Madhya Pradesh: ‘Baba’ claims AIDS cure, Govt supports

[Guest guest]

There is absolutely no doubt that people who become aware of their HIV

status early before it reaches advances stages can and will benefit from

various forms of holistic medicine.

In fact it is desirable that for people with cd4 coiunts high enough that

they pursue this option as a first choice before considering ART's. Good health

and weight gains can be observed. There is evidence that this

process, well managed, can keep people healthy for years.

Siddah Doctors are also claiming some success and if any or all of the

wholistic options manage to clear virus from an infected individual the

world will be flocking to India and the baba's and the siddah's will be

helpless in protecting their intellectual property without a lot of central

government protection.

Of course the most significant part of such a process is a properly conducted

clinical trials and one is being constructed as we speak involving international

universities and siddah medicine in Tamil Nadu.

Presently we can stop viral replication with properly matched ARV medicine

but we have been unable to date to purge the wells of residual virus that

flare back up the moment ARV therapy is discontinued.

Getting both done in a successful trial will be the worlds answer to a cure.

Supplying the necessary herbal medicine will be India's biggest headache

unless it systematically co-operates to ensure cultivation volumes increase.

The M.P. SACS needs to be aware that success in holistic medicine is both

possible and the best first line of treatment for those whose sero status is

detected early before the immune system is destroyed completely.

There are some measurable numbers of T cells and Viral load that will indicate

the need to invoke ARV therapy and only those who have reached this threshold

should be using them.

But in fairness to the various therapies and to the desperation of the

infected patients please don't refer to these programs as CURES. We are not

yet there. Any promising breakthroughs should be fully investigated in

proper clinical trials.

There is evidence that some people claim to have tested positive to HIV and

now test negative but the only original test conducted at the VCT was an

test only. We know that a positive test could also indicate that

you have TB or Malaria as well if a secondary test is not done.

Imagine being tested positive to malara and then getting wholistic treatment

that makes you well and negative to an test. The result is not a cure

from AIDS. Only a proper medical trial will ensure the facts.

Nepal has had a successful propgram of prolonging life for HIV +ve patients

without them having access to ARV therapy so we know that good things can

happen to some people who can follow the regimes. But it is not a CURE. They

are all still HIV +ve and they can still infect others.

The final comment of course has to do with community attitudes. There is now

no doubt that most people who died quickly from knowledge of their HIV

status died from the combined effects of stigma and discrimination dispenses

mercilessly by their own communities. For them the virus never had a chance.

Changing that state of affairs is a cheap and viable option. Why do we still

think after all these years that HIV is contagious?

The only way it can be passed on is by ignorant and careless modes of

transmission, mainly three kinds. When these kinds are known and avoided

there is a 100% possibility of transmission stopping.

But who is going to tell those who need to know this? State SACS committees

should have it as their highest priority.

And the Baba's and others can also demonstrate by example of how people can

stay well for life.

Lets not knock what we already know works but at the same time we should not

be offering false hopes or unreasonable profiteering from this chronic

illness.

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>