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News Roundup [abridged Versions Appear In The Paper Journal]

Nigeria promises free antiretroviral drugs to HIV positive soldiers

BMJ 2002; 324 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7342.870/e (Published 13 April 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;324:870

Rapid Response:

DO Not Give Your Soldiers Toxic Drugs: HIV Does Not Cause AIDS

You do not need to work hard, look that far, or spend billions of
dollars to find out that HIV does not cause AIDS and the treatment of HIV-
positive individuals with toxic and expensive drugs (AZT and protease
inhibitors) is not necessary. I have accomplished that task for you. I
have spent the last five years evaluating the published medical literature
on the worldwide AIDS epidemic. My findings clearly indicated that HIV is
a harmless virus, both in vivo and in vitro. 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, the epidemiology and pathology of AIDS showed that agents and
factors other than HIV are responsible for causing the AIDS epidemic.
Furthermore, the results of clinical trials on AZT and protease inhibitors
have revealed that these agents are poisons and not cures. I described my
results in my book and several articles and my findings have been reviewed
and supported by scientists and physicians [1-2]. The following are the
conclusions of my investigation with clinical examples to illustrate my
points.

High doses of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents
cause AIDS:

In the USA, about 90% of AIDS cases are male homosexuals and
heterosexuals and homosexual drug users. The remainder of the AIDS cases
is hemophiliacs, people received blood transfusion, and infants who had
drug user mothers [1-3]. There are more than forty medical conditions
described in these risk groups that are treated chronically with high
doses of corticosteroids and/or other immunosuppressant agents [1-4].
These conditions are caused by the heavy use of the illicit drugs, alcohol
abuse, side effects of medications, allergic reactions to blood produces,
and/ or infections. The treatment of a patient with prednisone at 60 mg
per day for about three months can actually cause a severe depression in T
cells counts which leads to infection with opportunistic agents
(Tuberculosis, Pneumocyst carrinii, yeast infection, and others) and/ or
the development of cancer (Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma). These illnesses
are called by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) as AIDS-indicator diseases.

My review of Fauci et al. book “Harrison's Principles of Internal
Medicine” revealed that this book contains many prescriptions and
recommendations for the treatment of medical conditions in AIDS risk
groups that call for the use of high doses of corticosteroids and/or other
immunosuppressant agents [3]. These agents and doses are capable of
causing AIDS in patients within a few months of treatment. The following
are a few clinical examples to illustrate my points.

The treatment described on page 1463 of Fauci’s book for patients
suffering from lung fibrosis (LF) can cause AIDS [3]. 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 this 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 the CDC.

The following are two cases of drug user individuals who developed
AIDS in a few months of their treatment with immunossupressants support my
conclusion. 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
[5]. The second case was a 38-year-old homosexual man with a history of
drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections, Burkitt’s-like lymphoma,
acute bronchitis, and focal organizing chronic pneumonia with
granulomatous reaction. He was treated with prednisone at 90 mg per day.
After three weeks of prednisone treatment, he developed Kaposi’s sarcoma
(KS) on the foot, trunk, and upper and lower extremities. KS was regressed
after the cessation of treatment with steroid and the chemotherapy [6].

Furthermore, on page 731, Fauci et al. stated that many common drugs
cause thrombocytopenia. These include chemotherapeutic agents, alcohol,
myelosuppressive drugs, thiazide diuretics, estrogens, antibiotics,
sedative, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, aspirin, sulfa drug, digitoxin,
phenytoin, gold salts, and heparin. They also reported on page 867 that
sulfnamides and trimethoprim (the treatment for Pneumocyst carrinii) cause
severe hematologic complications, including agranulocytosis, hemolytic and
megaloblastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Fauci et al. described the
treatment for thrombocytopenia on page 732 as follows: A 60 mg prednisone
is administered for 4 to 6 weeks and then decreased slowly for over
another a few weeks. 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 [7]. The CDC and Fauci have considered
thrombocytopenia as AIDS-indicator illness based on the assumption that
HIV causes autoimmune disease. This assumption is wrong because AIDS and
autoimmune disease are mutually exclusive illnesses. Patients with AIDS
suffer from reduction in the immune system functions, while patients with
autoimmune disease suffer from hyper-immune system functions. It is hard
to believe that Anthony Fauci who is the expert in both AIDS and
autoimmune diseases missed these basic and well-established facts!

