The Ultimate Anti-Viral

[Aspie]

So being the geek that I am I was reading my Scientific American before I went to bed last night and came across an article about a new much more powerful antiviral that is in the works that doesn't just inhibit viral growth it prevents replication all together. The antiviral has proven to be effective against viruses with a lipid envelopes such viruses include Ebola, Influenza, Nipha, and even HIV.

Now before you get to excited this new antiviral compound has yet to be tested in humans so even if it is safe we still got years to go. Now with that in mind there is great incentive to get this drug made as the company who gets it made could possibly go down in history as the company that got rid of HIV but also they would have an entirely new market open to them and they would have it all to themselves for years.

[metalwhere]

Side note: We may have HAD a vaccine for AIDS, we just didn't have AIDS/HIV to vaccinate against.

http://www.inquisitr.com/73241/concurrent-rise-in-hiv-and-eradication-of-smallpox-may-be-key-to-hiv-resistance/

Also Google "Smallpox HIV resistance"

Long known resistance to HIV from the Plague, and Smallpox.

[Aspie]

Side note: We may have HAD a vaccine for AIDS, we just didn't have AIDS/HIV to vaccinate against.

http://www.inquisitr.com/73241/concurrent-rise-in-hiv-and-eradication-of-smallpox-may-be-key-to-hiv-resistance/

Also Google "Smallpox HIV resistance"

Long known resistance to HIV from the Plague, and Smallpox.

I noticed that in another thread and that has me very happy as if it only provides 40% resistance it will still be a lot more effective than circumcision because

1.) It will help protect people from getting the virus in non-sexual situations.
2.) It will protect both genders.
3.) It might inhibit the growth of the virus in those who become infected which would help keep their viral load lower longer which would lower the risk of them passing on the virus.

[Dasher]

There is also a natural anti-viral which is available today over the counter at your local health food store. It's an herb called astragalus, and has no side effects. It isn't cheap, but it's inexpensive compared to prescription drugs in the U.S.

I started taking it last fall as a precaution because of the H1N1 (swine flu) scare. The big swine flu epidemic never materialized in the U.S. as predicted, but I didn't have a cold last winter for the first time in years. Of course, that doesn't prove that astragalus works. I call it a very pleasant coincidence. And I plan to take astragalus ahead of the next cold and flu season.

The only problem with astragalus was that the health food stores didn't stock enough of it to satisfy the demand that erupted quickly once the media began to scare everyone silly about the swine flu epidemic. I was lucky and bought the last two at one store and the very last at another. I later learned that Dr. Andrew Weill, an advocate of preventive medicine and natural remedies, had been on TV saying that he was going to take astragalus because it was an effective anti-viral. So this year I will stock up early, before the media can whip up any hysteria.

[Aspie]

There is also a natural anti-viral which is available today over the counter at your local health food store. It's an herb called astragalus, and has no side effects. It isn't cheap, but it's inexpensive compared to prescription drugs in the U.S.

I started taking it last fall as a precaution because of the H1N1 (swine flu) scare. The big swine flu epidemic never materialized in the U.S. as predicted, but I didn't have a cold last winter for the first time in years. Of course, that doesn't prove that astragalus works. I call it a very pleasant coincidence. And I plan to take astragalus ahead of the next cold and flu season.

The only problem with astragalus was that the health food stores didn't stock enough of it to satisfy the demand that erupted quickly once the media began to scare everyone silly about the swine flu epidemic. I was lucky and bought the last two at one store and the very last at another. I later learned that Dr. Andrew Weill, an advocate of preventive medicine and natural remedies, had been on TV saying that he was going to take astragalus because it was an effective anti-viral. So this year I will stock up early, before the media can whip up any hysteria.

There are quite a few problems with using herbs against viruses

1.) The dosage of the compounds that have desired affects varies sometimes greatly each time you take the herb or the extract meaning you might not get enough of the desired compounds to be effective. This could also cause a problem with the viruses becoming resistant to the compounds like they do with pharmaceutical medications when someone takes some of the medication but not enough to reach the therapeutic dosage.
2.) Just because something has anti-viral properties doesn't mean it works against all viruses.
3.) Inhibitors don't work well against HIV because it is a retrovirus which means when it infects a person it doesn't just mess around a little it messes around a lot by literally fusing with someone's genome.

