Mark Konlee
Massachusetts, USA:
This past summer, Karen M wanted to get off of the drug cocktail she was on not liking the side effects, especially from the Sustiva. However, her stats looked good on the drugs. In May, 2001, her CD4 count was 910 and her viral load was non-detectable. In spite of this, she wanted to try a different treatment as she did not like how the drugs made her feel. She told me she wanted to try immunized eggs with personal transfer factor.
I told her that to produce the immunized eggs, she would need to expose the chickens to her own blood but that with a non-detectable viral load, there was little chance of success. I told her she would need to go off the drug cocktail for 2 or 3 weeks until the viral load was 5000 or higher before attempting to immunize the chickens.
She said that should not be a problem adding: “about a year ago I did this and the viral load jumped to over 100,000 in 4 weeks.” Karen made arrangements to send a blood sample to a farmer who would inoculate the chickens with a few drops of her blood, but first she decided she would stop the drug cocktail she was on and wait for the viral load to come back so she could proceed with the plan to produce personal immunized eggs.
On August 1, 2001, Karen stopped the drug cocktail. She called and I suggested she wait 3 weeks and get retested to see what the viral load was. She hadn’t been tested since May and wanted a base line for the planned experiment. Around August 21st she had blood drawn for a viral load test and T cell count.
About a week later, Karen called me and said we had a problem. She told me that viral load came back at 100.
At first I replied: 100,000? She NO, just 100. I said: Well that is puzzling. It doesn’t look like you will need or are able to produce any immunized eggs at this time. I told her there was nothing she could do at this time except to wait for the viral load to come back before proceding with the experiment. I suggested she wait until early October and get another lab test. She also said her CD4 count had increased to 1094.
On October 23, she returned to her physician having remained off the prescription drugs for HIV since August 1st. She visited her physician for the results about a month later. The last week of November, she called to give me some startling news.
Her CD4 count had further increased from 1094 to 1407 and her viral load was now 256. I said: in eleven weeks, your viral load inched forward to 256 and your CD4 count jumped by over 200 to 1407. Incredible, I said. What are you doing?
Karen: I don’t know. I’ve been taking 2 Transfer Factor Plus capsules daily since early this year; also 500 mg of Beta glucan (Chisolm Biologicals).
Mark: How much selenium?
Karen: I take 200 mcg and I get another 200 mcg in a Multiple Vitamin formula I use almost every day.
Mark: Are you doing anything different in the past several months that you were not doing one year ago?
Karen: Well, let me think. Yes, I have been eating a handful of raw nuts daily. I eat a mixture of Sunflower seeds, Almonds and Brazil nuts that I snack on 2 or 3 times daily to help control my blood sugar.
Mark: Brazil nuts have the highest amount of selenium of any food in nature. When did you start eating Brazil nuts?
Karen: I started eating the mixture with the Brazil nuts in May (2001).
Mark: How many Brazil nuts do you eat daily?
Karen: I would say 6 or 7 total.
Mark: Lets add it up. The Brazil nuts contain from 50 to 100 mcg of selenium per nut or an average of 75 mcg per nut. 7 x 75 = 525 mcg of selenium. Add this to 400 mcg from the supplements you take plus about 75 mcg from other food sources and your total selenium intake daily is about 1000 mcg or one milligram daily. That is a therapeutic dose. Now, your CD4 count has increased from 910 in May to 1407 in October. After going off the drug cocktail for 11 weeks, your viral load is not over 100,000 as would be expected but a mere 256.
Something extraordinary is happening here - either the selenium, the transfer factor plus or the beta glucan or all three are causing your immune system to control the HIV naturally without using the drugs. Published research states that selenium in Brazil nuts is bound to either methionine or cysteine. Brazil nuts may turn out to have functional value in treating AIDS and just possibly hepatitis and cancer too. What about CFIDS and candidiasis?
Karen: I am very pleased with the recent lab results. I have never had a CD4 count this high. My doctor is floored.
Mark: Let us hope these results can be duplicated in other persons with HIV/AIDS. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Karen wishes to remain anonymous. Hopefully, we will start see more success with selenium at therapeutic dosage levels and more persons will go public with their name and email address. The good news is that selenium is a low-cost treatment; no adverse side effects have been reported and none are expected at these doses. The formula we are using for prevention/maintenance is 50 mcg per 20 lbs of body weight. For a therapeutic dose, double it to 100 mcg per 20 lbs of body weight.
“A” is the single most important vitamin for immunity against cancer and infectious disease The research uncovered so far indicates that if selenium is the most important mineral for immunity and preventing cancer, then vitamin A is the most important vitamin for these purposes as well. In his book “Complete Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements,” Dr. H. Winter Griffith MD states that vitamin A:
“aids in treatment of many eye disorders, including prevention of night blindness and formation of visual purple in the eye; promotes bone growth, teeth development, reproduction; helps form and maintain healthy skin, hair, mucus membranes; build body’s resistance to respiratory infections; helps treat acne, impetigo, boils, carbuncles, open ulcers when applied externally.”
Vitamin A is essential for normal function of the retina; may act as a CO-factor in enzyme systems; necessary for growth of bones, testicular function, ovarian function, embryonic development and differentiation of tissues.
Vitamin A should not be confused with beta carotene. Beta carotene found in carrots and many other vegetables is a precursor to making vitamin A. However, in today’s toxic world, the liver may be unable to make the conversion of beta carotent to A. Many people who have a toxic liver and take high doses of beta carotene may actually be deficient in vitamin A.
A study done on 98 persons with various types of gastrointestinal malignancies against a control of 40 healthy persons measured the levels of vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin and alfa and beta carotene(1). Of the 98 persons, 44 had colon cancer, 21 gastric cancer, 15 liver cancer, 8 with esophagus cancer and 10 with pancreatic cancer. It was found that the serum level of vitamin A and zeaxanthin were significantly lower in the patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. The healthy patients had nearly 3 times as much vitamin A and 5 times as much zeaxanthin as the persons with cancer. The other carotenoids were basically the same in both groups.
Yang wl et al at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Phildelphia, PA, found that exposure of human colon cancer cells to retinoid compounds derived from vitamin A increased the apoptosis (destruction) of the cancer cell as well as inhibited the COX-2 enzyme(2). The results of these experiments suggest that the use of vitamin A at therapeutic dosage levels will inhibit colon cancer as well as some auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers have found that retinoids derived from vitamin A inhibited breast cancer lines and even pancreatic cancer. Contreras Vidaurre et al found that both synthetic and natural vitamin A derivatives suppressed head, neck and lung cancer(3).
Researchers at the University of Chicago have found that a deficiency of vitamin A has been associated with a shift in the cytokine profile from Th1 to Th2 in children with TB and that vitamin A therapy could help shift the cytokine profile in the Th1 direction (4). A predominance of Th2 cytokines, IL4,5,6 and 10 have been associated with both AIDS and cancer progression.
There are hundreds of published scientific articles that show a relationship between vitamin A deficiency and a tendency toward cancer but just as importantly that vitamin A therapy can suppress the growth of many types of cancers alone or in combination with other treatments.
1. Rumi G et al, J Physiol Paris, 2001 Jan; 95(1-6):239-42
2. Yang WL et al, Carcinogenesis. 2001 Sep;22(9):1379-83
3. Med Oral. 2001 Mar-Apr;6(2):114-23
4. Hanekom WA et al; Program Abstr Intersci conf Antimicrob Agents Chemotherapy. 1996 Sep 15-18;152
In persons recently exposed to the HIV virus, it has been found that they become deficient almost immediately in vitamin A, E and B12 and that falling serum levels of these vitamins correlated to the CD4 counts (1).
Low serum levels of vitamin A have been found to increase the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission in patients attending STD clinics in Pune, India, in 1996. In fact, persons with the lowest amounts of vitamin A (less than .075 m moles/l) were 21 times more likely to get infected with HIV than those with vitamin A levels higher than .075 m moles/l (2).
Combine vitamin A deficiency with selenium deficiency and bare backing (sex without condoms) and you have a prescription for an AIDS epidemic.
A study done at John Hopkins University in 1993 on 179 intravenous drug users found that vitamin A deficiency was associated with a decrease in CD4 helper cell counts and increased mortality (death) during HIV infection (3).
In Tanzania, Africa, 687 children were involved in a study using vitamin A in 3 single doses of 400,000 iu each spaced 4 months apart. At the end of the study, Fawi w et al stated that in HIV positive children, vitamin A reduced all-cause mortality by 49% (4).
1. Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11;9:528 (abstract no PO-B36-2357).
2. Int conf AIDS 2000 Jul9-14;13:abstract no MoPeB2149
3. Semba Rd et al, Int Aids Conf 1993 Jun 6-11 abstract no PO-C04-2639
4. Fawi w et al, Int AIDS Conf, 1998; 12:840 abstract no 170/42331
If we believe the government, then we should not take more than 5000 i.u. of vitamin A daily as adults. I, for one, do not believe in these fickle doses that are not supported by good scientific research. With the possible exception of pregnant womem, the published research does not support going to these ridiculously low levels.
The owner of a local health food store told me recently he has taken 50,000 iu of vitamin A daily for several years and has had no side effects from it. He did tell me of one lady who developed vitamin A toxicity because she did not follow directions. Here is what he said:
“She came into my store and complained about a chronic respiratory infection that would not go away. I suggested she take 200,000 i.u. of vitamin A for 2 months and then stop. A year and a half later, she walked in my store and told me her hair was falling out and the skin on her hands was peeling. I remembered her and asked her if she had stopped taking the vitamin A. She said she had not and had been taking it at the 200,000 i.u. daily dose for the past year and a half. She immediately stopped taking the vitamin A and in 3 weeks all her symptoms subsided and she is fine.”
Needless to say, I am told the respiratory infection was gone within a few weeks of mega-dosing on the vitamin A. In another report, a health care practitioner in Tennessee told me of a client who came to him with 5 lumps in her breast. He suggested she take 250,000 i.u of vitamin A for 2 months and then to stop. Four months later she walked in the store and he asked her how she was doing. She said: “fine, the lumps were gone within two weeks. Now I got another problem, my hair is starting to fall out.” The store owner then asked if she had stopped taking the vitamin A. She said: was I suppose to stop? He said Yes. That’s why your hair is starting to fall out. She stopped mega-dosing on the vitamin A and in a few weeks, her hair was normal again.
The lessons to learn her is that you can use a vitamin or mineral as a drug but you need to know when to reduce dosage or stop for a while to clear excess buildup then resume a safer therapeutic dosage level. From all my research a safe therapeutic dosage level is 25000 to 50000 i.u daily for adults. If using Cod liver oil, one or two tablespoons daily. Two tablespoons of Cod Liver oil give you about 25000 iu of vitamin A and adequate vitamin D to go with it.
If taking capsules, a good formula for preventive maintenance is 2500 iu per 20 pounds of body weight. A safe therapeutic dosage level is 5000 i.u. per 20 pounds of body weight. Every 6 months, take two weeks off and use none at all. If you have any concerns about vitamin A toxicity, have your physician monitor blood levels of vitamin A every 6 months and also selenium if you decide to also use it at therapeutic dosage levels.
Within the past few months, the success reports of using selenium at therapeutic doses (100 mcg per 20 lbs of body weight) have been electrifying in the hepatitis cases and now in two HIV+ persons. Now as we seek to build on this success, adding vitamin A at a therapeutic or even preventive dosage level seems like the next logical thing to do. Finally, if someone needs more, they can top off this with Maitake mushroom capsules, 7 three times daily. (300 mg ea.) Total 6300 mg daily. Remember the 2 guys in England who got rid of the KS lesions with the Maitake? I really think this would be a high powered combination for immune restoration. Possibly this combination will effectively replace the drug cocktails, chemotherapy too? All this remains to be seen.
