VIRUSMYTH HOMEPAGE
INTERVIEW MOHAMMED AL-BAYATI
By Steven D. Keller
2 May 2001
Steven: Thank you for giving this interview. First of all I would
like to establish with the readers who you are, your credentials and
what led you to take a serious look at AIDS and its causes?
I
am a pathologist and a toxicologist with a Ph.D. in comparative pathology
from the University of California Davis and a dual board certified toxicologist
(DABT & DABVT). I have over twenty years experience in research,
teaching, diagnostic, and doing consulting work in the fields of toxicology
and pathology. I have also served as an Expert Witness on several cases
involving the exposure of people to chemicals in the workplace, exposure
of people to wrong therapeutic agents, and reaction of people to the
side effects of therapeutic agents. In these cases, I identified the
cause(s) of illnesses and provided the treating physicians and attorneys
with reports describing my findings. In these reports, I also presented
to the treating physicians my recommendation for monitoring and treating
these illnesses.
In
1997, I established my toxicology consulting firm (Toxi-Health International)
in Dixon California (10 miles west of the University of California Davis)
and my website contains a description of my company's wide range of
services (http://www.toxi-health.com). In October of 1997, I evaluated
the medical record and the case history of a 60 year-old-white male
who was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. He was treated with immunosupprassant
medications (Azathioprine and prednisone). He consulted with me to find
out if his exposure to chemicals in his workplace such as Jet Fuel and/or
his medications has initiated or contributed to his illness.
My
review of his medical record revealed that this man was suffering from
AIDS.
He developed AIDS following his treatment with two months course of
prednisone (60 mg per day) and two weeks course of azathioprine (50-100
mg per day) for lung fibrosis. His blood analysis revealed a CD4+ T
cells count of 255/µL (normal range 542 to 1595/µL) and
a CD4+T cells /CD8+ T cells ratio of 0.6 (normal range 1.0-3.5). He
was also suffering from a severe lymphocytopenia (peripheral blood lymphocytes
count was 483/µL). Prior to his treatment with prednisone, his
lymphocytes count were normal (1513/µL). In addition, he suffered
from pneumonia and developed a severe fungal infection of the skin at
various regions of his body and very painful sores in his mouth (gum
and cheeks which looked like white cottage cheese). He was not infected
with the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) as determined by three
tests at various clinics.
My communication with his treating physician, lead to the termination
of his treatment with prednisone and Azathioprine. On May 19, 1998,
22 days after the last dose of prednisone, his CD4+ T cells and CD8+
T cells counts were 657 cells/µL and 659 cells/µL, respectively.
These counts were 247% and 153% of the values during the tapering of
prednisone for the CD4+ T cells and the CD8+ T cells, respectively.
In addition, his fungal infection and pneumonia were resolved following
treatment with short course of antibiotic (Doxycycline 200mg per day
for 2 weeks) and topical antifungal agent (Loprox).
This
case led me to evaluate the medical literature on AIDS worldwide to
find out if there were other individuals with AIDS, who were HIV-negative,
and to investigate the causes of AIDS. Prior to this time, my belief
was that HIV caused AIDS as we have been told by the United States Center
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the AIDS establishment
since 1984. My investigation of the causes of AIDS worldwide took about
two years and I presented my findings in my book " Get All The
Facts: HIV Does not Cause AIDS" and in my articles. The first twenty
pages of my book and the articles are posted on my website (http://www.toxi-health.com)
and http://www.news-gap.com. My findings show clearly that HIV is not
the cause of AIDS.
Steven: I've read your book, "Get All the Facts: HIV Does Not Cause
AIDS" and I was really impressed by the information you found in
your research. What can a toxicologist/pathologist offer to the current
sea of information without getting bogged down by the populous information
that we already have?
We
can play a very important role in evaluating the medical information
presented by physicians, scientists, and researchers and to provide
correct interpretations of the information to get to the correct cause(s)
of illness. For example, the CDC and the AIDS establishment stated that
the epidemiology of AIDS indicates that AIDS is caused by virus called
HIV, but my evaluation of the epidemiology of AIDS revealed that HIV
is not the cause of AIDS.
The
correct approach that should be taken to solve AIDS, or any other complicated
chronic medical problems, is by evaluating all medical evidence concerning
each risk group, namely, a differential diagnosis. I used this approach
in this case to figure out the causes of AIDS in each risk group. I
have found that the epidemiology and other medical evidence indicate
clearly that HIV is not the cause of AIDS and that AIDS is caused by
the use of immunosuppressive medications that have been used to treat
wide range of illnesses caused by the use of drugs and alcohol. In Africa,
AIDS is caused by severe malnutrition and the release of endogenous
cortisol. Any individual suffering from severe malnutrition has AIDS
regardless if he or she is HIV-positive or HIV-negative. In addition,
AIDS in people suffering from malnutrition can be reversed by giving
proper nutrition and supportive medical care. I gave many examples in
my book to illustrate these points.
Steven: Given what has happened to Dr. Peter Duesberg and having his
funding scaled back because of his viewpoints and public questioning
of HIV and AIDS, are you not concerned for your job security? Are you
not stepping on the toes of the mainstream view that a virus is what
actually causes AIDS?
Prior
to November of 1997, I believed that HIV was the cause of AIDS and I
did not have any intention to investigate this issue. However, I discovered
in November of 1997 that AIDS can be caused by other agents, and that
HIV is a harmless virus. I also realized that AZT and the antiviral
drugs are killing people, which changed my direction. It became my duty
as a scientist to investigate this issue, to find out the truth, and
to present my findings to our government and to the public. I have been
spending a tremendous amount of time and money on this issue for the
last four years without any financial help from any source. This has
been extremely hard on my family, but what keeps me going is the reward
of saving lives and our vital resources.
