After a few years of dissent, I think I have finally understood what actually is Haart.
In reality, what pharmaceutical industry sells us as drugs from the ultra high-tech research are only nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which have effects similar to corticosteroids. These are not exactly corticosteroids. But at the commonly used dose, the effect is exactly the same as cortisone. Just compare the effects when you take them and when you stop taking them. These are exactly the same. This is also why you should not stop abruptly HAART. Otherwise, you have the same symptoms as when you stop corticosteroids suddenly.
To understand the why and how, we must understand what is cortisol (the hormone naturally emitted by humans). Then we understand why cortisone acts like she does. And suddenly, we understand what lies behind Haart and the cause of the different side effects when you take it and when you withdraw it.
I think cortisol is a hormone that in fact more or less manages water stress and possibly the physical stress of the body (something more often seen in the papers on biology than water stress, but apparently not fully understood). His goal is to preserve vital organs in this kind of situation.
Indeed, first observation. Some body parts are more important than others. As vital organs are located in the center of the body and in the head, it is clear that these body parts are very important, more important than the arms and legs. In cases where the vital liquid is no longer in an optimum condition and therefore where the body can be damaged, vital organs must be preserved at all costs. If ever the heart begins to stop beating, or even beat haphazardly, it is immediate death. Same if the lungs are in a state of respiratory distress from lack of water. And if the liver is no longer able to fulfill its function, the situation can quickly become catastrophic. And cortisol, in my opinion, serves to do that, to preserve vital organs during different kinds of stress.
- There is already the case of dehydration. As we have just seen, the fact of not having enough water available causes that vital organs function less well. And it is clear that in the case of the heart or lungs, the problem is critical.
I do not know exactly what the mechanism at work is, but what probably happens is the following. One way or another, cortisol triggers a mechanism that allows the body to retain water in the trunk. The trunk and the head will benefit more from this accumulation of water than the arms and legs. Thus, the vital organs are protected from dehydration.
- Cortisol also probably serves to regulate the level of minerals in the body. The rate of minerals must be at a certain level for the body to function at optimum level (see the work of Quinton on the similarity between animal blood and diluted seawater; 1/5th I think). Therefore, any excessive intake of minerals (generally, it will be the salt) will lead to the emission of cortisol. Indeed, by holding water in the center of the body, the proportion of salt at this point will decrease and remain at the optimum. So again, the vital organs will be preserved. This is why a diet too rich in salt will cause hypertension.
- A simple psychological stress seems to lead to the emission of cortisol; not necessarily a sudden fear, which involves more adrenaline, but prolonged stress. Probably that the brain does not differentiate the source of stress, and that whatever it is, after some time, it generates the production of cortisol.
In fact, the brain interprets probably the psychological stress as something that requires physical action. This is interpreted like a combat or an effort situation. However, as we will see a little later, the body increases cortisol levels when undertaking an effort. It allows him to be more effective.
- You can also think that aggressions of the body by some harmful chemicals introduced inside thereof, will cause a release of cortisol. This is particularly true of many plants (which are generally recognized by their bitter taste). It seems that it is also the case of certain heavy metals (mercury for example, seems to cause this kind of effect, in addition to other more specific effects).
It is quite possible that a drug introduced into the body is recognized as a poison (this was also the theory Shelton). So, it is possible that the body emits cortisol to dilute the poison to where vital organs are.
However, the question arises whether the chemicals that come from plants are not direct analogs of cortisol. So they do not necessarily stimulate the production of cortisol by the body, but are a kind of cortisol which would add to the naturally emitted one. Which then would lead to the fact that the cortisol-like rate could be greater than what the body is able to produce naturally. And also the cortisol type effects would not come from a body protection mechanism (or not only), but simply from the direct effect of the plant chemical.
The fact of causing an accumulation of water in the cells also enables cortisol to manage nutrition and cellular waste. The day, when cortisol levels are high, the cells are filled with water and hence absorb food particles of the blood.
At night, it's the opposite. Cortisol rate decreases. The cells are emptied of their water. And suddenly, they also dump their waste (which will join the lymphatic system).
This is partly why the cortisol levels are high during the day and low during the night.