Electromagnetic radiation blankets the planet from the earth and sky. Persons with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) often report they have electrical sensitivity (ES). These people develop a number of debilitating symptoms if they are near a Cellular Phone Towers or high power transmission lines. Many cannot stand to be near microwave ovens or even computer screens.
Dr. Roger Santini in France analyzed responses to a questionnaire of 530 residents who live a varying distances to Cellular Phone Towers. The closer persons lived to a Cellular Phone Tower, the more symptoms were reported.
Symptoms reportedly due to ES include fatigue, irritability, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, depressive tendency, loss of memory and concentration, skin problems, visual disturbances and dizziness.
Dr. Santini found that 72% of those who lived less than 10 meters from a tower complained of fatigue very often compared to 27.2% who lived over 300 meters away. Fatigue was the number one symptom reported followed by sleep disturbances. The further away from the tower someone was, the fewer were the symptoms.
These excerpts were taken from the Cellular Phone Task Force, PO Box 1337, Mendocino, CA 95460 718-434-4499 written and published by Arthur Firstenberg. For a copy of Vol. 3, No 2, include $4.00. There are a number of informative articles in this 32 page magazine like one on Computer vision and memory loss, attention deficit disorder, and asthma increasing in children at an alarming rate world-wide that is linked to an increase in radio waves.
Some time ago, one of our readers, a health care professional, suggested that persons with electrical sensitivities build a “Faraday Cage.” Apparently, this is a cage above or surrounding an individual that is made of copper screen or foil (sheet metal) and is grounded. It blocks most radio, television, satellite, cellular phone transmissions and other electromagnetic pollution.
A search of the internet found www.hollandshielding.com/eng-faraday.htm that offers a “Instant Faraday Cage” and also a MU-Copper foil with adhesive that is 1000 mm wide and shields electrical fields up to 120db. The company is located in the Netherlands. Ph no 31-78-6131366. The foil is used to cover the ceiling and walls of a room to create a Faraday Cage that offers almost complete protection against electromagnetic frequencies.
A search for copper foil wallpaper has turned up nothing. A search in the local Phone directory Yellow pages under “copper” turned up some interesting leads as was one under “sheet metal.” Possibly, a copper cone, canopy or “roof” over the sleeping area could be built to block out undesired electrical, radio and microwave frequencies.
Can you help us with a year-end tax deductible donation?
United Kingdom 11/13/01
Dear Mark,
Simon Caleb here. I have some amazing results I'd like to share with other HIV sufferers. Since 1997 I have suffered from sinking stools which were small in diameter (pencil width). I read some article that the above combo would improve Seborohic Dermatitis, which I suffer from more often than not, esp. when I over do the sugar & get stressed. Anyhow I started on the following,
Selenium liquid - 900 mcg daily in divided doses.
L-Methionine - 500 mg - one a day.
E-400 i.u. - 100 caps, natural mix Vit E - one a day
Three days later I noticed my first floaters, it's now 46 days since starting the above & they have increased in diameter to normal size, I did stop the above protocol for 6 days & my stools stopped floating & reduced in size, so I'm sure it's the above that works. My scalp Dermatitis has also improved & continues to do so. Blood wise my CD8 count has reduced somewhat to a mid-normal range from being extremely high for the past 4 years. Since using the higher dose of selenium, my CD4s have increased from 350 to 460. I also take zinc sulfate and magnesium sulfate. Sincerely, Simon Caleb. simon@guni.net
In the current issue of Positive Health News (No 23) Fall, 2001, I proposed a triple therapy consisting of a therapeutic dose of selenium with just two of the FDA approved drugs for treating HIV. In November, after publication of the current issue, I received an email message from Simon Caleb who lives in the UK and in an exchange of emails found out he had already done successfully what I had proposed. The following are excerpts from a recent phone interview.
Mark: First, I want to thank you for sharing your experiences with our readers. It is interesting that the combination of selenium, methionine and vitamin E would lead to larger diameter stools and floaters. As you know, floaters are always a good sign. In persons HIV+ floaters are usually associated with an increase in CD4 helper T cells. Before I get in to the subject matter too deeply, why don’t you tell us a little about your past.
Simon: OK. I was first diagnosed in 1996 with a CD4 count of 17 and a viral load of 300,000. I tried different combinations of prescribed drugs. By November of 1999 I had a non-detectable viral load. By January, 2000, my CD4 count was up to 190. I decided I needed to do more and started taking selenium, about 400 mcg daily. I also did the whole lemon/olive oil drink, but not on a regular daily basis. Gradually my CD4 count increased up to 350 by August of 2001.
Mark: What drug combination were you on in August, 2001?
Simon: I was on Sustiva, Zerit and Epivir.
Mark: I understand that you are now using just two drugs along with selenium, vitamin E and L-methionine. When did you double the daily dose of selenium to 900 mcg and what two drugs are you now using?
Simon: Since September, 2001, I’ve been on Videx (DDI) and Sustiva along with 900 mcg daily of selenium and the vitamin E and L-methionine. About the middle of October, I had the lab test done that indicated a significant increase in the CD4 counts.
Mark: Videx (DDI) is quite toxic. I think Epivir (3TC) would have been a better choice to use with Sustiva. How are you tolerating it?
Simon: So far no problem.
Mark: What made you decide to use two drugs instead of 3 and then double the dose of selenium?
Simon: I read Richard Passwater’s book on “Selenium Against AIDS and Cancer” and did an internet search on the subject and concluded that 900 mcg was not at a level to cause any problems. Besides, I was getting adverse effects from the Zerit and needed to make a change. Like many others living with this problem, I am searching for a way to survive without the drugs and ultimately find a cure.
Mark: Unless lightning strikes, the whole process of working toward a cure is evolving in steps. From our perspective, we need to validate an effective hybrid cocktail of nutritional/immune-based therapies with just 2 FDA approved drugs to treat HIV. Selenium is a prime candidate for a two drug cocktail as researchers have found it prevents viral mutations and thus drug resistance. Reduce the number of drugs and you reduce the side effects. If we validate that selenium plus 2 drugs works as or more effectively than 3 to 5 drugs to keep the viral load at low or non-detectable levels, then we are making very significant progress and are reducing the side effects by 50 to 75% or more. I think we will need at least a dozen sustained success reports, that are made public, before we experiment with a hybrid cocktail that uses only one prescription drug. There is no point getting ahead of ourselves.
For now at least, we have broken out of the holding pattern we have been in for the past year. The wheels of progress are turning.
I would like now to direct my attention to your experiences with the Maitake mushroom for your KS lesions. Could you tell me what lead up your decision to use Maitake mushrooms.
Simon: First, let me tell you that in 1999, even while I was taking the drugs and had a non-detectable viral load, I had Kaposi Sarcoma lesions all over my body from my head to my toe. I stopped counting after 50 lesions. The doctors wanted me to use chemotherapy but I decided to try the Maitake mushrooms instead. I was told I was playing with my life.
Mark: Why did you choose Maitake mushrooms to treat your KS instead of the chemotherapy?
Simon: The chemo has serious side effects and is not a guarantee of success. I had a friend who had KS lesions in 1999 and he took chemotherapy for two years but eventually it stopped working. When the chemo quit his physician told him there was nothing more he could do for him. My friend went home expecting to die. About a month later, he attended a local AA meeting and learned about a study being planned for persons with HIV, hepatitis C and breast cancer. My friend volunteered for the study to use the Maitake (Grifon) for the KS. He took 7 capsules (300 mg ea.) 3 times a day (21 capsules total).
Within 2 months I saw all his KS lesions disappear. It was a healing miracle, if I can call it that. After I seen what the Maitake mushrooms did for my friend, I decided to give it a try.
Mark: How long did it take to get results?
Simon: It took 8 weeks for all the lesions to be gone.
Mark: What did your doctor say?
Simon: I went to see him about one month after starting on the Maitake when you could clearly see the lesions fading. The doctor folded his arms and his body language was defensive. He said it was fine if I did want the chemo. He said if I would not take the chemo there was nothing he could do for me. A few months later, after my last visit, I found out that he wrote in my medical records that the KS had gone into spontaneous remission.
Mark: Spontaneous remission?
Simon: Yes, can you believe that? What troubles me is his lack of curiosity as to why the KS lesions went away. Remember, my whole body was covered with these lesions and now they are gone. I mean all gone. I felt like the leper Jesus cured 2000 years ago.
Mark: Do you know of anyone else besides you and your friend who used high doses of Maitake mushrooms (2100 mg 3X or 6.3 grams total daily) to treat Kaposi Sarcoma?
Simon: No, I do not. I searched the internet and could not find anyone else with KS who used Maitake to treat it.
Mark: What I find remarkable is that the Maitake mushroom (Grifon) not even the D fraction, was able to accomplish this as a monotherapy. The dose you took is higher that anyone ever suggested - that is remarkable. I don’t know of another person who ever took 21 capsules of Maitake mushroom powder every day to treat any disease. The lesson we learn from these experiences and those of the two persons who used selenium to treat HCV is the dosage used is a ciritical factor in the success of the treatment. It has got to be high enough to reach a therapeutic dosage level, but low enough so as not to produce side effects. If the dose is too small we just won’t see those miraculous results.
by Mayell M.
Altern Med Rev. 2001 Feb;6(1):48-60. Former editor of Natural Health magazine and the author or co-author of five books on alternative medicine, most recently Depression Free for Life with Gabriel Cousens, M.D. Correspondence email: mmayell@mediaone.net
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) is the Japanese name for an edible fungus with a large fruiting body characterized by overlapping caps. It is a premier culinary as well as medicinal mushroom. Maitake is increasingly being recognized as a potent source of polysaccharide compounds with dramatic health-promoting potential.
The most recent development is the MD-fraction, a proprietary maitake extract its Japanese inventors consider to be a notable advance upon the preceding D-fraction. The D-fraction, the MD-fraction, and other extracts, often in combination with whole maitake powder, have shown particular promise as immunomodulating agents, and as an adjunct to cancer and HIV therapy. They may also provide some benefit in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hepatitis.
by Fullerton SA, Samadi AA, Tortorelis DG, Choudhury MS, Mallouh C, Tazaki H, Konno S.
Mol Urol. 2000 Spring;4(1):7-13. Department of Urology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA.
PURPOSE: To explore more effective treatment for hormone-refractory prostate cancer, we investigated the potential antitumor effect of beta-glucan, a polysaccharide of the Maitake mushroom, on prostatic cancer cells in vitro.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human prostate cancer PC-3 cells were treated with various concentrations of the highly purified beta-glucan preparation Grifron-D(R) (GD), and viability was determined at 24 h. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) assay and in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed to unravel the antitumor mechanism of GD.
RESULTS: A dose-response study showed that almost complete (>95%) cell death was attained in 24 h with GD > or = 480 microg/mL. Combinations of GD in a concentration as low as 30 to 60 microg/mL with 200 microM vitamin C were as effective as GD alone at 480 microg/mL, inducing >90% cytotoxic cell death. Simultaneous use with various anticancer drugs showed little potentiation of their efficacy except for the carmustine/GD combination (approximately 90% reduction in cell viability).
The significantly (twofold) elevated LPO level and positive ISH staining of GD-treated cells indicated oxidative membrane damage resulting in apoptotic cell death.