[Dasher]

There are quite a few problems with using herbs against viruses

1.) The dosage of the compounds that have desired affects varies sometimes greatly each time you take the herb or the extract meaning you might not get enough of the desired compounds to be effective. This could also cause a problem with the viruses becoming resistant to the compounds like they do with pharmaceutical medications when someone takes some of the medication but not enough to reach the therapeutic dosage.
2.) Just because something has anti-viral properties doesn't mean it works against all viruses.
3.) Inhibitors don't work well against HIV because it is a retrovirus which means when it infects a person it doesn't just mess around a little it messes around a lot by literally fusing with someone's genome.

I don't see how any of this applies to me taking astragalus to prevent the common cold. Or swine flu, for that matter. I am old enough to remember people dying from taking the swine flu vaccine in 1976. So please forgive me if I don't buy into government-sponsored flu vaccines.

I don't have HIV/AIDS, so I'm not worried about man-made retroviruses. Or naturally-occurring ones like ebola and Marburg. I won't be visiting Uganda any time soon.

You also have to keep in mind that the medical/scientific community you are getting your information from (including Scientific American magazine) has a built-in bias against vitamins and herbs. The medical/scientific community, some of which still supports circumcision by the way, is still fighting Vitamin C, Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling notwithstanding. That doesn't mean that the drawbacks of herbs you listed are incorrect. It just means that you are going to get a one-sided view from the medical/scientific community; they are never going to admit any benefits from herbs and vitamins, because they essentially regard such substances on a par with voodoo.

I am going to go with Dr. Weill and my own experience instead. I will know better next flu season after taking astragalus again, and, by miraculous coincidence, I don't have a cold again -- assuming I don't of course.

[Aspie]

I don't see how any of this applies to me taking astragalus to prevent the common cold. Or swine flu, for that matter. I am old enough to remember people dying from taking the swine flu vaccine in 1976. So please forgive me if I don't buy into government-sponsored flu vaccines.

I don't have HIV/AIDS, so I'm not worried about man-made retroviruses. Or naturally-occurring ones like ebola and Marburg. I won't be visiting Uganda any time soon.

You also have to keep in mind that the medical/scientific community you are getting your information from (including Scientific American magazine) has a built-in bias against vitamins and herbs. The medical/scientific community, some of which still supports circumcision by the way, is still fighting Vitamin C, Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling notwithstanding. That doesn't mean that the drawbacks of herbs you listed are incorrect. It just means that you are going to get a one-sided view from the medical/scientific community; they are never going to admit any benefits from herbs and vitamins, because they essentially regard such substances on a par with voodoo.

I am going to go with Dr. Weill and my own experience instead. I will know better next flu season after taking astragalus again, and, by miraculous coincidence, I don't have a cold again -- assuming I don't of course.

I would like to remind you that this thread is centered around HIV not the common cold or the flu, so me talking about how it would pretty much suicide to rely on herbs to treat it makes logical sense, you coming in to talk about the common cold or the flu doesn't make logical sense. I took some time to do some brief research about the Ebola and the Marburg viruses and it appears from what I was able to find that they are very deadly however they are not retroviruses.

Now if your so sure HIV is man made then when did the first confirmed case occur in the U.S.? How old was the person? What was their gender? What color was their skin?

You are right there is a bias in the medical and scientific community but the fact of the matter is there is a bias in everything including those who sell and promote the use of herbs. I would like to also point out that the medical and science communities supporting circumcision is more than just a simple case of them being biased but that is an entirely different topic. I think it is also important for me to point out there has been a lot of research into herbs, vitamins etc. so implying that the medical community is 100% anti-non pharmasutical is ignorant.

I don't just accept what people, institutions, etc. say I think for myself thank you very much however I just don't listen to the hyper paranoid fringe elements of society they make very poor use of their brains.