This is because of this that we observe an increase in inflammatory processes at night (asthma, laryngitis, abscesses, etc. ..). For abscesses, as cells are then more swollen with water, abscesses will be larger and more painful. For asthma, the fact that the trunk cells are less irrigated causes a cough reaction in order to make the water return into the cells.
Cortisol is also used to manage the physical effort. To do so, it will cause constriction of blood vessels. The usefulness of the thing is that then, with equal effort, the heart will give blood more speed with each beat. It's like a pump of which power would suddenly be oversized regarding the water network (well, here it is rather the water system which becomes undersized relatively to the capacity of the pump which remains the same).
Suddenly, the blood flows faster with equal effort. Oxygen is transported and replaced more quickly. And the body can more easily provide efforts.
Adrenaline seems to have the same role. But apparently, it has a faster effect. Therefore, adrenaline is probably used for sudden efforts and cortisol for more prolonged ones.
At night, as the cortisol rate decline, there is instead vasodilatation. This is why you see an increase in problems of joint pain at night. The pain comes from the fact that the blood vessels are dilated and put pressure on the nerves behind their walls.
So, cortisol is an absolutely essential hormone. One might think that this is really the most important hormone in the body. The medical orthodoxy understands two or three minor elements of the problem, but that's all. It is very superficial.
Obviously, unusual cortisol production will produce various side effects.
The fact that the whole blood system is in a state of vasoconstriction will lead to a situation of hypertension. The pumping capacity of the heart remains the same, but the blood network will be smaller. So the blood will flow faster and blood pressure will be greater.
To reiterate what I said a little earlier, that's why a diet too rich in salt, for example, tends to cause hypertension. As the salt level in the blood rises too much, cortisol will be emitted. This will lead to hypertension.
Because of the vasoconstriction, and therefore of the more important blood concentration, there may be creation of blood clots. This can lead, if they break away, to pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or strokes. Normally, as vasoconstriction stimulates blood flow, since each heart beat gives more speed than usual to the blood, it should not happen. But if the person is sitting during a long time, the blood flow in the lower legs will be slow down. So, the combination of higher blood concentration and slowing the flow can lead to blood clots in the legs.
Moreover, the largest blood concentration causes an increased risk of atherosclerotic plaque formation and thus risk of heart failure and myocardial infarction.
The fact that there is vasoconstriction will cause an over-concentration of blood proteins and cellular waste, and therefore, acidosis. This will weaken the bones and cartilages. To neutralize this acidity, the body will pump into the only basic material it haves: bones and cartilages. So the bones will lose more and more material, and therefore the person will suffer from osteoporosis. For the same reason, it will also lead to a slow destruction of cartilage. This why there are articular problems.
The accumulation of water in the trunk must disturb digestion easily causing an accumulation of water in the digestive system; resulting in diarrhea.
It seems that cortisol stimulates the appetite and improves the morale of the person. But it can also increase aggressiveness, nervousness, excitement, anxiety.
As cortisol is used to stay awake, a rate which remains high during the night will cause sleep problems.
The fact that the excitement and anxiety is increased leads to a significant risk of consuming products with opiate effect. This is because they have a calming effect. So to keep away the anxiety, stress, and nervousness, people with a high level of cortisol will smoke, drink alcohol, take tranquilizers, sleeping pills, recreational opiates (heroin), etc. .. .
Of course, it makes you fat; not only because it stimulates the appetite, but also because it leads to an accumulation of water in the center of the body.
There may be stomach pains. Indeed, stomach emits a basic pH mucus which cover its walls to prevent the hydrochloric acid it emits to burn the stomach walls. The basic pH of the mucus neutralizes the acid. As cortisol causes water retention in the cells, the emitted mucus will be thicker. Holes may form in the mucus carpet, and hydrochloric acid will then attack the walls of the stomach.
The general effects of lack of cortisol will be in part those of the adverse effects of excess cortisol. But to avoid dealing with the subject twice in the same article, I will discuss this topic in the section on the feedback effect of cortisone withdrawal.
Cortisone is often presented as the synthetic version of cortisol. In fact, it seems that it is rather a precursor of cortisol. Once introduced into the body, it turns into cortisol by the action of an enzyme: 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. It has indeed a direct activity similar to cortisol. But it represents only 5% of that of cortisol. But, well, it is also possible that this theory is false and that the activity is 100% direct.
