Re: Seeking advise on HIV treatment advertisement

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends

All is fraud there is no any effective medicine in Ayurveda or Homeo

approved by NACO or by any scientific body. This may be a second

Majid. Dont get befooled. All they are offering to the patients is a

corticosteroid group of medicine that causes immediate weight gain

but harm full to the body in long term. It further reduces the

immunity .

Dr A S Rathore

Joint Director NACO

E-mail: asr_naco@...

[Guest guest]

Dear All

I have been watching for responses after the mail regarding Ayurveda and Homeo

medicines for AIDS patients. Since the moderator has taken off the scanned

image, we do not know the addresses in the ad. But since the message is in

Telugu, is NACO trying to take any action through APSACS against it, especially

since the NACO Joint Director has openly called this a bluff.

Secondly is there any way publishers can be deterred from printing such ads and

mislead many people? I feel NACO should voice their concern more publicly and

not limit it to lip service, or just this forum.

Like many other NACO policies and attitudes, this also seems like one of

complacence and denial. In my experience I have seen sero positive people trying

to cling to pieces of straws offered as CURE. The larger public must have

already seen the ad, and the said doctors must have already made a lot of money.

Can anyone tell us from Andhra what action is being initiated against these

persons? We are sure none will be, from our experience with other SACS. But this

is just to tell some of us are keeping track.

Shahrukh

E-mail:<plha@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

While it may be true that there are no effective medicines approved

by NACO, it does not mean that Ayurveda, Siddha or homoeopathy are

worthless!

It is very frustrating to hear claims made by EITHER side (where

there should only be ONE side--what works). On one side, some say it

is worthless (though Dr. Rathore is correct to note that there is no

approved medicines). On the other, sometimes fraudulent claims are

made.

What is needed is evidence-based medicine. I am currently in Chennai,

heading home from a conference on Siddha medicine and HIV/AIDS held

at Gandeepam (http://www.gandeepam.org).

I am currently working, with my organization FIAR, on a research

project that we hope will begin to shed light on the efficacy of

their approach to managing HIV/AIDS. This is a 2-year planning grant

that we are working on in cooperation with Mt. Sinai Medical Center

in New York and Gandeepam. I will have a more complete report on the

conference sometime next week.

I have little doubt that these traditional systems of medicine have a

great deal to offer from ameliorating symptoms, improving weight,

resolving some infections and perhaps slowing disease progression.

They may also be of help in managing antiretroviral toxicities and

side effects. By commencing the process to undertake clinical

evaluation, we will validate the claims made by more reputable

practioners.

In addition, the project is seeking to assure that the intellectual

property rights of any discoveries that may show efficacy are

retained locally and the benefit accrues, in this case, to the people

of Tamil Nadu, hard hit by the HIV pandemic.

In the meantime, I agree that caution is advised in considering any

claims of cure. Some are produced by frauds. Others may be produced

by individuals who have a concept of cure that is somewhat different

from allopathy. Allopathic cure would be an elimination of HIV. In

traditional systems, it may be more of simply returning a person to

productive health. The differences in language may result in bold

claims...the truth of which needs to be ascertained.

M.

Director, FIAR

http://aidsinfonyc.org/fiar

e-MAIL: fiar@...