Besides, on page 1,844, Fauci et al. stated, “HIV-infected
individuals experience a variety of joint problems with no obvious cause,
which are referred to genetically as HIV-or AIDS-associated arthropathy.
It generally involves the large joints, predominately knees and ankles”.
Their recommendation for treatment of this condition is intraarticular
steroids [3]. All of us know that AIDS is a disease reported mainly in
the risk groups. This led me to search for causes that may lead to joint
problems in the AIDS risk groups. I began my search with reading Fauci et
al. book and I quickly found what I was looking for [3]. On pages 1,945-9,
they reported, “while Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and
other bacteria are the most common causes of infectious arthritis, various
mycobacteria, spirochetes, fungi, and viruses also infect joints.
Bacterial infections can rapidly destroy articular cartilage. Gonococcal
arthritis, accounting for 70 percent of episodes of infectious arthritis
in person under 40 years of age, results from bacteremia arising from
gonococcal infection or, more frequently, from asymptomatic gonococcal
mucosal colonization of the urethra, cervix, or pharynx”. They also
stated on page 737 that “typically, a hemophiliac patient presents with
pain followed by swelling in a weight-bearing joint, such as the hip,
knee, or ankle.

It is very hard to believe that the proponents of the HIV-hypothese
claimed that individuals in AIDS risk groups develop joint diseases with
no obvious reasons and the entire pathology and the list of factual causes
for this illness are described in their book. They should be asked to
explain their logic!

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 [8]. 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. Can the US
CDC and A. Fauci provide us with a single case of AIDS caused by HIV? You
should ask them. They have spent billions of dollars of your tax money and
you are entitled for a straightforward answer.

Furthermore, Pneumocystis carinii (PC) is one of the opportunistic
infection classified by the CDC as an AIDS-defining disease. My review of
the medical literature showed that this disease has existed long before
HIV. Fauci et al. reported that Pneumocystis carinii is an opportunistic
pathogen whose natural habitat is the lung and this organism is an
important cause of pneumonia in the compromised host. P. carinii pneumonia
occurs in premature and malnourished infants; children with primary
immunodeficiency diseases; and patients receiving immunosuppressive
therapy (particularly glucocorticoids) for cancer, organ transplantation,
and other disorders. Symptoms often began after the glucocorticoid dose
has been tapered [3]. Sepkowitz et al. conduced a twelve-year
retrospective review from a tertiary-care cancer center that included 134
HIV-negative cancer patients. Corticosteroids were found to be a
significant risk factor for PCP in 116 (87%) of these patients. The median
maximum corticosteroid dose was 80 mg prednisone and the median length of
time receiving corticosteroids was 3 months [9].

Glucocorticoid is also one of the agents described by Fauci et al. as
treatment for PCP [3, 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 that cause severe depression in T cell counts
and the functions of the immune system are used to treat PCP and other
opportunistic infections in AIDS patients. This is just adding gasoline
on fire! This approach is scientifically unjustified. It definitely
prolongs the life of the AIDS epidemic but not the life of the patient.

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 as an AIDS-
indicator disease. It is also treated with glucocorticoid at dosage level
that can cause AIDS as previously explained. It seems that the
possibilities of inducing AIDS in patients with medications are endless. I
hope that Anthony Fauci and the CDC take these facts in their
considerations in their war on AIDS.