These side effects present when using cortisone go clearly in the direction of what I say about cortisol. Is added an additional effect due to the fact that it is a drug taken in pill form (usually), and so it is more concentrated in the digestive system. So the person will tend to have digestive problems. Furthermore, some effects will appear more quickly and will be more marked than when there is a natural emission of cortisol. For example, as the dose is often important, the phenomenon of accumulation of fat in the body's center will be much more important. Other faster and more pronounced phenomenon, as it is taken on a much longer period and with doses much greater than periods and quantities when cortisol is emitted, members will see relatively quickly more or less important problems appear.
- Side effects will be the following:
- At a general level, there will be high blood pressure, increased appetite, weight gain (partly due to the appetite, but mainly to the accumulation of water and therefore fat in the trunk), some euphoria and some physical energy.
On weight gain, because the person is rarely found in a state of dehydration (except possibly a person who comes from a hot country and who has found herself in a state of great lack of water), the retention of water in the trunk, instead of maintaining a normal size, will cause the body to swell. And the person will gain weight.
- In the trunk, there will be an accumulation of water and fat (fat accumulation seems to go hand in hand with the accumulation of water). One can think of the following explanation for the problem of accumulation of fat in the trunk. It appears that taking cortisone, at least in high doses, mess the liver. The liver not being able anymore to properly break down fat, it will remain in the body and will be stored. And the storage is probably related to the amount of water present in the tissues. So, as the water is recentered in the trunk, the fat will accumulate more in the trunk. That's why you see strange phenomena such as buffalo hump. That said, probably the emission of cortisol in a natural situation also causes a storage of fat in the body's center. Because we can think that the presence of fat goes partly with an overabundance of water in the tissues. But one can think that the effect is increased by the fact that the liver is messed up by taking oral cortisone.
- Regarding the digestive system, the stomach will be bloated. There will probably be diarrhea. This is because, first, of the important accumulation of water in the trunk; but also because the cortisone is usually absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. It is therefore more concentrated in the digestive system at the beginning. This leads to an even greater water accumulation at this location than in the rest of the trunk.
There will also be diarrhea. This, because the cortisone (and cortisol) probably stimulates the muscle activity. Therefore, the muscles of the intestines will be more active and intestinal transit will be faster. The water transfer from the food bolus toward the inside of the body will have less time to be done and therefore feces will be more liquid.
- The liver will be gradually destroyed because cortisone damages the liver. This is the most serious problem, because ultimately, liver failure can lead to death.
- Regarding the arms and legs, which are in lack of water, there will be a slow destruction of cartilage and thus possibly joint pain, muscle weakness, bruising, difficulty healing, osteoporosis and therefore bone fragility.
On bones, it is recommended to increase the amount of calcium and sun exposure to prevent osteoporosis. But since the problem is a lack of water, these measures are useless. Only some physical activity, insofar as it brings back a little water in these places, must have some effectiveness.
- According to the same mechanism as described for cortisol, increased blood concentration due to vasoconstriction will lead to the formation of clots in the legs. These may come off and go clog blood vessels of vital organs. Which can cause pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, and stroke.
- In a general way, some effects of cortisone will be reduced or canceled by the use of opiate-like drugs. Insomnia will be relieved by taking sleeping pills. Nervousness, anxiety, stress, by tobacco, alcohol, heroin, sedatives, antipsychotics, etc ... These products lead to muscle relaxation, which leads to a slowing of the intestinal transit, and thus they will be used to fight against diarrhea.
It causes that people under cortisone or anti-inflammatory drugs will often tend to take opiate-like drugs.
