Snake Oil... A Warning

May 14, 2006

Since I may not be able to publish for several days, I want to chat about some dangers of being HIV positive and seeking treatment. It is very easy to fall into a trap of looking for a miracle cure. Let me state it plainly - there is at this time - absolutely no cure for HIV. I am unaware of any cure for any virus at all. The difficulty with a retro-virus such as HIV - is that it writes itself into the cell DNA, it may sit there for years in a dorment state and then suddenly become active again. Think of the common cold virus. It remains in your body forever once you have it. Luckily, the body learns to recognize and produce effective antibodies against common cold viruses, so they don't produce further periods of illness later in life. The problem is - that there are so many strains of cold virus. You will have anti-bodies to one, but still be able to get the next one. The best a person can hope for, is to produce effective antibodies that can hold the virus in check in a dormant state.

IF an ad for some product claims to be a cure for HIV or AIDS - or any virus for that matter, don't waste your time, energy and money pursuing it. Saying that - people will still cling to the unlikely chance that it will work. If this is you, please, don't take my word for it. If you must, try it and see if it helps - as long as you make your physician aware of what you are doing, and by no means should you abandon any current therapy. And remember - some of these miracle cures make no specific mention of what they contain. I would give an example - but I would worry that someone would rush to the site and fall for the hype.

Having said this - there are a number of natural products out there that appear to offer some hope for strengthening the immune system against HIV and other pathogens. Question the claims about these products critically before trying them. Ask yourself questions about what you are reading. Is the site invested in what they are reporting - that is, are they trying to sell a product. Does the product list what it's active ingredients are? If so, can other references from independent sources confirm the usefulness of the product.

For example - a number of sites try and sell coconut oil as a potent anti-viral. Doing some research, I was able to independently confirm that coconut oil does have some antiviral components, and research supports that some people will benefit from ingesting it as part of a balanced diet. But always be critical of what you read - even about products that seem to offer some benefit. Try and stick with reputable retailers who have been around awhile. Find out - if you can - why the product is thought to offer protection and see if the retailer knows anything about it. Again - with coconut oil - there are varieties - virgin, dehydrogenated, hydrogenated, etc. Make sure you know what you are buying before commiting to it.

As a healthcare provider, I try to be critical of what I read online - especially when it comes to my health. If any of the information there is confusing, ask me about it. I will do what I can to help. But again - remember - I am only one source of information - and you should take anything I have to say with a grain of salt. I am not trying to sell anything but hope, and that is free to anyone who wants it. And hope for free, is with any luck, worth far more than you pay for it... as long as it is not false hope...

Be Well