The truth is that AZT, ddI, ddC , protease inhibitors and other drugs termed
"antiretrovirals" have not been found in any controlled studies to show proven
clinical benefits for HIV/AIDS patients.
The only studies published that claim
positive outcome were short-term and did not have statistically significant
results.(1) Even more alarming, there is plenty of evidence that these drugs
have been found to cause the very symptoms they are meant to cure. Over 500
M.D.s' and/or Ph.D.'s have signed a statement calling for a reappraisal of the
causes of AIDS, and questioning whether the symptoms are being caused by HIV.
Although the newer "antiretrovirals" like ddC, ddI, and d4T, have analogous
mechanisms of action and similar toxicities to AZT, they have not been studied
as extensively and therefore are not discussed in as much detail in the studies
outlined below.
Glaxo Wellcome puts the following warning in large, bold-faced, capital
letters at the start of the section in the 1998 Physician's Desk Reference that
describes AZT (brand name Retrovir or Zidovudine).
"RETROVIR (ZIDOVUDINE) MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE HEMATOLOGIC TOXICITY
INCLUDING GRANULOCYTOPENIA AND SEVERE ANEMIA PARTICULARLY IN PATIENTS WITH
ADVANCED HIV DISEASE (SEE WARNINGS). PROLONGED USE OF RETROVIR HAS ALSO BEEN
ASSOCIATED WITH WITH SYMPTOMATIC MYOPATHY SIMILAR TO THAT PRODUCED BY HUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS."
Please allow me to translate. "Granulocytopenia", also called "neutropenia"
means that the primary cells of the immune system, neutrophils, have been
depleted, along with some other cells, eosinophils and basophils, which are
less numerous but still important. This condition can be mild, moderate, or
severe. The clinical course of severe neutropenia, as described in the basic
pathology textbook, Pathologic Basis of Disease by Robbins (5th Ed.), which is
used in most medical schools to study pathology, describes what happens to
people with severe neutropenia.
CLINICAL COURSE: The symptoms and signs of neutropenias are those of bacterial
infections. ... In severe agranulocytosis with virtual absence of neutrophils,
these infections may become so overwhelming as to cause death within a few
days." (Robbins, p.631).
This sounds disturbingly similar to a description of AIDS. Robbins also states,
in italics, that "the most severe forms of neutropenias are produced by drugs."
What is not mentioned in any textbook is that AZT has been found in five
studies performed after its rushed FDA approval to be equally toxic to T-cells,
the very cells whose absence is blamed on HIV.(2) This is not surprising since
T-cells are produced in the bone marrow, and all the other cells produced there
are depleted by AZT. AZT may cause an initial increase in T-cells as the body's
immune system responds to the toxic stress being placed on it by AZT, but in
relatively short time the T-cells, neutrophils, and other immune system cells
begin to decline.
An example of a study that documented the effects of AZT on people's immune systems was published in the Annals of Hematology. (3) AZT was given to 14
health care workers who were exposed to HIV contaminated blood through needle
sticks and similar accidents. This type of study is important because the
toxicity observed cannot be blamed on HIV, as is quite likely to happen in HIV
positive people. Fully half of the 14 workers had to quit the drug because of
severe toxic side effects, and the study was stopped early before more damage
was done. Neutropenia (as described above) developed in 36% (4 of 11) of the
people who completed at least 4 weeks of AZT treatment. 3 of the 14 people
could not even make it to four weeks due to "severe subjective symptoms". One
worker had to be stopped prematurely because his neutropenia was so severe that
he developed an upper respiratory tract infection. What is truly remarkable in
this study is that these side effects developed in only 4 weeks, while patients
with "HIV positive" status often take AZT and other similar drugs for years.