Here is a summary table:
Effect of cortisone |
Hypertension |
Weight gain |
Accumulation of water and fat in the trunk |
Bloated stomach |
Diarrhea |
Increased appetite |
Slow destruction of the liver |
Euphoria, nervousness, anxiety, stress |
Some physical energy |
Muscle weakness of the arms and legs |
Bruising on the arms and legs |
Difficulty healing the arms and legs |
Osteoporosis, therefore bone fragility of the arms and legs |
| Slow destruction of arms and legs cartilage, and thus possibly joint pain |
Risk of creating blood clots in the legs that can break off and go cause pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, or stroke |
Some websites about cortisone side effects:
http://www.hopital-dcss.org/actes/cortisone.htm
http://www.vulgaris-medical.com/encyclopedie/cortisone-effets-secondaires-de-la-1251.html
One of the big problems of cortisone is the withdrawal effect when you stop taking the drug. If cortisone is stopped abruptly, it is known that many physiological effects will appear. And coincidentally, these effects are more or less the opposite effects of those that appear when taking cortisone.
This is normal. In fact, as the body has had a very high cortisol levels artificially for months or years, at cessation, the cortisol rate collapses. Suddenly, the water leaves massively the center of the body to go to the members. And this lack of water in the trunk, plus the influx of water in the members, will cause many physiological effects. This time, the center of the body is disadvantaged and members favored. But as members have already suffered in the previous period, and they then begin the repair phase, in fact, for some time, both areas will know various problems.
- At the general level, as there isn't enough water in the trunk anymore, the person will suffer from hypotension (heart is less supplied with blood). And this will cause a significant loss of energy. Moreover, as cortisone is related to appetite and morale, there will be loss of appetite and depression. There is often a significant weight loss (not only related to loss of appetite, but also to the loss of water in the trunk and decreased fat mass, too, in the trunk).
As there is an increase in the quantity of waste in some places, and as the person won't move very much, it is possible that there will be swollen lymph nodes at the junction points between areas lacking water and those where there is a lot of it. So it is possible that there will be swollen lymph nodes at the armpits and neck.
- In the trunk, as the water leaves it massively, it will deflate. And as the presence of fat is apparently related to the presence of water, it is likely that the amount of fat will decrease also in the trunk. One can also think that the lack of water in the lungs and their surrounding areas can lead to the appearance of a dry cough.
- Regarding members, as the water returns to them and as the tissues have been damaged and have accumulated a large amount of cellular waste, there is a massive members repairing happens. So, the person will have more or less severe muscle pain. And muscle repair will not be accompanied by a more or less rapid recovery of muscle strength, since hypotension prevents physical exertion.
In addition, there will be joint pain, but for other reasons than when the drug is taken. Here, as the blood vessels are inflated due to the influx of water in the joints, they will put pressure on the nerves. That will cause pain, even if there is no problem at the joints. And if there has been damage to cartilage during the use of cortisone, pain may be even more important. In fact, while taking cortisone, joint damage may be more or less hidden because the blood vessels are in a state of constriction due to lack of water. So they do not put pressure on the nerves. But with the influx of water, pain not only can appear, but is even exacerbated, because the inflammation induced by the damage to the joint will make blood to flow even more to the joints.
As the extremities were the most damaged by the lack of water and therefore produce more cellular waste, a skin rash on the hands or feet can happen. Indeed, in case of accumulation of cellular wastes, the skin may be used as an auxiliary channel for discharging the waste (in addition to the lymphatic system). And, a priori, the thinner skin should let pass more easily rashes. Moreover, the fluids must be more stagnant with the decreasing of blood pressure. And fluid stagnating or advancing less rapidly can lead to the accumulation of waste.
Effects of stopping cortisone |
Hypotension |
Weight Loss |
Decrease of the amount of fat in the trunk |
Lack of appetite |
Depression |
Wholesale lack of physical energy |
Muscle pain in the limbs |
Eventually skin rash on the hands and feet |
Joint pains in the limbs |
Maybe swollen glands |
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are as cortisone, but with anticoagulant effects and therefore aggression of the body. They have the same basic effects as cortisone, but others are being added.
However, the effects in question depend on the dose and/or intensity of the product. A lower dose or intensity, this type of anti-inflammatory drugs will have an effect similar to cortisone. It is only if the dose or intensity is higher than the additional effects will occur. And the bigger the dose or intensity, the greater the additional effects will be.
At medium or high doses or intensity, an anticoagulant effect will appear. In other words, the product will break down the particles and cells it encounters.