CONCLUSION: A bioactive beta-glucan from the Maitake mushroom has a cytotoxic effect, presumably through oxidative stress, on prostatic cancer cells in vitro, leading to apoptosis. Potentiation of GD action by vitamin C and the chemosensitizing effect of GD on carmustine may also have clinical implications. Therefore, this unique mushroom polysaccharide may have great a potential as an alternative therapeutic modality for prostate cancer.
by Chang R.
Nutr Rev. 1996 Nov;54(11 Pt 2):S91-3. Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA.
Edible mushrooms such as shiitake may have important salutary effects on health or even in treating disease. A mushroom characteristically contains many different bioactive compounds with diverse biological activity, and the content and bioactivity of these compounds depend on how the mushroom is prepared and consumed. It is estimated that approximately 50% of the annual 5 million metric tons of cultivated edible mushrooms contain functional "nutraceutical" or medicinal properties.
In order of decreasing cultivated tonnage, Lentinus (shiitake), Pleurotus (oyster), Auricularia (mu-er), Flammulina (enokitake), Tremella (yin-er), Hericium, and Grifola (maitake) mushrooms have various degrees of immunomodulatory, lipid-lowering, antitumor, and other beneficial or therapeutic health effects without any significant toxicity. Although the data for this functional food class are not as strong as those for other functional foods such as cruciferous vegetables, because of their potential usefulness in preventing or treating serious health conditions such as cancer, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and hypercholesterolemia, functional mushrooms deserve further serious investigation. Additionally, there is a need for epidemiological evidence of the role of this functional food class.
Hi there, Thank you very much for this site. I find it's presence supportive and helpful. To be brief: I started on Sustiva 600 mg daily in last year after liver toxicity with nevirapine (Viramune). Since about the spring of this year I have been troubled with anxiety both in the middle of the night and on waking in the morning. Increased heart rate, paranoia and insecure feelings. They would eventually disappear after an hour or so, but would return if i took an afternoon nap.
As a result of information provided on this site by another person suffering anxiety, I tried their recommendation of ' Moducare '. They suggested doubling the daily dose from 3 to 6 caps. Amazingly it works, I feel much calmer, no more palpitations, paranoia etc. I would just like to thank that person and also endorse 'Moducare'. At £40 for a months supply it is not cheap, however the results are well worth it. Please feel free to print my email address so that others can contact me should they require more info. Thanks Pav I live in the UK. pavji_uk@yahoo.co.uk
Editor’s Note: Magnesium supplement (500 mg) or coral calcium should also reduce anxiety and reduce palpitations.
In the last week of November, a message board was added to our web site for readers to write, leave messages, comment on existing messages or post new messages. Simon Caleb, whom I interviewed for this months report also posted a message on his experiences with selenium and maitake on the message board. I am also considering adding a “Live Chat” room to the web site. When readers visit the message board, post a message if you want me to add the “live chat room” to our web site. Return to home page and click on the link for the Message Board. Don't forget to check out Positive Health News, Report 23, now on line.
© 2001 Keep Hope Alive, PO Box 270041, West Allis, WI 53227 www.keephope.net khope@execpc.com
VOL. 4, NO 8 --------------------------September, 2001
Important Notice
Posting of this publication has been delayed due to the tragic events of 9/11/01 in Manhattan, New York, and the distress caused by the senseless acts of violence from Islamic extremists who have killed over 5000 people in the World Trade Centers. Your prayers are needed for the deceased, the wounded, their friends and relatives and for peace and justice for all. Mark Konlee
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Aug. 24th: After using the immunized eggs for about 17 days in July, the PCR results of July 26th that arrived on August 24th showed a decline from last years level of 200,000. Jose writes: My PCR test results (from July 26th, 2001) was 150,000 for the HCV. That is a log 5 but close to log 4. I used to have log 6 or 1.5 million. I probably did not give enough time for the immunized eggs to work properly. I shall try again later. I am happy with the results however. Jose.
“I had a viral load of 1.5 million or log 6 when I was first diagnosed 3 years ago. I started on a high selenium dose intake of 1200 mcg daily which I did for 45 days. The viral load dropped from 1.5 million to 200,000 and has stayed there since. 200,000 is low for HCV by NIH Hepatitis Consensus Conference.
I haven’t taken the viral load very often for HCV as I consider the enzyme levels to be a more important indicator of the health of my liver. No elevated enzymes means no inflammation and no damage to the liver regardless of the viral load. I have seen people with HCV viral loads over 5 million and with normal liver enzymes. Also, I have seen people with low viral loads and high enzymes and resulting damage to the liver.
I don’t consider the 200,000 viral load of last year to be a reliable baseline as it was done so long ago. The best I can do is to look at the 150,000 viral load, after using the eggs for 2 + weeks, as a baseline and see what happens in the next few months when I am retested.
I still think the hyper-immunized eggs I have been using are superior to many other treatments I have tried.” Jose
Jose also reports his wife has the same viral type of HCV that is “1a.” He says “she cannot take the eggs every day because she has gall stones and the egg yolks cause discomfort and bad digestion. Besides the reaction seems stronger with her with lots of running nose, head aches and low grade fevers.” Jose: gingerjo@terra.com.br
Note: An article I read some time ago reports that pure lemon juice will dissolve gall stones eliminating the need for surgery in many cases. The article suggested about 1/4 cup of lemon juice mixed with an equal amount of water and taken on an empty stomach twice daily. The article was from a book on Chinese remedies but I don’t recall the title or how many days you had to do this to dissolve the stones, but I thought it was just a few days. Some readers have reported gall stones have been eliminated from their gall bladder with the daily or twice daily use of the whole lemon/olive oil drink.
Update: Jose sent an email message in which he stated that after 45 days of using 1200 mcg daily of selenium, he reduced the dose to 200 to 400 mcg daily for the past two years. Recently, he increased the dose to 600 mcg daily.
Update on immunizing chickens. He also reported he immunized his chickens for a third time. This time, he mixed 2.5 ml of his blood with distilled water, shook it and allowed it to settle. The blood cells ruptured and then settled to the bottom of the tube. He drew a clear reddish solution from the top of the tube and injected .4 cc into each of the chickens. This time, the chickens stopped laying eggs for a few days, indicating possibly a more effective immunization than in the previous attempts.
USA: Update on Barbara who we reported immunized her goat on July 25th, 2001. On August 14th, she immunized the goat again subcutaneously with 6 drops of blood in 3 cc of distilled water. The fevers and night sweats that started on July 26th have lasted the whole month of August along with severe fatigue.
On August 27th, she had blood tests done for T cell counts and viral load for HIV. The results were disappointing when the viral load remained above 500,000. Both PCR tests had this limitation as neither the baseline test or the August 27th test could measure viral loads above 500,000. The CD4’s decreased from 21 to 13 while the CD8’s increased from 183 to 324. The red blood cell count was low and the hemoglobin levels were subnormal.
In spite of this disappointing news, Barbara reported a gain of 8 pounds since the last week of July. At my urging, she decided to ask her physician for a prescription of Viramune, Zerit and Epivir, a non-protease combo that a number of readers have had very good results with. She is expected to start on the drug combo sometime in the week of September 10th.
Meanwhile, she said the goat has been impregnated and will have a kid in January or February next year. She plans to keep some of the Colostrum for herself. The Colostrum is thought to have the highest concentration of immunoglobulins, transfer factor and other immune factors.
Note: Last month I had serious doubts about Barbara doing this experiment when her CD4 count came back so low (21) and her viral load was so high (over 500,000). I felt that the experiment would stand a better chance of success if the CD4 count was 200 or higher. In spite of the disappointing lab results, Barbara indicated no regrets in pursuing this experiment and is looking forward to using the Colostrum next year.
Update: Sept. 14th: Barbara reports that on 9/13, her physician drew blood for yet a third set of lab tests for viral load and T cell counts. Barbara reports that although she has stopped drinking the immunized goat’s milk for the past two weeks, she is still getting the daily fevers and night sweats. The new lab results will be known in the 3rd week of Sept., just before starting on the anti-HIV prescription drugs.
She has been very reluctant to start on the meds but knows this is what she must do, at least for now. I suggested she also start eating foods rich in selenium.
In August, Ray, who lives in Florida, had his physician mail a sample of blood to a farmer (a contact of ours) to immunize 3 chickens subcutaneously to produce for him hyper-immunized eggs. Ray has been on a drug cocktail for several years but can no longer tolerate the side effects. He is willing to try any other treatment, even eating raw eggs, if that is what it takes to control this disease. His CD4 count is 400 and the viral load is 1000. He is expected to start using the immunized eggs within the next week. He has gone off the drug cocktails and plans to get another viral load test as a baseline on the same day he starts to use the immunized eggs.
In my opinion, Ray has a chance of greater success than did Barbara. While he is HIV+, he does not have AIDS as his T cell count is high enough to give him a relatively functional immune system at this time. Now we will just hope and wait to see if the personal immunized eggs will strengthen his immune system and help keep the virus at bay.
The business of producing vaccines has been going on for decades by pharmaceutical companies that keep their methods patented, proprietary and of course for-profit. There is a correlation between the functional purpose of vaccines and transfer factor. You could call transfer factor an oral vaccine.
At Keep Hope Alive, we do not have the advantage of all the knowledge, experience and research of the past several decades in producing vaccines or transfer factor. Dietary supplement companies that make transfer factor are not publishing do-it-yourself manuals for the general public any more readily than the pharmaceutical companies will tell the public how to make their own drugs and vaccines.
Research to develop a vaccine to prevent or treat AIDS is now in its 15th year and recently published reports hint of significant progress. Still, published reports add it will be a decade or more before such vaccines are widely available. Why? Is it becasuse these firms want to milk all the profits they can first from the existing drugs before they introduce better products?
The public can expect a very high price tag on these vaccines when they finally do become available. At Keep Hope Alive, we will continue on course with our limited resources and an abiding faith in the guiding hand of Divine Providence until our mission is accomplished.
We welcome all researchers and readers to do searches at the US patent office website and other sources on vaccines and transfer factor and the methods of production and share their findings with us.
Until the fat lady sings, nothing I have written here at Keep Hope Alive is set in stone. Our ongoing efforts to develop a low-tech oral vaccine or personal transfer factor are both a learning experience and evolving process. Not every idea we try is going to work and a number of failures can be expected. An idea proposed last month can easily be replaced with a better one this month and so on it goes. What is ultimately important is that a sound idea emerges one day that works very effectively and constitutes a significant breakthrough in the ongoing war against chronic infectious disease.
In the evolving methods of immunizing chickens and goats, there are reasons for suggesting an infusion in the colon of the chicken or in the case of a goat in the udder might be an improvement over a subcutaneous injection.
First, a rectal or mammary implant eliminates the risk of human blood entering the blood vessels of the animal which could cause unnecessary stress to the immune system of the chicken or goat and second, because this risk is eliminated, you can increase the amount of blood from one or 2 drops to 20 drops or more and increase the viral exposure significantly to produce a more potent immunized egg or milk. Third, the membranes of the intestines of the chicken or goat will act like a fine filter to keep out the human blood cells, thus preventing the chicken from producing antibodies against human blood cells. At the same time, the intestines allows the viruses and other pathogens to penetrate the intestinal walls and to expose themselves to immune cells in the intestines.
The Herb Saunders method of mammary infusion while the mammal is pregnant has had 20 years of experience behind it. However, as chickens do not have udders (mammary glands) a colonic infusion is the logical alternative. A syringe with a Cannula sleeve can be used to give either a colonic or mammary gland infusion in either a chicken or a goat.