My
findings were evaluated by professor Otto G. Raabe, a toxicologist from
the University of California Davis, as well as other scientists and
physicians who have been using my findings to save lives. In August
of 1999, I sent many letters with a copies of my book "Get All
The Facts: HIV does not cause AIDS" to President Clinton and other
government officials and to Governor Gray Davis asking them to have
my findings evaluated by experts but unfortunately no action has been
taking yet. In spring of 2000, I sent similar letters with copies of
my books to President Mbeki and the Embassy of South Africa in Washington
D.C. My book was submitted to President Mbeki's Expert AIDS Panel where
the medical evidence was evaluated and used. The panel report is posted
on http://www.harmsen.net.
I
do not understand why our government is ignoring this huge medical evidence
that shows HIV does not cause AIDS while basing their entire AIDS program
on unsupported hypothesis. Robert Gallo stated that HIV enters CD4+
T cells because they have special receptors for HIV and that HIV kills
CD4+T cells selectively. I have found no truth for this hypothesis.
Most individuals infected with HIV show hyperplasia of all cell components
of lymph nodes (It has more cells than normal). In addition, HIV is
present in all cells in the lymph nodes. Our government's decision of
basing the entire AIDS program on the HIV-hypothesis is a very dangerous
and costly decision. This faulty decision has been resulting in the
exposure of millions of people to very toxic antiviral drugs worldwide
unnecessarily and wasting billions of dollars.
My
stand on this issue has cost me a lot of my personal time, plenty of
money and business opportunities. However, I will continue to present
the medical evidence to physicians, scientists and to the people of
the world to save lives and vital resources. I cannot stand by and watch
the mass killing of people or the killing of the unborn with AZT and
other antiviral drugs. I am asking people to read the medical evidence
that I have presented on this issue and to request that our government
evaluate the medical evidence presented that clearly shows that HIV
is not the cause of AIDS. The tragic poisoning of people by AZT and
other anti-viral drugs has to be stopped. Now, we know what causes AIDS
worldwide and we know how to cure AIDS. The medical evidence, which
proves my point, is presented in Anthony Fauci's publications, and in
my book and my articles. I will be happy to discuss my findings with
our government and with public.
Steven: Within your report, which is very detailed, it is your opinion
that people suffering from AIDS is a direct result from chronic drug
use, both illicit and prescription. Can you talk a little about this
and how you came up with these findings?
I
evaluated the medical evidence and determined the causes of AIDS worldwide
by performing differential diagnosis. In the USA, the total cases of
AIDS in adults was 573,800 as of January 1, 1997 and about 90% of these
cases were male homosexuals and heterosexuals, and homosexual drug users.
The appearance of AIDS in the United States and Europe in drug users
and homosexuals occurred in the early 1980's and coincided with the
synergistic actions of several events. Briefly, these include the spread
of illicit drug use, especially smoking crack cocaine and heroin in
1970's, the approval of glucocorticoids aerosol by the United States
Federal Drug Agency 1976, the wide use of the glucocorticoid inhalers
to treat chronic respiratory illnesses resulting from inhaling cocaine
and heroin, the wide use of alkyl nitrites by homosexuals to facilitate
anal sex in 1970's, and the wide use of steroids to treat chronic gastrointestinal
tract illness in homosexuals. The approval of antiviral drugs (AZT and
protease inhibitors) and the steroids by the U.S. FDA to treat patients
with AIDS and asymptomatic patients infected with HIV has been exacerbating
the problem.
The
regular use of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and alkyl nitrite
cause chronic health problems of the nervous system, respiratory system,
cardiovascular system, kidneys and other tissues in these individuals.
The majority of these health problems are usually treated with high
doses of glucocorticoids and/or cytotoxic drugs. In addition, some homosexual
men use rectal glucocorticoids to treat inflammation. For example, the
treatment of a patient with prednisone at 60 mg per day for about three
months can actually cause AIDS. This treatment and doses are often given
to patients suffering from lung fibrosis, thrombocytopenia, and other
chemically induced chronic illnesses. I listed in Tables 12 and 14 of
my book more than 30 illnesses in risk groups that are treated with
prednisone and/or other immunosuppressant medications. For example,
Anthony Fauci in his book entitled "Principles of Internal Medicine"
published by McGraw-Hill in 1998, 14th edition (p. 1463) described the
treatment for patient with lung fibrosis as follows: "A trial of
oral prednisone is begun at a dose of 1 mg/kg daily and continued for
about 8 weeks. Should the disease not respond or be progressive, additional
immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide should be considered. The objective
is to reduce the white blood cell count to approximately half the normal
baseline value, causing a distinct drop in the total lymphocyte count.
However, a minimum count of 1000 PMNs/µL should be maintained".
At this dose levels, the CD4+T cells count in the peripheral blood of
the treated individual is expected to be <300/µL which meets
the definition for AIDS set by the US Center For Diseases Control and
Prevention (CDC).
The
following are two examples of HIV-negative woman who used drugs and
a homosexual man who developed AIDS-defining illnesses (Tuberculosis
or Kaposi's sarcoma) following the use of glucocorticoids to treat chronic
illnesses.
…
A 33-year-old HIV-negative previously healthy female nurse developed
acute bilateral pulmonary infiltrates after 18 hours of intense rock
cocaine (crack) smoking. Open lung biopsy showed a chronic interstitial
pneumonia with extensive accumulation of free silica within histocytes
associated with pulmonary fibrosis. The patient was treated with supplemental
O2 and antibiotics and released. Ten months later she returned with
progressive dyspnea due to diffuse reticular nodular interstitial and
alveolar processes. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed histocytic interstitial
infiltrates with polarizable foreign material. The patient was unsuccessfully
treated with high doses of prednisone (1 mg/kg/day for eight weeks)
followed by a trial of cyclophosphamide. She died due to respiratory
failure with a superimposed mycobacterial infection. She was HIV-negative.
The time from her first admission to the hospital with interstitial
pneumonia and the appearance of tuberculosis and her death was about
21 months. [Chest 100(4): 1155-7, 1991].