It will therefore attack the walls of the intestines first (inflammation, bleeding, ulcers). Then, once in the bloodstream, it will break up the particles of the blood, then the blood vessel walls; which will create bleeding. The fact that the person eats little or much will be important here, since the less the person will eat, the less the blood will contain proteins and the more the anti-inflammatory drug will react with the walls of blood vessels instead of doing it with blood particles.
In the bloodstream, the problem will be at the level of small vessels. Because here, the thinness will make that the product will be able to pierce the blood vessels. So it will create bleedings. And of course, these will be problematic bleedings in the brain and lungs: in the brain, because it can't be repaired easily, and in the lungs, because it will cause a more or less important cough. So with cerebral hemorrhages, the person will experience cognitive decline, possibly paralysis, memory loss, headaches, etc ... And in the lungs, there is a risk of a possible respiratory depression.
In addition to the problems in question, in the context of AIDS, headaches may be interpreted as toxoplasmosis, and lung problems as tuberculosis or pneumonia. So, there is a risk that doctors put the patient on antibiotics. And antibiotics are like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but generally more highly dosed. So, it is like giving him a double dose, as he is already taking HAART (and HAART is like anti-inflammatory drugs). So the patient may die outright shortly.
It will also damage the liver, and eventually kidneys (much more than with cortisone). Therefore, the attack of the body is much greater than with cortisone.
So there will be more frequent diarrhea because in addition to accelerate the transit by natural muscle stimulation, anti-inflammatory drugs will attack the intestines. As a result, the body will recognize the product as a poison and will try to eliminate it as soon as possible by accelerating the transit.
And of course, there may be severe pain in the digestive system. If the dose is really strong, instead of having an increased appetite (as with cortisone), it will decline.
The risk of skin rash is also more important. There will be a sharp increase in the amount of cellular waste. So, as the skin, in this case, can act as a secondary outlet channel of the waste, this one will tend to go out by this way.
The acidosis effect may also be much more important; as well as osteoporosis and cartilage destruction.
However, the advantage of the anticoagulant effect is to reduce the risk of formation of plaque and blood clots. That is why doctors use anticoagulants in heart disease caused by atherosclerotic plaques.
Added effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs |
Increased diarrhea |
Faster liver damage |
Kidney damage |
Bleedings |
Increased osteoporosis |
Rash |
More rapid destruction of members cartilages |
Lower risk of blood clots in high doses |
HAART is actually anti-inflammatory drugs, but at low doses. So, it is mainly cortisone type effects that occurs. Thus, all the effects of taking cortisone are also found in a HAART therapy. And the withdrawal effects too.
When taking it, there is hypertension, weight gain, accumulation of water and fat in the trunk, better mood, increased appetite, more energy, the whole multitude of negative effects on members, aggression of the liver, etc ...
There may be a different effect. It appears that the cheeks are hollow. That said, having seen French actress Charlotte Valandrey at the television, his face seemed rather inflated. So for some people, this is clearly a cortisone type effect that occurs on the cheeks (swelling). But for those who suffer from thin cheeks problem, what we can say is that a number of HIV-positive are also opiate addicts. And precisely, they often have hollow cheeks. Maybe it is because they don't eat much. But perhaps the cause comes from the opiate itself. So when there is consumption of HAART at the same time, maybe the opiate is able to maintain the effect of hollowing the face despite the adverse influence of HAART. HAART would swell the trunk, but in the face, his influence would be countered by that of the opioid (or opiate-likes). So, it would at the same time a magnification of the trunk and facial wasting. It is true that many people take opiate-likes that are not considered recreational drugs. Often medical drugs. Therefore, those people should endure the same effect. But generally, their consumption is more or less under control, while that of drug addicts is much less.
And if you suddenly stop to take the drug, you get the same effects as suddenly stopping cortisone: high blood pressure, weight loss, sharp decline in the amount of water and fat in the trunk, some depression, decreased appetite, many less energy, etc ... In short, all the effects you can have when you stop cortisone suddenly.
And if the effects are the same, this is because HAART are actually anti-inflammatory type drugs at low doses. It cannot be a coincidence. Moreover, there are studies showing that, for example, certain protease inhibitors have anti-inflammatory effect (see here).
