Is it possible that AIDS can have multiple causes? Supporters of the HIV theory and the journalists who back them have ignored criticisms without giving them proper thought. They have yet to provide a comprehensive study that definitively demonstrates HIV as the only cause of AIDS. After numerous unsuccessful tries, it is vital to reevaluate the present circumstances.
-Charles A. Thomas, Jr., Kary B. Mullis, and Phillip E. Johnson(qtd. in Atwan) An HIV/AIDS testing center visitor who identifies as a homosexual male exits looking pale and sickly. He has just been informed of his positive HIV status. Due to the prevalent media portrayal that HIV inevitably leads to AIDS, he interprets his diagnosis as a validation of imminent death. This situation is a common occurrence in the United States with similar responses observed among various individuals.
In an article titled “What Causes AIDS? It’s an Open Question,” doctors and scientists Charles A. Thomas, Kary B. Mullis, and Phillip E. Johnson challenge the prevailing belief that HIV is the sole cause of AIDS (Thomas-1995). Despite evidence linking HIV to AIDS, it is important to recognize that HIV does not solely result in the disease. This can be seen in the numerous cases of AIDS patients who do not have HIV. Surprisingly, even without substantial evidence or supporting research papers, it is universally accepted that HIV exclusively causes AIDS (Thomas-1994).
Before seeking a remedy for a disease or virus, it is crucial to establish solid evidence that the disease or virus is solely responsible for the harm it is attempting to prevent. No studies or experiments have been conducted to demonstrate that HIV is the exclusive cause of AIDS. The only evidence presented is based on correlation.
In an article cited by biochemist Charles A. Thomas, Jr., president of the Helicon Foundation in San Diego and secretary of the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis; Kary B. Mullis, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in chemistry for inventing the polymerase chain reaction technique for detecting DNA used in AIDS patients; and Phillip E. Johnson, Jefferson E. Peyser Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, they argue: The correlation is at best imperfect.
There are numerous cases where individuals exhibit all symptoms of AIDS without any HIV infection, as well as cases where individuals remain HIV-positive for over ten years without showing any signs of illness.
Despite a wealth of evidence, scientists are disregarding counterarguments against the HIV/AIDS hypothesis and not validating that HIV is the exclusive cause of AIDS. Prior to pursuing a cure for HIV or AIDS, it is crucial for scientists to establish this exclusivity. If they fail to do so, it could mean wasting significant tax funds, research efforts spanning years, and countless lives due to scientists’ unwillingness to admit their fallibility. The question remains: why do scientists persist in dismissing this argument? It’s worth noting that not all doctors and scientists aim to disprove the link between smoking and lung cancer – even though multiple potential causes exist in the case of lung cancer. Advocates of this argument merely seek evidence that justifies the substantial resources being invested.
Although there is no definitive proof indicating that HIV alone causes AIDS, strong evidence suggests otherwise. Various studies indicate that HIV is not the exclusive factor in the development of AIDS. Scientists argue that when combined with other illnesses like tuberculosis, HIV weakens the immune system and ultimately leads to AIDS. This compromised immune system makes it difficult for individuals to fight off tuberculosis, resulting in death. Dr. Peter Duesberg, a renowned retrovirus expert and molecular biology professor at the University of California at Berkeley, believes that viruses such as HIV gradually kill individual cells until enough are destroyed to cause illness. Specifically targeting T-cells, which play a crucial role in the immune system, HIV has been found to infect less than one in 1,000 cells on average in AIDS patients (Guccione). Despite having minimal impact on cell infection rates but continued presence of AIDS, this suggests an alternative cause for the disease.
