My extensive review of the medical literature has not led me to a single individual with AIDS that was caused by HIV, nor a single person with AIDS who was cured by the treatment with the antiviral agents (AZT and protease inhibitors). On the contrary, epidemiology and pathology of AIDS worldwide show that agents and factors other than HIV are responsible for causing the AIDS epidemic (123456). My findings include:
The appearance of AIDS in the USA and Europe coincided with the introduction of crack cocaine, the use of alkyl nitrites by homosexuals to enhance anal sex, and the approval of glucocorticoid aerosol use to treat inflammation of respiratory systems in 1976.
heavy ancillary use of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressive agents. Physicians prescribe these drugs to treat a wide range of chronic illnesses of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and other organs.
AIDS in hemophiliacs relates to the use of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents to prevent the development of antibodies for factors VIII and IX, and used to treat other chronic illnesses such as joint disease.
AIDS in people receiving blood and/or tissue follows use of glucocorticoids to prevent transfusion and tissue rejection, and to treat other illnesses.
AIDS in infants and children is caused by their exposure to drugs and corticosteroids in utero, and to corticosteroids used after birth to treat their chronic illnesses.
AIDS in Africa results from malnutrition, the consequent release of endogenous cortisol, and opportunistic diseases. Atrophy in the thymus and lymphoid tissue in people suffering from malnutrition has been known since 1925; malnutrition also impairs T cells functions. Feeding an adequate diet reverses these changes. It cures AIDS! Thymus size in malnourished children increased from 20% of normal to 107% of normal, after nine weeks of feeding.
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and lymphoma result from the use of steroids and drugs, and the release of endogenous cortisol. They are not caused by a slow virus. Stopping treatment with immunosuppressive agents prior to metastasis reverses KS in some cases.
The medications currently used to treat patients with AIDS, such as AZT, protease inhibitors, and glucocorticoids are highly toxic. They can cause AIDS in asymptomatic patients; they worsen the condition of AIDS patients and even lead to their death. These drugs have no therapeutic value; their use should stop forthwith.
Damage to the immune system is rapidly reversible after removal of the true insulting agent or treatment of the factual causes. Examples:
The CD4+ T cells of 1,075 HIV-positive pregnant women increased from 426/uL to 596/uL in six months on a balanced diet. This also improved the outcome of their pregnancies;
In HIV-positive homosexuals, stopping treatment with glucocorticoids reversed a fall in CD4+ T cells.
Causes and pathogenesis of AIDS in the USA and the industrialized world
The appearance of the AIDS epidemic in the United States of America in 1981 can easily be explained by the following events.
Crack cocaine became very popular in the 1970s and the inhalation of crack cocaine has caused severe respiratory illnesses that needed long- term treatment with high doses of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs. The United States Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of glucocorticoids by inhalation in 1976 to treat the inflammation of the respiratory system and asthma that are caused by inhaling crack cocaine. The chronic use of medications containing glucocorticoids at high doses by inhalation caused severe impairment of the immune defenses of the lungs and the upper respiratory tract. This led to the infection of the lungs and other organs with opportunistic microorganisms and the development of cancer ( 1).
Since the 1970s, the prescriptions containing glucocorticoids have increased tremendously to treat more than forty medical conditions induced by narcotics. The side effects of these medications include thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic opportunistic infections. Glucocorticoids have also been given to hemophiliacs to prevent the development of antibodies against foreign transfused clotting factors. They are also given to pregnant women who are expected to have premature infants as the result of the use of illicit drugs, and to their infants to enhance the maturation of the lungs. The use of other immuno-suppressant agents, cytotoxic drugs, antibiotics, antiviral, and antifungal has also increased tremendously since the1970s. Most of these agents cause bone marrow depression and other tissue damages, which have also contributed to the pathogenesis of AIDS ( 1, 7).
Some homosexual men who inhaled cocaine and/or other narcotics suffered from respiratory inflammation, infections and other systemic damage, which are then treated with glucocorticoids. In addition, the use of alkyl nitrites, also known as "poppers", became popular in 1970's among homosexuals.