Note: Athough antibodies directed against human blood cells that might have formed in these first experiments are too large to be absorbed in the human gastrointestinal tract, the main reason for using a colonic or mammary gland infusion is the more efficient use of the chicken or goats immune system to produce a potent immunized egg or milk that has only positive effects (antibodies and transfer factors directed only against the pathogens and viruses) and eliminating all risk of unnecessary negative effects such as antibodies directed against human blood cells.
“Let me preface my thoughts by saying that the current minimum RDA for Selenium in the US is around 70 mcg daily for adults. The typical dose in dietary supplements is about 200 mcg daily. I have read that selenium from dietary sources alone range from near zero to a high of 1100 mcg daily, depending on where you live and the amount of selenium found in the soil and eventually in the food. So far, we can assume that selenium levels vary widely among the populations of the world.
While in normal individuals, over exposure to selenium may be toxic causing gastrointestinal problems, hair loss and nerve damage, in persons with AIDS or hepatitis whose selenium levels are usually depleted because of the disease process, the normal and safe levels are thought to be much higher than the 200 to 300 mcg used daily by normal healthy individuals.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, I have supplemented with selenium at 1000 mcg daily with occasional lapses for over a year now without any noticeable ill effects, other than faster than normal hair and nail growth. During this time, I’ve seen my viral load for HCV drop from over 10,000,000 to around 600,000 along with a corresponding improvement in my overall condition.”
Cliff Kudos25@aol.com
Note: Selenium in a mineral that is required for the production of Glutathione peroxidase, one of the most important antioxidants needed to support cell mediated immunity and CD8 killer T cell function.
A substantial amount of published scientific research has linked selenium deficiency to AIDS progression, increased HIV replication, weight loss, heart disease and elevated beta2 microglobulin levels. Supplementation with selenium has been reported to increase interluken 2 levels, increase T cell counts, reduce tumor necrosis factor, reduce the risk of cancer, reduce HIV replication, reduce beta2 microglobulin levels (measures rate of cell destruction), reduce depression and decrease the risk of death from HIV infection. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Selenium also is reported to help increase thyroid hormone production. (6). In AIDS, selenium deficiency has been linked to weight loss, heart disease and poor prognosis for toxoplasmosis.(7).
Richard Passwater first published his research on selenium in the December, 1971, issue of Prevention magazine and has been researching the benefits of selenium ever since. His 48 page book “Selenium Against Cancer and Aids” is published by Keats Publishing and is found in health food stores. In reading through his book and in a partial review of hundreds of scientific abstracts and references to over 600 scientific studies, here is a useful but incomplete summary of what I have learned.
Selenium -
1. reduces mutations among viruses and other pathogens.
2. Increases glutathione peroxidase levels, the main antioxidant that our cells use to protect us from free radicals.
3. helps prevent most types of cancer including prostate cancer.
4. is used to produce an enzyme that helps the thyroid convert the hormone T4 to T3. (may help normalize body temperature)
5. low levels have been associated with depression and schizophrenia.
6. reduces the toxic effects of mercury and cadmium in the body.
7. protects the liver
8. improves cell mediated immune responses.
9. helps cellular respiration.
10. works synergistically with vitamin E in preventing cancer.
11. At therapeutic doses, reduces HIV and Hepatitis viral replication up to 90% and helps shrink cancers.
12. levels of selenium found to be subnormal for all types of cancer tested.
Ref.:
1. J Infect Dis. 2000 Sep;182 Suppl 1:S69-73
2. J assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2000 Mar-Apr;11(2):103
3. J. Neurovirol. 1998 Jun 3-6;4(suppl):343
4. Conf Retroviruses Oppor Infect. 1996 Jan 28-Feb1;3rd:122
5. Annu Conf Australas Soc HIV Med. 1997 Nov 13-16;9:133
6. Lancet. 2000 Jul 15;356(9225):233-41
7. Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12;11(1):124
Update: A reader (D.D.) with HCV, variant 1b, in California reported last week a viral load of 36 million. She has since started on 600 mcg of selenium daily. Within a few weeks, she also plans to immunize 3 chickens using the colonic infusion method described earlier in this newsletter.
Selenium - Questions and Answers
Q: What is the normal level of selenium in the blood?
A: Richard Passwater reports in his book that the normal level in the blood is greater than 180 mcg per liter. Cancer patients have less than 150 mcg per liter.
Q: What is the RDA for selenium?
A: The RDA is rated at 50 to 200 mcg per day but is most likely too low for preventing most cancers or to stop AIDS progression. In the United States, diet alone provides about 100 mcg daily. In the UK, the average daily intake is 60 mcg. In Japan, where selenium rich seafood’s are consumed and cancer and AIDS are substantially lower than in the US, the average intake of selenium is 600 mcg daily.
Q: What about toxicity?
A: Passwater states that organic forms of selenium (i.e. selenomethionine - derived from yeast) may be toxic at a dose over 3,500 mcg daily while inorganic forms like sodium selenite may be toxic at 1200 mcg daily. The most common symptom of toxicity is hair falling out. The symptoms are reversible when dosage is reduced or stopped temporarily.
Q: If a person is healthy, how much organic selenium should be taken daily as a supplement to prevent selenium deficiency?
A: I think the Japanese consumption level would be a good mark to emulate and that is 600 mcg daily. Passwater reports that in Greenland, many residents consume 1,300 mcg daily with no known side effects.
Q: How much selenium is needed to have a therapeutic effect if you have AIDS, hepatitis or cancer?
A: Our two readers who reduced their HCV viral load by 90% did it by taking 1000 to 1200 mcg daily or about 100 mcg of selenium per 20 pounds of body weight daily.
Q: What foods are highest in selenium?
A: Brazil Nuts (100 mcg per nut), then Brewers yeast, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines), oysters, clams, wheat germ, mushrooms and whole grains.
Note: If you weigh 180 lbs, eating 3 Brazil nuts 3 times daily would give you 900 mcg of selenium and a therapeutic dose that could even be increased under a physicians supervision and monitoring of blood levels. Brazil nuts have the highest concentration of natural organic protein-bound selenium of any food on the planet.
Note:There will be no monthly report in October as I will be working on the next issue of Positive Health News
© 2001 Keep Hope Alive, PO Box 270041, West Allis, WI 53227 www.keephope.net 262-548-4344
Since the Spring issue of Positive Health News and the article I wrote on immunizing chickens to produce immunized eggs to treat HIV and other infectious diseases, I have been waiting to hear from someone who actually would carry out this experiment. The email from Jose who lives near Sao Paulo, Brazil, was most welcome news when it arrived on July 15th. Here are some excerpts from his letter:
“This is the first report on my experiment with Hyper immunized chickens eggs in Sao Paulo, Brazil. On June 16th, I purchased 10 hens from a large chicken farm. The chickens had been kept in individual cages. I placed them in large chicken houses with 5 square meters of lawn so they get in contact with the soil and resume their chickens habits. I let them adapt to their new environment for 13 days and fed them organic grains, natural minerals and vegetables.
On June 29th, I drew some of my own blood and injected subcutaneously 2 or 3 drops or about .2 ML under the skin in the thigh area of each of the 5 chickens. The syringe I used was a 1 ML, that is used for insulin injections. Since the inoculation, the chickens have continued to lay eggs every day.
On July 7th, I did a second immunization in the same five chickens with about the same amount of blood. This time, I had a friendly nurse draw 10 ml of my blood in a vacuum tube. The eggs from July 9th gave a very strong reaction. I eat one egg daily. The effects were a low grade fever, sore throat, running nose and body aches (flu-like symptoms).
I add the egg to some cold milk plus a little honey and whip it in a blender. After a few days of using the immunized eggs, the only symptom that remained was a sore throat after eating the raw egg. “ Jose email: gingerjo@terra.com.br
On Monday, July 16th, I called Jose and we had a brief discussion:
Mark: I was very happy to receive your email and glad to see that someone has actually taken a concept beyond the idea and discussion stage and acted upon it.
Jose: I have read your publications for a long time and admire your tireless efforts. I am very excited and hopeful about this experiment.
Mark: That makes two of us who are optimists. Has your energy level been affected by the immunized eggs?
Jose: Yes, I would always wake up feeling like I have a hang over and then there is fatigue that lingers all day. I can say that for the past week I don’t feel this any more. I wake up without the hang-over feeling and I have more energy.
Note: In our conversation, I suggested that he eat two eggs daily instead of one. He began doing this on July 17th.
On July 25th, I received an email from Jose who reported on his first lab result since eating the immunized eggs. He reported his platelet counts have increased from 113,000 to 153,000. He wrote that the increase is a more marked one. He added: “I intend to run a PCR for HCV tomorrow. I just can’t stand it. I will let you know as soon as any results become available.”
Note: Jose told me that the nurse that drew 10 ml of blood for the second inoculation of the chickens added some anti-coagulant to the blood. I have reservations about adding an anticoagulant to the blood as one anticoagulant, “heparin” is reported to inactivate lipid enveloped viruses. Blood drawn at room temperature usually remains a liquid for a few days. If the person drawing the blood feels an anti-coagulant is needed, it would be better to add an equal amount of distilled water.
In our discussions, Jose talked about doing an IM (intramuscular) injection of his blood or using larger amounts in a third inoculation of the chickens. I advised him against using more blood or an IM injection. I reasoned that too much blood could cause excess stress on the immune system of the chickens and possibly do permanent damage to its immune system as the blood cells will battle each other. Doing the injection subcutaneously is done to prevent the human blood cells from getting into the animals veins and arteries. What we want is to get the viruses and other infectious agents into the capillaries of the chicken and not foreign blood cells. In my opinion, a single drop of blood is all that is needed to inoculate a chicken or a goat. With a chicken, you could add up to 1/2 cc of distilled water to one drop of blood and with a goat 2 drops of blood to one cc of water.
Note: Jose has offered to immunize his other five chickens for anyone in Brazil with HIV, hepatitis or any other chronic infection to produce their own personal hyper-immunized eggs. You may contact him be email at gingerjo@terra.com.br
Note: Robert Carson MD, told me that adding distilled water to blood would lead to a breakdown of the blood cell walls and a release of viral particles into the blood serum. He concurred with the theory that adding distilled water to a few drops of blood might increase the inoculations effectivenss as more viral particles are released from the infected cells. This turned out be be the method that Barbara used on July 25th.
United States: somewhere on the East coast. Last month I reported a planned immunization of a goat with HIV-infected blood from one of our readers. Barbara was diagnosed with AIDS about 5 years ago in 1996. Before immunizing her goat, she had blood drawn for lab tests on July 23rd. Her numbers were sobering. CD4 count was 21 and her viral load for HIV was listed in excess of 500,000. This is because the test used only measures up to a 500,000 viral load.
Last month, Barbara, who lives on 2 and 1/2 acres with her 5 children, had planned to infuse her blood in the hind teat of the goat using a syringe with an attached Teat Infusion Cannula. On Wednesday, July 25th, at 9 am, she pricked her finger and drew out about 6 drops of blood that she added ato about 1/2 teaspoon of distilled water. I had suggested to her a few days previous that if she could not get enough blood by pricking her finger to just add it to a small amount of distilled water.
She drew the blood and water mixture into a 3 CC needle syringe. Then she placed the Cannula over the needle and inserted the Cannula into one of the hind teats of the goat. As she began pressing on the syringe plunger, the blood and water mixture started comming out of the bottom of the Cannula instead of going into the udder.
