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Main Forums => Pre-HAART Long-Term Survivors => Topic started by: rolf1 on December 25, 2007, 08:24:05 am

Title: anyone know about him
Post by: rolf1 on December 25, 2007, 08:24:05 am
hi all,
anyone know about this guy (http://positivelypositive.ca/). stumbled across his page on a nature products website.
he seems to be all about natural 'remedies'. what are your experiences?
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Dachshund on December 25, 2007, 08:52:07 am
We've heard this song and dance for years and yet still no proof.

Having lived infected with HIV, without antiretroviral combination therapies, suggests that nutrition, vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals can be used to protect the body’s healing system and boost the immune system. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for regulating cell function and HIV infection increases the need for vitamin supplements. It is these (not the HIV medications), which are more readily available and being used by millions of people worldwide. With remarkable results! Creating longevity for a happy healthy life!
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: BT65 on December 25, 2007, 11:55:12 am
It reminds me of old Louise Hay books about healing yourself with "love."  Like Hal said, no proof.

Edited to add:  I'm not knocking love and good feelings, just saying there's no medical proof that only these things cure HIV.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: bear60 on December 25, 2007, 12:50:56 pm
In 1989 my partner, Paul, chose homeopathic medicine and a macrobiotic diet and meditation over Western medicine to treat his HIV and a year later was in the hospital with PneumoCystic Pneumonia.  He died in 1995
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: aztecan on December 25, 2007, 12:53:43 pm
If there were even a shred of clinical proof for what this guy is saying we would have been all over it decades ago.

I mean, don't you think that we would have already tried most all of these "holistic," "natural," vitamin-based, herb-based, treatments?

In fact, we did. Remember, the triple-drug cocktail is a scant 12 years old. Its not been around and readily available for all that long.

Before that, we tried just about everything under the sun.

I have had the bug longer than this guy claims to and went many years without any ARV therapy.

I base my continued good health on a combination of a good patient-doctor relationship, having a good doctor to rely upon, keeping abreast of all new developments as much as possible, sticking to scientifically proven treatments and pure, dumb luck.

I also take vitamins and a few herbs too. But they are meant to augment my continued good health, not replace the ARVs and they are done with the full knowledge and approval of my doctor.

I believe in being proactive, but not in grasping at every straw and pipedream promulgated by the plethora of Internet hucksters out there.

I would ask this guy the same thing I ask all such purveyors of untested treatments and cures - show me the science and make it recent - not some rehashed flotsam espoused two decades ago.

In other words, what Hal said.

Oh, Betty, you're right. He does sound a lot like Louise Hay. How much did that woman make off of us, I wonder?

HUGS,

Mark
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: jportland on December 29, 2007, 08:58:29 am
I think it's hogwash... This is just like saying vitamin C and chicken soup will get rid of a cold... It doesn't happen or work that way... It's a virus.. they both are.. there is no cure for either but actual drugs can help hiv... but just like a cold, hiv too will run its course... And just like for a cold, vitamins and such might help a tiny bit with hiv but it's not gonna get rid of it even 1 percent of what drugs can do...
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: BT65 on December 29, 2007, 03:16:17 pm
Jport: 

I'm a little curious as to what you mean when you say "HIV will run its course?"  I don't know of anyone who's had HIV that's just "run its course" and gone away.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: jportland on December 29, 2007, 04:54:40 pm
Sorry for the confusion! I guess I was just not understood in my syle or writing or comparison:).. I never said anything about "gone away" or use that phrase as you state in the last part.... Hiv does run it's course... That's all I was saying... as in it does what it does just like a cold... A cold does go away but hiv does not although drugs can help and are needed with controling hiv was my point... Hiv still runs its course as a virus wreaking havoc on the immune system.. But it does not "go away" and I did not ever state that... I wish it did though!!! That what be nice... :)
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: ConfidientMeus on December 30, 2007, 01:48:31 am
I have to agree with the overwhelming sentiment here.   I take some herbal supplements and vitamins and my doctor supports that 100%.  But I take them as an augmentation to my hiv regimen, not "instead of".  The best thing to do IMHO? Eat Right, take your meds, exercise as you can and maintain a positive attitude.  Certain herbs are helpful and can help boost your immune system, but they shouldn't replace your hiv regimen.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: hudstar on January 01, 2008, 10:14:52 am
Just eat good whole foods. Supplements are fine as long as your doctor told you they wont interact with your HIV pills. I find many new age dietitians, health guru's cross the threshold and spout remedies to control (in some cases cure) HIV, cancer etc. This has never been proven. Being sensible is the best control.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: DAF on January 12, 2008, 10:43:04 am
I agree with most of what has been said. Early on in the epidemic there were three things that taught me to be weary of people that touted something as the latest cure.

