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my 2008 $2.50/day HIV regimen


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#31 ajnast4r

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Posted 23 March 2008 - 01:31 PM

beta glucan (ASA biotec immutol , distributed by flora) knocked out my sisters cold, over night

#32 Curtis1943

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Posted 23 March 2008 - 04:02 PM

Is there any other supplement you would add to the list if you were in my shoes ?
Obviously with the HIV I'm at a slight disadvantage for reaching immortality. But I still wouldn't mind taking other things that could benefit me. In particular anything that can give me more energy would be good. I tend to have a lot more fatigue than I used to, though I'm not sure if it's caused by the HIV, depression, or a little of both.
Cost is not the biggest issue. I could go to a $10/day regimen if I was convinced it was worth it.


Pomegranate, specifically the ellagitannins punicalagins has also shown to be anti-HIV in vitro. search http://chemdb2.niaid.nih.gov/ for 'punicalagin and also see http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/1824196 http://www.mskcc.org.../html/77991.cfm http://www3.intersci...ract/112092416/ and http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/1698933 Punicalagins also hydrolyse in the body to form ellagic acid which also has some anti-HIV activity according to the literature..

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#33 madbrain

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Posted 01 April 2008 - 01:34 AM

I feel a whole lot better since I added the Quercetin (2g/day) first, then the AHCC (3g/day) to my daily regimen a few weeks ago. I can't prove that their addition is directly related to my improvement. But I haven't been fatigued nearly as much. I am going to buy more quercetin for sure as it is not too expensive (28 cents/day for 2g of the NOW brand at luckyvitamin.com).

For AHCC, I only bought enough supply for 45 days. It is a lot pricier at around $4/day for 3g (4 gels of 750mg, NOW brand again). My next HIV labs will be in early may, just around the time I will run out of it. I am not sure if this is enough time to show in the lab tests. I would hope my CD4 cells would go up a little bit. I think I will buy another 3 months now.

#34 Mixter

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 10:34 AM

DHEA shouldn't be missing -> immune support and antiviral activity
Lactoferrin -> same

Tryptohan for the depression (pick a quality source). According to
recent findings, chronic inflammation (such as by a viral illness)
is linked to tryptohan degradation in the blood and hence serotonin
deficiency in the brain (the inflammatory cytokines activate tryptophan
degrading enzymes)

See: http://npg.nature.co...rn2297_BX1.html

#35 madbrain

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Posted 05 April 2008 - 10:12 AM

DHEA shouldn't be missing -> immune support and antiviral activity
Lactoferrin -> same

Tryptohan for the depression (pick a quality source). According to
recent findings, chronic inflammation (such as by a viral illness)
is linked to tryptohan degradation in the blood and hence serotonin
deficiency in the brain (the inflammatory cytokines activate tryptophan
degrading enzymes)

See: http://npg.nature.co...rn2297_BX1.html


My doctor advised me against taking DHEA.
I already take a probiotics, NOW gr8-dophilus. Would lactoferrin serve the same/similar purpose ?

I'm unsure about tryptophan since I have bipolar depression, not just depression. It seems it's been somewhat under control with medication lately (celexa).

#36 Shannon Vyff

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Posted 05 April 2008 - 04:08 PM

Glad you have a Dr. to work with, and the money for treatment. One thing I didn't notice in thread, was garlic. Take a raw clove each day, crushing it-waiting 10 minutes for full development of the Allicin--then swallowing with water. (It is tricky, getting potent Allicin, that is considered the best way) You might want to research if it would be safe to add it in, here is one abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10594976

#37 madbrain

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Posted 07 April 2008 - 11:55 PM

Glad you have a Dr. to work with, and the money for treatment. One thing I didn't notice in thread, was garlic. Take a raw clove each day, crushing it-waiting 10 minutes for full development of the Allicin--then swallowing with water. (It is tricky, getting potent Allicin, that is considered the best way) You might want to research if it would be safe to add it in, here is one abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10594976


While garlic is generally considered as safe, there is an interaction listed between it and one of my medications (elmiron, for interstitial cystitis), so I cannot take garlic suplements.

