Getbig.com: American Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: jaejonna on January 30, 2007, 10:53:13 AM
-
I wonder what are the statistics of those in the 'industry' who have contracted the HIV virus?
It is basically the merging of the two main groups of AIDS patients ....
GAYS + Syringe Users ...
I wonder who will be a casuality....
-
There is a bodybuilder/Playboy Playmate who has HIV but she isnt a probodybuilder. Her name is Rebekka Armstrong
Im not really sure how she contracted HIV....
-
I wonder what are the statistics of those in the 'industry' who have contracted the HIV virus?
It is basically the merging of the two main groups of AIDS patients ....
GAYS + Syringe Users ...
I wonder who will be a casuality....
There may be something to the gay part but the syringe part is almost non-existent. It's not like a bunch of bodybuilders get together in abandoned buildings and share roid needles..
-
I dont believe it would be the case of using syringes because of the fact that bodybuilders sterilze their needles to prevent infections and cyste to develope..well the smart one do...
I bet the cause is possibly unprotected sex more than sharing dirty needles. Bodybuilding is known as a a sexual sport.....people go to the gym to hook up, etc..
-
There is a bodybuilder/Playboy Playmate who has HIV but she isnt a probodybuilder. Her name is Rebekka Armstrong
Im not really sure how she contracted HIV....
Probably from taking an HIV positive cock up her ass with no raincoat.
-
Probably from taking an HIV positive cock up her ass with no raincoat.
hahahahahh
ps monster Name Dropping hahaha
-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,3604,574706,00.html
Rebekka Armstrong
"Apparently she got HIV from either sex or a blood transfusion"
-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,3604,574706,00.html
Rebekka Armstrong
"Apparently she got HIV from either sex or a blood transfusion"
She's done porn, hasn't she?
Yeah, "blood transfusion"... >:(
-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,3604,574706,00.html
Rebekka Armstrong
"Apparently she got HIV from either sex or a blood transfusion"
probably a sexual blood transfusion...
http://www.askthecouch.com/2_past_template.asp?article=161 (http://www.askthecouch.com/2_past_template.asp?article=161)
-
there are quite a few bodybuilders who were positive long before they picked up a weight, that dealing with their disease got them into bodybuilding.
today HIV is a very managable disease, if you're in a first world country. with a few exceptions, the only people who are progressing from HIV to AIDS are those with other problems, such as Hep-C or continued drug abuse.
I know many people who've been positive for over 20 years and are doing fine.
-
there are quite a few bodybuilders who were positive long before they picked up a weight
what does "quite a few" mean? what percentage of pro bodybuilders have HIV? 25%?
-
what does "quite a few" mean? what percentage of pro bodybuilders have HIV? 25%?
I said bodybuilders, not pro bodybuilders. while many HIV doctors are big believers in testosterone supplementation, I think it would be foolish to be taking HIV meds and grams of steroids a week for years at a time. But I'm sure someone is doing it.
-
there are quite a few bodybuilders who were positive long before they picked up a weight, that dealing with their disease got them into bodybuilding.
Agreed.
today HIV is a very managable disease, if you're in a first world country.
Manageable, yes, but it still causes premature death in all but X patients. It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months. That window is much larger now but even with the best treatment and drug cocktails the patients lifespan is cut short and one can see a degredation in their physical condition.
Remember when Christopher Reeve had his horse riding accident? His paralysis was tragic, but anyone could see that over a period of months his condition (whatever it was) was going from bad to worse. He became more gaunt, his lost is hair (quickly), he looked worse and worse every time we saw him. Paralysis alone does not cause that. Btw, I’m not saying he had HIV. I’m simply saying his condition was deteriorating over a period of time. Something very similar happens to positive patients even with the best medical care. I have seen this several times. One day a guy is pumped up with muscle, the next year he has tiny legs, and a big roid/HGH gut. A couple years later, he’s gone.
There are approximately 10 different strains of HIV in the world today. About 5 of those strains are floating around the USA. A drug cocktail may work effectively for the 2-3 strains a patient has been exposed to but get exposed to strain #4 or #5 and his health can suddenly fall off a cliff. This is why continued safe sex practices are still very important.
The other day I trained at a Gold’s gym notable for its large gay population. There were lots of very built guys there, but as my friend Bryan would say, “No thanks. I’d rather be alive.”