In addition, Fauci et al. stated on page 1,842 of their book “HIV-
associated nephropathy closely resembles the heroin-associated nephropathy
seen in IDUs. It is now recognized as a true direct complication of HIV
infection. The prototypic lesion of HIV-associated nephropathy is a focal
segmental glomerulosclerosis, which is seen in approximately 80 percent of
patients with this complication and occurs predominately in IDUs (heroin)
blacks” [3]. However, on page 1,550 of the same book, they reported, “
intravenous heroin use is associated with an increased incidence of focal
and segmental glomerulosclerosis (heroin-associated nephropathy) and
occurs predominantly in blacks”.

It is astonishing to see that Fauci and his colleagues are calling
the heroin induced kidney lesion that was described in their book and the
medical literature as an HIV disease. Gross examined biopsies from the
kidneys of 14 drug users and found that 11 (79%) of them show focal
segmental glomerulosclerosis [10]. Medical problems are best evaluated by
using a differential diagnose. It seems that Anthony Fauci and the CDC
have used the exact-opposite approach when dealing with the AIDS epidemic.
They called drug-related illnesses as HIV diseases. Additionally, the
standard treatment for nephritic syndrome is also high doses of
glucocorticoids for two months or more and in some cases this treatment is
combined with cytotoxic drug and other immunosuppressive agents as stated
in Fauci’s book on page 1541 [3]. This treatment can also cause AIDS.

Furthermore, my investigation 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. Fauci et al. also stated that endocrine and metabolic
abnormalities are frequently seen in HIV-infected individuals and most HIV
-infected individuals studied at autopsy had involvement of adrenal glands
[3]. The most common abnormality seen in HIV-infected individuals is
hyponatremia, seen in up to 30 percents of patients. They also reported 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 [3]. However, Fauci and his colleagues have not
considered the involvement of corticosteroids in the pathogenesis of AIDS
in risk groups. This is highly puzzling to me!

The reversal of CD4+ T cells depletion in the peripheral blood was
reported in HIV-positive homosexual men after the termination of their
treatment with glucocorticoids [1, 2, 11]. For example, 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 become 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.

This case also provided very interesting 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 is
highly influenced by the glucocorticoid treatment and the presence of
other infectious agents that caused by this 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!

Besides, people with AIDS usually suffer from severe loss of CD4 T
cells, CD8 T cells, and other white blood cells. The lymph nodes of AIDS
patients show 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
immunossuppressant agents. Fauci’s study also supports my observations
[12]. He and his colleagues examined lymph nodes from HIV-positive AIDS
patients and found that all types of lymphocytes depleted and these
changes were unrelated to HIV. They stated that “apoptosis was not
restricted only to CD4+ T cells; both B cells and CD8+ T cells were found
to undergo apoptosis. The increased intensity of the apoptotic phenomenon
in HIV infection is caused by the general state of immune activation, and
is independent of the progression of HIV activities and the levels of
viral load”.

It is hard to believe that Fauci and his colleagues had overlooked
their own conclusions that the death of T and B lymphocytes in HIV-
positive AIDS patients is unrelated to HIV. Even they stated their
conclusions in the title of their article, which states “ Intensity of
apoptosis correlates with the general state of activation of the lymphoid
tissue and not with stage of disease or viral burden”. The title of this
article said it all! The death of lymphocytes in HIV-positive patients
with AIDS is caused by factor(s) other than HIV. It means that HIV does
not kill cells or causes AIDS. This article was published in 1995 in the
Journal of Immunology [12]. I am elated that Fauci and his colleagues
provided the proof that “HIV does not cause AIDS” roughly three years in
advance of me. Most certainly, they should definitely get the credit for
this important discovery.

AIDS in Africa is an ancient disease and severe starvation causes
AIDS:

Fauci and the proponents of the HIV-hypothesis are aware of the high
prevalence of malnutrition in Africa and other developing countries.
However, they excluded this important factor from the pathogenesis of
AIDS. Fauci et al. stated that the magnitude of malnutrition problem
worldwide is immense. Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) may be present in
endemic form in developing nations and under famine conditions; the
prevalence may approach 25 percent [3]. The functions of the immune system
are impaired in malnourished individuals and this impairment usually
reversed by feeding proper diet in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive
individuals [1, 2, 3, 13]. For instance, in a study involving 110
malnourished children, the thymic area was found to be 20% of the size in
healthy children and the size of the thymus increased to 107% of normal
following 9 weeks of proper feeding.