Seeing that this method was not working, she withdrew the syringe and Cannula from the udder and looked for an area of loose skin on the goat to inject the animal subcutaneously. She found a spot on the left side, midsection near the belly that had some loose skin. She inserted the needle at an angle and injected the blood and water mixture under the skin. Immediately, the goat began to dance and stomp around thinking it had been bit. She injected the full 3 cc that was in the syringe.
After the inoculation was over, she noticed that the needle was removable from the syringe and that the Cannula fit over a tube that the needle had occupied. Never having used a Cannula before is why the teat infusion attempt failed. Never-the-less, with the subcutaneous injection, the goat was now exposed to the HIV in her blood and events would soon take their course. She called me shortly after doing the immunization of the goat to tell me what had transpired.
I told her that for now all we could do is wait for a sign that the goat was fighting an infection. The sign we were waiting for was for the goat to develop a fever. I told Barbara that there would not be any immune modulating value to the milk until this happened. I said: “with the chickens in Brazil, it took 7 to 10 days before the eggs started producing immune reactions, so I wouldn’t expect anything to happen too soon.”
On Thursday morning, July 26th, Barbara called to tell me that by 7pm Wednesday evening, just 10 hours after the inoculation, the goat was showing signs of being heated and was feeling hot. She said: “the goat had a major fever last night.” My first reaction was one of complete surprise. I had expected a reaction from the goat, but not this soon, and not on the same day of the inoculation.
I inquired as to how the goat was doing this morning. She said the goat was not as lively as it usually is. It is eating less and acting tired.
After we got off the phone, Barbara drank her first cup of milk that she had obtained from the goat on Wednesday evening at the same time the goat was breaking with a fever. Later that day, only a few hours after drinking the first glass of immunized mik, she called to report that she too had developed a low grade fever. It was Thursday evening and this story was just beginning to unfold. For the next several days, she would drink one cup of goat’s milk in the morning, the milk have been drawn on the previous day. With strong reactions setting in, there was no need to up the dosage.
On Friday morning, I called Barb to see how she was doing and she reported that she had developed night sweats last night and had not had these in years. She had a headache, her nose was running, her muscles were aching and her throat was sore. She said her temp was just over 100° F. I told her that these were flu-like symptoms and a sign of strong immune activation and that her symptoms were similar to Jose’s in Brazil, except hers were much more intense.
Saturday, July 28th: Barbara said that Friday night was kind of scary. Her temperature reached nearly 102° F and she sweated profusely in bed until by 3am in the morning, the sheets were saturated. She had a pounding headache along with aching muscles. Late Friday evening, doubts began to set in as to whether she should have started this experiment and she prayed and asked God for a sign if she should continue. On Saturday morning, she told me that her head was felt “clear” for the first time in years. She took that as a sign to continue.
She continued to drink one cup of the goats milk each morning from the previous days milking and all the symptoms persisted but slightly less intense on Saturday evening and Sunday evening. On Sunday, she reported that her urine turned brown in color and emitted a very strong odor. By Monday morning, the headaches stopped and the aching muscles were gone and the color of the urine had returned to normal - clear and slightly yellow.
By Tuesday morning, her appetite was returning and she began eating normally. However, a few hours after her morning drink of the goat’s milk, a low grade fever will develop. By late evening each day, the temperature will reach 101 or 102° F. When it reaches 102, she takes a Tylenol and it drops about 1 degree.
On Thursday, August 2nd, the night sweats stopped. This morning, August 3rd, the 9th day into this experiment, Barbara reports that the only symptom remaining is the fevers that are most noticeable in the evening. In the morning, her temperature is either normal or just slightly elevated. She continuse to eat normally and has no more headaches, night sweats or aching muscles.
Sunday, August 5th. A phone call found Barb not feeling well. Concerned that she might be overdosing on the immunized milk, I suggested she stop using the goat’s milk for a few days and to resume at a reduced dose when she feels back on track. Barb has also been taking Diflucan for a yeast infection. It is not also beyond the range of possibilities that she may be developing an allergy to the goat’s milk or there still could be yeast overgrowth or die-off causing her to feel “not well.” I suggested she get a new diagnosis from her physician to determine if other factors have been overlooked.
Two sources have now offered to produce personal hyper-immunized eggs. Persons interested in participating should write to Keep Hope Alive and write the letter PTF in the lower left corner of the envelope. Be sure to include your phone number. So far, we have had about 6 inquiries and two persons with HIV are reported going ahead with the hyper-immunized egg experiment.
Update: The mother whose 15 yr. old daughter has been using Bio Choice Immune 26, the hyper-immunized egg product since early April, 2001, reported that the viral load declined slightly from 600,000 in Feb., 2001 to 492,000 in a test taken on, June 11, 2001. The small decline is a disappointment but not a surprise to us as we anticipated viral resistance might develop to the egg product after a few months. In a further sign of declining effectiveness, there was some slippage in the CD3, CD8 and WBC counts in a test done June 25th.
One of the drawbacks of a mass produced hyper immunized product is that the HIV antigen does not come directly from the patient and if the evolving strain of the virus is not re-implanted in the chickens, the eggs will lose their antiviral effectiveness. This is particularly true of HIV as it rapidly mutates. Other pathogens may not mutate so rapidly and the product could maintain its effectiveness against those pathogens. For these reasons, I believe the most efficacious transfer factor product will come when the chickens immune system is challenged with viruses coming from the patients own blood and then the chicken is re-immunized with the patients blood at the first signs of viral resistance. This called “Personal Transfer Factor” and is the most promising immune-based currently treatment currently on the horizon.
Houston, TX, July 13, 2001: A reader (Patrick) called and reported that for the past five month his skin has been covered by small red dots and the doctor said it was a fungal infection. He had this condition for the past 5 or 6 months. Prior to January, the patient has been using Norvir, 2 capsules 3 times daily along with Zerit and Epivir. On this protocol, he experienced no side effects and his viral load was non-detectable and his CD4 counts were normal. In January, for no apparent reason, his doctor said: “Let’s try Ziagen (Abacavir) and Combivir (AZT and 3TC), two products made by GlaxoSmithKline. By the end of February, a rash developed and not even a month’s worth of antibiotics could budge it nor could any treatments offered by the dermatologist nor did a home made garlic oil ointment with coconut and oil olive oil help. In addition the patient developed insomnia.
My opinion was that the patient might have an excess of histamines causing the red skin condition. Since the condition developed after he started on the new drug cocktail, I suggested he go back to the cocktail of Norvir, Zerit and Epivir he used last year before this condition developed. I have very high regards for this combination.
For some time I have heard that physicians are offered bonus checks by some pharmaceutical companies for meeting prescription quotas for certain drugs. Was a bonus check a factor in the physician’s decision to change the patients protocol? The patient had been doing very well on Norvir, Zerit and Epivir. His viral load was non-detectable. His T cells were normal and he had no side effects. So why did the physician make the change? Was it to get a bonus check? These unethical practices need more exposure. Physicians should give prescriptions to patients based on what is most beneficial to the patients and not their pocket book. I have heard about these promised bonus checks from various sources and some practicing or retired physician needs to come forward and spill the beans on these unethical practices.
Hello Mark, I’m writing first to say thank you for such a helpful and inspirational site. I’ve used the whole lemon/olive oil drink on and off for several years now with great success, normal liver function being one, despite the heaviest drug regime.
For the past 3 years I have been taking liquid zinc, magnesium and selenium (http://www.immunova.bm/) with amazing results (instant genital herpes healing with no recurring outbreaks, increased energy, libido, sense of well-being, increased CD4 counts etc.) from a scientist I befriended at a clinic here in London.
This past May (2001), I added Moducare, 2 tablets 3 times a day which I feel has stopped my anxiety and given me a feeling of calm like nothing I experienced before. My MAI/MAC infection of neck and abdominal lymph finally cleared within two months after two years on antibiotics. Had no improvement prior to taking Moducare.
Previously to 1999, I suffered from KS cancer pretty much all over my body. On the advice of a friend who had total remission of his KS from Maitake tablets (7 X 3 a day) I took the plunge and started the Maitake, with a CD4 count of 17 and after 3 months on the tablets, my KS stopped and faded. No one was more surprised than me. I say this because I have NO faith in any type of medicine/remedy/herbs etc. My feeling is that this stuff has to prove itself to me. This same friend lent me your manual on How to Reverse Immune Dysfunction.
I would love to hear from anyone using Moducare, Maitake or liquid zinc. Simon simon@guni.net or simoncaleb@btinternet.com
Chicago, IL: One reader on a drug cocktail (Crixivan, Zerit and Epivir) for HIV took 2 TF+ (4-Life Products) capsules daily for 6 days prior to his latest lab test resulting in a doubling of his CD4 counts form 219 to 434. This was his first use of TF+. He credits the TF+ for the sudden increase in the CD4’s since he had been on the same drug cocktail for several months with no upward movement in the CD4’s although his viral load was non-detectable.
Meanwhile, one of 6 HIV+ persons using 2 capsules daily of TF+ and using a combination of Viramune, Zerit and Epivir, who had reported earlier increases in his CD4’s, recently reported a small decrease in his CD4’s in the 4th month of using the product although his viral load remains non-detectable.
Both Norvir and Kaletra are protease inhibitors made by Abbot Labs. Kaletra, the most recent drug, is supposed to be an improvement over Norvir. However, we have had two readers who used Kaletra in combination with other drugs for treating HIV and both said that Kaletra did not work. Their viral loads have increased significantly. Norvir is still available and has a history of remitting KS lesions, cancers and strongly promotes antigen presentation and DTH responses, indicative of strong cell mediated immune reactions. In our opinion, we are not convinced that Kaletra is an improvement over Norvir and Norvir remains our number one choice as an FDA approved immune modulator and anti-viral for treating AIDS.
Norvir works well in combination with Zerit and Epivir. Norvir works with fewer side effects if used three times daily in smaller doses instead of twice daily in the standard dose of 6 caps 2X as originally recommended by Abbot Labs - a dose too high to be tolerated by most persons.
For dosing, we suggest dividing the total body weight in pounds by 20 to equal the total number of capsules to use daily and then divide this into 3 portions. Example: 180 lbs divided by 20 = 9 capsules. This equates to 3 capsules taken 3 times daily.
Update: South African Potato (Hypoxis Rooperi). The phone number published last month for the source of encapsulated Hypoxis Rooperi in the UK has changed. The correct phone number from the US for Hypoxirol is 011-44-188-782-0121.
Mark Konlee
In the heart of Nairobi’s worst slums, Sister (Didi) Rucira opened, in July 2000, the first homeopathic clinic in Kenya to treat persons living with AIDS. The ABHA LIGHT HEALTH CENTRE uses homeopathy as the main treatment but will apply any natural treatment that is affordable. In an email message to me, Didi (means Sister) Rucira requested a copy of our book on reversing immune dysfunction. We have mailed her 2 copies, one for the clinic and one for her classes on healing and health services that she offers in Kenya.
Didi writes on her web site that official statistics says that one in every 8 persons in Kenya is infected with HIV, but at her clinic, she reports that 40% of her clients have HIV. Didi reports that the decimation of the family structure is spreading at an alarming rate as one or both of the parents die of AIDS. She says that AIDS is ostracized here and that if a family member is known to have the disease, they are thrown out and are also rejected by their own friends and community. Even children are thrown out of homes if they are thought to have HIV. Didi states: “It is beyond comprehension what Africa will look like in 5 or 10 years time.”
To complicate matters, hospitals, clinics, doctors and nurses, do not tell the patients of their HIV diagnosis even when they know it and the patients are not told what they are being treated for. Didi: “I see many HIV+ patients, but it’s never about HIV. It’s always: I’ve got a cough, a headache and a belly ache. I’ve got diarrhea, don’t have any appetite and I’m losing weight. HIV is never mentioned.” Then there is PCP and Tuberculosis that Didi describes as “a painful, dry, hacking cough with bloody expectoration.”