Miraculously, there are long-term positive patients (we call these X patients) and some of them take no medications at all. How is this possible? Diversity is nature’s secret weapon and best defense. We may all be of the same species, but nature has made all of us just a little bit different. Not every drug works equally on every person. By the same token, not even a virus like HIV can kill every human being.
This diversity among the human population makes long-term positive survivors possible. If the entire world became positive today and no drug cocktails were available, humanity via the X patient population, would survive.
One of the secrets to treating HIV is identifying this Y factor in this X population. This will yield treatments for those already infected; HIV will never be cured. Of course, preventing infection and developing a vaccine are the ultimate goals.
-
magic johnson will outlive us all.
his johnson must really be magic after all!
-
magic johnson will outlive us all.
Goddamned mofo has been positive for 16 years now...
I hate rich people. >:(
-
Goddamned mofo has been positive for 16 years now...
I hate rich people. >:(
the rumor is that he actually bought humans that are his blood type and gets transfusions on a weekly/monthly basis to dilute the blood so when the virus is up to 15% at the end of the month, goes in for a trasfusion to knock it down to 4% ....or something like that .... crazy ..
-
Agreed.
Manageable, yes, but it still causes premature death in all but X patients. It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months. That window is much larger now but even with the best treatment and drug cocktails the patients lifespan is cut short and one can see a degredation in their physical condition.
Remember when Christopher Reeve had his horse riding accident? His paralysis was tragic, but anyone could see that over a period of months his condition (whatever it was) was going from bad to worse. He became more gaunt, his lost is hair (quickly), he looked worse and worse every time we saw him. Paralysis alone does not cause that. Btw, I’m not saying he had HIV. I’m simply saying his condition was deteriorating over a period of time. Something very similar happens to positive patients even with the best medical care. I have seen this several times. One day a guy is pumped up with muscle, the next year he has tiny legs, and a big roid/HGH gut. A couple years later, he’s gone.
There are approximately 10 different strains of HIV in the world today. About 5 of those strains are floating around the USA. A drug cocktail may work effectively for the 2-3 strains a patient has been exposed to but get exposed to strain #4 or #5 and his health can suddenly fall off a cliff. This is why continued safe sex practices are still very important.
The other day I trained at a Gold’s gym notable for its large gay population. There were lots of very built guys there, but as my friend Bryan would say, “No thanks. I’d rather be alive.”
Miraculously, there are long-term positive patients (we call these X patients) and some of them take no medications at all. How is this possible? Diversity is nature’s secret weapon and best defense. We may all be of the same species, but nature has made all of us just a little bit different. Not every drug works equally on every person. By the same token, not even a virus like HIV can kill every human being.
This diversity among the human population makes long-term positive survivors possible. If the entire world became positive today and no drug cocktails were available, humanity via the X patient population, would survive.
One of the secrets to treating HIV is identifying this Y factor in this X population. This will yield treatments for those already infected; HIV will never be cured. Of course, preventing infection and developing a vaccine are the ultimate goals.
hiv infected meltdown
-
the rumor is that he actually bought humans that are his blood type and gets transfusions on a weekly/monthly basis to dilute the blood so when the virus is up to 15% at the end of the month, goes in for a trasfusion to knock it down to 4% ....or something like that .... crazy ..
holy crap... i guess if anyone COULD afford blood, it'd be magic!
GET BIGGER! (http://www.getanabolics.com/contests-i-10.html)
-
hiv infected meltdown
LOL..... ;D
-
the rumor is that he actually bought humans that are his blood type and gets transfusions on a weekly/monthly basis to dilute the blood so when the virus is up to 15% at the end of the month, goes in for a trasfusion to knock it down to 4% ....or something like that .... crazy ..
HIV infection takes root in the cells - so I don't think a simple blood transfusion would work. But I'm sure he's doing some far-out shit that only the super-rich can afford.
Have you ever read the Forbes 400 issue? If they die at 85, it's considered tragically young.
Or look at that dick Cheney. Four heart attacks. But as long as he's got those Halliburton millions to spend, the Grim Reaper's going to have to drag him out kicking and screaming.
-
the rumor is that he actually bought humans that are his blood type and gets transfusions on a weekly/monthly basis to dilute the blood so when the virus is up to 15% at the end of the month, goes in for a trasfusion to knock it down to 4% ....or something like that .... crazy ..
this is complete BS. Most people on HIV meds (a combination of 3 or more) have viral loads of 0. after a while, the viral load starts inching up, but then you simply change to a different combination of meds. I know many people who have had HIV for 20+ years who currently have an undetectable viral load.
there have been incredible advances in the treatment of HIV. Yes, the HIV meds have side effects. Yes lipoatrophy is a serious problem. But most people with HIV can live a normal life.