…
A 61-year-old HIV-negative homosexual white male patient in whom Kaposi's
sarcoma developed while being treated with prednisone for Henoch-Schonlein
purpura, had the Kaposi's sarcoma clinically resolved completely after
18 months with discontinuation of the steroids. He was treated with
prednisone for six months at dose levels of 80-15 mg daily. The CD4+T
cell/ CD8 T cells ratio obtained after his acute illness was 1.0 [Am
J Med 1987; 82 (2): 313-7].
Furthermore,
the reversal of CD4+ T cells depletion in the peripheral blood was also
reported in HIV+ homosexual men after the termination of their treatment
with glucocorticoids. Sharpstone et al., 1996 reported that eight HIV+
males with inflammatory bowel disease who used rectal steroid preparation
had a decline in their CD4+ T cells at a rate of 85 cells/µL per
year. Four of them underwent colonectomy that eliminated the need for
the steroid and their CD4+ T cells increased 4 cells/µL per year.
Eight case-matched controls that did not have surgery continued to have
a decline of 47 cells/µL per year as the result of the use of
rectal steroid [Eur. J. Gastroentrol. Hepatic 8(6): 575-8, 1996]. In
addition, investigators from George Washington University and the National
Institutes of Health reported a case of HIV-positive homosexual man
with ulcerative colitis. Approximately 3 weeks prior to surgery for
ulcerative colitis that was unresponsive to corticosteroids, the patient's
CD4+ T cell count was 930 cells/ml of blood and the count fell to 313
cells//ml within 10 days of treatment with corticosteroids. Five days
postoperatively, the patient become asymptomatic and was discharged
on tapering prednisone without the use of antiretroviral agents. After
surgery, the patient's CD4 T cell count progressively rose. The CD4
T cell counts were 622 cells/ml and 843 cells/ml at 3 and 6 weeks following
the operation, respectively [Journal of Human Virology 2(1) 52-7, 1999].
The
patient was still HIV-positive after operation. The result of this case
clearly demonstrates that the reduction of CD4+T cells resulted from
the use of corticosteroids treatment and that HIV is a harmless virus.
Steven: It has been well established that both the ELISA and the Western
Blot tests are non-standardized between countries and even labs, which
has led to many false positives. These false positives along with the
"hit early, hit hard" theory, in turn, have led many doctors
to prescribed AZT, protease inhibitors and even prednisone to patients
who were not showing any signs of illnesses related to AIDS. What is
your understanding of these two misleading tests and because they are
non-standardized, do they not falsely implicate people to have a "dangerous
illness" when in fact they may not?
My
investigation was focused on finding the causes of AIDS and the link
between HIV and AIDS. When I found that HIV is not the cause of AIDS,
then the issue of the HIV test became unimportant. In fact, I have found
that the majority of people who participated in the major four AZT clinical
trials that were conducted in the USA between 1986-1992 were HIV-negative
prior to their treatment with AZT and their diagnoses were based only
on clinical symptoms. The four published clinical trials are (1) Fischl
et al., The New England Journal of Medicine 317 (4): 185-191 (1987);
(2) Fischl et al., The New England Journal of Medicine 323 (15): 1009-1014
(1990); (3) Volberding et al., The New England Journal of Medicine 322
(14): 941-949 (1990); and (4) Hamilton et al., The New England Journal
of Medicine 326(7): 437-443 (1992). Briefly, a total of 2,482 patients
participated in these studies, and only 22% were HIV-positive prior
to their treatment with AZT and the rest of the subjects were HIV-negative
(62%) and untested (16%).
Steven: In your report you state, "damage to the immune system
is rapidly reversible after removal of the true insulting agent or treatment
of the true causes." Could you give us some examples of what you
mean by "insulting agents" and "treatment of the true
causes"?
In
my answer to Q4 I gave several examples of the reversal of Kaposi's
sarcoma in an HIV-negative homosexual man following the cessation of
treatment with prednisone, as well as the reversal of the reduction
in CD4+ T cells counts in HIV-positive homosexual men following the
cessation of their treatment with corticosteroids. In these patients
the insulting agent that caused AIDS-defining illnesses (Kaposi's sarcoma
and severe reduction in CD4+ T cells counts) was corticosteroids. With
the cessation of treatment, there was a reversal of these illnesses.
Below
are two more examples of patients who developed Kaposi's sarcoma. Their
tumors were reversed following the cessation of the use of prednisone.
A 66-year old man with a severe bronchial asthma developed KS following
treatment with prednisone 10 to 50 mg daily or on alternate days for
about five years [Arch Dermatol 166 (11): 1280-2].
The
second patient developed generalized Kaposi's sarcoma (extensive skin
and stomach lesions) 24 months after renal transplantation while on
cyclosporin (CyA) and prednisolone. His Kaposi's sarcoma disappeared
completely upon withdrawal of CYA. CYA was introduced following an episode
of acute rejection. Within 8 weeks, Kaposi's sarcoma reappeared on the
skin at the same sites as the previously healed lesions. The tumor completely
disappeared again upon withdrawal of CYA. Azathioprine was then introduced
and Kaposi's sarcoma lesions reappeared 6 month later [Am J Nephrol
1992; 12(5): 384-6].
Furthermore,
severe malnutrition has been known to cause immune dysfunction and other
serious health effects. This should be considered in the differential
diagnosis in HIV infected patients with AIDS, who are suffering from
severe malnutrition, before implicating HIV as the cause of AIDS in
Africa. Actually the finding of atrophy of lymphoid tissue in people
suffering from malnutrition was observed as early as 1925. For example,
Jackson's review on this topic in 1925 noted that many investigators
had found a pronounced tendency of atrophy of lymphoid tissue in all
conditions of malnutrition. Thymus weight was exquisitely sensitive
to malnutrition and was earlier designated as the "barometer of
nutrition" [Woodruff, 1972 Lancet 1(7741): 92-3)].
