Aids Cure Found? Presidents' Herbal Solution Revealed

[minase]

I was looking up some web sites.
http://infowars.net/articles/february2007/050207Iran.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/03/15/koinange.africa/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
Both presidant claim the solution is herbal medicen. If it is not true then what is their political motive.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

I hear this stuff all the time. If there was a 'herbal' cure for anything, chemists would be at work singling out the compound responsible and just recreate it synthetically, maybe even enhance it's effects.

Of course in these countries there are still witch doctors and stuff, I am not saying these things are wrong but they shouldn't replace modern medicine. I agree with the WHO, unless it is definitively shown that there is a compound in these herbs which treats HIV in some way, the only thing that could come from it is false hope/hype and people coming off of their regular meds to try this.

 

[Mk]

There ]is however, an HIV vaccine that looks good. There has to be a thread somewhere, else, so would someone please direct me?
http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=8720

 

[Crosson]

I hear this stuff all the time. If there was a 'herbal' cure for anything, chemists would be at work singling out the compound responsible and just recreate it synthetically, maybe even enhance it's effects.

Actually I could easily imagine the cynical, arrogant, fossilized nature of many scientists standing in the way of this sort of progress.

 

[MeJennifer]

I hear this stuff all the time. If there was a 'herbal' cure for anything, chemists would be at work singling out the compound responsible and just recreate it synthetically, maybe even enhance it's effects.

Not necessarily true. After all, to many there is no point in doing something if you cannot make money from it.

 

[Mk]

Actually I could easily imagine the cynical, arrogant, fossilized nature of many scientists standing in the way of this sort of progress.

Many, but not all. I would disagree.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Not necessarily true. After all, to many there is no point in doing something if you cannot make money from it.

I find this interesting, I actually had a conversation with someone about it earlier this week. My argument is that they could make money from it! Unless you know something I don't, (very possible ). Long long ago it was found out that chewing the bark of a willow tree caused pain to subside a little bit. Later on the compound salicylic acid was singled out as the likely culprit, and was created synthetically. Of course as you probably know it wasn't very good, it was very sour or whatever, I forget the story somewhat.. then they refined it and found out which branch on the molecule was causing the bad effects and improved the drug. ASA was born.

Why couldn't this be done with any compound? Surely the BAYER company is making money off of aspirin.

Wouldn't people pay for a drug that treated HIV? :/ Its patentable is it not? I don't see how you couldn't sell it. The problem is that under lab tests, these 'herbs' or whatever don't have any measurable effect from what I have heard, so.

 

[MeJennifer]

Surely the BAYER company is making money off of aspirin.

The patent has expired.

I am just waiting for our political representatives to become "convinced" by lobbyists that it is a good idea to extend the patentable period, similarly as they did when Disney was all up in arms when the copyright of a silly drawing of a mouse drawn more than 80 years ago was about to expire.

What a world, sigh...

 

[Ki Man]

I don't think its a cure. Maybe it is an immune boost but it can't be a cure

 

[russ_watters]

I can't believe that article. It, and some of the comments in this thread, make me sick.

 

[interested_learner]

I wish. I wish. If every wish was a cure then everyone would live to 100. Aids is a hard nut to crack. If it were so easy then it would have been cured by now.

 

[SpaceTiger]

Both presidant claim the solution is herbal medicen. If it is not true then what is their political motive.

No need for a political motive, a god complex is reason enough:

This has become the treatment for HIV/AIDS patients here since early January, when Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced he had discovered a cure for the disease that has wreaked havoc across Africa. He made that announcement in front of a group of foreign diplomats, telling them the treatment was revealed to him by his ancestors in a dream.

There's a fine line between cultural sensitivity and idiocy.

 

[Moonbear]

Actually I could easily imagine the cynical, arrogant, fossilized nature of many scientists standing in the way of this sort of progress.

Actually, not at all. That sounds like a pretty cynical, arrogant, fossilized opinion to think so though. In fact, that is how many current pharmaceuticals have developed. Companies have gone out and seen what herbal medicines people have used and extracted the active compounds, done the clinical trials to ensure they really are effective, and developed them into purified compounds that are part of modern medicine. One does need to have healthy skepticism though and actually test the compounds and people's claims, because many also don't work, or can be more harmful than helpful.