Her clinic treats several hundred patients each week and a mobile health service that reaches rural areas has given health services to thousands of afflicted persons. On her web site, she is asking for volunteers to come and work at her clinic and well as donations to support it. The website is http://home.pacific.net.sg/~rucira/alf.
The address to write or send donations is
Abha Light Health, PO Box 6919 Nairobi, Kenya.
A link to her web site has been placed on our home page at www.keephope.net. There are 8 homeopathic remedies that Didi refers to as the “big 8” on her web site that she gives all her AIDS clients for starters. They are phosphorus, arsenicum alb, pulsatilla, mercurius sol, thuja, medorrinum, lycopodium and silcea. She also uses a lot of herbal tinctures, alfalfa and echinacea. She gives “the big 8” for persons with HIV on the first visit as there are so many people and so limited resources to diagnosis and recommend more specific treatments. One volunteer, Tim describes a typical day at her clinic:
“waking up around 6:30 am, taking a bucket bath (there is only electricity starting from about 11 pm till 6:30 am), packing up our medical equipment, medical books, laptop and lunch and getting into a taxi to take us to the slums. We arrive at 9 am at the clinic, and are besieged with patients of every variety till about 5 or 6 pm.
We leave on a “matatus” which are minivans packed with passengers which costs about 10 cents for a ride. The ride is incredible as there are no rules. There are no stop signs or traffic lights, so drivers simply vie for right of way randomly, it is incredible chaos. Drivers routinely go up on sidewalks and over top of everything. There is virtually no pedestrian right of way. Once we arrive home, we eat some fruit or whatever Didi has prepared, usually delicious and nutritious. Then we get to solving the cases of the day which usually takes many hours. Then we go to sleep and the next day start all over again. We have Fridays off, teach all day Saturday, and 3 hours on Sunday. Over all, Tish and I feel so privileged to be here. The people are beautiful, the children are so free and wonderfully alive. It is also exciting to see some of these wonderful cases. Warmly, Tim.
Finding particular articles in past issues of Positive Health News on our web site became easier on July 1st, when I added a paragraph under each issue describing the title of most of the articles published in issues of Positive Health News published since 1995. The summary was made possible thanks to the help of Eusibo, one of our readers who helped prepare the table of contents. The summary of the contents comes up when Positive Health News is double clicked on the home page. When printed out, this 3 page summary gives your an overview of some of the most important articles published in the last 5 years and makes locating the information a whole lot easier.
USA: Barbara, who is divorced and has AIDS, lives in a home with her 5 children on 2.5 acres. Last month, her ex-husband bought her two milking goats and plans to pick up two laying hens this week. She told me in June that she plans to use the Herb Saunders methods to immunize one of the goats and to use a pin-prick method to immunize the two chickens.
Saunders implanted about one teaspoon of blood in each of the two hind teats of cows that were pregnant about 6 to 8 weeks before the calves were expected. He used a hypodermic needle that had a plastic sleeve over it called a “Cannula” and after drawing blood in the syringe would inject it into the udder of the two teats. Saunders said that the cow would develop a fever within a week or two. When the calf is born, the first 2 or 3 milking called Colostrum were saved and frozen in ice cube trays. About 2 cubes were thawed out and used daily.
In this experiment, the goats are already producing milk and it is thought the immunoglobulins and transfer factor will still be present in the milk although less concentrated than found in the first few milkings of the Colostrum. Therefore, Barbara plans to drink one pint of the immunized raw goats milk daily. The immunization of the goats in planned for this month after a milking when the udder of the goat has been emptied. If this variation of the Saunders method works, it will open to door for others to immunize goats without waiting for them to get pregnant.
In a second experiment and as a back-up to the goat, she plans to immunize two chickens by placing a drop of her blood on the chickens and then use a sewing needle that will be placed in the middle of the drop of blood to puncture the skin. The puncture will be made at a narrow angle about 1/4 inch long so it enters just under the skin like a sliver of wood. The needle will be withdrawn after the first puncture and a small amount of blood placed on the tip and then re-inserted into the puncture hole to force a portion of a drop of blood under the skin.
The technique of a needle and a drop of blood is similar to how a doctor might pick up an infection from one of his patients in a hospital when a drop of blood accidentally touches his skin. If the skin has a cut or puncture, it is highly likely that the infection will be transferred. Preventing accidental exposure to a patient’s blood is one of the headaches of today’s surgeons.
The ideal way to infect a chicken is to purchase the pure virus in a vial from a lab that markets antigens for research purposes. Two problems are involved. One is the cost - several thousands of dollars and second, these labs will only sell these viruses to health care professionals and pharmaceutical companies and firms making specialized transfer factor products and not to the public. In Africa and Asia, the cost factor alone makes this ideal method impractical. Low-tech methods such as the Saunders method or the Pin-prick method could be done by just about anyone who knows how to read. Once the host animal is exposed to the blood of an infected patient, it may take 2 to 6 weeks or longer for enough viral replication to occur to trigger a systemic immune response in the animal. After this occurs, the milk of a goat or the egg yolk of the chicken should have some real medicinal value. How much and how effective remains to be seen.
As of today, the actual immunizations have not been done. She is waiting for the two chickens to arrive and the plastic sleeve (Cannula) that will be placed over the needle syringe for insertion in the goats hind teats. The Cannula called a “Teat Infusion Cannula” can be obtained at www.valleyvet.com. Valley Vet Supply, 1118 Pony Express Hwy, Marysville, KS 66508 800-360-4838. The product number is 16439. Cost is $4.25 for 100 plastic cannulas. The web site also list Dr. Larson Plastic Teat Tubes.
Note: Barbara was diagnosed with AIDS 5 years ago and has self-treated during this time. She currently has serious yeast overgrowth and thrush. She has not seen a doctor in 2 years. I advised her to get an immediate checkup and lab tests and depending on results to consider using a prescription drug cocktail at least for a few months to stabilize her condition before proceeding with this experiment. If she does, there may be a further delay in this experiment.
We are looking for more volunteers for this experiment in making low cost TF using goats or chickens, but want volunteers with CD4 counts above 200 who are not using drug cocktails or someone who has developed drug resistance to all the pharmaceutical drugs and has nothing to lose by participating in this research. In Africa, it doesn’t matter as most of the population is too impoverished to afford the drugs, but in the US, no one should place their life at risk when there is available effective drug combinations that do work.
Barbara recently said that her children are excited about the planned experiment. She said her 9 yr. old son told her: “I know what you are doing. You are giving the virus to the goat and the goat will make the cure that ends up in the milk.” She replied: “that is how we hope it works.” We wish her the best of results and improved health whatever she does.
Last month, we reported on the case of a 15 yr. old girl who has AIDS and has been using Bio Choice Immune 26, the immunized egg product from Legacy USA, 3 servings daily and her mother’s claim of improved health for her daughter. In a lab test done on June 11, about 2 months into this therapy, her mother reports an increase in CD8’s from 154 to 296, CD3’s from 187 to 343, CD4’s from 5 to 8 and WBC’s from 2.4 to 3.5. Her viral load that she said measured in the hundreds of thousands last year was also taken on June 11 but the results will not be known until July 10th.
The mother remains convinced that the immunized egg product has help her daughter very much. She reported that her daughter had been in a wheel chair when she started using the product early in April, 2001. She said: “then I saw death approaching; now I see life.” She said that yesterday her daughter wanted to go swimming.
Several readers have told me that the idea of keeping a couple chickens in their house or apt is not practical and are willing to pay someone to do this for them.
In a conversation with a small manufacturer of dietary supplements who also makes transfer factor products, I was told that he might be able to offer this service in about one month. He asked me to gather the names of 5 or 6 persons who might be interested in having personal immunized eggs produced for them. The plan is to have separate pens for 3 chickens per person that should produce between 2 to 3 dozens eggs every 2 weeks. The eggs would be marked with a felt pen with a number assigned to that person and kept in a refrigerator and shipped out by overnight air twice a month. The postage alone would cost $20 to $25 per shipment plus other fees for feeding the chickens and gathering the eggs daily, marking and storing them as required. Eggs under refrigeration usually have a 6 week shelf life. Anyone interested should write to Keep Hope Alive and place the letters PTF on the envelope in the lower left corner and be sure to include your phone number.
We have reasons for interviewing each person who might want to participate in this experiment that I will not enumerate here. PTF stands for Personal Transfer Factor. Do not send emails on this subject. Also, contacts are being made with a farmer on our mailing list who raises chickens and might possibly be a second source for this type of service. Also, there are some safety and legal issues involved in this PTF project that need to thoroughly studied before any action is taken.
In Positive Health News, Report 19, we published an article on sterols and sterinols found in the South African potato and their immune modulatory effects. What researchers found is that the sterinols and sterols in the South African potato could reduce IL-6 and increase IL-2 and gamma interferon, three very desirable effects needed in persons with HIV, HHV-6, CFIDS and other conditions where the TH2 arm of the immune system is overactive and the TH1 is anergic (inactive).
Some readers have used a product called Moducare that reportedly has helped them feel better. One person with HIV wrote recently that his CD4 counts have increased since starting on Moducare. Moducare, however, is made with sterols from soy and the sterolins come from pine.
This past week, one of our readers located the product from which all the original research started - the South African potato. He told me that he and 3 other persons with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have used it with favorable results. Everyone has reported more energy and less fatigue. He reported moderate to significant improvements. He uses 2 capsules daily. The scientific name for the most widely used strain of the South African potato is called “hypoxis rooperi.” One site offers 90 capsules to a bottle at a cost of 20 British pounds. More information can be found at www.hypoxis.magick.inuk.com The importer is Sangoma Naturals in London. From the US dial 011-44-181-959-1508 email francis.irvine@virgin.net.
Note: It is almost impossible to find a source of the So. African Potato in the US. The product is in growing demand from persons with HIV, CFIDS and Cancer. Some sources on the internet offer tinctures but I have had no luck thus far getting a reply to email messages. A search of the word “hypoxis” on the web produced 1600 hits. Good luck fishing through all this. There are some strains of the African potato other than “rooperi” but I would avoid using them until more is known about their effects.
Research published as long ago as 1990 at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, discovered that dietary palmitic acid found in Palm oil increases the good HDL cholesterol and reduces excess levels of LDL (1). Researchers Lindsey, Benattar , Pronczuk and Hayes stated: “Replacing 12:0 plus 14:0 from coconut oil with 16:0 as palm oil induced a significant increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) with a trend toward decreased LDL.”
Note: 16:0 is Palmitic acid whereas 14:0 is Myristic acid and 12:0 is lauric acid.
HDL, known as High Density Lipoproteins are responsible for keeping LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) in solution and preventing them from depositing on artery walls. In fact, HDL counts below 35 are considered to place a patient at risk for developing CVD (Cardio -Vascular Disease). The ratio of LDL to HDL or LDL/HDL should be 4 or less. The ratio is determined by dividing the total HDL into the LDL’s. The higher the resulting number is above 4, the greater the risk of developing CVD. In other words, if the LDL is 160, the HDL should be 40 or higher.
Researchers have found that vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) decrease LDL cholesterol which is good but also decrease the HDL cholesterol which is bad (2). The vegetable oils high in PUFAs are commonly found in grocery stores and include corn oil canola oil, sunflower oil and others.