The
functions of the immune system, especially the cellular immunity, are
impaired in malnutrition cases. The severity of the impairment is dependent
on the degree of malnutrition in both human and animals. I presented
the results of studies of 345 malnourished children and two experimental
animal models in my book that shows the impact of food deprivation on
the size of the thymus and the lymphoid organs (Al-Bayati, 1999 Get
All The Facts: HIV does not Cause AIDS). For example, the size of the
thymus of 42 malnourished children was reduced by 90% as compared with
a case-match normal control (Parent et al. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 60(2):
274-8, 1994). In a second study involving 110 malnourished children,
the thymic area was found to be 20% of the size in healthy children
and the size of the thymus increased from 20% of normal in a malnourished
child to 107% of normal following 9 weeks of proper feeding children
(Chevalier et al., J. Trop Perdiatr 44(5): 304-7, 1998).
The
reversal of the reduction in CD4+T cell count was also reported in HIV+
pregnant women following proper feeding [Fawzi et al., The Lancet 351:1447-1482,
1998). Briefly, the influence of diet on T cells counts in peripheral
blood in 1,075 HIV-infected pregnant women who had poor nutritional
status were studied. The CD4+ T cell counts of the women who received
multivitamin increased from 424/µL to 596/µL during six
months of proper feeding.
Steven: You mentioned in your report that corticosteroids and glucocorticoids
are the "major causative agent in the U.S. AIDS epidemic."
Could you explain what these two drugs are, how in your opinion they
became major players in the AIDS epidemic and which medications use
corticosteroids and glucocorticoids?
Corticosteroids
and glucocorticoids are different names of hormones released from the
cortex of the adrenal glands. In humans, this hormone is called cortisol
and in animals it is called cortisone. There are many commercial names
for glucocorticoids such as prednisone, asthmacort, flonase, and others.
Cortisol
has many functions and some of these functions are the inhibition of
protein synthesis and the enhancement of glucose synthesis in liver
during food deprivation. In starvation cortisol is released from the
adrenal glands to convert protein and lipid to glucose in liver. Glucose
is the primary fuel for heart and brain. Therefore, people who are suffering
from malnutrition have high levels of cortisol in blood and urine and
the cortisol levels usually go down following feeding a balance diet
for certain duration. For example, the lymphocyte function of 30 black
children with severe malnutrition as assessed by the delayed hypersensitivity
reaction and morphology of lymphocyte transformation was found to be
impaired and serum cortisol level was elevated. The function of lymphocyte
and cortisol level returned to normal after 30 days of feeding [Zeng
et al., Hua His. I Ko. Ta. Hsueh Pao 22(3): 337-9, 1991].
We
learned about the anti-inflammatory function of cortisol in the 1940s.
It was approved by the US FDA to be used as immunosuppressant agent
to be given to patients who needed organ transplants. Corticosteroids
usually depress the functions and the size of the immune system; therefore,
reducing the chance of rejecting the new organ by the host. People who
are treated with high doses of corticosteroids for periods of months
usually suffer from low T cells counts and AIDS-defining illness such
as tuberculosis, Kaposi's sarcoma, and other illnesses as described
in Fauci's vast number of publications.
The
use of glucocorticoid compounds has been increasing with time and in
the USA, more than 10 million Americans use glucocorticoid as anti-inflammatory
and anti-allergy drug per year. The effect of these compounds on the
immune system depends upon the amount and the duration of use. However,
the damage is reversible in most cases.
In
the USA, the total cases of AIDS in adults was 573,800 as of January
1, 1997 with about 90% of these cases being male homosexuals, and heterosexual
and homosexual drug users (Fauci, et al., 1998. Harrison's Principles
of Internal Medicine. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York USA, ed.
14). Inhaling cocaine and heroin use causes many respiratory illnesses
that require long-term treatment with glucocorticoids. In addition,
there are many other drug-induced illnesses such as thrombocytopenia,
peripheral neuropathy, and chronic kidney problems that are treated
with high doses of glucocorticoids. In my book, I list more than 30
conditions in risk groups that are treated with high doses of glucocorticoids
(Tables 12-15) and the doses used to treat each of these condition can
cause AIDS. I gave many examples in my answer to Q4, which shows that
treatment of individuals with prednisone for lung fibrosis and other
illnesses induced by drugs, cause AIDS. In my answer to Q4, I also gave
examples for the use of prednisone by homosexuals to treat chronic inflammation
of the colon that resulted in the reduction of CD4+ T cells counts.
The HIV-positive patients who selected to have surgery to remove the
inflamed portion of their colon and eliminate the use of prednisone,
the reduction of CD4+ T cells was reversed following the termination
of the glucocorticoids.
Hemophiliac
patients are treated with high doses of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressant
agents. These facts are explained in Fauci's book, Harrison's Principles
of Internal Medicine [McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York USA, ed.
14].
The hemophiliac patients are treated with immunosuppressive agents (cyclophosphamide
and glucocorticoids) to prevent the development of antibodies against
factors VIII and IX. Patients with severe hemophilia also have serious
chronic joint problems resulting from bleeding inside the joints. The
chronic joints problems are treated with glucocorticoids.
Steven: Could you talk a little bit about how AZT and most currently,
protease inhibitors, destroy the bone marrow leading to the loss of
bone marrow cells and eventually to the many illnesses attributed to
the HIV virus and AIDS?
AIDS
patients have been treated with antiviral medications based on the assumption
that HIV is the cause of AIDS. This approach has been a failure and
it is not based on sound medical facts. It is killing people and must
be stopped immediately. In my answer to Q5, I stated that a total of
2,482 patients participated in four major AZT clinical trials conducted
in USA between 1986 to 1992. Only 22% were HIV-positive prior to their
treatment with AZT and the rest of the subjects were HIV-negative (62%)
and untested (16%). This information indicates that the designs and
the conclusions of these studies are invalid. Below is a brief summary
of the design and the result of
Fischl
et al., 1990 study [The New England Journal of Medicine 323 (15): 1009-1014
(1990)] that shows the wide range of AZT toxicity and the problem with
the design of this study. 1) This study did not include a placebo group,
and only 39% of patients were HIV-positive at baseline based on the
virology data presented. The authors were aware of this fact. They stated
"thirteen subjects of 146 tested who were negative for HIV antigen
before treatment later had detectable levels of antigen during the 128
weeks of treatment". The data presented below clearly shows that
AZT is very toxic as indicated by the new opportunistic diseases developed,
bone marrow toxicity, and mortality rates. There is a linear relationship
between total AZT ingested (g) by the subject and the mortality rates
in both treatment groups (Table 1). The equations for the lines for
both groups are presented below.