 

[Crosson]

Actually, not at all. That sounds like a pretty cynical, arrogant, fossilized opinion to think so though.

O.k., in our naively optimistic, humble, open minded opinion, we should believe that the scientific establishment has already considered all possible herbal based remedies for all possible ailments.

Yeah, right. You can also imagine that, if you prefer, the human nature of scientist causes them to be limited in the scope of their research, with respect to developing new medications.

In fact, that is how many current pharmaceuticals have developed. Companies have gone out and seen what herbal medicines people have used and extracted the active compounds, done the clinical trials to ensure they really are effective, and developed them into purified compounds that are part of modern medicine.

Your right, some herbal medicines have been transformed into modern medicines. In nearly all cases, the natural and modern medicines differer chemically, but not in perceived effect, according to the limited studies we are able to afford.

 

[Ki Man]

I can't believe that article. It, and some of the comments in this thread, make me sick.

I honestly wish this was the miracle cure to all of our AIDS troubles, but the question is, is this medicine curing the disiease or treating the effects? When can we start mass producing this? Why haven't we thought of this yet? Is there any way that this plant can stop BOTH the lysogenic and lytic cylce, or does it only reinforce the white blood cell count?

There's too many IF's for us to start jumping with joy yet. Once this president let's some places like the CDC look at it, then we'll bust out the party drinks

 

[Moonbear]

O.k., in our naively optimistic, humble, open minded opinion, we should believe that the scientific establishment has already considered all possible herbal based remedies for all possible ailments.

Yeah, right. You can also imagine that, if you prefer, the human nature of scientist causes them to be limited in the scope of their research, with respect to developing new medications.

You seem to be twisting words for the sake of argument, and I suggest you check the attitude at the door.

Your first post suggested that scientists would not even consider exploring whether an herbal remedy had an active compound worth including in modern medicine. That is not the same as saying they have already explored every one out there. There is also no reason to explore every single one out there, because it's pretty clear that many do not have any effect beyond the placebo effect from studies of those herbal remedies themselves.

There are two very different things being presented in the two articles. The first one suggests something that helps boost the immune system along with other drugs for HIV, it is not being touted as a cure, and they are in the process of actually testing it. That may hold some promise. The second article is someone with no scientific knowledge whatsoever who claims the cure came to him in a dream (warning bells should be going off now) and has not been tested for any sort of efficacy before being given to the population, and has only been in use since January, which means there is no evidence whatsoever that it does or will work.

 

[Milo Hobgoblin]

If any of this were true.. it would be the result of the greatest dumb luck in the history of mankind and certainly not a product of science.

These boneheads can't even figure out how to use birth control pills.. much less make them. LOL... a cure for HIV..

Suuuuuuuuurreeeeeeeee...


Is there ANYONE on this thread who doesn't realize much of the HIV/AIDS industry is about money.. and nothing else?

Do you have any concept of how much money would be lost if a cure were developed.. how many people would lose grants, jobs, entire labs?

 

[Mk]

There is however, an HIV vaccine that looks good. There has to be a thread somewhere, else, so would someone please direct me?
http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=8720

Did, uh, anybody ready my post? I would appreciate it if somebody could respond or send me to the correct thread.

 

[chemisttree]

There are supposed to be 25 or 26 in various stages of clinical trials. Some can be found here:

http://chi.ucsf.edu/vaccines/

More can be found here:

http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/research/topics/HIV/vaccines/clinical/default.htm

 

[Moridin]

Just taking into account the mutation rate of HIV suggests that it is somewhat unlikely to be a magic cure for it anytime soon.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Do you have any concept of how much money would be lost if a cure were developed.. how many people would lose grants, jobs, entire labs?

These things change, and better treatments are always around the corner... There are many many many many diseases out there which lack a cure or have potential for better treatment right? Are you suggesting that scientists around the world are in their lab working hard, committing their life to it, and when a great discovery comes along they are all going to jump up and shout "NO YOU IDIOT! WE'LL LOSE OUR GRANT MONEY!"... give me a break. They would have become lawyers or something.