Denying AIDS: Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, and Human Tragedy

5 Comments

1. Matthew Iofe says:

   January 30, 2010 at 7:54 pm

   First, it is important to note that Kalichman is not a scientist, which
   
   detracts from the book’s authority. This can arguably be set aside on the premise that this book is about the psychology of AIDS dissidents, not on the science of AIDS. However, a large portion of the book is devoted to science, an area that he does not have much authority in. It is obvious from the outset that Kalichman accepts the HIV hypothesis of causation of AIDS without reservation and despises all dissidents as Holocaust deniers. This constitutes a major bias which distorts the whole book. In his dismissal of ALL dissidents as conspiracy theorists and pseudoscientists, he ignores the fact that the majority of AIDS dissidents are scientists or well-informed non-scientists who do not fall into either of these categories. Another of his errors is dismissing certain dissident claims as conspiracies. A prominent example of this is seen in the section on censorship. AIDS dissident scientists like Duesberg and de Harven are undeniably very credentialed scientists, but their papers are rejected from the major journals and they are forced to settle for lesser or non-scientific journals. This detracts from their authority and makes them much easier to ignore. Ironically, Kalichman even promotes censorship on his own blog, frequently rejecting comment from dissidents. Certainly, Duesberg and other dissident scientists have gathered irresponsible support, but this is no reason to dismiss the hard core of their alternative hypothesis. In addition, his scientific arguments are nothing more than viciously ad hominem attacks. Instead of falsifying the arguments of dissidents, he dismisses them collectively as pseudoscience. This book will certainly provoke objection from dissidents, but it is dedicated to this purpose.
   
   Edit-Originally I did not notice that the author reviewed his own book!
   
   This is something that is not regarded highly on amazon, but is in a long line of shameless self-promotion by the author. It is also interesting to note that neither of the two negative reviews published here fit the profile of AIDS dissidents that the author paints in his review.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. J. Barnett says:

   January 30, 2010 at 9:59 pm

   If you’re not sure what or whom to believe about AIDS, you owe it to yourself to read what those who are questioning the AIDS mainstream say.

   I am now considered a long term non-progressor, or someone living more than ten years with an “HIV-positive” diagnosis without drugs.

   I was on anti-retroviral drugs early on and got extremely sick. More drugs to treat those effects, until I was taking two dozen prescription drugs.

   I quit the HIV drugs more than six years ago and ALL pharmaceutical drugs more than two years ago. My health has only improved since I made that choice, a choice this book wants to deny me and others.

   Seth Kalichman would no doubt say that my story is “only” anectdotal, as if that means it is without value. There are thousands of us living without drugs who beg to differ. Our stories are as legitimate as others’ who are facing such a diagnosis of death based only on multi-reactive tests for immune distress that may be the result of many, multiple causes, or perhaps no illness at all.

   I don’t know exactly what to believe. The “facts” about AIDS have changed more often than I can remember anymore and they continue to change today. What I do know is that “science” hasn’t figured it out either, despite spending billions of dollars. I have known dozens of friends who believed what this author advocates, but who have nonetheless died horrible deaths of despair, dementia, pain and wasting despite taking toxic drugs.

   I don’t understand what is to be gained by trying to discredit and silence anyone who questions the HIV = AIDS theory.

   I’m just suggesting that those with an open mind might want to read the other titles shown on this page, such as “The Origin, Persistence and Failings of HIV/AIDS Theory”, by Henry H. Bauer, which is also probably displayed on this page. After all, everyone already knows the mainstream point of view, right?