The correlation between HIV and AIDS supports the hypothesis that HIV is the primary cause of AIDS. However, this correlation alone does not sufficiently prove HIV’s exclusive role in causing AIDS. Duesberg argues that there are numerous individuals who have HIV but remain healthy, including a million Americans and six million Africans. Out of these six million Africans with HIV, only 129,000 had AIDS by the end of last year, leaving a significant majority unaffected by the disease. Similarly, while half a million Europeans have HIV, only 60,000 have developed AIDS. These statistics raise the question as to why millions of people with HIV do not develop autoimmune diseases if indeed HIV is responsible for causing them. If HIV has such minimal impact on the immune system and plays such a minor role in the development of AIDS, there must be an underlying cause beyond it.
Guccione argues that the establishment believes all individuals with HIV will eventually develop AIDS. However, Duesberg disagrees and claims that only around 20 percent of Americans with HIV have actually developed AIDS in the past decade, including deaths. These cases mainly involve intravenous drug users among heterosexual Americans and Europeans. Homosexuals who contract AIDS often have a high number of sexual partners facilitated by substances like poppers, amphetamines, Quaaludes, amyl nitrite, and cocaine used as aphrodisiacs.
Guccione also mentions individuals striving to prove that HIV is not solely responsible for AIDS. Thomas et al. provide three reasons for doubting the official theory linking HIV to AIDS. Firstly, despite significant funding, researchers still cannot explain how a simple retrovirus like HIV damages the immune system or how to effectively combat it. Secondly, there is only correlation between HIV and AIDS since there is no consensus on the exact mechanism behind it. Lastly, predictions based on the HIV theory consistently turn out to be incorrect.
Contrary to earlier predictions of a rapid increase in cases given a consistent number of HIV-infected Americans over time according to Atwan’s perspective contradicts this notion suggesting that HIV is an old virus which has existed for centuries without causing a widespread outbreak.
Contrary to the HIV/AIDS hypothesis, these statistics challenge the belief that HIV is solely responsible for AIDS. The scientific community continues to hold this belief without providing any efforts to substantiate it. The only argument attempting to prove HIV as the exclusive cause of AIDS lacks solid evidence. However, one valuable aspect of the argument compares disbelief in HIV causing AIDS with skepticism about smoking leading to lung cancer. This comparison highlights that 90% of lung cancer victims are smokers (Harris). Still, even in cases where most lung cancer patients are smokers, there must be another factor at play. Similarly, although most AIDS patients have HIV, there are still thousands who do not (Thomas-1994). This suggests that something else triggered their development of AIDS. Consequently, before finding a cure for HIV or AIDS, the scientific community must identify other causes of AIDS. It is crucial to educate billions worldwide about all potential causes and preventive measures for all forms of this disease.
Despite limited recognition by scientists, a counterargument challenging the HIV/AIDS hypothesis exists and will persist until refuted. The strength of this argument lies in the substantial support it receives from thousands of doctors, ordinary individuals, and scientists. They advocate for prioritizing research into the diverse causes of AIDS before seeking a cure for HIV or AIDS.
The media’s lack of support presents a major obstacle to this argument as Robert Gallo, the creator of the HIV/AIDS hypothesis, has widely asserted that HIV causes AIDS. It is also commonly believed that acquiring HIV is the sole means of contracting AIDS (Thomas-1994). Both the media and scientific community dismiss any alternative perspective as entirely ridiculous.
The media and scientific community should acknowledge the possibility of being mistaken about the HIV/AIDS hypothesis and consider alternative causes of AIDS. By discovering the truth about all potential causes, they can focus their research on finding a cure for AIDS, an elusive goal that scientists have pursued for years.
Works Cited Guccione, Bob, Jr. AIDS: Words from the Front. Spin Sept. 1993.
Harris, Stephen B., M.D. The AIDS Heresies. 1994. Online Posting. Address: http://www.skeptic.com/03.2.harris-aids.html.
Thomas, Charles A., M.D. Rethinking AIDS Home Page. April 1994. Online posting from Penthouse magazine.
Thomas, Charles A., M.D., Jr., Kary B. Mullis, and Phillip E. Johnson question what causes AIDS in the book “Reason” by Robert Atwan, titled “Our Times,” published in 1995 by Bedford Books of St. Martins Press.
Category: English