-
Manageable, yes, but it still causes premature death in all but X patients. It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months. That window is much larger now but even with the best treatment and drug cocktails the patients lifespan is cut short and one can see a degredation in their physical condition.
without meds some people can go from infection to full blown AIDS in 2 years, but the average is closer to 10 years or more. Some have gone 20 years without starting the meds.
with meds, most everyone can expect a normal lifespan. an unlucky few cannot handle the side effects of the meds at all. for most the side effects are managable.
the people who are progressing to full blown AIDS today usually have some other condition involved. The most common one is drug abuse. Crystal meth addicts tend to skip their meds for days at a time over and over. This leads to resistance to the HIV meds. Hep-C can also make managing HIV more difficult.
-
without meds some people can go from infection to full blown AIDS in 2 years, but for many its 10 years or more. Some have gone 20 years without starting the meds.
with meds, most everyone can expect a normal lifespan. an unlucky few cannot handle the side effects of the meds at all. for most the side effects are managable.
the people who are progressing to full blown AIDS today usually have some other condition involved. The most common one is drug abuse. Crystal meth addicts tend to skip their meds for days at a time over and over. This leads to resistance to the HIV meds. Hep-C can also make managing HIV more difficult.
Tim you are an inspiration to all those HIV infected persons - you continue life at full throttle....
-
without meds some people can go from infection to full blown AIDS in 2 years, but the average is closer to 10 years or more. Some have gone 20 years without starting the meds.
with meds, most everyone can expect a normal lifespan. an unlucky few cannot handle the side effects of the meds at all. for most the side effects are managable.
the people who are progressing to full blown AIDS today usually have some other condition involved. The most common one is drug abuse. Crystal meth addicts tend to skip their meds for days at a time over and over. This leads to resistance to the HIV meds. Hep-C can also make managing HIV more difficult.
I'm by no means an expert on this subject, but I read this the other day:
Aids drugs can add 35 years
Last updated: Thursday, January 25, 2007
HIV-positive people in their mid-twenties can expect to live at least another 35 years if they receive modern anti-retroviral treatment, according to a Danish study published this month in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study, conducted by researchers at Odense University Hospital, analysed data collected from 3990 HIV-infected patients receiving care and 379 872 people from the general population in Denmark from 1995 to 2005.
The HIV-positive subjects, all members of the nationwide Danish HIV Cohort Study, were each matched with as many as 99 persons from the general population according to sex, date of birth, and municipality of residence.
The researchers concluded that the estimated median survival for an 25-year-old person diagnosed as HIV-positive, who receives antiretroviral therapy, is more than 35 years.
The implications of the study, as stated by the editors of Annals of Internal Medicine, are that persons with HIV infection who have access to the latest treatment have a good, but far from normal, life expectancy.
An ongoing effort is still needed to further reduce mortality rates for these persons compared with the general population.
The editors further caution that Denmark provides excellent access to HIV care, so the results may be atypical.
- Health24, January 2007
-
The implications of the study, as stated by the editors of Annals of Internal Medicine, are that persons with HIV infection who have access to the latest treatment have a good, but far from normal, life expectancy.
An ongoing effort is still needed to further reduce mortality rates for these persons compared with the general population.
The editors further caution that Denmark provides excellent access to HIV care, so the results may be atypical.
As I said, Manageable, yes, but it still causes premature death in all but X patients. It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months. That window is much larger now but even with the best treatment and drug cocktails the patient's lifespan is cut short ...
-
Rebekka Armstrong is pretty hot. So sad that a beautiful woman such as her has this disease:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Rebekka%20Armstrong&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Rebekka%20Armstrong&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi)
-
Is it true that Derek Anthony got the HIV? I heard that somewhere... OMG now i feel so bad for picking on him...
-
It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months.
that would mean that everyone who was diagnosed before meds became available in the early 1990s would have died in less than 2 years. that was never the case. I know many people who became positive in the early to mid 1980s who didn't start meds until the mid 1990s and are doing fine today.
-
...
-
that would mean that everyone who was diagnosed before meds became available in the early 1990s would have died in less than 2 years. that was never the case. I know many people who became positive in the early to mid 1980s who didn't start meds until the mid 1990s and are doing fine today.