Researchers at the University of Montpellier have found that Crude Palm Oil used in conjunction with fish oil produced a better lipid profile in rats to prevent CVD than fish oil used in conjunction with refined Palm oil. They found the HDL/LDL ratio to improve, lower triglycerides, and apoB and apoA1 to be depressed and enhanced, respectively (3)
Other than Palm oil and fish oil , researchers have found that olive oil promotes a good lipid profile. In Venezuela, researchers found, in animal experiments, trying various combinations of fats that “platelet aggregability was lower in animals fed with palmitic acid rich diet.” (4) Platelet aggregation or blood stickiness is responsible for strokes and blood clots in CVD. Several other products have been found to stop blood cells from sticking together ranging from Aspirin to cayenne to cider vinegar to some antioxidants like Pycnogenol and olive leaf extract. In Spain, researchers found in humans that after a diet high in Palm oil called Palmolein, that lipid peroxide value were lower than those for sunflower oil. (5)
Research done is Africa of two groups of rats, one fed fresh Palm oil and the other fed oxidized Palm oil. Both oils increased the HDL’s but the oxidized oil increased the blood pressure and also higher LDL levels than the fresh Palm oil. (6)
A new margarine has reached grocery shelves in the United States that uses current guidelines from the American Heart Assn. for lipid blends and is not hydrogenated and has no trans fatty acids. The AHA has found that the best lipid profiles in the blood to prevent CVD come from using 1 part Saturated oils, 1 part Mono-unsaturated fats and 1 part Polyunsaturated fats. Smart Balance is made by Heart Beat Foods in Cresskill, NJ 201-568-9300. This is the first good tasting margarine on the market that contains no trans fatty acids and may help prevent CVD.
On his website, Paul Newman www.newmansownorgaincis.com, reports that Palm oil that comes from the fruit should not be confused with Palm Kernel oil that comes from a nut. The present research support the use of Palm oil, not Palm Kernel oil.
A possible good combination is to use Palm oil and Olive oil together. To decrease the lipid peroxides even further, take olive leaf extract capsules with 20% oleuropein. Two to four capsules daily have reduced the LDL cholesterol and along with Palm oil and Olive oil should improve the HDL/LDL ratio and lower the free radical lipid peroxides. Salmon, Sardine and Cod Liver oil high in DHA/EPA also significantly improve the HDL/LDL ratio and lipid profiles. Elevated homocysteine levels have also been linked to CVD. B12 and Folic acid are known to lower homocysteine levels.
Note: For several years, I have looked at lab results of persons doing poorly (with HIV, CFIDS etc.) and have always observed a low level of HDL’s. Low HDL’s may be linked to a failure of cell-mediated immunity and improving the HDL/LDL ratio might also improve immune function.
1. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1990 Nov;195(2):261-9
2. Br J Nutr 2000 Feb;83(2):151-9
3. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1999 sep;69(5):330-6
4. Scorza et al. Arch Latinoam Nutr 1999 Mar;49(1):20
5.Eur J Clin Nutr 1998 Sep; 52(9):675-83
6. Afr J Med Sci 1996 Dec; 25(4):335-40
© 2001 Keep Hope Alive, PO Box 270041, West Allis, WI 53227 www.keephope.net 262-548-4344
Mark Konlee
An article by Susanna Cunninghan-Rundles and 10 other researchers at Cornell Medical Center in New York City titled “Probiotics and Immune Response” was published in the Am J. of Gastroenterology (1) in January, 2000. The research was done to determine if giving children born with HIV the probiotic L. Plantarum orally would improve nutrient status and promote growth. The researchers stated that some probiotics produce nutrients, absorbable peptides and vitamins essential for the host. The colonization of the intestines with friendly bacteria may prevent overgrowth of the unfriendly bacteria
The first child to be tested with oral use of L Plantarum was 11 years of age and had candidal esophagitis and chronic diarrhea. He was given L Plantarum (299v) for one month. After one month of treatment, his “mouth ulcers, candidiasis, and diarrhea resolved. The child’s appetite improved markedly, he ate three full meals a day and he was able to enjoy playing again. The improvement in weight was statistically significant. “
As a result of this one case a double-blind controlled study was undertaken involving 17 children to test the effects of the oral administration of L Plantarum. Rundles et al state that “no child was withdrawn from the study because of side effects or problems with taste.” Colonization is reported to have taken place in 2 weeks. The amount of L Plantarum taken was not stated in the article.
Of 17 children studied, the researchers stated that 10 were responsive and 7 were non-responsive. Responsive meaning that positive results were noted. No information in the article was given as to the diet of the children, any medicines they may have been taking and no mention of whether any prebiotics (fiber and non-digestible carbohydrates) were taken.
Interestingly, the article states that “a child with marked growth failure born to an HIV positive mother, was subsequently found to be HIV negative by PCR and eventually showed seroconversion of the previously positive HIV antibody reactivity. “ Of this child they also observed gains in height and weight and “a marked augmentation in immune response.” They further added: “This difference reflected a change from generalized anergy to normal immune response within 1 month and occurred in the absence of any other intervention or treatment.”
The authors reported on other studies that showed that lactobacillus improved phagocytic activity in peripheral blood cells. Phagocytic means the ability of certain white blood cells to engulf and destroy bacteria and viruses in the blood. The authors concluded that L Plantarum has the potential to improve growth, development and immune response in HIV+ children.
The authors did not claim that one of the 17 children in the study was “cured” of HIV infection although they reported in the absence of any other treatment, the blood levels of HIV by PCR were non-detectable and the HIV antibody status that was positive became non-reactive or negative.
The big question for us is whether these kinds of results can be duplicated. Unknown and not mentioned is whether the HIV antibody status of this child will remain negative if the use oral use of L Plantarum is discontinued. Other researchers report that L Plantarum produces a two peptide antibiotic that they call a “lantibiotic.” (2) Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, report that “Vaginal colonization with lactobacilli should be evaluated as potential interventions to reduce a woman’s risk of acquiring HIV-1, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis.” (3)
1. Am J Gastroenterology 2000 Jan;95(1 Suppl):S22-5
2. Microbiology, 2001 Mar;147(Pt 3):643-51
3. J Infect Dis 1999 Dec; 180(6):1863-8
The following exchange took place on May 30, 2001
Mark: You left a phone message with me the other day that after 14 years of being HIV+ and only using prescription drugs once for 2 months several years ago, that your CD4 count is 524 and your viral load is 8000. When was this test taken?
Tracy: Last week of April (2001). It had been 5 years since my last lab test.
Mark: Sounds like you don’t like to see a doctor very often.
Tracy: That’s right. I have never been sick with any opportunistic infection in the past 14 years. I’ve had two ex-lovers die of AIDS and I have buried 75 friends from this disease. Since 1987, I’ve only used the prescription drugs for HIV for 2 months and that was 5 years ago.
Mark: The trauma of living and dying from AIDS has hit the gay community very hard since the mid 1980’s. In the past few years, a great portion of society has reached a stage of mental “burn-out” on this subject. Today, an increasing number of married (heterosexual) women are becoming HIV+ and are contacting us for help. In the US, it is harder for heterosexuals to deal with HIV than gays, especially when it comes to peer support. This is because of the myth that only gays, bisexuals, drug addicts and prostitutes get the disease. Worldwide, the majority of persons infected are heterosexuals (especially in Africa and Asia). This virus follows the Army’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It doesn’t ask our sexual preference, it just infects anyone when the opportunity is provided. Tell me something, in the past 14 years, when was your viral load the highest and your CD4 count the lowest?
Tracy: That was about 5 years ago. I had a lab test that showed my viral load at 50,000 and my CD4 count had dropped to just under 300. The doctor told me that I needed to start on the drugs immediately or I would die. So I relented and started on Zerit and Epivir. I took it for two months and it made me real sick so I quit.
Mark: Most of our readers tolerate these two drugs very well but people react differently. What did you do then?
Tracy: I took lots of herbs.
Mark: What kind of herbs?
Tracy. Well, let me take you back to the first year, 1987. For about one year, I took oral hydrogen peroxide, 35% food grade quality solution. I used 10 drops in a glass of water twice a day. I did this for about one year and then stopped. Then I took Essiac tea for several years and also took acemannan. In fact, I still use Essiac tea from time to time, but not on a regular basis.
[Note: Essiac is the herbal tea discovered by the Ojibwa Indians in Canada that has been used for treating cancer for the past 80 years.]
Mark: What is your current protocol?
Tracy: For the past 5 or 6 years, I have done the following: Aloemannan (Royal Body Care) 3 caps 2X Colostrum (Royal body Care) 3 caps 2X Spirulina (Royal Body Care) 3 caps 2X Maximizer Enzymes (R-Garden) 3 caps 2X Inner Garden Flora (R Garden) 3 caps 2X For the past year I’ve taken 2 capsules daily of MSM. I also take a multiple vitamin formula from Sunrider. Once every two weeks for 3 days I take Colloidal silver 500 ppm) - 1 teaspoon in a pint of water each day for 3 days, then I stop.
Mark: What kind of diet are you on?
Tracy: Average. It could be a lot better. I have eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, nothing for lunch and for supper I eat a regular meal of meat, potatoes, a salad and vegetables. I also eat lots of fruit.
Mark: About your intestinal health, do your stools float on water?
Tracy: Always, at least for the past 5 or 6 years.
Mark: Interesting. About 10 years ago we discovered that persons HIV+ who consistently had “floaters” were non-progressors. In the last few years we learned that stools that floated on water was directly linked to the amount of friendly flora in their intestines. Also, we found that persons with CFIDS, Lyme disease, hepatitis, cancer, candidiasis and multiple food allergies had stools that would sink in water, just like most persons with AIDS do. This correlation was true in about 90 to 95% of the anecdotal cases reported but surprisingly not 100%. By the way what kinds of flora are in R’Garden?
Tracy: I’ll read it off the label. It has L. Acidophilus, B. Bifidum, B Longum, L Plantarum and L. Salivarius.
Mark: What an interesting coincidence. These are the same five strains that we have found to be most important for intestinal health. They are also found in a product called “Green Probiotics” that is in a base of parsley powder. Persons with food allergies have told me they tolerate this very well. Where did you learn about R Garden?
Tracy: It was in your publication several years ago.
Mark: I do recall writing about it. It must have been 6 or 7 years ago. Too bad we let this one get away from us. What is encouraging is that you have had such incredible results for the past 5 years with your protocol and it would be unfair to give all the credit to R Garden. We have had other isolated and good reports on the Ojibwa tea and the vegetarian digestive enzymes as well. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Persons who want to contact Tracy can send an email to- tracyb@houston.rr.com
Detroit MI: A mother and her daughter have been HIV+ for the past several years, her daughter since she was born 15 yrs ago. While the mother is doing fine on a drug cocktail (combination of 3 or more anti-HIV drugs) the daughter cannot tolerate any of the drugs for HIV. In mid April, 2001, her daughter had a red blood count (RBC) of 2.6, very anemic and spent most of her time in a wheel chair, unable to walk.
In April, she started on Bio Choice Immune 26, the immunized egg yolk product. Her mother says, she now can walk without assistance, has more energy and her RBC is up to 3.6. The daughter is trying to help herself with natural methods. Recently, she used 6 Monolaurin capsules daily to get rid of a shingles infection. She is using 3 doses a day of BioChoice Immune 26 and believes it has helped her tremendously. She will get CD4 and PCR tests early in June. I will update our readers when more information becomes available.