The inhalation of "poppers" at sufficient amounts causes methemoglobinemia and severe headaches, which is then treated with aspirin. The heavy use of aspirin and alcohol cause thrombocytopenia. As well, AZT and proteases inhibitors also cause thrombocytopnea, peripheral neuropathy, and bone marrow depression. Thrombocytopenia, peripheral neuropathy are classified by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an AIDS indicator, which is also treated with high doses of glucocorticoids that cause AIDS ( 1234, 7) .
Examples Of How People Develop AIDS
The following are clinical examples that show how drug users, homosexual men, and individuals with chronic health conditions develop AIDS as a result of the use of the immunosuppressant agents. These examples also show that AIDS is reversible in HIV-positive individual following the cessation of the glucocorticoids treatment.
A 33-year-old previously healthy female developed acute bilateral pulmonary infiltrates after 18 hours of intense rock cocaine (crack) smoking. Ten months later she developed progressive dyspnea and interstitial pneumonia. She was unsuccessfully treated with high doses of prednisone (1 mg/kg/day for eight weeks) followed by a trial of cyclophosphamide. She died due to respiratory failure with a superimposed mycobacterial infection. The time from her first admission to the hospital with interstitial pneumonia and her death with AIDS was about 21 months ( 8).
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), an AIDS-indicator disease, developed in HIV -negative patients chronically treated with glucocorticoids and people suffering from severe malnutrition ( 1). For example, KS developed eight months after initiation of prednisone treatment (40 mg per day for three months) in a 58-year-old man with systemic rheumatoid disease ( 9). He also had lymphocytopenia (896/µL), reduction of T4 cells (215/µL), and T4/ T8 ratio of 0.7. This man was HIV-negative as tested by western blot. This case meets all the criteria set by the CDC for the diagnosis of individuals with AIDS in terms of having their CD4+ T cells below 300 cells/µL and having KS. Yet, this individual was HIV-negative. Also, there are many individuals who developed KS following treatment with glucocorticoids and had reversal of their KS after the termination of the treatment ( 1).
Sharpstone et al. reported that eight HIV-positive males with inflammatory bowel disease who used rectal steroid preparation had a decline in their CD4+ T cells at a rate of 85 cells/µL per year ( 10). Four of them underwent coloectomy that eliminated the need for the steroid and their CD4+ T cells increased 4 cells/µL per year. Eight HIV-positive men who were used, as match control did not have surgery. They continued to have a decline of 47 cells/µL per year as the result of the use of rectal steroids. This study clearly shows that AIDS is caused by glucocorticoids, that HIV is a harmless virus, and that AIDS is reversible following the termination of the causative agent.
Investigators from George Washington University and the National Institutes of Health reported a case of an HIV-positive homosexual man with ulcerative colitis who developed a severe reduction in his CD4+ T cells counts following 9 days treatment with corticosteroid. The depletion in CD4+ T cells number was reversed following the cessation of the treatment with the steroid ( 11). Briefly, approximately 3 weeks prior to surgery for ulcerative colitis that was unresponsive to corticosteroids, the patient's CD4+ T cell count was 930 cells/µL of blood and the count fell to 313 cells/µL within 10 days of treatment with corticosteroid. Five days postoperatively, the patient became asymptomatic and was discharged on tapering prednisone without the use of antiretroviral agents. After surgery, the patient's CD4+ T cells counts progressively rose. The CD4+ T cells counts were 622 cells/µL and 843 cells/µL at 3 and 6 weeks following the operation, respectively. /
It is very clear that the reduction in CD4+ T cell counts in this patient resulted from the treatment with glucocorticoid and not as the result of his HIV-infection. This case also provides very important observations that the CD4+ T cells counts rose from 313 cells/µL to 843 cells/µL, while the viral load drop from 31,300 RNA copies/mL to 11,400 RNA copies/mL within a few weeks following the cessation of the glucocorticoid treatment and without the use of the antiviral therapy. This indicates that the viral load counts are highly influenced by the glucocorticoid treatment. Considering the fact that the lives of millions of people are influenced by the result of the HIV viral load test. This practice should be urgently evaluated!