Not necessarily. In the early days many men were not diagnosed until years after having contracted the virus. In that time they suffered symptoms that they or their doctors misdiagnosed or attributed to other less serious conditions. This period between infection and diagnosis left a wide window for transmission to many other people—including X patients who would not get debilitatingly sick but could carry and transmit the virus as well.
Sadly, lots of people did die before 1990; many of them did not know they were infected until they had full blown AIDS.
It’s great you know people who are doing fine today. My main point is that even with meds, more than 90% of positive patients will have a good, but far from normal, life expectancy. :'(
-
How long after a risky sexual encounter a test can detect wether you have the virus or not?
-
Not necessarily. In the early days many men were not diagnosed until years after having contracted the virus. In that time they suffered symptoms that they or their doctors misdiagnosed or attributed to other less serious conditions.
first you said 2 years between a positive test and death. but now you're saying 2 years between full blown AIDS and death.
-
How long after a risky sexual encounter a test can detect wether you have the virus or not?
with today's tests, 2-12 weeks
http://www.aids.org/info/testing.html (http://www.aids.org/info/testing.html)
-
AIDS is another great SCARE TACTIC SCAM perpetrated on the American people. Like Sam Kinison said fifteen years ago, "Name one straight man who's died of AIDS he got from heterosexual sex." We're still waiting.
Magic Johnson, who I never believed had the virus in the first place, is alive and well with no sign of deterioration.
Gene Simmons, who banged 15,000 skanks without a condom, got lucky 15,000 times?
Tommy Lee, who's banged 10,000 skanks without a condom, got lucky 10,000 times?
I'm still not buying it. IMHO, the 'AIDS epidemic' was meant to scare people, especially young people, into using condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
Unless someone can explain that theres something else that differentiates a drug-abusing, alcoholic, sex-addict's immune system from a typical gay or IV drug user victim...
Special "HiV for Hi Vendetta" Ed
-
hey bay, my universities(u of Manitoba) Immunology department is actually studying one of the most interesting topics dealing with aids. There was a few african sex workers who actually were/are immune to HIV. They had intercourse with HIv positive people yet did not contract the virus. Amzing. I believe it was a mutation in their T-cells that lended them immunity. The scientists here are trying to make a vaccine mimicing this mutation, I have one of them as my prof, really neat stuff. you may want to google it, it is cool stuff,
-
hey bay, my universities(u of Manitoba) Immunology department is actually studying one of the most interesting topics dealing with aids. There was a few african sex workers who actually were/are immune to HIV. They had intercourse with HIv positive people yet did not contract the virus. Amzing. I believe it was a mutation in their T-cells that lended them immunity. The scientists here are trying to make a vaccine mimicing this mutation, I have one of them as my prof, really neat stuff. you may want to google it, it is cool stuff,
Good post - got any more info on this?
-
hey bay, my universities(u of Manitoba) Immunology department is actually studying one of the most interesting topics dealing with aids. There was a few african sex workers who actually were/are immune to HIV. They had intercourse with HIv positive people yet did not contract the virus. Amzing. I believe it was a mutation in their T-cells that lended them immunity. The scientists here are trying to make a vaccine mimicing this mutation, I have one of them as my prof, really neat stuff. you may want to google it, it is cool stuff,
Do you have link referencing this info?
My other half is an epidemiologist so, through him, I keep abreast of a lot of medical news including research news on HIV. I have read info about X patients who contract the virus and live healthy lives for many years with little or no drug regiment but I have never heard of people who cannot contract the virus at all if they were sufficiently exposed to it. Again, a link (especially from the university) would be helpful.
-
What does "sufficiently exposed " mean?.... you are either exposed or not...I dont think there is more or less exposed, ...right?
-
that would mean that everyone who was diagnosed before meds became available in the early 1990s would have died in less than 2 years. that was never the case. I know many people who became positive in the early to mid 1980s who didn't start meds until the mid 1990s and are doing fine today.
Before the new meds, if you were diagnosed with AIDs, not just HIV, and a T-cell below 300 or something like that then you didn't have much time, but if you just had HIV you could still live a full life.
-
What does "sufficiently exposed " mean?.... you are either exposed or not...I dont think there is more or less exposed, ...right?
you actually need a large amount of the virus to get it sexually. The immune system does fight it off at first.
-
AIDS is fun :D
-
AIDS is fun :D
what a stupid comment.
SHUT THE HELL UP! >:(
-
this type of comment on a sensitive topic should require a banning !!!!
