To medicate or not to medicate, that is indeed the question. What games through yonder corporations played. What research and development wrongfully delayed. Through managment, not cure, the disease's wrath be stayed, though healthy and healed our world might be made…

A few years ago, someone who is familiar with my case had contacted the Mayo Clinic to tell them about me, as my case might have been relevant to their research into HIV cases that do not progress to illness. I was contacted shortly thereafter by a representative of the clinic who was curious in regards to the particulars of my history of continued good health. After speaking with this person for about thirty minutes, I was utterly amazed at her last words to me:

"We are, at this time, not interested in research that may or may not lead to a cure. Our primary focal point is on disease managment as opposed disease cure."

Upon hearing this, it was made painfully obvious to me the truth of the matter. Disease cure is not profitable, whereas disease managment is.

Of interest to note here are some of the basic facts of my 23 year history with HIV. I was diagnosed in March of 1987. For the first 17 years I took absolutely no medications whatsoever and enjoyed the benefits of good health all the while. In 2005, my doctor had prescribed sustiva and combivir purely "as a precautionary measure". I took the regimen for approxiimately 18 months and suffered more from that than I ever did the previous 17 years. I quit the regimen for 12 months. After one year off of medications, my body still recovering from the aftermath of the medications, I was assigned to a new doctor as my previous doctor had relocated to another state. The new doctor advised that I take reyataz, norvir, and truvada, again as "a precautionary measure". Against my better judgment I took these for approximately 18 months as well. There were no immediate side effects, but with prolonged exposure the cumulative effects were becoming noiceable to me. I quit that regimen two years ago, and it has taken my body the majority of the two years to recover from the combined effects of both regimens. I have, since then, taken no medication.  In short I was much healthier before medications than I was during and after them.

In this world your life truly is in your own hands, a doctor is just a guide along the way… it does not mean he must be followed blindly and without question. On the contrary, question the doctor, question what is being put in your body, question every aspect of the care you receive. It is not my place to advise anyone to trust or mistrust their doctor or the pharmaceutical corporations. I will say, however, that given my experience with it, I would indeed be wary and cautious as well as inquisitive to a fault. Granted, I live by the basic philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I also live by the philosophy that a monkey who places his hand in fire and gets burned is not so quick to touch the fire again.

"No one saves us but ourselves, no one can and no one may. We alone must walk our path" – – Buddha