#38 Lotus

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Posted 12 April 2008 - 04:18 AM

I would try Olive Leaf Extract. It's been shown to boost immunity and have strong antiviral activity. I know people that take it for cold sores and they claim they don't have outbreaks anymore. I started taking it because my immune system was very weak for a while, got constant flu and colds, and it has helped me a lot. I don't get colds anymore.

#39 TianZi

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Posted 27 April 2008 - 09:25 AM

Hi,

I understand. If there are any supplements that are effective for HepC or HepB there is a good chance they will also be effective for HIV. Your doctor is correct regarding long-term tox, however there are people on certain medications for many years in a row and some of the newer drugs have had very little side effects. The older generation had many sideffects. I'll PM you some papers if you would be interested in reading them? Give me a few days to dig them up.



Yes, I know the meds are much better now than they used to be. But still, basically no one has been taking any of the current combos for more than 12 years. And it's not a decision you can go back on once you start. Unlike with a supplement, once you go on HIV meds, you have to stay on HIV meds for the rest of your life. Many studies have found those who interrupted treatment died. Not going on treatment before it's needed also preserves the possibility of using one class of medication - not building resistance to it, by not using it or missing any doses. So, I'm comfortable with my doctor's decision to keep me off the HIV meds the moment. I get my levels checked every 3 months so we have that discussion frequently.

What supplements do you know that work against HepB/C ?

I'll be happy to read the papers if you PM.


I hope you have sought second and third opinions from other HIV experts, without first telling them about this doctor's advice. Placing your life in the hands of a single doctor is an act of faith almost on par with believing the literal truth of every parable in the Bible.

#40 TianZi

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Posted 27 April 2008 - 09:36 AM

I don't think anyone in this thread has mentioned the antiviral effects of resveratrol. Pasted below is the section from the Wiki stub for resveratrol covering this:


"Antiviral effects

*Resveratrol seems to increase the potency of some antiretroviral drugs against HIV in vitro*.[38]

Infection by herpes simplex virus ordinarily activates the cell protein Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB). A Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine study undertaken in Vero cells found that resveratrol suppresses the activation of this transcription- and apoptosis-related protein. The study further found that multiple viral protein products were reduced or completely blocked, as well as a reduction in viral DNA production.[39]

A cell culture study found that resveratrol blocks the influenza virus from transporting viral proteins to the viral assembly site, hence restricting its ability to replicate. The effect was 90% when resveratrol was added six hours after infection and continued for 24 hours thereafter.[40]"

Footnote 38 above was the supporting citation to the HIV study--here's the full cite:

Heredia A, Davis C, Redfield R. Synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 in activated and resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells, monocyte-derived macrophages, and selected drug-resistant isolates with nucleoside analogues combined with a natural product, resveratrol. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000 Nov 1;25(3):246-55.

Here's a link to a copy of the abstract for this study, finding synergistic effects from combining resveratrol with certain HIV drugs:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/11115955

Here's an interesting snippet from that abstract:

"... We now report that resveratrol (RV) synergistically enhances the anti-HIV-1 activity of the nucleoside analogues zidovudine (AZT), zalcitabine (ddC), and didanosine (ddI). RV at 10 microM was not toxic to cells, and by itself reduced viral replication by 20% to 30%. ..."

Further, in light of the very broad spectrum health benefits reported for resveratrol, and on the flip side, the very broad spectrum health complications caused by HIV, this seems a good supplement to take at least 1 gram of daily even without its synergistic interaction with HIV drugs.

Edited by TianZi, 27 April 2008 - 09:43 AM.


#41 madbrain

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Posted 13 May 2008 - 09:36 AM

I found a good price on some Now AHCC and ordered some. I'll try it at 2 or 3g/day when I get it. I'll see what my next HIV labs look like to evaluate it.
I also got some Quercetin last week. I was coming off with a bad cold and was taking 3g a day. Its addition seemed to help, but I was also taking some cold meds. I'm thinking of 2g/day going forward (1g morning and evening).