The first one was AL721 which could only be gotten from eating raw eggs. The end result was a further weakening of the immune system because most of the guys got salmenelosis and they wound up in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

The next thing that came through as the latest cure was the kombutua mushroom that you let grow in it's own water and then drank the water and it was supposed to do everything but clean you kitchen sink. What it did do was cause people to have to have surgery bacuse small pieces of it survived the stomach juices and wound up in the intestine where being a mushroom it had found the most perfect place to grow and multiply. After a series of vial antifungal meds that were delivered daily IV in the hospital You had a horrible taste of some metalic resedue in your mouth because of the treatments to get rid of this thing that had taken up residence in your intestines.

The last one was when people jumped on the band wagon and started taking Saint Jhons wart and their T cells lowered and viral load raised. Later one of the medical journals said that if you were taking hiv drugs not to take Saint Jhons wart because it reduced the effacy of the  hiv medications.

So when one of the Guys developed his own  Vitiman company, which to my knowledge is still going strong I politely listened to his sales pitch and told him the truth. With my budget at the time I could not afford his pills. He is today a millionare and has made his millions playing on the fears of those who are ill, Cancer, MS, HIv and any ohter thing that he can think up a slick sounding pitfch for have made him rich.

Daf
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: redhotmuslbear on January 12, 2008, 10:34:52 pm
I never said anything about "gone away" or use that phrase as you state in the last part.... Hiv does run it's course... That's all I was saying... as in it does what it does just like a cold... A cold does go away but hiv does not although drugs can help and are needed with controling hiv was my point... Hiv still runs its course as a virus wreaking havoc on the immune system.. But it does not "go away" and I did not ever state that... I wish it did though!!! That what be nice... :)


Pardon me, but the only way HIV would "runsi ts course" is leading to the death of its host for the vast majority of infected people or for reaching a stalemate with the immune systems of longterm non-progressors.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: aztecan on January 13, 2008, 08:25:43 pm


The next thing that came through as the latest cure was the kombutua mushroom that you let grow in it's own water and then drank the water and it was supposed to do everything but clean you kitchen sink. What it did do was cause people to have to have surgery because small pieces of it survived the stomach juices and wound up in the intestine where being a mushroom it had found the most perfect place to grow and multiply. After a series of vial antifungal meds that were delivered daily IV in the hospital You had a horrible taste of some metalic resedue in your mouth because of the treatments to get rid of this thing that had taken up residence in your intestines.

So when one of the Guys developed his own  Vitiman company, which to my knowledge is still going strong I politely listened to his sales pitch and told him the truth. With my budget at the time I could not afford his pills. He is today a millionare and has made his millions playing on the fears of those who are ill, Cancer, MS, HIv and any ohter thing that he can think up a slick sounding pitfch for have made him rich.

Daf

Hey Daf,

I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I had a combutcha (sp?) mushroom and used to drink that vile stuff. I grew it in very sweet tea, which it seemed to enjoy. The liquid tasted odd, rather like a cross between sweet tea and vinegar.

Didn't have to go through the intestinal problems, luckily. Between that and the blue green algae craze, I'm surprised I haven't had fungal growth problems.

HUGS,

Mark
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Jeffreyj on January 15, 2008, 04:24:37 am
I must admit:

Drugs are the only thing I have taken consistently for the past 24 years.

I'm still here. I highly doubt I would be here without them.

Just saying...

 :)   ;) :o
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: ubotts on January 15, 2008, 10:40:43 am
In the past I have tried natural herbs for hep c..I went to dr Weil on lexington ave in nyc
and saw dr Zhang..He is an hep c specialist..

Did the herb thing for 2 yrs..and my liver counts were much better..but when I move to NJ I stopped seeing him..

Anyway, They did help for hep c, but for hiv, its best to take your meds and if you like to incorporate some herb into your regimen, it could give you a boost..but I wouldnt
get off western meds now if I were you..

Things can get very freaky ..It happened to a friend of mine, and my friend is now 6ft under................Herbs alone will not cure hiv peeps..

It might work for hep c, but no way with hiv...If it did, we all be on that bandwagon
thats for sure....
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: jportland on February 26, 2008, 07:16:11 am
"Pardon me, but the only way HIV would "runsi ts course" is leading to the death of its host for the vast majority of infected people or for reaching a stalemate with the immune systems of longterm non-progressors......"