In a second study, Fawzi et al. gave 1,075 HIV-infected pregnant
women between 12 and 27 weeks' gestation vitamin A (n=269), multivitamins
excluding vitamin A (n=269), multivitamins including vitamin A (n=270), or
a placebo (n=267). All T-cells subsets (CD4+, CD8+, and CD3+) increased in
all treatment groups from baseline levels during pregnancy and 6 weeks
following delivery. There was a significantly larger increase in the CD4+
T cell counts among women assigned multivitamins. The mean increase
between baseline and 6 weeks postpartum was 167 cells/µL. Vitamin
supplementation also decreased the risk of low birth weight (<2500 g)
by 44%, severe preterm birth (<34 weeks of gestation) by 39% and small
size for gestational age at birth by 43% [13].

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 cures for AIDS [1, 2,
14]. For example, Fischl et al. gave AZT to 524 subjects who had a first
episode of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [14]. In the AZT treated
individuals, additional AIDS-defining opportunistic infections developed
in 429 subjects (82%); the neutrophil counts declined to less than 34% of
baseline in 230 subjects; and the hemoglobin levels declined to less than
66% of baseline in 178 subjects. At 24 months of treatment, the mortality
rates were 66% and 73% in the low and standard AZT doses, respectively.
These results invalidate claims that AZT increased survival of patients
with AIDS and AZT can be used as a therapeutic agent to treat illnesses.

Furthermore, the following is a list of some of the serious adverse
reactions to AZT that have been observed in infants, children, and adults
who took AZT for certain periods of time. It tells the story of the
suffering of patients treated with AZT. These reactions include:
Neutropenia, granulocytopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, myopathy and
myositis, hepatomegaly with steatosis, hepatitis, pancreatitis, lactic
acidosis, sensitization reactions, hyperbilirubinemia, vasculitis,
abdominal pain, back pain, body odor, chest pain, chills, edema of the
lip, fever, flu syndrome, hyperalgesia, syncope, vasodilation, bleeding
gums, constipation, diarrhea, dysphagia, edema of the tongue, eructation,
flatulence, mouth ulcer, rectal hemorrhage, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia,
muscle spasm, tremor, twitch, anxiety, confusion, depression, dizziness,
emotional lability, loss of mental acuity, nervousness, paresthesia,
somnolence, vertigo, cough, dyspnea, epistaxis, hoarseness, pharyngitis,
rhinitis, sinusitis, acne, changes in skin and nail pigmentation,
pruritus, rash, sweat, urticaria, amblyopia, hearing loss, photophobia,
taste perversion, dysuria, polyuria, urinary frequency, and urinary
hesitancy [1, 3, 4].

In addition to AZT, AIDS patients are also treated with protease
inhibitors and other antiviral agents, which are equal or more toxic than
AZT. The following is a list of adverse reactions to fortovase: Confusion;
ataxia and weakness; seizures; headache; acute myeloblastic leukemia;
hemolytic anemia; thrombocytopenia; intracrainial hemorrhage leading to
death; attempted suicide; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; bullous skin eruption
and polyarthritis; severe cutaneous reaction; increased liver function
tests; exacerbation of chronic liver disease with grade 4 elevated liver
function tests; jaundice; ascites; pancreatitis leading to death;
intestinal obstruction; portal hypertension; thrombophlebitis; peripheral
vasoconstriction; nephrolithiasis; and renal insufficiency [4].

