a good thing. I guess in this case, its the lesser of two evils and until a cure is found it seems to be the best option so far (with the support of chinese medicine I'd say).