HIV and AIDS
I have a BUNCH of rambling notes about HIV and AIDS. I've been looking at this for a WHILE and it started with me looking up info about Freddie Mercury.
He announced his diagnosis with AIDS the day before he died from complications from the disease. As noted previously, AIDS changed the way we handled STDs in the US because it mostly infected gay men and IV drug users, both stigmatized populations who had good reason to be leery of giving up the names of their contacts.
What I recall being "educated" about for many years is that "gay" sex is more likely to infect you. I have absolutely no reason to believe the many assumptions in this idea, starting with "We assume gay men all have sex a particular way, implicitly pretend heterosexuals never have sex that way AND -- the big doozy -- GOD makes you get AIDS because it's UNNATURAL to have sex with a same-sex partner and a SIN and GOD is PUNISHING you."
Many years ago, I saw probably an episode of Sixty Minutes that summed up roughly as "Some horrible jackass of an airline pilot was a gay man with AIDS and he ACTIVELY spread the disease in the US without telling his partners he was infected or using a condom. The first FIFTY gay men with AIDS in the US could all be linked back to HIM in some fashion."
Happily, Charlie Sheen has probably single-handedly done the most to reverse this "AIDS is a GAY thing" meme in the US. When he came out as HIV positive, it caused a huge spike in searches on the topic and I'm pretty darn sure no one thinks he's gay. So I've always respected him for doing that.
Anyway, I was thinking of writing about social factors that contribute to health problems and stigma around sex and around topics like illicit drug use and homosexuality is what I wanted to talk about as templates for LARGER issues that impact EVERYONE, not just specific sub-populations, but I've been digging around in this for a WHILE now, failing to publish anything and this is turning into a very deep rabbit hole, unlike some other things I've written about.
This is really grabbing me because think about what HIV and AIDS stands for:
So my recollection is most viruses cause infection by taking over the "manufacturing" parts of the cell to produce more of themselves but HIV is a retrovirus and it injects a DNA version of its RNA into the cell. So it's more or less an acquired genetic disorder.
It's an acquired defect in the immune system and I have a genetic disorder that leaves me with a compromised immune system and even that phrase is a can of worms and pet peeve of mine which I don't want to derail this post over, so just read my PREVIOUS post about why it annoys me.
Whatever headway I have made against my health issues is rooted in studying "Okay, but what does that DO at the CELLULAR LEVEL?" which most people don't ask. So at the cellular level, CF is -- like MOST genetic disorders -- a defect in the blueprint for a protein that gets folded up into a "tool" for the cell and THIS particular tool that CF messes up is a gating mechanism for handling traffic of certain molecules into and out of the cell.
It's basically a broken traffic light. And you get a pile-up of wrecked cars at this intersection, metaphorically speaking.
So I don't know what HIV DOES at the cellular level, BUT if you squint a bit, AIDS looks kind of like ACQUIRED cystic fibrosis.
My son thinks PA (pseudomonas aeruginosa) is the cause of what we dubbed toxic mouth syndrome years ago. Here are a few things that have proven helpful in managing it:
My son called it an "iron-loving bug." My CF specialist once told me that supplementing iron can make parasitic infections worse because they scavenge iron. This is a factor in my trypanosomas infection, so if you have PA and you have anemia, taking iron supplements can make your PA worse.
That does not mean you should not treat your anemia. It means you need to expect to battle your infection while treating your anemia.
If taking iron makes you worse, take antimicrobials of some sort. See the label Antibiotic Alternative for more reading than you probably want to do.
If you have had covid, you are PROBABLY zinc deficient. Covid is basically a blood disorder more than a respiratory issue. I have reason to believe that zinc deficiency generally makes your red blood cells more vulnerable and resolving your zinc deficiency may help you treat your anemia without making iron-loving bugs like PA (or trypanosomas or malaria) worse.
If you are anemic, consuming iron and calcium together means you don't get much out of either. So eat iron-rich foods and calcium-rich foods SEPARATELY (separate by AT LEAST 30 minutes.)
I treat trypanosomas by using a variety of methods that do NOT require the body to IDENTIFY the specific invader in question because they evade the immune system by changing their protein markers. HIV seems to do something similar but SHOULD be treatable similarly by methods like heat treatments which kill things without requiring the body to ID the invader.
HIV is a virus so it may also be treatable with antivirals. See Antiviral Protocols and More Antiviral Protocols.
If you have pneumonia or fungal infection, my go-to for pneumonia is Oil of Oregano and I also used it for months early on to protect myself from fungus while living in an apartment with mold issues.
After I stopped being bedridden, for a time my daily routine was lunch at Chipotle followed by a hot bath. That's a long story for another time, but TLDR: eating healthier food (the food there is MOSTLY organic) and treating for metal poisoning (the rice there contains cilantro) are GENERALLY helpful for all kinds of health issues.
He announced his diagnosis with AIDS the day before he died from complications from the disease. As noted previously, AIDS changed the way we handled STDs in the US because it mostly infected gay men and IV drug users, both stigmatized populations who had good reason to be leery of giving up the names of their contacts.
What I recall being "educated" about for many years is that "gay" sex is more likely to infect you. I have absolutely no reason to believe the many assumptions in this idea, starting with "We assume gay men all have sex a particular way, implicitly pretend heterosexuals never have sex that way AND -- the big doozy -- GOD makes you get AIDS because it's UNNATURAL to have sex with a same-sex partner and a SIN and GOD is PUNISHING you."