Save your people from death by prescriptions and save your money:

The medical evidence presented in this article show clearly that the
US CDC and Anthony Fauci have not used standard medical procedures to
solve the AIDS epidemic.
The correct approach for investigating the cause(s) of any disease is by
evaluating all possible factors and agents and excluding those appear
unrelated to the event investigated. It appears that Fauci and the CDC
have taken the exact-opposite approach. They call well-established
symptoms and lesions resulting from the use of drugs and medications,
severe starvation, and infections as HIV diseases. Fauci calls heroin-
induced kidney disease; medications-induced thromocytopenia and adrenal
insufficiency; and joint problems resulted from infections as HIV
diseases. It appears that Fauci and the CDC have been highly influenced by
the HIV-hypothesis and the greed behind it that have made them to lose
focus. Their actions have led to the expansion of the AIDS epidemic by
giving people medicines that cause AIDS.

I hope that people in America and abroad, especially physicians and
scientists will take the time to study the information presented in this
article with the cited articles to learn about the factual causes of AIDS,
and the suffering of individuals, who are unnecessarily treated with toxic
drugs. People should contact their governments to request an urgent
investigation of this important matter. Waiting will not make AZT and
protease inhibitors cure AIDS. However, it will cause millions of people
to lose their lives via “ Death by Prescriptions”. So please act now!

References

[1] Al-Bayati, MA. Get All The Facts: HIV does not cause AIDS. Toxi-
Health International, Dixon, CA 1999 [http://www.toxi-health.com].

[2] Al-Bayati, MA. Stop Giving People Toxic Drugs: HIV Does Not Cause
AIDS. The British Medical April 4, 2002
[http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7340/757#responses]

[3] Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isslbacher KJ, Wilson, JD, Martin JB,
Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL. Harrison's Principles of Internal
Medicine. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York USA, ed. 14, 1998

[4] USPDI. Drug Information for the health care professional. Volume
1, 21st Edition, Published & Distributed by Micromedex, Englewood, Co,
USA

[5] O’Donnell AE, Mappin FG, Sebo TJ, Tazelaar H.: Interstitial
pneumonitis associated with “crack” cocaine abuse. Chest 100(4): 1155-7,
1991

[6] Real FX, Krown SE, and Koziner B: Steroid-Related Development
of Kaposi’s Sarcoma in a Homosexual Man with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Am J Med
1986: 80 (1): 119-122, 1986

[7] Akmal SN, Wahab YA.: Kaposi’s sarcoma following long term steroid
therapy. Malays J. Pathol 1989; 11:65-68, 1989

[8] Schottstaedt MW, Hurd ER, Stone MJ: Kaposi’s sarcoma in
rheumatoid arthritis. Am J Med 82(5): 1021-6, 1987

[9] Sepkowitz KA, Brown AE, Telzak EE, et al.: Pneumocystis carinii
pneumonia among patients without AIDS at a cancer hospital. JAMA
1992;267(6):832-7, 1992

[10] Gross EM: Autopsy findings in drug addicts. Pathol Annu 13 Pt
2:35-67, 1978

[11] Silver S, Wahl SM, Orkin BA, Orenstein JM. Changes in
circulating levels of HIV, CD4, and tissue expression of HIV in a patient
with recent-onset ulcerative colitis treated by surgery, Case report.
Journal of Human Virology 1999; 2:52-7

[12] Muro-Cacho CA, Pantaleo G, Fauci AS. Analysis of apoptosis in
lymph nodes of HIV-infected persons. Intensity of apoptosis correlates
with the general state of activation of the lymphoid tissue and not with
stage of disease or viral burden. J. Immunol 1995; 154:5555-66

[13] Fawzi WW, Msamanga GI, Spiegelman D, et al. Randomized trial
effects of vitamin supplements on pregnancy outcomes and T cell counts in
HIV-1-infected women in Tanzania. The Lancet 1998; 351:1447-1482

[14] Fischl MA, Corette BP, Pettinelli C, et al., 1990. A
randomized controlled trial of a reduced daily dose of zidovudine in
patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The New England
Journal of Medicine 1990; 323: 1009-14.

Competing interests: No competing interests

07 May 2002
Mohammed Ali Al-Bayati
President, Toxicologist, and Pathologist
Toxi-Health International, 150 Bloom Dr., Dixon, California 95620, USA