My investigation also revealed that the majority of AIDS patients suffer from metabolic and endocrine abnormalities ( 1). The high prevalence of adrenal insufficiency observed among AIDS patients provides strong evidence that AIDS in these patients is caused by the use of corticosteroids. The medical evidence that support my conclusions can be found in Fauci et al. book ( 7). They stated that endocrine and metabolic abnormalities are frequently seen in HIV-infected individuals, and that most HIV-infected individuals studied at autopsy had involvement of adrenal glands. The most common abnormality seen in HIV-infected individuals is hyponatremia, seen in up to 30 percent of patients. They also stated in the same book that the presence of a low sodium level combined with a high serum potassium level in a patient should alert one to the possibility of adrenocortical insufficiency as seen following prolonged administration of excess glucocorticoids ( 7). However, Fauci and his colleagues have not considered the involvement of corticosteroids in the pathogenesis of AIDS in risk groups.
Causes and pathogenesis of AIDS in Africa
In Africa, AIDS is caused by severe starvation. An individual suffering from severe starvation usually loses up to 90% of his or her thymus size along with the capacity of the functions of their immune system. The release of endogenous cortisol plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AIDS in people suffering from malnutrition. In starvation, cortisol, a hormone released from the adrenal glands, is required for the conversion of fat and protein to glucose in the liver. Glucose is used as energy by the heart, brain, and other organs and without the endogenous cortisol, human beings are unable to survive very long without food. Any person who suffers from severe starvation has AIDS regardless if the person is HIV-positive or HIV-negative. Fortunately, AIDS in people who are suffering from severe starvation is reversible with proper nutrition and supportive medical care as shown by the following studies.
In a study involving 110 malnourished children, the thymic area was found to be 20% of the size in healthy children. The size of the thymus in these children was increased from 20% of normal to 107% of normal following 9 weeks of proper feeding ( 12).
The reversal of the reduction in CD4+T cell count in HIV+ pregnant women following proper feeding was also reported by Fauci et al. ( 13). Briefly, the influence of diet on T cells counts in peripheral blood of 1,075 HIV-infected pregnant women who had poor nutritional status was studied. The CD4+ T cell counts of the women who received multivitamins increased from 424/µL to 596/µL during six months of proper feeding.
The prevalence of KS, lymphoma, lymphadenitis, and tuberculosis in Africa is similar or even higher than those observed in homosexual men, drug users, and AIDS patients in the United States and Europe ( 1). However, AIDS in Africa occurs almost equally in males and females because starvation affects both sexes equally. For example, Sibanda and Stanczuk reviewed all histopathology reports of lymph node biopsy submitted to the Histopathology unit in Harare, Zimbabwe in the period of January 1988 to June 1990. The most common diseases in the 2,194 lymph node specimens were: non-specific hyperplasia (33%), tuberculous lymphadenitis (27%); metastases (12%), Kaposi's sarcoma (9%); and lymphomas (7%). Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) involving the lymph nodes was reported in 176 (9%). In children, the prevalence of KS was higher in children under 5 years than in 6-15 year bracket. Approximately two thirds (65%) of all patients with KS were aged between 20 and 40 years ( 14).
AZT and Protease Inhibitors Are Poisons And Not Cures
I reviewed the designs and the results of numerous AZT and protease inhibitors clinical trials and found that the results of these studies clearly show that these agents are poisons and not a cure for AIDS. AZT causes severe bone marrow depression and reduces white blood cell counts including T cells. It is very toxic to the stem cells in bone marrow (the source of T and B lymphocytes) and to fast growing tissues such as embryonic and fetal tissues. Protease inhibitors and other toxic antiviral agents cause wide spread systemic damage in liver, kidneys, pancreas, and other organs and should not be given to any human being ( 1, 2).
The following is a brief description of the results of Fischl et al AZT clinical trial that clearly demonstrates the toxicity of AZT in humans and invalidate the claim that AZT has cured people.