WITH ALL DO RESPECT UM I AM AT A LOSS OF WORDS ON HOW RETARDED THIS HAS BECOME... TO WHOEVER WROTE THE ABOVE QUOTE NOT TO MENTION MY DEFENDING ANYTHING I WROTE BEFORE HAS BEEN COMPELTELY MIS TAKEN..... I AM NOT SURE HOW TO EXPLAIN IT ANY BETTER.... OR WHY PEOPLE ARE ATTACKING ME OR SAYING PARDON ME AND BLAH BLAH... I AM NOT SURE WHAT WORDS I CAN USE THAT WILL DRILL IT INTO PEOPLE'S HEADS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY... TO ME IT IS NOT THAT CONFUSING AND THE TERMS I USED ARE WIDELY USED IN HIV SO WHY IT'S SO HARD FOR PEOPLE HERE TO UNDERSTAND BASIC LINGO WITHOUT ATTACKING WHAT I SAID IS STRANGE... WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET ACCROSS BY MY EARLIER STATEMENTS. WHY THAT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND IS BEYOND ME. BASICALLY I'LL TRY ONE MORE TIME... WE HAVE A DISEASE. IT'S CALLED HIV... IT DOES RUN IT'S COURSE! ( HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD THIS?)  LIKE ANY DISEASE IT RUNS IT'S COURSE AS IN IT PROGRESSES... DO YOU NOT GET THAT? AND WHILE IT PROGRESSES OR SOMETIME DURING IT YOU CAN TAKE DRUGS FOR IT! WHAT'S SO CONFUSING ABOUT THAT? HOW ELSE WOULD U LIKE ME TO SAY SOMETHING THAT IS QUITE ELEMENTRY IN WRITING STYLE FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING AND NOT MISINTERPRET IT? HOW CAN I SPELL IT OUT TO YOU? LOL... HIV PROGRESSES", RUNS IT'S COURSE", IS A DISEASE", MOST DISEASES RUN A COURSE OF DISTRUCTION", MOST DISEASES PROGRESS..... HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD IN HIV MEDICAL THINGS AND INFORMATION THAT HIV RUNS IT'S COURSE AND WREAKS HAVOC ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM? THESE ARE ALL TERMS COMMONLY USED. THAT'S ALL I WAS SAYING!!!! PLEASE TELL ME YOU UNDERSTAND THIS? IF NOT I AM NOT HERE TO DEFEND MYSELF TO SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE TOOK THE WRONG WAY AS YOUR STATEMENTS THAT YOU WROTE BACK TO ME MAKE NO SENSE TO ME OR MAKE ANY KIND OF LOGICAL ARGUMENT AS YOU MUST HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WROTE IN THE FIRST PLACE! IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH! HIV RUNS IT'S COURSE! A COLD RUNS IT'S COURSE! DISEASES RUN THEIR COURSE! LIFE RUNS IT'S COURSE! HIV RUNS IT'S COURSE UNTIL IT EITHER KILLS YOU OR YOU GET SICK. IT'S ALWAYS "DOING WHAT IT DOES" " RUNNIN IT'S COURSE" "TRYING TO PROGRESS WITH OR WITHOUT MEDS" ... PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME THIS IS UNDERSTOOD?! I AM BEYOND SUPRISED THIS WAS EVER AN ISSUE IN THE FIRST PLACE. SO LET ME CONTINUE TO WRITE ANALOGIES... WHEN YOU HAVE A MEAL THERE IS A START AND A FINISH. WEATHER OR NOT YOU COMPLETE EVERY COURSE BEFORE YOU LEAVE IT'S STILL A COURE. YOU MAY HAVE A FOUR COURSE MEAL RITE?  SO YOU START AND THEN YOU FINISH. YOU GO THRU THE COURSES. JUST LIKE IN HIV. YOU MIGHT MAKE IT THRU MANY COURSES THAT IT RUNS THRU YOUR SYSTEM. IT MIGHT GIVE YOU SEVERAL. YOU MIGHT DIE FROM IT HALFWAY THRU. BUT IT'S ALWAYS RUNNIN IT'S COURSE. A RIVER RUNS IT'S COURSE. HMMMM... HOW ELSE CAN I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A COURSE. I HAD JUST HEARD SO MANY TIMES PEOPLE, STORIES, DOCTORS, ETC, USING HIV AND COURSE IN THE SAME SENTENCE I WAS RATHER SUPRISED FOR PEOPLE TO CALL ME OUT ON IT ON HERE. SO I AM A BIT PERPLEXED ON WHAT I HAVE SAID THAT IS SO WRONG OR THAT PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING WHEN TO ME IT'S ALL RATHER ELEMENTRY AND A FIGURE OF SPEECH THAT'S BEEN USED SEVERAL TIMES IN ALL KINDS OF DOCUMENTS RELATED TO HIV. Here is a story on hiv that i found on the internet by typing in hiv and running it's course... in the second paragraph at the end it says "hiv runs it's course"... http://www.unicef.org/india/hiv_aids_2860.htm   I have several other examples of hiv and running it's course from hiv litature, doctors interviews, stories, etc if you would like... or please feel free to type in HIV and running it's course into google.... there u will see many times HIV and course used in the same context and easily understood. Why 2 people on here are writing back to me and saying stuff about "hiv and running it's course" is beyond me.  I am not trying to be mean. It's just a no brainer to me and I am lost on what they are not getting or why or what they do not understand about hiv and running it's course. It is widely used as a term with hiv or things that progress in general.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: BT65 on February 26, 2008, 09:14:41 am
OK, J, you can start by not screaming at us (which is considered to be done by using ALL CAPS).  We can hear you.

