October 2010
If you are looking for treatment and see the message below, go in the opposite direction as fast as possible
"A revolutionary breakthrough solution that is clinically-proven and doctor-endorsed is now available. The main question is whether a virus can be removed from the body. According to the doctor who invented the solution, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. This is great news for those suffering with viruses in the body such as oral herpes, genital herpes, as well as HPV... The company has ramped up production and is ready to provide this solution and add to the thousands of satisfied customers who have removed unwanted viruses and toxins from the body."
Continuing on from my previous post, this is a scam with no basis in science whatsoever.
There are viruses that hide in the body. They will always remain there. Chickenpox, glandular fever, herpes simplex, as well as fungal infections like thrush. Most normal people have all these and more. ‘Treatment’ inventors use this message to scare patients but that does not make these facts important. These infections can't be removed from the body but most of them do very little and seldom affect general health.
Viruses are not the same as toxins which are waste materials that our bodies don't need. They are eliminated by our bodies' normal processes all the time. The idea that we need special treatment to remove toxins (as if our body isn't doing that anyway) is yet another fallacy.
Quack remedy salesmen (and they are usually men) often claim to eliminate the virus completely. This is impossible to prove until you are dead. They usually claim that you will never have another outbreak. Outbreaks usually slow down or stop anyway so how would you know if their treatment works? Real treatments work and they are scientifically tested. You can help your immune system by eating healthily, reducing stress and getting enough sleep. Call our helpline of you need more advice. The future is in your hands, not those of some quack "doctor".
Nigel Scott 22-10-10
A fool and his (or her) money are soon parted
A good news story this week tells of the work done by Rhys Morgan, a 15 year old from Cardiff with Crohn's disease, who is warning against a dangerous supposed "treatment". He was looking for something that might help him with his own condition and stumbled across MMS (in fact a bleach) and quickly realised that it is both useless and potentially dangerous.
An explanation of why MMS is a scam is here. The so-called 'miracle drug' has a website where its 'inventor' Jim Humble claims it is the answer for everything from AIDS to TB and including herpes. Humble also claimed to have used it to cure 2,000 malaria victims. However, student Rhys found that the FDA's website warned that MMS, "when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health." The British Food Standards Agency, meanwhile, warned that the drug could "cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea."
The teenager then posted a series of tweets on Twitter, prominent British science journalists picked up the story and the media followed. Rhys was even invited to publicise his warning on Radio 4's Today programme.
The internet is full of scam treatments and we are regularly asked about them by members and callers. They are usually expensive, may claim that they have discovered something that the drug industry wants kept secret, make extravagant claims, use words like 'cure', often don't tell you what the active ingredient is, use many testimonials and usually claim to treat many totally different conditions. Stay clear of them and call our helpline on 0845 123 2305 if you are not sure.
Good treatments should be available on prescription for those who need them. If you want to use complementary treatments, stick to those using well known herbs like melissa (lemon balm) but above all, get your head around it. Stress is the biggest cause of outbreaks. If you worry less, your immune system will improve and do the job for you.
Nigel Scott - 20th October 2010
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Giving a talk to Sexual Health Department clinic staff
I love giving my PowerPoint presentation to staff at GUM clinics, knowing that this will help staff to help patients from the moment of diagnosis - or even before, since one of the things I say is "Patients with herpes simplex need to be seen while they have symptoms. How does your clinic facilitate that?"
They gasp when I tell them that one GP suggested to a lady with a recurrence of genital herpes during pregnancy, that "Perhaps you should get a termination." This is SO INCORRECT. Luckily in that case, the lady spoke to her midwife about it and midwife told her to call our helpline and so catasrphe was averted.
Because clinics only see the cases that are bad enough for the patient to notice, clinic staff can be amazed when I tell then that only one in five who have herpes simplex knows. And that a person can have a first outbreak many years after catching it. So it is NOT proof of infidelity.
Feedback from you on a good experience medical staff would be great: see our survey. Any bad experiences can be emailed to me at info@hva.org.uk and I will phone that clinic and offer to give them 'the talk'.
Marian Nicholson - 13th October 2010
Working on Wikipedia
Busy, busy - we are writing our Wikipedia page - yup, a page about the Herpes Viruses Association! Our kind patron, Dr Phil Hammond has a link off his Wiki page) to one labeled Herpes Viruses Association, which is, so far, empty. If you have an idea of what you'd like to see on that page, any questions you might have about the 'early days', let me know: Info@hva.org.uk
As part of finding references for what we are writing for Wiki, we have been digging to find the evidence that no one worried about herpes simplex before they invented the first antiviral medication: Zovirax (aciclovir). In an article entitled "Psychological morbidity at a clinic for STDs" published in 1975 - there is no mention of genital herpes! The researchers were interviewing people attending a GUM clinic to find out how worried/anxious/miserable they were about having an STI (that's the 'psychological morbidity') and 'herpes' was not mentioned in the report! This shows that the 'herpes hype' had not yet been created.
Marian Nicholson - 7th October 2010
Responding to the government's White Paper
We have just finished a two page 'response' to the government's White Paper on the NHS reforms called "Liberating the NHS: commissioning for patients". Nigel read through all 66 pages of the White Paper and together we put together our comments about it. Mainly, we are bothered that there is NO MENTION of sexual health. This means that GPs may decide that to save themselves money when then are holding the purse strings, they will do all sexual health in the local surgeries. Not only will this mean they are less experienced than current, clinic-based doctors, but people may fear that local surgeries are not as confidential as the GUM clinics (sexual health departments based in hospitals). You can make comments about how you'd like to see sexual health services delivered on page 2 of our survey.
Nigel Scott and Marian Nicholson - 6th October 2010
Helplining
The helpline was busy today... Quite a few people phone up and say "I have talked to you before" and then I have to tell them them that I cannot remember! There are too many people and not many 'personal stories' are so different that I will remember the details! Quite frankly, it is probably a good idea I don't remember and they can tell me their story and ask their questions all over again... In the early days when I was in a state about it, I needed lots of 'talks' about... So I reassure them that it is OK for them to call again and to talk to all our helpliners (Tues, Wed and Thurs we have vounteers - Monday and Friday Nigel and I answer) as they will all have a slightly different way of expressing themselves.
Marian Nicholson - 6th October 2010