They gave AZT to 524 subjects who had a first episode of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( 15). These subjects received AZT in either a dose of 250 mg taken orally every four hours (n=262) or a dose of 200 mg taken orally every four hours for four weeks and thereafter 100 mg taken every four hours (n=262). In this study, additional AIDS-defining opportunistic infections developed in 429 subjects (82%) in the AZT treated groups. Furthermore, the neutrophil counts declined to less than 34% of baseline in 230 subjects; the hemoglobin levels declined to less than 66% of baseline in 178 subjects; and 134 subjects received red-cell transfusions. 183 subjects (35%) were withdrawn from AZT therapy because of toxic reactions such as severe anemia and neutropenia. At 24 months of treatment, the mortality rates were 66% and 73% in the low and standard AZT doses, respectively.
The AIDS Establishment Has Overlooked Medical Facts That Show HIV Does Not Cause AIDS
My review of the medical literature relating to the AIDS epidemic has raised many questions about the way that the CDC, the FDA, Anthony Fauci, and the AIDS establishment have dealt with the AIDS epidemic for the past 22 years. As a toxicologist and pathologist, my review of the medical evidence has led me to believe that these agencies have not used standard medical procedures to solve the AIDS epidemic. In fact, their actions have contributed tremendously to the increase of the AIDS epidemic worldwide by giving the wrong treatment recommendations. The correct approach for investigating the cause(s) of any disease is by evaluating the medical evidence that considers infectious, chemical, nutritional, metabolic, and other biological and environmental factors. It appears that Fauci and the CDC have taken the exact-opposite approach. They have called well- established symptoms and lesions resulting from the use of drugs and medications; severe starvation; and opportunistic infections as HIV diseases. The following few clinical examples that show the CDC and Fauci's treatment recommendations cause AIDS.
The CDC and Fauci have considered peripheral neuropathy and thrombocytopenia as AIDS-indicators illnesses ( 7). They justified their actions by stating that autoimmune diseases induced by HIV cause these illnesses. These patients are usually treated with high doses of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressant agents that cause AIDS. The CDC and Fauci's assumptions are not valid because alcohol, illicit drugs, and many medications used by individuals in risk groups cause peripheral neuropathy and/or thrombocytopenia. In addition, AIDS and autoimmune disease are mutually exclusive illnesses. Patients with AIDS suffer from a depression in the immune system functions, while patients with autoimmune disease suffer from hyperactive immune system.
The common drugs that cause thrombocytopenia include: chemotherapeutic agents, alcohol, myelosuppressive drugs, thiazide diuretics, estrogens, antibiotics, sedative, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, aspirin, sulfa drug, digitoxin, phenytoin, gold salts, heparin, sulfnamides and trimethoprim (the treatment for Pneumocyst carrinii). Fauci et al. described the treatment for thrombocytopenia as follows: 60 mg of prednisone is administered for 4 to 6 weeks and then decreased slowly for over another a few weeks ( 7). Cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and AZT are also among the drugs recommended for the treatment of thrombocytopenia.
This treatment for thrombocytopenia can cause AIDS as shown in the following case: An 18-year-old woman with thrombocytopenia was treated with a steroid for 42 months. She subsequently developed Kaposi's sarcoma that spread to the spleen (16).
The treatment described on page 1463 of Fauci's book for patients suffering from lung fibrosis (LF) can also cause AIDS ( 7). The long-term use of crack cocaine causes lung fibrosis (1). The treatment for LF includes:
"A trial of oral prednisone is begun at a dose of 1mg/kg daily and continued for about 8 weeks. Should the disease not respond or be progressive, additional immunosuppression with cyclophosphomide should be considered. The objective is to reduce the white blood cell count to approximately half the normal baseline value, causing a distinct drop in the total lymphocyte count. However, a minimum count of 1000 PMNs/µL should be maintained".
At these dose levels, the CD4+T cells count in the peripheral blood of the treated individual is expected to be <300/µL which meets the definition for AIDS set by CDC.
Pneumocystis carinii (PC) is one of the opportunistic infection classified by the CDC as an AIDS-defining disease. Glucocorticoids are also one of the agents described by Fauci et al. as treatment for PCP ( 7, page 1825). They stated,
"Adjunct glucocorticoid therapy should be started as soon as possible after the diagnosis is made, preferably no later than 36 to 72 h".