My latest HIV labs were OK. CD4 were close (from 553 to 585) . CD4 percentage also went up from 32 to 35% which is a bit better. The VL went up from 1623 to 2739 which is worse. Overall, not a big change. I ran out of AHCC weeks ago and I'm not going to buy it again. Same thing for the Quercetin.

#42 spacey

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Posted 25 May 2008 - 03:33 PM

I'm going to agree on the person that recommended high doses of Vitamin C, I suggest you check out this abstract on Pubmed. http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/1698293

#43 madbrain

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Posted 22 November 2008 - 11:44 AM

I'm starting to wonder just how much and what effect these supplements are really having. These are my lab work values for this year.

2/2/2008 CD4 553 32% VL 1623
4/25/2008 CD4 589 35% VL 2739
7/19/2008 CD4 627 34% VL 1608
10/15/2008 CD4 793 30% VL 1367

My supplement regimen hasn't changed significantly during the year except that I went off most of theme for about a month in late june/early july.
I added 400 mg Coq10 a couple of months ago. I started taking more probiotics. I switched to 1g ALCAR. I believe that made my daily cost jump to about $3.

The CD4s are getting better which is good. And the viral load is still very low. The latest result is my highest CD4 count ever, and second lowest viral load. This is excellent. However, I don't know if I can attribute it to supplements or not.
My bf has the same virus and strain, takes about half of the same supps that I do, plus HAART, and he is stuck around 300 CD4 and 19%. So the supps aren't doing miracles for him.

At this point, I think that it is more likely my good genes rather than the supplements that are helping me. I have actually enrolled in an observational medical study as an HIV viremic controller since my VL has remained very low for 2 years since I contracted HIV, without medication.

I don't know how badly I want to test the all-genetic theory, and go off all my supplements for an extended period of time, though.

For 2009, I think I will probably want to revamp my program a bit. But I'm not quite sure in what way. I think perhaps by making sure I have the most bioavailable form of everything I am taking for the time I reorder supps in january.

#44 rwac

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Posted 22 November 2008 - 12:43 PM

madbrain,

If you're interested in an "alternate" explanation for AIDS,
you might want to read this guy:
H D Foster & his book: What Really Causes AIDS

Basically, he suggests the following supplements:

Glutamine, Cysteine, Tryptophan, Selenium

You already take 2 of them. It might be worth while trying
the other two to see what effect they have.

#45 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 22 November 2008 - 06:51 PM

Low Dose Naltrexone, please consider it. Super cheap, non-toxic, available without prescription, very effective vs. HIV, side effects include abundant energy and persistently good mood.

http://www.lowdosena...ldn_and_hiv.htm

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 22 November 2008 - 06:51 PM.


#46 madbrain

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 12:27 AM

rwac,

If you're interested in an "alternate" explanation for AIDS,


I have read about the HIV denialists before, and I'm not at all convinced nor interested in that theory. There has been plenty of evidence that HIV is linked to AIDS. I think when the denialists observe things like decline in selenium blood levels, they make a mistake and are confusing the consequences of HIV / AIDS with its causes.

Basically, he suggests the following supplements:

Glutamine, Cysteine, Tryptophan, Selenium

You already take 2 of them. It might be worth while trying
the other two to see what effect they have.


I already take plenty of selenium through my supplement program. At the end of last year I was on 275 mcg supplemental selenium, and had my blood selenium level taken - it turned out to be too high. I cut down to 200 mcg for the last year. I get all of it from the Now Adam multi. 200mcg is also the dose that has been recommended in some studies in people with HIV and AIDS.

Regarding cysteine, I already take NAC which is N-acetyl cysteine . I take 600mg of the Jarrows NAC time-release, twice a day. Should I still take cysteine at the same time as NAC ?

I will look at the tryptophan. From my searches it seems there is tryptophan depletion from HIV. But many other things have been found to be depleted in people with HIV. That doesn't necessarily indicate that supplementation is recommended. I haven't found any studies about tryptophan supplementation for HIV yet. Also, I can't take 5-HTP due to bipolar, and it seems that tryptophan has a close relationship to it. So it might not be the best choice for me.

