[pronut-hiv] Supplements for PLWHA

["materu" <materu@ud.co.tz>]

Supplements for PLWHA
?--------------------------------------

It is true with the current situation, we need supplements for PLHA, and
indeed supplements have a place in improving the health and quality of lives
of PLHA. Some research suggests multiple micro-nutrients supplements. What is necessary is that the supplements should be easily available and
affordable.
However, it is very unfortunate that some of the people who market
supplements, market them as an alternative to food or treatment of HIV/AIDS. As they called, "supplements", it means they have to supplement something, which is food.
For example, one wonders, when someone is marketing supplement made from garlic which costs more than 20 times the cost of garlic in the local
market. This is what we need to analyze and give the right information to
the public, so that they can make the right choices on how to use the
limited resources available. We also need to assist our people to learn how to improve the quality of the little food that is available without increasing
the cost. Nutritionists/food scientists know simple ways to improve
the quality of locally available foods.  We need to maximize on this while
we find ways to improve food security. There are also simple ways to improve digestion and bioavailability of some nutrients and people need to learn about these.

After realizing that a lot of  people do not have information on some simple
things that may help,  The Center for Counselling, Nutrition and Health Care
(COUNSENUTH), among other publications,  has prepared a small booklet in Kiswahili giving tips to PLHA on how to improve digestion and absorption using locally available foods. The booklet is currently being printed. We hope it will help although it might not solve the problem completely.

Mary G. Materu, MSc.
Nutritionist
Executive Director
The Center for Counselling, Nutrition and Health Care (COUNSENUTH)
P.O. Box 8218, Dare es Salaam
Tanzania
Tel/Fax  (255) 22 215 2705

?---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Robert Mwadime wrote:
> I have kept wondering why the issues of nutrition and HIV are not
> considered as "EMERGENCY", in the real sense of the word. Here in Uganda, when we mobilized people to an emergency we went the way of "DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR PEOPLE WITH ALL MEANS/RESOURCES AVAILABLE"--available both in
> the country and from outside. But I see many of us still pushing nutrition
> and HIV only from the "development" perspective: i.e. from the food
> perspective and not from the perspective of "management of the situation".
> I agree the food approach will always remain superior (in terms of
> acceptability and sustainability), but with the elevated malabsorption
> problems and the low bioavailability of nutrients, the "best" health
option > in this "emergency", unfortunately remains to be supplements (shipped from outside).
>
> The question is "which supplements"?
>
> Robert Mwadime (PhD, MPH, MSc)
> RCQHC, Uganda
>

--
ProNut-HIV is a collaboration between SATELLIFE and the Academy for
Educational Development (AED).

To send a message to ProNut-HIV, write to: pronut-hiv@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe pronut-hiv OR unsubscribe
pronut-hiv
To contact a person, send a message to: pronut-hiv-help@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.pronutrition.org