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  • The NIH Keeps Up With The Times: 1, 2, 3. David Baltimore Has A Flashback: ***. The NY Times Keeps Up With Times: ***. The Faith of Anthony Fauci: ***. Anthony Fauci Explains How HIV Causes AIDS: ***. Robert Gallo on The Force of Ejaculation: ***, on HIV Theory: ***, Lectures in Marseilles: ***. David Ho Does The Math: ***. John Mellors Sets the Record Straight: ***. Bono, el Magnifico, Holds (Another) Press Conference: ***. Anthony Fauci Explains Journalism in the Age of AIDS: ***. Anthony Fauci and David Ho Disprove an Old Adage: ***. Anthony Fauci Explains ICL and AIDS: *** The CDC Can't Keep Up With The Times:*** The Method of the "Small Inquisitor" Moore:*** The Co-Discovery of a Nobel-Worthy Enzymatic Activity:*** The Revenge of the "Very" Minor Moriarty:*** Julie Gerberding and Anthony Fauci Learn Arithmetic:*** Osama Obama Has a Message for Africa:***

Bad Manners and Good Gossip

« Larry Kramer is talking (some) sense! | Main | The FDA: Protecting patients or drug companies? »

April 26, 2006

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Schwartz

Hi Hank,

Isn't "phantom diseases" a little sloppy?

Surely, you don't claim that AIDS is a phantom disease?

But, aside from that, I like your spunk and your humor.

HankBarnes

Hi Schwartz,

Fair point. "Phantom" is a poor adjective. It is actually a reclassification and aggregation of old diseases.

The term "AIDS" has become so emotionally loaded, that it is rendered meaningless.

Lemme explain.

I had tuberculosis once. Nobody cares.

I had pneumonia once. Nobody cares.

My beloved Aunt had cervical cancer once (and died from it). We all cared.

For the tuberculosis, you treat it.

For the pneumonia, you treat it.

For cervical cancer, you (try) to treat it.

None of this is political, emotional, confusing, conflicted.

Yet, in the presence of a purported HIV antibody, if you have any of the above 3 diseases (and 26 more), you now have AIDS!

And, the treatment shifts, abruptly to killing a virus with chemotherapy that is so sparse, doctors can't even culture it.

AIDS is like the United Nations of disease -- a group of several unrelated, disparate diseases, now cobbled together under the same rubric.

The only "new" thing is the purpoted mechanism of disease -- virus=>loss of T4-cells=> Tuberculosis=AIDS.

Of course, this presents a "new" opportunity to sell "new" drugs to address this "new" mechanism.

I have some serious concerns about whether steps 1 & 2, really add anything to health equation, and whether we should address the SYMPTOMS, not all these unreliable diagnostic tests --particularly the viral load and T4-cell counts.

In the alternative, find ways to boost the immune system, rather than chasing the virus, might be better as well.

Hank Barnes

Mark Biernbaum

Hank, you're doing an awesome job. Keep it up. I'm posting here to announce my retirement from the blogosphere on this issue. I'm being attacked from both sides now, and I find it's time to leave. Perhaps I'll write about this again in the actual press at some point, perhaps not. But you keep it up. I've referred a lot of folks to your site. Thank you for what you are doing. Email me if you want a strand of emails I have with Gregg Gonsalves of GMHC -- they're priceless, like the Moore strand, but I don't have it in me after all these attacks to continue. I'd gladly turn them over to you, though. Best wishes always,
Mark Biernbaum

Harvey "Prof. Tryptophan" Bialy

Hola Hank,

Felicidades of the morphogenesis of "Barnes-ville".

Are you sure that this John Moore fellow is not an internet clone of "Dale/Daf/Nick double not doc Bennett/Dickhead Dick Jeffries / the XX almost clone, the dangerous assistant professor Smith and a few others of low intellect but high bloviation indices that we have come to know over the last year in the marvelous blogosphere?

Hank

Hey, it's my pal, the mad doctor, Professor Tryptophan!

Otherwise, known as one of the few good doctors!

Long time, no talk Senor Harvey!

As for Dale/Daf/NicK Bennett, nah, I ain't seen 'em.

I haven't seen Richard Jeffreys for a while, since we tussled at John Blackman's place, Evolutionary Middleman.

I've never seen John Moore. But, I've read much of crappy work!

He wrote an ugly review of Duesberg in Nature, a while back.

Perhaps, they are all one hellish, amorphous blob of bad scientific intellect -- like the creature in John Carpenter's "The Thing!"

Hell, I don't know even know what I'm talking about:) It's early Sunday -- I oughta be in church.

But, I wish you good health and good cheer, Harvey, and hope to see you pop up here in the future.

Best Regards,

Hank B.

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