Built to Survive : A Comprehensive Guide to the Medical Use of Anabolic Therapies, Nutrition and Exercise for Hiv+ Men and Women

In 1993, Nelson Vergel was losing weight to AIDS wasting. He had already watched friends die from it. Using the research he could find, he built a program of nutrition, resistance exercise and anabolic therapy that helped him gain 45 pounds of muscle. He then founded the Program for Wellness Restoration (PoWeR) to teach others how to do the same.

In Los Angeles, researcher and journalist Michael Mooney had reached many of the same conclusions on his own while helping HIV-positive friends. The two joined forces. Built to Survive collects what they learned.

The book focuses on HIV-associated wasting, the loss of lean body mass that threatens survival. It also covers lipodystrophy, the abnormal shift of body fat seen in many people taking HIV medications, along with facial wasting and mitochondrial damage.

What you will learn:

• How testosterone and anabolic steroids work, and what the first placebo-controlled steroid study found
• How to prevent and manage side effects, with a chapter that separates rumor from reality
• The PoWeR anabolic hormone guidelines, plus a comparison table of anabolic steroids used in AIDS therapy
• Why bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) matters for tracking body cell mass
• Appetite stimulation options, including Megace, medicinal marijuana and Marinol
• Orthomolecular nutrition, food safety and practical ways to stop diarrhea
• Complementary approaches to lipodystrophy and reconstructive options for facial wasting
• Strategies for managing wasting in children with HIV
• What to do before starting the program, and how to work with your physician
• A simple, effective weight-training method for maximum muscle gains

Who this book is for:

People living with HIV who want to protect or rebuild muscle, and the physicians, dietitians and trainers who work with them.

What readers and experts said:

"Michael Mooney and Nelson Vergel have put together information that has, no doubt, already saved thousands of lives, and has the potential to save many more. Don't lose your body to HIV."
Lark Lands, PhD, Science Editor, POZ Magazine

"Michael Mooney and Nelson Vergel provide HIV(+) individuals with powerful advice on nutrition and hormone strengthening that standard medicine all too often leaves out or doesn't understand."
Jon D. Kaiser, MD, HIV specialist

"After finding myself in the hospital at 125 pounds, and then putting on 60 pounds to regain my health, I can say that the information contained in this book is something all HIV(+) people should know about."
Jeff Taylor, long-term survivor, San Diego

About the authors:

Nelson Vergel, BSChE, MBA, is a former chemical engineer and long-term HIV survivor. He founded PoWeR, served three years as a community representative to the AIDS Clinical Trials Group and opened the Body Positive Wellness Center in Houston. He has also served on NIH and FDA advisory panels.

Michael Mooney was PoWeR's Director of Research and Communications and a contributing editor to Muscle Media. He has written for POZ Magazine, Positively Aware and Ironman.

Together, Mooney and Vergel have given more than 400 presentations across the United States.

Please note: This fourth edition was published in 2012. HIV care has advanced since then, so use this book alongside current guidance from your HIV specialist. It is for educational purposes and does not replace medical advice.