The dosage of AZT included in current protease inhibitor "cocktails" is much
lower, which may be one reason why these fare better when compared with
treatment that uses AZT by itself.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (4) looked at the muscle
wasting caused by AZT and compared it to muscle wasting, called "myopathy",
presumed to be caused by HIV. Their comments in the abstract are revealing: "We
conclude that long-term therapy with Zidovudine can cause a toxic mitochondrial
myopathy, which... is indistinguishable from the myopathy associated with
primary HIV infection...". Robbin's text on pathology also contains sections on
mitochondrial myopathy, stating that this kind of muscle wasting results in
severe weakness. It also states that "this group may also be classified as
mitochondrial encephalomyopathies." Encephalomyopathy, in lay language, means
widespread damage to the brain and spinal cord.
"HIV Dementia": Although most retrospective studies have not found AZT to be
associated with "HIV dementia", these studies were uncontrolled and thus open
to all sorts of confounding variables and biases. One of the better controlled
studies did find that "HIV dementia" was twice as likely to happen in people
taking AZT. In this study, published in the journal Neurology (5), the authors
state:
"among subjects with CD4+ cell counts < 200/mm3, the risk of developing HIV
dementia among those reporting any antiretroviral use (AZT, ddI, ddC, or d4T)
was 97% higher than among those not using this antiretroviral therapy"
They also discuss sensory neuropathy, or degeneration of sensory nerves
stating:
"In addition, the findings of our analysis seem to confirm previous observation
of a neurotoxic effect of antiretroviral agents. Numerous studies have linked
the use of ddI, ddC, and d4T to the development of toxic sensory neuropathies,
usually in a dose-response fashion."
These studies are but a sample of the evidence that suggest that AZT and other
"antiretrovirals" used as monotherapy or as parts of protease inhibitor
cocktail regimens are causing a variety of AIDS-like symptoms which are being
blamed on HIV. Unfortunately, the beliefs about HIV are so strong that many of
the author's of the studies come out supporting the use of the drugs. A notable
exception is the study in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, which provides a
thorough and devastating critique (2). Another fact that raises serious
questions about the possibility of HIV causing disease is the fact that even
after some $45 billion dollars of research funds, scientists cannot figure out
how it supposedly destroys T-cells. This is because it does not destroy T-cells
in test tubes and has never been shown to destroy them in humans, either. At a
conference in 1997, as reported in the journal, Science, this fact was made
very clear as the theories espoused by David Ho et al. were revelaed to have
serious flaws. As stated in the Science article "Yet the central; mystery of
AIDS remains unresolved: How does the virus cause the severe loss of T-cells...
which is the hallmark of the disease?" An immunologist from Harvard Medical
School, as quoted in the same article, summed up the problem as follows: "We
are still very confused about the mechanisms that lead to T-cell depletion, but
at least now we are confused at a higher level of understanding" (6). A simpler
explanation of these problems, especially after $45 billion, is that HIV does
not affect T-cells, at all.
A LIKELY EXPLANATION FOR THE "COURSE" OF AIDS
Based partly on this evidence, a compelling argument can be made that much of
what we call AIDS is a self-fulfilling prophecy which might happen as follows:
a) The severe, acute psychological stress of being diagnosed "HIV Positive" is
quickly transformed into a severe, chronic psychological stress of living with
a prediction of a horrifying decline that could start at any time. This causes
a dangerous suppression of the immune system. This immunosuppressive effect of
chronic psychological stress is well documented in scientific studies and also
is a common part of most people's personal experience (7). In addition, people
are more likely to be tested for HIV when there is already some health problem
present, so that the psychological stress adds to significant stress due to the
illness already present. These illnesses are often severe and chronic in
nature. It is not necessary, however, for prior illness to be present. These
factors have been studied in healthy people where they create the very same
immunosuppression and immune dysregulation that may later be called "AIDS".