I haven't seen many of your posts on these forums, so I am a bit surprised by a drive-by poster who thinks he can waltz back in and re-start something.  Let it go already. 
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Ann on February 26, 2008, 09:16:28 am
Jportland,

Not only is it considered shouting when you write in ALL CAPS on the internet, but it is also VERY difficult to read. I gave up after the first couple sentences. Please don't think I'm attacking you, I just wanted to let you know that people won't read what you write in all caps, unless it's just the occasional word in caps for emphasis. Whole paragraphs in caps are just too hard on the eyes.

Ann
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: jportland on February 26, 2008, 02:50:44 pm
1.Ann, Well if they don't wanna read it in all caps that's their choice.... I don't care. And this was not an attack on you.
2. To Betty Tacy.... You say you havn't "seen many of my posts... so you are a bit suprised by a drive by poster who thinks he can waltz back in and re start something?"  lol... I didn't know i was any less than you or that you are are higher up than me becuz you have written more posts... lol... and so that I shouldn't have written it becuz of that? Haha... That's really funny... Thanks for that Betty Tacy... The Queen has spoken I guess! Bow down! Should i ask you as well from now on when I can and cannot write something? Haha... p.s. It was from a month ago as well and I havn't really been on the site and um so I was just responding your highness.... Sorry I WALTZED back in to respond! Haha... I feel just sooooooo little and small to have done so since I havn't written as much on here as you! Also I'll let it go when I want. Don't tell me how I should feel or what to do.  Or should I say "don't waltz in and tell me what to do"....
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Dachshund on February 26, 2008, 03:04:02 pm
I hope people will respect this:

This forum is a safe place where those who have been living with HIV for anywhere from several years to decades can come to discuss the issues they confront. Among other things this is where they can talk about their experiences as well as the special challenges they have to deal with physically, emotionally and otherwise that come with having lived with HIV for a lengthy period of time. It is also a space intended for those who maybe more recently infected but are older in years, and therefore have to deal with special issues related to living with HIV at an older age.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: BT65 on February 26, 2008, 03:15:00 pm
Advice taken, Hal. ;)
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Snowangel on February 26, 2008, 09:07:54 pm
I remember around the time I was first diagnosed, I used to eat raw garlic, YUM peel and eat 8 or 9 garlic cloves. LOL.  The only thing it probably helped was to keep the vampires away.

I also remember talking to a guy who tried to get me to try some peroxide like solution he was drinking instead of taking meds.  Needless to say, that didn't happen.  All I could think of was a bubbly foam coming out my mouth and nose.   :-*

Snow
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: aliveinla on February 26, 2008, 10:45:26 pm
I am Chinese but I don't believe in any of the herbs they offer. But it seems even David Ho researched some kind of herb so who knows maybe something good will come out of nowhere and get rid of this bug, so it can't run its cause--no matter what it is.

One good thing of being poz is that I now eat a 110% full stomach on every meal. Being a gay man, I had to keep my good shape so have been only eating to 50-80% no matter how good the food was. I just had a big dinner with a big slice of pecan pie, washed down with a nice glass of wine. Life is good!
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: aliveinla on February 26, 2008, 10:48:56 pm
I hope people will respect this:

This forum is a safe place where those who have been living with HIV for anywhere from several years to decades can come to discuss the issues they confront. Among other things this is where they can talk about their experiences as well as the special challenges they have to deal with physically, emotionally and otherwise that come with having lived with HIV for a lengthy period of time. It is also a space intended for those who maybe more recently infected but are older in years, and therefore have to deal with special issues related to living with HIV at an older age.
Sorry I just realized I posted on the wrong forum. Solute to your guys and bye now.
Title: Re: anyone know about him
Post by: Jeff G on February 27, 2008, 10:16:05 pm
 My cd4 counts were always 200/ 300 range all the way back to the 80s  until about 6 months ago when I started to take vitamins , then they went up to 550. I don't know if it was just luck or the vitamins. I have also been working out and doing cardio.