However, since HAART is taken under an assumed HIV infection, things are going in a different context from that of cortisone. In particular, withdrawal side effects will be obviously interpreted as an outbreak of AIDS. Furthermore, the problem of CD4 and viral load is added in the equation, which is obviously not present in the case of cortisone. Finally, as these drugs are presented as specific ones, some side effects are also more or less presented as specific to these drugs, whereas they are not (I think here about the buffalo hump).
Buffalo hump is presented as a specific effect of HAART. But, as we have seen, it is a thing that can happen also when taking cortisone. So it is not at all a particular effect of HAART.
As we have seen, the presence of the buffalo hump comes simply from the fact that the accumulation of water in the trunk is apparently also linked to fat accumulation. So when you take this kind of product which causes an accumulation of water, inevitably, an accumulation of fat follows. And as with these products, water accumulates in the trunk, there is a development of fat nearly everywhere in the trunk, and therefore possibly a buffalo hump.
In a corticosteroid therapy, it must happen more rarely than for HAART. But we can assume that the doses for a HAART therapy are more important than for a corticosteroid therapy. And it must be rare for a person to follow a corticosteroid therapy over periods as long and with doses as strong as in the case of HAART. Hence the fact that it is less common (but it happens however from time to time).
Here is a testimonial found on aufeminin.com about the fact that cortisone can also cause the appearance of a buffalo hump:
I saw the result of this "misconception" on me, and it is not at all a wrong idea, I can assure you. I have been on corticosteroids for two years, and during the first eight months, where doses were quite strong (50 to 20 mg), I did not stop to gain weight (+ 6 kgs in 3 months) despite a super-balanced diet and oscillating between 1200 and 1500 calories on average. Sometimes I went up to 900 calories per day, but it didn't prevent me to fatten (it was mostly water in fact). Hence big volume gained, head swollen to the point that even the taxi driver asked me what disease I had, "buffalo hump" (the back of the neck swollen with water), bulges of water on the back which made me look like a ninja turtle…. And yet, I had also stopped the salt to the point of being in sodium deficiency at some stage.
Apart from the problem of cd4 and viral load, that we will analyze later, there are a number of physiological effects that occur during a sudden stop of HAART, which will be presented as a return of AIDS.
- The rapid weight loss, and the possible dry cough, for example, will be interpreted as pneumonia or tuberculosis. Whereas it's obviously absolutely not the case. It is only a problem of dewatering of the lung that has nothing to do with pneumonia or tuberculosis. Doctors must of course find antibodies or antigens of these bacteria. But it is not very difficult to find. So, with lower cd4 and higher viral load, plus the diagnosis of pneumonia or tuberculosis, it will be the panic. It will of course be interpreted as the return of AIDS. So, the person will feel compelled to take again HAART immediately. The problem is that doctors will of course treat the person for TB or pneumonia with powerful antibiotics. And the use of antibiotics may well kill the person, or at least harm her strongly (see my article on the dangers of antibiotics). Especially if we consider that after stopping HAART, she will have lost appetite and lost weight. And, as we have already seen on this site, antibiotics + thinness + poor appetite = danger.
- It is possible that to stop taking cortisone sometimes creates headache. It's not sure. But if it happens, it may be considered as a beginning of toxoplasmosis. And suddenly, same problem as pneumonia or tuberculosis, this diagnosis will lead to a total panic, with consumption again of HAART by the patient, and use of antibiotics. So we will find the same problem, that is of a patient at risk of death, or else to various harms related to the antibiotic. The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis can also follow the diagnosis of pneumonia or tuberculosis. Doctors will give antibiotics to treat the so-called tuberculosis. These antibiotics will cause headaches. And these will be interpreted as toxoplasmosis. And as 80% of the population has antibodies against toxoplasmosis, it will not be difficult to find them in the patient.
- A skin rash on the hands or feet can be interpreted as a microbial rash illness, which again will cause the resumption of HAART and taking antibiotics.
- The simple weight loss, hypotension and low morale may possibly be considered sufficient, with lower cd4 and increased viral load, to declare a state of AIDS and lead to a resumption of HAART. Fortunately, in this case, there will be no use of antibiotics.