b) Once tested, people are often put on long-term and high doses of the most
potent broad-spectrum antibiotics, if not antiretrovirals also, as a
preventative measure and/or treatment for illnesses. These antibiotics often
have debilitating side effects which are easily blamed on HIV, including immune
suppression. Perhaps more significantly, they lead to a complete disruption of
our normal microbial flora. The healthy balance of flora in our
gastrointestinal tract and elsewhere is one of our most important protectors
against infection (8). On top of all this, these antibiotics also often lead to
the development of multidrug-resistant strains of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
c) Once the immune system starts to crack under the strain of the emotional
stress, previous health problems (if there were any), and disrupted natural
defenses, the diagnosis of AIDS is made. Then the person is started on the "antiretrovirals", if not already on them, whose toxic effects are described
above. More and more people are being placed on these drugs when they are still
healthy and have not been diagnosed with "AIDS".
d) The new "cocktails" are to be given until the patient dies, with no
exceptions, if possible. This is because of the theory that mutant, drug
resistant, HIV will flourish if they go off of their treatment. Patients who
abandon "antiretroviral" treatment would then, theoretically, be a public
health threat because they might infect others with their "mutated HIV". Thus,
aside from considering their own health, the patient has a larger social
responsibility to stay on the "cocktail". No matter how debilitating the "side
effects", it is heavily stressed that the patient must not miss a single dose.
When the patient's health begins to fail, the failure is blamed on the effects
of this "mutated HIV", possibly due to the patients "poor compliance." Rarely
are the drug toxicities and complications caused by the treatment held
responsible.
Some people seem to respond well (at least temporarily) to these
"antiretroviral" regimens. The reasons for this are unclear, but may be related
to:
1) Direct actions of the drugs on many possible pathogens including,
possibly, HIV.
2) Toxic substances have been observed to stimulate the release
of T cells from the bone marrow, before eventually exhausting the supply and
causing immune cell depletion and anemia. The initial rise in CD4 counts seen
in this case is interpreted as improved immune function.
3) Relief of the
severe psychological stress due to the powerful belief that these drugs are
"life-saving". This is often reinforced by rising CD4 counts and falling "viral
load", which are doubtful and non-specific markers of actual health.
Scientific studies attempting to document positive effects of protease
inhibitor (PI) "cocktails" are of questionable value. Every one has been
stopped early when the "home team" is ahead. This skews any attempt at finding
benefit in the same way that continually stopping sporting events as soon as
the home team is ahead would. Even worse, all of the studies of protease
inhibitor combination therapy have been stopped before statistical significance
is even reached.(1)
In addition, the control groups' "placebos" were 2
antiretroviral drugs with no protease inhibitor. If the "antiretrovirals" are
part of the problem then these so-called "placebo controlled" trials will not
reveal it. Stopping the trials early was also the case with AZT monotherapy,
until the Concorde study finally went to completion and found greater deaths
and "adverse events" in the group that got AZT as a preventative measure. The
other group, in which people were only given AZT after being diagnosed with an
AIDS-defining condition, had about 25% fewer deaths. Of the 172 Concorde
participants who died all but 3 were on AZT at some point. (For more discussion
of the Concorde see appendix (1)(9)(10)
The idea that mutated strains of HIV are capable of causing health problems has
been completely disproven by the work of David Rasnick, who published his
results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. (11). Thus, the decline seen in
most patients is NOT due to "mutated HIV". A much more simple answer is that
the combined effects described above finally take over completely, and often
irrevocably.
References:
1) Lancet; 1998: Volume 352; Supplement 5.
2) These studies of T-cell damage are part of a comprehensive discussion
of the extreme toxicity of these drugs. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 1992;
Volume 55: 201-277.
3) Annals of Hematology 1994; Volume 69: 135-138.
4) New England Journal of Medicine. 1990; 322(16) : 1098-1105.
5) Neurology. 1994;Volume 44: 1892 -1900.
6) Science. November 21, 1997; 278: 1399-1400.
7) Ader R, Felten DL & Cohen N. Psychoneuroimmunology. Second Edition.
San Diego: Academic Press, 1991