Y = 0.0896x - 25.27 R2 = 0.9998 for standard dose ŠŠ.(1)
Y = 0.2147 x - 33.47 R2 = 0.9828 for low dose ŠŠŠŠ..(2)
Where y = Mortality rate and X= AZT ingested (g) per individual
Based on equations # 1 and 2 a 100% mortality rates will be reached
at 31
and 33 months of treatment for the standard dose (1.5 g AZT per day)
and
low dose, respectively.
Table 1. Total AZT ingested (g) per individual and
mortality rates per treatment group
----------------------------------------------------------
Treatment Low dose* Standard dose*
Duration AZT % AZT %
Months Ingested(g) Mortality Ingested(g) Mortality
----------------------------------------------------------
12 236 19 548 24
18 345 37 822 48
24 455 66 1095 73
----------------------------------------------------------
* Number of subjects in each group at baseline was 262
and 524 per the study. Number of HIV-positive patients
at baseline was 205 (39% of total).
Design:
They conducted a randomized controlled trial in 524 subjects who had
a first episode of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and only 39% of these
individuals had detectable serum levels of HIV antigen before treatment
and the 61% were HIV-negative or untested. These subjects were assigned
to receive zidovudine in either a dose of 250 mg taken orally every
four hours (the standard-treatment group, n=262) or a dose of 200 mg
taken orally every four hours for four weeks with 100 mg taken every
four hours thereafter. (The low-dose group, n=262). The median length
of follow-up was 25.6 months. The total amount of AZT ingested (g) per
individual during the study period is presented in Table 1.
Results:
A new AIDS-defining opportunistic infections developed in 429 subjects
(82%) in the AZT treated groups. The hemoglobin level declined to less
than 80 g per liter (baseline= 121 g per liter) in 101 subjects in the
standard-treatment group and in 77 subjects in the low-dose group. The
neutrophil counts declined to less than 750 per ul (baseline = 2200
per ul) in 134 subjects in the standard-treatment group and in 96 in
the low-dose group. One hundred eighty-three subjects (35%) were withdrawn
from zidovudine therapy because of toxic reactions such as sever anemia
and severe neutropnea. One hundred thirty-four subjects (26 percent)
received red-cell transfusions. The mortality rates were 66% and 73%
in the low and standard AZT doses, respectively, at 24 months of treatment
(Table 1).
Comments:
The authors of the above study stated that AZT showed a therapeutic
value by reducing the severity of illness in AIDS patients and low-dose
therapy was associated with a better survival rate. It is very obvious
that the design and the conclusions of this study are not valid based
on the facts presented above. The result of the study show that there
is a linear relationship between total AZT ingested (g) by the subject
and the mortality rates in both treatment groups.
Protease
inhibitors usually cause severe damage in kidney, liver, and other organs.
The severity of the damage depends upon the amount of the drugs taken
and the duration of use. Some studies show that the CD4+ T cell counts
were increased after treatment with AZT and/or protease inhibitors.
This information was interpreted as a good response to the medications.
On the contrary, the elevation of T cells is not a good response in
these conditions, but rather, it indicates severe tissue damage and
infection because elevation of CD4+ T cells counts also occur due to
inflammation in tissues. This explains the injury and death of the patients
following treatment with these drugs. For example, the CD4+ T cell counts
were increased following the treatment of HIV negative nurses with AZT,
who took AZT as a prophylactic. They developed severe symptoms following
3 weeks of treatment with AZT (Get All The Facts: HIV does not cause
AIDS, Table 24). In addition to the failure of the antiviral drugs,
AIDS patients suffering from immune deficiency are also treated with
glucocorticoids. This practice is not supported by any known mechanism
of action. The antiviral medications and the glucocorticoids not only
fail to cure AIDS, but they cause severe damage to sick people with
AIDS. Prescribing these medications to AIDS patient is just like putting
gasoline on a fire. The proponents of the HIV hypothesis failed to anticipate
this disaster and they claimed that AZT prolonged lives.
Steven: It is astonishing when you explain how AZT works and when
one realizes that this is the drug of choice for pregnant women who
test HIV+ and their babies whether they test positive or not. At the
same time, AZT is also the drug of choice that is being pushed upon
malnourished people in South Africa. How can this important information
make a difference within these two groups of people, and have you been
contributing any of this information to President Thabo Mbeki and/or
the United States government? If so, what has been their response?
As
I stated in my answers to the previous questions, the designs and the
conclusions of the AZT clinical trials are not valid. AZT is very toxic
to bone marrow and tissues with high cell division rates such as embryonic
tissue. Treatment of pregnant women with AZT will definitely cause very
serous damage to the embryo and fetus.
The
cause of AIDS in infant and children in the industrialized countries
are the use of cocaine, heroin, and alcohol by mothers during their
pregnancy. The use of cocaine during pregnancy was usually associated
with a high prevalence of premature births and low birth weights. Drug
exposed infants usually had immature lung profiles and other serious
health problems. These health problems are usually treated with glucocorticoids.
As of January 1, 1997, the number of infants and children in USA diagnosed
with AIDS was 6,891. Ninety percent of these cases had mothers who were
drug users.