In all cases, the person finds herself in a situation that will require her to take HAART. Therefore, HAART is extremely vicious, because for someone who does not know that these symptoms are a feedback effect of stopping the treatment, they permanently prohibit stopping them. In short, someone starting HAART is obliged, because of this feedback effect, to take it for life. Therefore, an HIV+ person is completely stuck. This thing happens of course less for corticosteroid, because the withdrawal effect is well documented (even if for a number of diseases, it is not so obvious).
If taking HAART increases CD4 and decreases viral load, first, it is because the tests do not measure what we are told. The cd4 test actually measures all particles of the size of cd4, without any specificity. And the viral load test measures actually the amount of any DNA or RNA, there again without any specificity. So, on the one hand they measure the amount of big particles (in a serum, cd4 particles are quite big), and on the other hand, the amount of circulating DNA or RNA. In fact, more specifically, they estimate the proportion of big particles and DNA/RNA with respect to the quantity of liquid.
From there, if HAART increases the CD4 rate and decreases viral load, this is because, as we have seen, it causes vasoconstriction and therefore an increase in the blood concentration. Because there is less water in the blood, mathematically, the proportion of particles increases. So the cd4 rate increases. If you have 10 cells in 20 ml of water and you remove 10 ml of water, there are 10 cells per 10 ml of water. And therefore, the concentration of cells has doubled.
Viral load should increase too. But that is not the case, because as DNA circulating in the blood comes mainly from cellular debris, and HAART holds water and therefore waste in cells, there is less of them in the blood. In addition, the stimulation of blood flow probably allows a more rapid removal of the debris. At one point, there are therefore less in the blood. And then, as the particles are more concentrated in the blood, DNA strands probably stick to proteins and white blood cells. So, there are less free DNA's.
When you stop HAART, as we have seen, the reverse happens. Water flows in the arms and legs, and drops sharply in the trunk. So, mathematically, the rate of cd4 decreases sharply. Viral load should also decline, or not to move. However, the flow of water in the blood is accompanied by an explosion of the amount of cellular waste due to waste disposal that have been retained in the cells for a long time. The slowing of the lymphatic and blood flow must also slow the elimination of waste and thus lead to their increase in blood. Thus, the viral load is increasing.
That's why HAART gives these results for cd4 and viral load.
And as a sudden stop is accompanied by negative clinical symptoms for a few months (in addition to the "bad" figures of cd4 and viral load), the HIV+ patient thinks that these are symptoms of AIDS, as the doctor warned him. So, the HIV+ patient is stuck. He feels obliged to resume HAART. This is the perfect trap.
As I said earlier, HAART are actually anti-inflammatory drugs, but at low doses. So, there are mainly cortisone type effects that occur.
If the dose is increased, you quickly obtain the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. Currently, doses are relatively low. But at the beginning, it was not the case.
- This is why diarrhea was a problem particularly present before. This is what you can read on the website allodocteur:
"Nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite ... these were the adverse effects of HAART therapies that have disrupted the lives of AIDS patients during a long time."
It must be still present today, but less.
- This is why we sometimes hear about severe skin rash when someone is using some of these drugs, and that what is promoted then is simply the immediate discontinuation of the drug. And then, during the recovery, doctors automatically decrease the doses. See what is said on the website "Canadian Network of AIDS Treatment Information" or CATIE.
"Generally speaking, the only solution to skin problems is to discontinue the use of the drug in question. In some cases, treatment may be resumed later by reducing the starting dose"
"The protocols governing the use of certain non-nucleoside analogs now offer reduced starting doses in hopes of preventing rashes, which once occurred commonly with the use of these drugs."
So indeed, it is only by reducing the dose of medication that doctors are able to remove this side effect.
So, you can understand why, at the beginning, dissidents considered that HAART was almost as violent as AZT. Doctors then gave higher doses than now, at the beginning of treatment. While nowadays, the dose is automatically less strong, thus avoiding the antibiotic-type effects and leaving only the cortisone-type effects. We can understand why, at the time, despite such strong doses (at the beginning of treatment so), there were still few deaths. At the onset of symptoms like skin rash, the dose was decreased. Thus doctors avoided to reach fatal situations.