Many years ago, I saw probably an episode of Sixty Minutes that summed up roughly as "Some horrible jackass of an airline pilot was a gay man with AIDS and he ACTIVELY spread the disease in the US without telling his partners he was infected or using a condom. The first FIFTY gay men with AIDS in the US could all be linked back to HIM in some fashion."
Happily, Charlie Sheen has probably single-handedly done the most to reverse this "AIDS is a GAY thing" meme in the US. When he came out as HIV positive, it caused a huge spike in searches on the topic and I'm pretty darn sure no one thinks he's gay. So I've always respected him for doing that.
Anyway, I was thinking of writing about social factors that contribute to health problems and stigma around sex and around topics like illicit drug use and homosexuality is what I wanted to talk about as templates for LARGER issues that impact EVERYONE, not just specific sub-populations, but I've been digging around in this for a WHILE now, failing to publish anything and this is turning into a very deep rabbit hole, unlike some other things I've written about.
This is really grabbing me because think about what HIV and AIDS stands for:
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)Think about THIS: A virus is RNA -- ribonucleic acid -- and our genes are DNA -- deoxyribonucleic acid, which my mind routinely misremembers the "D" as standing for "di" because it's basically TWO strands of RNA welded together.
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
So my recollection is most viruses cause infection by taking over the "manufacturing" parts of the cell to produce more of themselves but HIV is a retrovirus and it injects a DNA version of its RNA into the cell. So it's more or less an acquired genetic disorder.
It's an acquired defect in the immune system and I have a genetic disorder that leaves me with a compromised immune system and even that phrase is a can of worms and pet peeve of mine which I don't want to derail this post over, so just read my PREVIOUS post about why it annoys me.
Whatever headway I have made against my health issues is rooted in studying "Okay, but what does that DO at the CELLULAR LEVEL?" which most people don't ask. So at the cellular level, CF is -- like MOST genetic disorders -- a defect in the blueprint for a protein that gets folded up into a "tool" for the cell and THIS particular tool that CF messes up is a gating mechanism for handling traffic of certain molecules into and out of the cell.
It's basically a broken traffic light. And you get a pile-up of wrecked cars at this intersection, metaphorically speaking.
So I don't know what HIV DOES at the cellular level, BUT if you squint a bit, AIDS looks kind of like ACQUIRED cystic fibrosis.
- They are both at high risk for pseudomonas aeruginosa, an infection that isn't a big deal for MOST people. (AIDS; CF)
- They are both at increased risk of anemia, a condition I struggled with for years. (AIDS; CF)
- They both tend to die from lung infections. TB is the most common cause of death for AIDS patients and lung disease generally is a big issue in this community.
My son thinks PA (pseudomonas aeruginosa) is the cause of what we dubbed toxic mouth syndrome years ago. Here are a few things that have proven helpful in managing it:
- Throw out your current toothbrush and EITHER treat toothbrushes as disposable -- buy super cheap ones, use ONCE and toss -- OR soak the bristles in peroxide overnight in a small disposable paper or plastic cup.
- Use disposable cups, plates, forks, etc.
- Set up the meal ENTIRELY before eating. Once you take a bite or sip of ANYTHING, do NOT go get the salt shaker or a bottle of juice from the fridge, etc and bring it to the table. Once you start eating, EVERYTHING on the table will get TRASHED when you finish eating.
- Take the germy trash out of the HOUSE immediately after every meal. (It's okay to let non-germy trash accumulate between meals.)
- If you drool in your sleep, wash the pillowcase etc. Treat your drool like a serious biohazard.
- Do not drink bottled water because 18 percent of bottled water in the US is contaminated with PA. Other bottled drinks do not seem to have this issue.
My son called it an "iron-loving bug." My CF specialist once told me that supplementing iron can make parasitic infections worse because they scavenge iron. This is a factor in my trypanosomas infection, so if you have PA and you have anemia, taking iron supplements can make your PA worse.
That does not mean you should not treat your anemia. It means you need to expect to battle your infection while treating your anemia.
If taking iron makes you worse, take antimicrobials of some sort. See the label Antibiotic Alternative for more reading than you probably want to do.
If you have had covid, you are PROBABLY zinc deficient. Covid is basically a blood disorder more than a respiratory issue. I have reason to believe that zinc deficiency generally makes your red blood cells more vulnerable and resolving your zinc deficiency may help you treat your anemia without making iron-loving bugs like PA (or trypanosomas or malaria) worse.
If you are anemic, consuming iron and calcium together means you don't get much out of either. So eat iron-rich foods and calcium-rich foods SEPARATELY (separate by AT LEAST 30 minutes.)
I treat trypanosomas by using a variety of methods that do NOT require the body to IDENTIFY the specific invader in question because they evade the immune system by changing their protein markers. HIV seems to do something similar but SHOULD be treatable similarly by methods like heat treatments which kill things without requiring the body to ID the invader.
HIV is a virus so it may also be treatable with antivirals. See Antiviral Protocols and More Antiviral Protocols.
If you have pneumonia or fungal infection, my go-to for pneumonia is Oil of Oregano and I also used it for months early on to protect myself from fungus while living in an apartment with mold issues.
After I stopped being bedridden, for a time my daily routine was lunch at Chipotle followed by a hot bath. That's a long story for another time, but TLDR: eating healthier food (the food there is MOSTLY organic) and treating for metal poisoning (the rice there contains cilantro) are GENERALLY helpful for all kinds of health issues.