In
Africa, the cause of AIDS in infants and children is malnutrition. The
study of Fawzi et al. [Fawzi et al., The Lancet 351:1447-1482, 1998]
clearly demonstrated that HIV is a harmless virus and the impairment
of the immune system in a mother (HIV-positive) who suffers from malnutrition
can be reversed by feeding the mother proper nutrition. This measure
also improved the outcome of pregnancy. For example, in Tanzania, 1,075
HIV-infected pregnant women between 12 and 27 weeks' gestation received
vitamin A (n=269), multivitamins excluding vitamin A (n=269), multivitamins
including vitamin A (n=270), or a placebo (n=267). In this study, multinutrition
supplementation decreased the risk of low birth weight (<2500 g)
by 44%, severe preterm birth (<34 weeks of gestation) by 39%, and
small size for gestational age at birth by 43%. During pregnancy, all
T-cells subsets (CD4+, CD8+, and CD3+) increased in all groups between
baseline (mean 18 week's gestation weeks' gestation and 6 weeks postpartum).
There was a significantly larger increase in the CD4+ T cell counts
and percentage of CD4+ T cells among women assigned multivitamins. The
mean increases between baseline and 6 weeks postpartum were 167 cells/µL
and 112 cells/µL among women on multivitamins and those on no
vitamins, respectively.
As
I stated earlier (Q3), in August of 1999, I sent letters with copies
of my book, Get All The Facts: HIV does not cause AIDS, to President
Clinton and other government officials including Governor Gray Davis,
asking them to have my findings evaluated by experts. Unfortunately
no action has been taking yet. In spring of 2000, I sent similar letters
with copies of my books to President Mbeki and the Embassy of South
Africa in Washington D.C. My book was submitted to President Mbeki's
Expert AIDS Panel and the medical evidence was evaluated. The panel
report is posted on http://www.harmsen.net.
The
result of the large study in Tanzania presented above clearly shows
that HIV is a harmless virus and that the depression of the immune system
in pregnant women suffering from malnutrition can be reversed by nutrition.
This treatment also improved the outcome of pregnancy. On the contrary,
Fischl et al., 1990 study [The New England Journal of Medicine 323 (15):
1009-1014] described above shows a linear relationship between the amount
of AZT ingested by the individual and mortality rate. It is very sad
and frustrating to know that the CDC and the AIDS establishment are
giving AZT to pregnant women even with studies that show the depression
in the immune system can be reversed by nutrition. I hope that our government
will pay attention to the medical evidence presented in my book and
my articles that show HIV is not the cause of AIDS, and that AZT and
protease inhibitors are killing people. I hope that our government will
take the proper actions soon to end the suffering of people who are
unnecessarily ingesting these toxic medications.
Steven: You mention a powerful antioxidant, Alpha Lipoic Acid in your
report. What is this chemical and how can it help to rebuild one's immune
system that has been destroyed by AZT, protease inhibitors and Prednisone?
What other antioxidants or products have you found in your research
that may work to help rebuild damaged cells, bone marrow and immune
systems?
Alpha
lipoic Acid (ALA) is a very powerful antioxidant that has been used
to prevent injuries caused by chemicals in human and animal studies.
It has also been given to diabetic patients for the last two decades
to prevent tissue damage, has been used in Europe to reverse peripheral
neuropathy in diabetic patients, and has been shown to be effective
and safe in several clinical trials. This drug is very effective in
preventing and reversing injuries resulting from metabolic changes and/or
exposure to chemicals that induce lipid peroxidation. It is sold without
prescription and has no side effects at the therapeutic doses (Up to
600 mg per day) for a period of 3 months or more in most people. In
Chapter 14 of my book, I presented a brief description of the results
of nine studies to show the efficacy and safety of Alpha lipoic acid.
Vitamins E, C and trace elements such as zinc and selenium are also
very important in the healing process of damage caused by metabolic
changes and/or the exposure to chemicals such as AZT and other medications.
Steven: Do you have any trial studies going on? What are they and how
can someone become involved with them?
Our
clinical study is posted on http://www.aliveandwell.org. We have also
started to evaluate cases. For more details please check the site below.
I do differential diagnosis to identify the cause(s) of illness and
I send my report to the physician(s). My report usually contains a description
of the cause(s) of the problem and my recommendations for clinical tests
and treatment.
Resolution of AIDS in HIV Positive Patients:
A Clinical Study of Non-HIV Causes and Treatments for AIDS Illnesses
Mohammed A. Al-Bayati, PhD, DABT
Juan Jose Flores, MD, PhD
Lisa M. Hosbein, MD, FACOG
Christine Maggiore, American Foundation for AIDS Alternatives
http://www.aliveandwell.org/index.php?page=study
I
have evaluated the case histories and the medical records of many HIV-positive
AIDS cases and I have found that the causes of illness in these people
are the use of the antiviral medications and the glucocorticoid medications.
For example, I evaluated the medical record of an HIV-positive individual
who is suffering from thrombocytopenia with low CD4+ T cell count. In
the last 10 years, this individual has been treated with 24 prescription
medications and 12 of these medications cause thrombocytopenia, five
drugs cause damage in the immune system. However, this individual has
been treated with AZT and glucocorticoids that cause thrombocytopenia
and AIDS on the assumption that HIV is the cause of these health problems
in this individual.
I
receive many letters, emails and telephone calls per month from people
who are desperate, and in need answers and help. I usually spend about
20 hours per case to evaluate the medical records and case history of
patients who are suffering from AIDS. As I mentioned earlier, most of
these patients do not have the money and unfortunately, we don't have
any funding to handle the load. Currently, there is no money allowed
or given by the United States Government to any AIDS project not dealing
with the HIV as the cause of AIDS. AIDS and HIV are treated by our government
as political issues, not as health issues and this policy is, unfortunately,
causing human tragedy worldwide.
We
have submitted our proposal to private sources. We are hoping to get
funding to save people's lives and to provide more medical evidence
showing that the depression in the immune system, in HIV-positive AIDS
patients, is reversible without the use of toxic antiviral medications
as I presented in many examples above, in my book and articles.