As the dissidents did not have this information, they panicked rightly about the side effects observed early in the treatment. And as physicians diminished the doses, they found it easy to say that the dissidents were wrong, that there were in fact only little problems of side effects and that the mortality rate was now low.
Note that because of these strong anti-inflammatory effects, you can have at the same time, high levels of cortisol and lower levels of cd4. As the treatment will attack the body, it will overproduce cortisol. But as the dose causes an anti-inflammatory effect, the particles in the bloodstream are disaggregated into smaller particles. And suddenly, the rate of cd4 decreases. There was a study showing that the rate of cd4 decreased with increasing cortisol. Yes, but the study (abstract 21160, Pasteur Institute) was precisely made in 1998, a time when HAART was more dosed than now.
All this makes that you can have on one side the people who tell you they live relatively well with HAART, and on the other side, alarmist drugs notices and testimonials from people who have suffered violent side effects. As everything is dose-dependent, it just needs a change in the dose to move from one situation to another. At the beginning, you can have rashes, dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, headache, and cognitive problems. And once the dose is reduced, all these problems disappear, leaving only the effects you can get when you take corticoids.
Anyway, in general, the dose is now low enough to cause mostly cortisone effects. This is why HAART is now relatively well tolerated.
Having understood all this, you understand that there is no reason to start taking HAART. If based on cd4 and viral load, we know that the results are only temporary. So when there are "bad" cd4 and viral load results, you know that you just need to wait and they will improve in a few months. This reflection is of course valid only for those still believing these indicators; so, either people who have not yet passed to the dissent, or dissidents hesitant on this point. Hardcore dissidents know that these two indicators do not mean much. To show to non dissidents and hesitant people that there is no reason to start HAART, you just need to make them take cortisone instead of HAART and then measure these indicators. Seeing that cortisone gives identical results to HAART, it is likely they will understand that HAART is a treatment that simply has a cortisone-type effect and that the evolution of these indicators with these drugs has nothing to do with immunity.
Similarly, even for situations with clinical symptoms, we know that since HAART has essentially a cortisone-like effect, either it will not serve any purpose, or if it useful somehow, it is because the disease had only to do with a problem of lack of cortisol. So we know we can solve the problem by other means than taking HAART. And we know that most of the time, the problem will only be temporary, as the problems of lack of cortisol always are.
And so there is no fatality to the permanent taking of HAART once you have begun this treatment. You can stop HAART without much physiological problems. Simply stop very gradually. Just like corticosteroids in fact.
Even if HAART is stopped suddenly, it seems that the withdrawal effects last only 3 or 4 months (this is what happened to a dissident from AidsMyth Exposed forum) and that after, everything returns more or less in order (including of course the CD4 rate and viral load). But during 3 or 4 months, you suffer quite a lot. So, it is clearly better to avoid abrupt stop; especially because we do not know if hypotension is not likely to just lead to cardiac arrest.
This is also because the physiological effects as well as the CD4 and viral load effects last only 3 or 4 months, that the studies on the subject have never lasted more than 4 months. If the studies lasted longer, they would have realized that the fever was only temporary and that it was quite possible to stop HAART.
That said, it is possible, since the hormone was taken for a long time, that there will be ups and downs later, with sudden drops in cortisol rate. It's a point to study. We should see with people who stopped cortisone, if this kind of thing happens. But once you understand what happens, you know that there is nothing to be afraid of and you know that you just need to be patient about your sickness state.
So, HAART is a total scam. The pharmaceutical industry has only renamed old drugs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) as protease inhibitors or reverse transcriptase. People therefore pay a very high price for a simple equivalent of cortisone. And official medicine took advantage of the withdrawal effect to prohibit HIV+ people to stop HAART one day. The icing on the cake is the ability to manipulate the rate of cd4 and viral load with these "medicines".
This is why we can get the same results as HAART with cortisone, anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, essential oils, coffee, etc...
Yes, the problem of official medicine is that it can tell what it wants on a particular drug, say that the molecules are different, the drug is new, the mode of action has nothing to do with former ones, etc..., the primary and secondary effects are there to allow knowing what the drug really is. And it's impossible to hide.
Aixur : august 2008
Modified and translated : june 2014
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