Re: instuctions on hyperthermia baths

"THe HIV virus is heat sensitive, as so are other virus, parasites and bacterias."

The HIV virus IS heat-sensitive; unfortunately, we are more so!

By the time you heated yourself to a high enough temperature to inactivate the HIV, you would have melted your brain! (you do realize that this has been extensively studied for safety reasons - i.e. how high do you have to heat HIV in order to, e.g. sterilize instruments or kill the HIV in breastmilk? - and the conclusion is that it requires 30 minutes at 55-60 degrees celcius. For all of us Americans, that's 130-140 degrees farenheit! [I believe that only three countries have refused to switch to metric - us, Liberia, and Myamar. Good company, folks, good company!]. Also, lying in a hot bathtub probably doesn't change your core temperature much or qualify as a "fever".

Another thing to realize: inactivated HIV, in someone who is HIV+, is not necessarily harmless! This is sort of a side-issue here (because of the low likelihood that such a mild change in temperature would inactivate much virus), but you should realize that inactivated virus is probably still able to trigger TRAIL-mediated apoptosis of T-cells. I could go off on a long tangent on the difference between hyperthermia and fever, and why fever is not really a good thing in HIV+ people (also, think about it: if a temperature of 103 - which a bath of 103 is unlikely to induce, by the way - actually got rid of HIV, don't you think a lot of people would be cured by now? Do you know how many times people with AIDS have fevers at least that high? A LOT!), but I doubt anyone really cares...

The hot bath/cold towel thing is probably harmless, but if I were you, I would skip out on any parts that are uncomfortable (because they're uncomfortable! Pain is not gain!). Don't torture yourself!

The cure is free, and probably won't harm you, and like with all things, it is your decision and may offer some symptomatic relief. Just do me a favor and don't make yourself too uncomfortable! Good luck, and let us know how it turns out! Tweet