Steven: Although your ideas are much easier to comprehend and seem more
logical compared to the mainstream ideas of what AIDS is, what has the
reaction been from your comrades and fellow physicians? Do you work
with or see a growing number of physicians in the San Francisco, Los
Angeles, San Diego area or even nationwide or internationally, who share
your concerns and ideas?
I
spent about two years to evaluate the causes and pathology of AIDS worldwide
prior to releasing my findings to the public. In my book, I identified
the causes of AIDS and described the symptoms and pathology of AIDS
in all risk groups. My book is divided into fifteen chapters. There
is a specific chapter designated for each risk group and other chapters
to explain the causes and pathology of the AIDS-defining illnesses.
For example, chapter 10 contains the description of the causes of AIDS
in infants and children, while chapter 11 describes the cause of AIDS
in hemophiliacs. The entire index is posted on http://www.toxi-health.com.
I wrote this book as a medical book so physicians can use it to diagnose
cases of AIDS accurately and order proper clinical tests to treat the
patient with AIDS successfully. It is very easy to follow and understand.
My
conclusion that HIV is not the cause of AIDS is based on published medical
evidence and not on hypothesis; therefore, any physician or scientist
who reads and examines the information in my book will come to the same
conclusion. Fore example, Professor Otto G. Raabe is a toxicologist
from the University of California Davis and has read my book two times,
evaluated the medical evidence carefully and came to the conclusion
that HIV is not the cause of AIDS. He wrote the foreword for my book,
which is posted on http://www.toxi-health.com. Below is one paragraph
of his report.
"Dr.
Al-Bayati's detailed evaluation of the world-wide AIDS epidemic approaches
the literature head-on and lets the chips fall where they may. Because
of his objective use of differential diagnosis and his sensitivity and
understanding of both pathological and toxicological factors, he is
able to convincingly demonstrate that the convergence of several factors
other than HIV represent the true causes of AIDS. This book deserves
careful attention, especially from physicians who must decide the course
of medical treatment for their various patients."
Furthermore,
Professor Juan Jose Flores, MD, PhD, Dr. Lisa M. Hosbein, MD, FACOG,
and other physicians and scientists, who have read my book, have come
to the same conclusion that the HIV is not the cause of AIDS. In addition,
individuals who have read my book, reach the same conclusion. There
are many articles written about my findings and I have been on many
radio and TV shows. In the last 20 months, I have not received any disagreement
from any physician or a scientist about my findings. Some of these articles
and our clinical studies are posted on the internet.
Physicians
usually depend upon the recommendations from our government and the
pharmaceutical companies about the treatment of AIDS patients and the
usage of medications. Most of the time they have no way of knowing nor
understanding the implications involving these recommendations or whether
they are valid or not. I informed the US government and many State governments
in August of 1999 and requested that my findings to be evaluated, unfortunately,
no action has been taken yet. It is the responsibility of our government
to take the right step by evaluating the evidence and to protect the
public from taking highly toxic drugs such as AZT and other antiviral
drugs, which are currently used to treat patients with AIDS.
Steven: You really strip away the intricate layers of Anthony Fauci's
report, "Clinical Categories of HIV infection" and "Harrison's
Principle of Internal Medicine" to reveal some pretty astonishing
facts that were either covered up, left out or pushed aside. Of all
the information you uncovered, what would be the most important for
our readers to know about when it comes to A. Fauci et al. work?
As
I stated earlier in Q1, prior to October of 1997, I believed that HIV
was the cause of AIDS, as has been reported by the CDC and the AIDS
establishment. When I found that the treatment of a patient with prednisone
(60 mg per day for 10 week) and Azathioprine for lung fibrosis could
cause AIDS and that the damage to the immune system is reversible upon
termination of this treatment, I became very interested in the issue
of AIDS. I pursued my plan to evaluate the medical literature to find
out if there were other cases who developed AIDS as result of treatment
with immunosuppressant medications, and to evaluated the link between
HIV and AIDS.
My
research of the various literature lead me to the vast numbers of publications
by Anthony Fauci that dealt with the effects of glucocorticoids on the
functions of the immune system. Dr. Fauci has been studying the effects
of glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressant medications on the function
of B cells and T cells since the 1970s. I was very surprised to find
that Fauci described the symptoms of AIDS in 1976 in people using high
doses of corticosteroids over a period of a few months, as stated below,
and that there are more than 40 medical conditions in risk groups such
as pulmonary fibrosis, thrombocytopenia, peripherial neuropathy, etc
that have been treated with high doses of glucocorticoids and other
immunosuppressant medications for long time. A. Fauci has not considered
these factors at all when stating that HIV is the cause of AIDS.
For
example, Fauci et al., 1976 stated that, "we have reviewed many
aspects of the host defenses that are altered by corticosteroids, and
the combined effects of these changes must be considered in trying to
understand the relation between corticosteroids and infections. Since
the defect with corticosteroids is broad, it is not surprising that
many types of infections seem to occur more often in patients treated
with corticosteroids. Of the bacterial infections, staphylocococcal
and Gram-negative infections, as well as tuberculosis and listeriosis
infections, probably occur most often. Certain types of viral, fungal,
and parasitic infections also occur often. Patients with lupus erythematosus,
rheumatoid arthritis, and renal transplants have more infection with
steroid administration. Study of bronchial aerosols showed that with
higher doses of steroid in the aerosol, Candida infections of the larynx
and pharynx occurred more often" [Annals of Internal Medicine 84:
304-15, 1976.].
Furthermore,
I reviewed Fauci's book entitled "Principles of Internal Medicine"
published by McGraw-Hill in 1998, 14th edition. This book contains detailed
descriptions of the impact of illicit drugs, glucocorticoids, and malnutrition
on health and the functions of the immune system, but yet Fauci has
not considered any of the information presented in his book when dealing
with the AIDS issue. For example, the opportunistic diseases described
on page 1,792 in Fauci's book under the name of Clinical Categories
of HIV infection, are the same opportunistic diseases that are described
in the same book in organ transplant patients treated with high doses
of immunosuppressive medications. It is very difficult for me to imagine
that A. Fauci, the Director of the AIDS program at the NIH, spent billions
of dollars to find a cure for AIDS, yet the true answers are presented
in his publications.