#47 madbrain

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 12:43 AM

Low Dose Naltrexone, please consider it. Super cheap, non-toxic, available without prescription, very effective vs. HIV, side effects include abundant energy and persistently good mood.

http://www.lowdosena...ldn_and_hiv.htm


Thanks. I was not aware of it. The research quoted seems convincing. However, it appears to be available by prescription only. See http://www.lowdosena...an_I_obtain_LDN .

#48 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 01:17 AM

Its available cheaply from international pharmacies without a prescription, and 1-3 months supply can be legally imported. Many people make LDN themselves by dissolving the 50mg tablets in 50ml of water and then measuring out 4.5mg doses from the solution. The cost is about $5 a month.

#49 rwac

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 10:24 AM

rwac,

If you're interested in an "alternate" explanation for AIDS,


I have read about the HIV denialists before, and I'm not at all convinced nor interested in that theory. There has been plenty of evidence that HIV is linked to AIDS. I think when the denialists observe things like decline in selenium blood levels, they make a mistake and are confusing the consequences of HIV / AIDS with its causes.

Basically, he suggests the following supplements:

Glutamine, Cysteine, Tryptophan, Selenium

You already take 2 of them. It might be worth while trying
the other two to see what effect they have.


I already take plenty of selenium through my supplement program. At the end of last year I was on 275 mcg supplemental selenium, and had my blood selenium level taken - it turned out to be too high. I cut down to 200 mcg for the last year. I get all of it from the Now Adam multi. 200mcg is also the dose that has been recommended in some studies in people with HIV and AIDS.

Regarding cysteine, I already take NAC which is N-acetyl cysteine . I take 600mg of the Jarrows NAC time-release, twice a day. Should I still take cysteine at the same time as NAC ?

I will look at the tryptophan. From my searches it seems there is tryptophan depletion from HIV. But many other things have been found to be depleted in people with HIV. That doesn't necessarily indicate that supplementation is recommended. I haven't found any studies about tryptophan supplementation for HIV yet. Also, I can't take 5-HTP due to bipolar, and it seems that tryptophan has a close relationship to it. So it might not be the best choice for me.


His Theory is all about how HIV causes AIDS.
He claims that basically this happens due to the virus depleting various substances.
He calls it the "selenium-CD4 T cell tailspin"
"AIDS, therefore, is a nutritional deficiency illness caused by a virus."

Anyway, what I find interesting is that if people tend to the same regimen,
without necessarily reading this book, maybe there's something to the book
after all.

Yes, NAC supplies cysteine, so that's fine.

#50 madbrain

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 12:18 PM

rwac,

Anyway, what I find interesting is that if people tend to the same regimen,
without necessarily reading this book, maybe there's something to the book
after all.


People taking those particular supplements for HIV and AIDS doesn't mean that they embrace the theories in that book, and cannot be viewed as a confirmation of those theories. I certainly don't embrace it. I had enough reading the first few pages of the book with the Duesberg quotes. Please don't bring it up again in this thread. You need to find someone else who is willing to listen to them. I have read enough about the subject in the past to have made my mind.

Personally, I try to choose my supplements based on studies of human supplementation in people with HIV and AIDS, and especially which ones helped with the markers of CD4 counts, percentages, and HIV viral load.

Yes, NAC supplies cysteine, so that's fine.


Thanks.

#51 rwac

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 12:26 PM

Please don't bring it up...

Done.

#52 Skötkonung

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Posted 25 November 2008 - 12:42 AM

Right now there is no cure for HIV, only containment of the virus to low levels, as much as I wish this wasn't the case.
I found a good price on some Now AHCC and ordered some. I'll try it at 2 or 3g/day when I get it. I'll see what my next HIV labs look like to evaluate it.
I also got some Quercetin last week. I was coming off with a bad cold and was taking 3g a day. Its addition seemed to help, but I was also taking some cold meds. I'm thinking of 2g/day going forward (1g morning and evening).