It is completely puzzling to me to see glucocorticoid compounds, which cause severe depression in T cell counts and the functions of the immune systems, are used to treat PCP and other opportunistic infections in AIDS patients. This approach is scientifically unjustified.
Also, sulfnamides and trimethoprim are used in the treatment of PCP. These drugs cause severe hematological complications, including agranulocytosis, hemolytic and megaloblastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. As you may recall that the CDC considers thrombocytopenia an AIDS- indicator disease. It is also treated with glucocorticoid at dosage levels that cause AIDS as previously explained. It seems that the possibilities of inducing AIDS in patients with medications are endless.
Furthermore, A. Fauci, the CDC, and the AIDS establishment have also overlooked a list of events presented to them. These medical events clearly show that agents and factors other than HIV cause the symptoms, and the pathology observed in people with AIDS. Below is a list of some of these medical events to illustrate my points.
The HIV-hypothesis states that HIV causes AIDS by selective killing of the CD4+ T cells because these cells have a special receptor on their membrane that bind with HIV. I have not found any truth to support this assumption. HIV provirus has been found in CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells lymphocytes in the lymph nodes of HIV infected patients and its ability to infect cells is not restricted to cells that have CD4 receptor as predicted by the HIV-hypothesis ( 1).
People with AIDS usually suffer from severe loss of CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and other white blood cells in the peripheral blood and lymphatic tissues. The lymph nodes of AIDS patients show atrophy and the loss of all components that include T cells, B cells, and connective tissues. These abnormalities resemble those found in patients treated with high doses of corticosteroids and/or other immunosuppressant agents and people suffering from severe malnutrition. Fauci's study also supports my observations ( 17). He and his colleagues examined lymph nodes from HIV-positive AIDS patients and found that all types of lymphocytes were depleted. They stated that
"apoptosis was not restricted only to CD4+ T cells; both B cells and CD8+ T cells were found to undergo apoptosis. They also stated that the increased intensity of the apoptotic phenomenon in HIV infection is independent of the progression of HIV activities and the levels of viral load".
Physicians reported to the CDC many cases of individuals with AIDS but were not infected with HIV. Fauci and the CDC had not investigated the cause(s) of AIDS in these people but rather described this condition as "idiopathic CD4+ T cells lymphocytopenia" (ICL). They stated that ICL is different from AIDS because the ICL patients also have low CD8+ T cells and B cells counts in addition to low CD4+ T cells counts ( 7). However, in the same book, they stated that people with AIDS also have low B cells and CD8+ T cells counts. These statements are contradictory. My review of the literature revealed that all patients with AIDS suffer from severe deficiencies of T cells as well B cells.
There are thousands of healthy people who have been infected with HIV for more than 10 years. However, they remained asymptomatic. Fauci and the CDC refer to these people as "long-term non-progressors". The proponents of the HIV-hypothesis should explain to us why people are living in perfect health for 10 years or more with HIV, if HIV is supposed to be a killer virus. The logical explanation of this mystery is that these people are not using drugs and/or taking toxic medications.
The majority of AIDS patients usually suffer from metabolic and endocrine abnormalities ( 1, 7). The high prevalence of adrenal insufficiency observed among AIDS patients provides strong evidence that AIDS in these patients is likely to be caused by the use of corticosteroids.
Summary
The HIV-hypothesis has misled physicians from all over the world to prescribe toxic medications to healthy HIV-positive people and people with AIDS. This has resulted in death of millions of people for the last twenty years. It has also influenced physicians to overlook the health problems associated with the use of illicit drugs, alcohol and the adverse reactions to medications used to treat these conditions with the incorrect medications. The classic examples are peripheral neuropathy and thrombocytopenia. These illnesses treated with immunosuppressant agents at high doses that cause AIDS, are based on the presumption that these illnesses are caused by HIV as autoimmune diseases. I hope that the medical community will take an action to re-evaluate the HIV-hypothesis and to learn about the factual causes of AIDS.