Fauci
and his colleagues conducted a study in 1995 and found that the lymph
nodes of some patients infected with HIV had hyperplasia (It has more
cells then normal). This observation contradicts the HIV-hypothesis
that HIV kills infected cells [J. Immunol 154 (10): 5555-66, 1995].
Also in this study, some lymph nodes showed atrophy and necrosis in
T cells and B cells. These changes were independent of the viral load
or the duration of the infection. Hence, they did not question the HIV-hypothesis
but, rather, they modified the hypothesis to fit their new findings.
Briefly, they examined 29 HIV positive lymph nodes and found twelve
of these lymph nodes with follicular hyperplasia and extensive germinal
centers, five with follicular hyperplasia mixed with follicular involution,
twelve lymph nodes with a mixture of follicular involution and lymphocyte
depletion, and five lymph nodes with lymphocyte depletion. They stated
that, "apoptosis was not restricted only to CD4+ T cells; both
B cells and CD8+ T cells were found to undergo apoptosis. They stated
that the increased intensity of the apoptotic phenomenon in HIV infection
is caused by the general state of immune activation, and is independent
of the progression of HIV disease and the levels of viral load".
In
1992, scientists and physicians reported to the CDC cases with AIDS
and/or low CD4+ T cells, yet these cases were HIV-negative. However,
Fauci and the CDC did not investigate these cases. Instead they explained
the problem by giving a new name for this disease: "Idiopathic
CD4+ T cells lymphocytopenia (ICL)". Fauci stated in his book,
cited above on page 1845, that the immunologic abnormalities in ICL
are somewhat different from those of HIV infection. ICL patients often
have decreases in CD8+ T cells and in B cells. However, on page 1,809-11
of the same book, Fauci stated that during the late stage of HIV infection,
there is a significant reduction in the numbers of CD8+ T cells and
the absolute number of circulating B cells may be depressed in primary
infection.
In
addition, Fauci's approach for solving the AIDS crisis is by defining
conditions as they show up. The classic definition is the "long-term
nonprogressors" term applied to people previously infected with
HIV approximately 10 years or more, who have not yet showed any health
problems. The number of these people as of January 1, 1997 was about
28,690. It only took one clinical case for me to see that the HIV-hypothesis
has serious flaws and is incorrect. Yet A. Fauci, with billions dollars
to spend, ignores thousands of cases (HIV-positive and HIV-negative)
that obviously demonstrated the inconsistencies of the HIV hypothesis.
In
1981, the symptoms of patients diagnosed with AIDS are purely symptoms
of chronic glucocorticoids use. Now the symptoms of patients with AIDS
include bone marrow damage and damages of many organs (liver, kidneys,
etc) as a result of the use of a wide range of powerful antiviral drugs
and more steroids. In addition, Fauci and the CDC made the picture of
AIDS even more complicated by adding cervical dysplasia and cervical
cancer in 1993 to the cumulative list of AIDS-defining illnesses. These
illnesses are also occurring in women with normal immune system functions,
which has nothing to do with the hypothesis that HIV kills T cells.
By taking this arbitrary step, AIDS has become a disease affecting the
whole community; not only homosexuals and drug using men. This action
has increased the fear in the community and also has increased the funding
to the NIH as well as the sale of antiviral drugs.
The
medical evidence presented in my book, along with the information presented
in the Fauci's publications, indicate that A. Fauci, the Director of
the AIDS program, and the CDC overlooked essential medical evidence,
which indicates that HIV is not the cause of AIDS, antiviral medications
do not work, and that drugs and malnutrition play important parts in
the pathogenesis of AIDS. Furthermore, they have been changing their
hypothesis and the stated incubation period for HIV, to make them fit
new findings. AIDS in 1989 was much more complicated than the AIDS in
1984, prior to the approval of AZT. AIDS in 2001 has become more complicated
than the AIDS in 1989, prior to the approval of steroid and protease
inhibitors in the treatment of AIDS. As I stated earlier, treating an
AIDS patient with corticosteroids and AZT is just like putting gasoline
on a fire. AZT kills the stem cells in bone marrow that produce T cells
and the glucocorticoids inhibit the functions of T cells; therefore,
reducing their numbers in both thymus and blood circulation.
Today,
we have about 2,000 active ingredients in our prescription and nonprescription
drugs and thousands of chemicals in use in our workplace. Yet, toxicology
is excluded from our health care industry. Physicians need to consult
with toxicologists who have the expertise and the resources to evaluate
toxic effects of chemicals used in workplace and side effects of medications.
This approach can save lives and resources. This problem needs to be
addressed urgently by our health care industry, among scientists, and
in our government. We need to devote resources to solve current problems
and not to create more problems. The war on AIDS is a classic example
of mismanagement of great resources. Imagine if a toxicologist and a
pathologist, with expertise in differential diagnosis, had been consulted
about the few cases of AIDS that appeared in 1981Šmany lives and
billion of dollars would have been saved! We must learn from this tragic
and expensive lesson because we cannot afford to continue ignoring or
repeating it.
Steven: How can people, who are interested in your book or have further
questions, contact you?
They
can check my website (http://www.toxi-health.com). My phone number is
(707) 678-4484. Fax number is (707) 678-8505. My email: maalbayati@toxi-health.com.
My company address: Toxi-health International, 150 Bloom Dr., Dixon,
CA 95620. My book is also sold on Amazon.com.
Steven: Dr. Al-Bayati, I would like to thank you for your time and commitment
to this article and more important to this issue of what AIDS is and
is not. It has been truly wonderful working with you and I wish you
all the success.
Thank
you very much for asking me to do this very important interview. I hope
that other reporters will take the same courageous action that you have
taken to find the truth about what causes AIDS and by providing this
vital information to the public. Your action certainly will save lives
and vital resources. God bless you!
VIRUSMYTH HOMEPAGE