   BTW… Unlike some of the others here, I didn’t just join amazon.com to write this review. You can tell I’ve written reviews about other topics completely unrelated to this one!
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. Brian T. Foley says:

   January 31, 2010 at 12:17 am

   Dr. Kalichman has done a remarkable job of attempting to understand the phenomenon of AIDS denial. We all understand why it is human nature to wish away bad things. It is completely expected for someone facing a serious problem, whether it is cancer, bankruptcy, or divorce, to go through a phase of denial. The more difficult factor to understand is what drives men, such as Peter Duesberg and Henry Bauer, who have no direct connection to HIV or AIDS, to make false claims, such as AIDS being caused by “the gay lifestyle”, or malnutrition. In the end, Dr. Kalichman has no good answer for that, but he did a monumental job of attempting to find the answers.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. John P Moore, PhD says:

   January 31, 2010 at 1:09 am

   Seth Kalichman has written an outstanding and insightful book that exposes the personal pathologies and collective follies of those misguided, and in some cases evil, individuals who deny that HIV causes AIDS. These people are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of South Africans, and many others in the USA and elsewhere. Kalichman reveals how insane many of the AIDS denialists truly are – for example, several are shown to be members of other notorious “conspiracy theory” groups on the internet (e.g., the 9/11 nutjobs), and some of them to act because they personally profit from the sales of quack “remedies”. There is no scientific basis to any of the AIDS denialist “arguments”, just sheer, unadulterated pseudoscience, as Kalichman nicely shows. Of note is that one of the case histories Kalichman uses to illustrate his major points – the descent of Christine Maggiore from personal denial of her HIV+ status into a more pathological condition in which she caused others to make the same fatal mistakes she did – is now incomplete: Maggiore died of AIDS a few months after Kalichman’s book was finished, thereby joining her 3 year-old daughter as yet another victim of AIDS denialism.

   It should also be noted that the hostile (one star) reviews this book has received on this site come from people who are members of the same AIDS denialist groups that Kalichman exposes. They clearly do not like the light to be shone on their insane and lethal activities. Hence readers of these reviews should ignore the rather silly comments these people have made, and simply buy and read the book.

   I have written a longer review of the book that will be published in ‘Nature’ next week. An additional review will be posted on the AIDS Truth web site, which is an outstanding source of additional information on the AIDS denialists that Kalichmaan has written about.
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. PS says:

   January 31, 2010 at 3:24 am

   This book gives a fascinating insight into the minds of AIDS denialists as well as the history of their movement. AIDS denialism like other forms of denialism including Holocaust denialism, flat earth denialism, moon landing hoaxers, and evolution denialism, all depend on pseudoscience and twisting of science and history to achieve their goals. Unlike some of the other forms of denialism, HIV denialism is the most dangerous to the very people it claims to help; HIV+ individuals who are lured to the movement through the false hope it promises. Although most members of the denialism movement are not at all biologists and NONE have ever done any work with HIV, they believe themselves to be the sole bearers of truth in a very complex field of virology. This book takes apart many of the myths spread by denialism and looks at them point by point for validity. Included in this book are in-depth looks into:

   1) The myth that a press conference determined that HIV caused AIDS.
   
   2) The myth that HIV was never isolated.
   
   3) The myth that HIV is only found in 80% of AIDS patients.
   
   4) The myth that AIDS is somehow different in Africa versus the US.
   
   5) The myth that drugs, lifestyle, poverty, malnutrition but not HIV cause AIDS.
   
   6) HIV positive denialists who died of AIDS, despite refusing to believe in the existence or validity of HIV.
   
   7) The who’s who among HIV denialists.

   While the author is a PhD in psychology, not an HIV biologist, he has turned to numerous renowned AIDS researchers to ensure the accuracy of the book. His background in psychology allows a unique insight in to the mind of denialists and other denialism-related conspiracy theorists including the fascinating link between psychological denialism as the first step in the grieving process, and denialism as a movement. Overall this is a very thorough and well written book that anyone who known someone afflicted with HIV should read in order to avoid falling into the very real and self-destructive trap of denialism. Readers of this book end with an understanding not only of the errors of denialism and why the false hope it offers the victims of HIV, but also why this page will inevitably be flooded with pseudoscientific and history-twisting reviews by denialists everywhere.

   Overall, I give it a 10 out of 10.
   Rating: 5 / 5