AIDS is fun :D
-
What does "sufficiently exposed " mean?.... you are either exposed or not...I dont think there is more or less exposed, ...right?
It means there are different kinds of sexual contact: foreplay, kissing, handjobs, oral, vaginal, anal. Where did the guy ejaculate?
I know someone--an M.D. no less--who says he contracted HIV via oral sex. He has a problem with bleeding gums and that was apparently the “intimate contact” that led to his exposure. That is possible, as is exposure thru sharing needles with an infected person. But most (gay men) contract the virus by anal reception.
-
you actually need a large amount of the virus to get it sexually. The immune system does fight it off at first.
correct me if i'm wrong , but if the female is infected the chances of the guy of catching the virus from oral and anal are very slim, and high chance from vaginal....I think I've actually read that somewhere....
-
Rebekka Armstrong is pretty hot. So sad that a beautiful woman such as her has this disease:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Rebekka%20Armstrong&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Rebekka%20Armstrong&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi)
thats pretty wild. ive seen pics of her around and read different things about her but never knew she had HIV.
-
this type of comment on a sensitive topic should require a banning !!!!
still following my posts through out getbig... ::)
-
I have read info about X patients who contract the virus and live healthy lives for many years with little or no drug regiment but I have never heard of people who cannot contract the virus at all if they were sufficiently exposed to it. Again, a link (especially from the university) would be helpful.
it depends on what 'cannot contract the virus' mean.
and you keep saying "X patients". you might want to google "HIV long term non-progressors"
-
correct me if i'm wrong , but if the female is infected the chances of the guy of catching the virus from oral and anal are very slim, and high chance from vaginal....I think I've actually read that somewhere....
I had my professor at rutgers say that ...Women can catch the diasease 100 times greater likelihood than HETERO sexual men.....gays, thats a diff story due to one's sexual practices.
-
still following my posts through out getbig... ::)
how about we get some gay guy with AIDS to ass rape you..then tell us how fun AIDS is
IJIT >:(
-
how about we get some gay guy with AIDS to ass rape you..then tell us how fun AIDS is
IJIT >:(
dude i was just makin a joke..why the hell are you getting so touchy about it?
-
how about we get some gay guy with AIDS to ass rape you..then tell us how fun AIDS is
IJIT >:(
Now that is funny.... ;D
-
dude i was just makin a joke..why the hell are you getting possessed?
aids aint no joke bro...
-
aids aint no joke bro...
relax guys..i did'nt say that any guy has aids here.now that would have been a bit stupid
-
dude i was just makin a joke..why the hell are you getting possessed?
He has aids ???
-
He has aids ???
no i dont....lol
just know somebody whos sister has it....................IT S NOT FUN
-
no i dont....lol
just know somebody whos sister has it....................IT S NOT FUN
sorry dude.i did not know that
-
sorry dude.i did not know that
IJIT >:(
-
no i dont....lol
just know somebody whos sister has it....................IT S NOT FUN
That sucks !!! would not wish that on my worst enemy....just joking about you in prev post... ;D
You are a legend with your college girls thread... ;)
-
blinky is one of Getbig's most valued members, for reasons I would not like to divulge.....
all i have to say is 'passwords' ....legendary thread..
-
dude i was just makin a joke..why the hell are you getting so touchy about it?
not cool doritio, not cool
-
Tommy Morrison, another high file HIV patient is in denial about it and plans to fight again. They even have 2 boxers lined up to fight him. Are they nuts?
All these "educated" people in here....and no one has ever taken a biology course ??
When getting an HIV test...they don't test for the Virus itself..or "THE VIRAL LOAD".
They test for your bodies response to the virus....or Antibodies.
No matter how much shit he takes....the antibodies will always be present.
His "load" can be low as shit...but the antibodies (his body) will always respond to his initial exposure.
Sort of like a constant response one would have, to being exposed to chicken pox...or the like.
Morrison is positive....He's just on a bunch of shit to keep his viral load down and thinks he can fool the commission....He must be hurting for money pretty damn bad.
Anyways...No amount of money would get me in the ring w/ that mofo...not without a suit of armor on...and a condom.
-
http://www.aidsinfonyc.org/hivplus/issue3/ahead/african.html
the above is one link pertaining to it. I will try to find the publication by my university and post it here as well.