I am taking a fairly small amount of vitamin C right now, 1.35 g/day, in the regular ascorbic acid form. This is 350 mg from the multi, and two tablets of 500mg. I have read mixed things about the ester-C vs C.
I'm still debating whether to try the beta glucans. It is not cheap.

That may be the case, but an experimental cure could be on the near horizon. I recently read of a man who cleared himself of the virus through a bone marrow transplant.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/7726118.stm

Perhaps this could result in future gene therapies or new ways of curing the disease?

#53 PhoenixBrad

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Posted 25 November 2008 - 06:29 AM

beta glucan risk free iirc,

but might try bht + st. johns wort, bht works for herpes which is also a virus. the active ingredient in st johns is also anti viral.

#54 PhoenixBrad

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Posted 25 November 2008 - 10:43 AM

beta glucan risk free iirc,

but might try bht + st. johns wort, bht works for herpes which is also a virus. the active ingredient in st johns is also anti viral.


also the beta glucans was really cheap, at least at vitamin shoppe, it was around ten dollars a bottle or something very affordable. not an expert so maybe the expensive beta glucan stuff is different somehow?

http://www.vitaminsh....jsp?id=VS-1755

#55 madbrain

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Posted 26 November 2008 - 09:56 AM

That may be the case, but an experimental cure could be on the near horizon. I recently read of a man who cleared himself of the virus through a bone marrow transplant.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/7726118.stm

Perhaps this could result in future gene therapies or new ways of curing the disease?



Yes, I read about that in an HIV forum about 6 months ago, before it was widely publicized recently. But a bone marrow transplant is actually very dangerous - resulting in death in 10 to 30% of cases from what I have read.
So I don't think the cure will come that way. It is still a very interesting development. But I wouldn't take that risk personally with those odds. The odds of living with the virus with meds are much greater.

Earlier this year, I was genetically tested for the delta 32 mutation the bone marrow donor had. The test is available from http://www.hivgene.com . I don't have that mutation. However, apparently, I still have other genes that protect me, as I have had no evidence of disease progression whatsoever. My tcells aren't declining as a trend, like they typically do at a rate of 40 to 80 a year without treatment. In fact they are at an all-time high. That's why I entered the medical study at http://www.massgener...controllers.asp, to help identify those good genes.

If the cure is going to be gene therapy, I hope they find a less dangerous way to deliver it than a bone marrow transplant.

#56 madbrain

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Posted 26 November 2008 - 10:34 AM

beta glucan risk free iirc,

but might try bht + st. johns wort, bht works for herpes which is also a virus. the active ingredient in st johns is also anti viral.


also the beta glucans was really cheap, at least at vitamin shoppe, it was around ten dollars a bottle or something very affordable. not an expert so maybe the expensive beta glucan stuff is different somehow?

http://www.vitaminsh....jsp?id=VS-1755


That does seem like a decent price. But I wouldn't necessarily buy Vitamin shoppe brand. I would want something GMP or USP certified, which most vitamin shoppe products are not. I'm not sure what the right dosage of beta glucans would be also.

#57 Lufega

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Posted 16 December 2008 - 04:34 AM

I second the coconut oil. Not only can it helps reduce the viral load, but it's also a good source of energy as it doesn't need enzymes in order to digest it. It goes straight to the liver and results in tons of energy! Aim at 4 tablespoons per day.

http://www.coconutre...rticle10526.pdf

Also, read here

http://www.google.co...ppekurosawa.com

Edited by Lufega, 16 December 2008 - 04:44 AM.


#58 bgwithadd

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 11:23 PM

Theanine would be good to try. Supposedly it increases the affectiveness of delta t cells by several hundred percent, and it should be pretty safe.

#59 PhoenixBrad

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Posted 09 January 2009 - 11:17 PM

also why not take one of the better colloidal silver stuff? probably doesn't work but i don't see a downside.

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#60 madbrain

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Posted 10 January 2009 - 01:06 AM

also why not take one of the better colloidal silver stuff? probably doesn't work but i don't see a downside.


Sorry, but I see a downside to that one. See "toxicity", under http://en.wikipedia....olloidal_silver . So I'll skip it.




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