Note: The mother, who relayed this report, wishes to remain anonymous. While the web site for BioChoice Immune 26 does not state that the chickens from whom the eggs were derived to make this product were immunized with HIV, other sources report that HIV is one of 26 pathogens to which the chickens were exposed. Only a few of pathogens are listed at legacyusa.com/healthadvance. One distributor told me that the complete list would only be given to medical doctors on request and not in writing.
I suggested to the mother that she consider buying a couple live chickens, immunize them with her daughter’s blood and make their own immunized eggs at a cost of about $5.00 a month. She said they will think about it. I would really like to see it both ways: persons try the Bio-Choice Immune 26 product while others can try immunizing their own chickens to produce immunized eggs and then compare the results.
Another question is whether eggnog and “immunized ice cream” (recipe published last month) are the only ways to use immunized egg yolks. Maybe, a poached egg or one cooked lightly and sunny-side would retain the transfer factor and antibodies in the yolks. I know of one local restaurant that serves eggs this way - half raw. Just possibly, you could have breakfast and at the same time deal with a multitude of infections at the same time. Imagine going into a restaurant and asking for two immunized eggs (sunny-side) with toast?
Mary Sue Jones who has CFIDS and uses BioChoice 26 is now a distributor (ph no 559-435-0238). The product costs about $50 a can and 3 doses daily requires about 3 cans a month (about $150 a month total). In an updated phone conversation during the past week, Mary Jones told me that when she first used BioChoice Immune 26 in April, that she stopped using the Transfer Factor Plus (4-Life Products) but is now using both products as the Immune 26 product is not enough to make her feel totally normal again. I told her that with the amount of money she is spending, in one year she could buy a cow, a goat and over a dozen chickens and could immunize them with her own blood and get transfer factor from all 3 sources. The procedures to do this are outlined in the current issue of Positive Health News (#22).
One reader from NM writes that he has been ill with an undiagnosed condition for 20 years and the doctors have not been able to help him. He adds “this chicken thing sounds so crazy it might work.” Another lady on disability in Montana has CFIDS and says she use to inject animals with antibiotics and other medicines when they had a farm and is considering getting a few chickens and trying the experiment as she cannot afford many of the dietary supplements on the market due to her limited income. One reader with HIV in San Francisco already has 4 chickens and a rooster and enjoys fresh eggs for breakfast daily. I asked him why he doesn’t immunize them? He said he was a procrastinator and preferred the convenience of having someone else do it. I told him that for that convenience he also has to be in a position to pay the “piper.” He is also thinking about it.
In Asia, Africa and even Latin America, immunizing millions of chickens could be a low cost way of stopping suffering and death from several types of infections including HIV. When the first person follows through with this, and assuming the experiment is successful, it will generate interest in others to follow. At least a dozen or more readers have indicated an interest in doing this “immunizing chicken” experiment, but everyone is asking whether someone else has done it and what the results are. So far, the answer is no one, to my knowledge, has attempted to use the methods outlined in the latest issue of Positive Health News (#22) and produce their own immunized eggs, an idea that occurred to me while I attended church service this past Good Friday. If everyone waits for someone else to try this experiment to find out the results, then just possibly, no one will find out.
Many people claim that the product, BioChoice Immune 26 and other transfer factor products have helped them. Think of how much more effective a personalized transfer factor would be, one that contains antibodies and immune factors that are specific to the strains of infections in your blood. Don’t expect the popular media to promote this idea; it sure is not going to generate any advertising revenues. The media can tantalize the public with teasers, tidbits of research that do not lead to practical results, and of course, someone always has some proprietary secret methods or patents and the bottom line (rarely discussed) is how much profit it can generate. With self-help information, the public is not entirely dependent on the “experts.”
Like the journey of Christopher Columbus, it takes one person to make a discovery that leads others to the promised land. When will infectious diseases no longer be a plague upon our planet? Who will be that one person to not only make history, but change it? The answer is “that person could be you.”
Shelia, who read the last issue of PHN, says she gets headaches when she uses onion powder or garlic powder and reacted negatively 15 years ago to liquid Kyolic garlic extract. Yet, she says, she can eat raw garlic and raw onions without any problems. Just possibly, her allergy has gone away or some products may contain additives to which she reacts. Note: Persons have reported getting rid of migraine headaches by taking a L Glutathione capsule. Possibly eating a ripe avocado (high in glutathione) might do the same thing.
Some time ago, I read an article on the internet from a farmer in Great Britain that two vegetarians, one in England and one in France who contracted and have died from “Mad Cow” disease. I did not keep the article, but today I found another report from the United Kingdom at www.ezio.freeserve.co.uk/cow.htm that states that several vegetarians have contacted this disease.
The article quotes a Prof. Ebringer who rejects the “prion protein” theory of how the disease spreads and finds the disease is caused by a bacteria called “Acinetobacter” which lives in soil and contaminated water. His theory is at odds with Frank Bastian MD a pathologist who has found a type of mycoplasma called a “spiroplasma” causes the disease. What the two researchers have in common is that they both reject the “prion” theory as do I. The prion theory is that folded proteins are the infectious agent and are virtually indestructible. However, as I reported in March, the facts do not support the prion theory as the infectitious agent but the result of an infectious agent.
Prof. Abridger “points out that several long-term vegetarians have contracted CJD (human versions of mad cow) including Clare Tomkins, 24, who died last year. She has not touched meat in 13 years.”
How could a vegetarian get Mad Cow disease? Simple, if the infectious agent is separable from the infected meat. In a restaurant, a cook who handles contaminated meat and then makes a salad without wiping his hands could transfer the infectious agent to the salad or it could be ctransferred through a knife or cutting board. A cloth used to wipe the hands or a knife can easily become contaminated if just once the cook wipes his hands without first washing them in bleach water. When cooks are busy is a popular restaurant, how often are sanitary rules violated? The answer is probably several times each day.
In Milwaukee last year, a deadly strain of e-coli got transferred to a watermelon by a cook who handled both the raw meats and made salads and cut fruit. When the cook is busy, they don’t have the time to dip their hands in bleach water each time they touch raw meat. As a result of this incident, one 4 year old girl died from the e-coli infection.
The lesson here is that if you are a vegetarian, don’t eat a salad in any restaurant where the cooks also handle raw meat products like beef (in Europe) that could be contaminated with the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease or raw chicken contaminated with salmonella. I know from personal experience of getting a salmonella infection from eating a salad in a restaurant that handles a lot of raw chicken. Vegetarians who eat in restaurants are no more immune from mad cow disease that heterosexuals are from HIV when having unprotected sex with a new partner. In fact, if you are going to eat in any country where mad cow disease is a problem, it would be safer to eat a meal of entirely cooked food including the meat rather than risk eating a salad made in a restaurant that handles contaminated raw meat products.
The email address was changed on June 1, 2001, due to our old address (keephope@execpc.com) being overrun with unsolicited advertising (SPAM). It takes 2 to 3 hours each month just to delete this stuff. We may have to change the address again in another year or so depending on how long it takes for the email marketers to find us.
Your donations in response to my request last month has enabled us to pay all our current and past obligations. As a result, we have resumed mailing out copies of the immune system book to persons financially indigent. To each of you who has been so generous and for your prayers, I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation. Mark Konlee
VOL. 4, NO 4............................................... May 1, 2001
Bob Brunsman of CFIDS and FM Resource called to tell us of an error in their 1/2 page ad in the latest issue of Positive Health News, Report No 22. The ad listed the solubilized Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) at $69.95 when it should have been $39.95. This is the form of ALA called OptumGel that is most effectively absorbed as it is predissolved in fatty acids. For more information call CFIDS and FM resource at 800-366-6056 or check the ad on the back cover of the latest issue. Note: The ad was sent to us camera ready so we did not proof read it.
Mark Konlee
Several of the largest pharmaceutical companies that make drugs used for treating HIV have offered to cut the cost to the bone for millions in Africa. While the publicity has generated lots of hope, we are waiting to see if even at the reduced prices the drugs will be affordable to the millions of people who live in abject poverty. Then there is the question of a support system and if there will be adequate numbers of health care workers to properly train and instruct persons on how to use these drug combinations and how to deal with other problems like side effects and drug resistant strains of the virus. Somehow, a more simple and effective answer is needed.
In Africa, even chicken feed at $5 a month might not be affordable. However, if chickens are turned loose, they will fend for themselves, eating grass, earthworms and bugs, just like they have for generations. In Africa and throughout the world, chickens are plentiful. What we need first right here in the USA is to find a dozen or more volunteers to try immunizing a few chickens with a few drops of their own blood and wait for the immunized eggs to be laid, then consumed on a daily basis and of course,before and after lab results. While future lab results are unknown at this time, what is known is that scientists in Mexico and elsewhere have found several antibodies to HIV in the egg yolks of hens when they are immunized with the virus.
The potential of this simple hands-on plan that I described in detail in the current newsletter is staggering. We are not just talking about a low-cost way to treat HIV infection, but most of the infections of civilization. It all depends on the immune system of the chicken being capable of producing neutralizing antibodies and transfer factor against these infectious diseases.
On the other hand, there are other birds that lay eggs that could be used as well and then there are goats, lamas and other mammals. If we can find an animal that can produce an immune response strong enough to completely eradicate the infection, then found in either the egg or the milk will be a potential cure for that disease in humans.
I clearly do not expect any support for this effort from either the drug companies or the slick multilevel dietary supplement companies or scientists who make a career out of applying for and spending millions of dollars of research grant moneys they get from the government each year, much of it wasted to restudy what has already been studied over and over again or to publish segments of tantalizing research always ending with the suggestion that more research is needed. Each party to these financial benefits involved has an interest in keeping the drama going - the song and dance routine that people are helpless to defend themselves when infected, that they need to keep sending their money to the insurance companies, the hospitals, the researchers, AIDS service organizations with deep pockets and tunnel vision and other “professionals.” I’m not condemning the whole nine yards here, but if the shoe fits, wear it.
Our immediate challenge is to find persons who have either failed on all the current drug combinations being offered or the dwindling few who have never used any drugs from the beginning and are willing to do more than be arm chair observers and be participants in a research effort that may not only benefit them, but possibly all mankind.
There are two factors that might lead to failure in an experiment to produce immunized eggs from poultry or Colostrum from cows, goats, etc. They are:
1. If the blood from the person used as a source of the infection does not contain enough of the pathogen to infect the animal. In other words, if a person with HIV had a non-detectable viral load from using a drug cocktail and tried to immunize a chicken then the chicken might not pick up the infection and thus not produce eggs that would contain transfer factor for HIV. The same would apply if the virus or bacteria were tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis, syphilis, Lyme disease or Human Herpes Virus 6 or any other pathogen or
2. If the animal subjected to the infection did not have strong enough of an immune system to produce neutralizing antibodies or other immune factors to eradicate the infection.
On the other hand, if the immune system of the animal was strong enough to totally eliminate the infection, then the egg or Colostrum would have the potential to cure the disease in humans. Thus, it may be possible to find the goose that will lay the golden egg. On the flip side of the coin, the animal with a weak immune response could be left with a life long infection after exposure to the virus or other infection. An example of this would be bovine tuberculosis. At this point a Veterinarians expert advice on which animals have a reputation for being resistant to all or nearly all diseases would be helpful. For mammals, are goats a better candidate than cows? We just don’t hear about diseases affecting goats, and chickens seem very resilient. Even if there are some diseases that affect these animals, they may be highly resistant to a number of human diseases and that immunity could be passed back to us.
On their website, www.legacyusa.com, they claim to hold a number of international patents on their immunized egg product. This product may work great for some people and do nothing for others. I have seen some testimonial results that are sensational from persons using BioChoice Immune 26 including one person with