-
hey bay, my universities(u of Manitoba) Immunology department is actually studying one of the most interesting topics dealing with aids. There was a few african sex workers who actually were/are immune to HIV. They had intercourse with HIv positive people yet did not contract the virus. Amzing. I believe it was a mutation in their T-cells that lended them immunity. The scientists here are trying to make a vaccine mimicing this mutation, I have one of them as my prof, really neat stuff. you may want to google it, it is cool stuff,
yes, please provide link. thanks.
-
AIDS is another great SCARE TACTIC SCAM perpetrated on the American people. Like Sam Kinison said fifteen years ago, "Name one straight man who's died of AIDS he got from heterosexual sex." We're still waiting.
Magic Johnson, who I never believed had the virus in the first place, is alive and well with no sign of deterioration.
Gene Simmons, who banged 15,000 skanks without a condom, got lucky 15,000 times?
Tommy Lee, who's banged 10,000 skanks without a condom, got lucky 10,000 times?
I'm still not buying it. IMHO, the 'AIDS epidemic' was meant to scare people, especially young people, into using condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
Unless someone can explain that theres something else that differentiates a drug-abusing, alcoholic, sex-addict's immune system from a typical gay or IV drug user victim...
Special "HiV for Hi Vendetta" Ed
Ed; How would you explain the African countries where AIDS is whipint out townships? I hardly think they were all gay. Or is it not AIDS That's wiping them out? You've got me thinking that it could be a man made disease that we're using on some stupid African country that are our Ginni pigs for some new, unknown disease that's out their right now only to be explained as AIDS?
-
Ed; How would you explain the African countries where AIDS is whipint out townships? I hardly think they were all gay. Or is it not AIDS That's wiping them out? You've got me thinking that it could be a man made disease that we're using on some stupid African country that are our Ginni pigs for some new, unknown disease that's out their right now only to be explained as AIDS?
One explanation of the origin of AIDS is that some of the men took a strong liking to some of the monkeys in South Africa. And it swept across the nation in, like,
2 months. However, a health worker from the World Health Organization argues that it came from the U.S. when an experiment to create a vaccine for Hepatitis (by merging a PORCINE virus with a BOVINE virus) failed and, instead created HIV in all the people they "vaccinated". According to a former employee of the
WHO, those who were treated with this vaccine became the FIRST RECORDED CASES of HIV.
Meanwhile, I duck whenever I see a mosquito. They're like flying hypodermic needles.
-
Very Good Post.....
Agreed.
Manageable, yes, but it still causes premature death in all but X patients. It used to be that a positive test result meant death in 12-24 months. That window is much larger now but even with the best treatment and drug cocktails the patients lifespan is cut short and one can see a degredation in their physical condition.
Remember when Christopher Reeve had his horse riding accident? His paralysis was tragic, but anyone could see that over a period of months his condition (whatever it was) was going from bad to worse. He became more gaunt, his lost is hair (quickly), he looked worse and worse every time we saw him. Paralysis alone does not cause that. Btw, I’m not saying he had HIV. I’m simply saying his condition was deteriorating over a period of time. Something very similar happens to positive patients even with the best medical care. I have seen this several times. One day a guy is pumped up with muscle, the next year he has tiny legs, and a big roid/HGH gut. A couple years later, he’s gone.
There are approximately 10 different strains of HIV in the world today. About 5 of those strains are floating around the USA. A drug cocktail may work effectively for the 2-3 strains a patient has been exposed to but get exposed to strain #4 or #5 and his health can suddenly fall off a cliff. This is why continued safe sex practices are still very important.
The other day I trained at a Gold’s gym notable for its large gay population. There were lots of very built guys there, but as my friend Bryan would say, “No thanks. I’d rather be alive.”
Miraculously, there are long-term positive patients (we call these X patients) and some of them take no medications at all. How is this possible? Diversity is nature’s secret weapon and best defense. We may all be of the same species, but nature has made all of us just a little bit different. Not every drug works equally on every person. By the same token, not even a virus like HIV can kill every human being.
This diversity among the human population makes long-term positive survivors possible. If the entire world became positive today and no drug cocktails were available, humanity via the X patient population, would survive.
One of the secrets to treating HIV is identifying this Y factor in this X population. This will yield treatments for those already infected; HIV will never be cured. Of course, preventing infection and developing a vaccine are the ultimate goals.
-
http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/15/10/1795
http://archive.idrc.ca/books/reports/1997/20-02e.html
http://www.innovationcanada.ca/14/en/articles/hiv-aids-vaccine.html
The above links relate to immunity to HIV, for some reason I can't find the publication my university published about it's findings.