Summary of the 
INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR THE SCIENTIFIC REAPPRAISING OF AIDS
Barcelona July 8-11, 2002


Report prepared by:
Roberto Giraldo, MD, United States
Alfredo Embid, acupunturist & writer, Spain
Delia Arellano, journalist, Mexico and
angel Galeano, writer & journalist, Colombia
Leo Rebello, N.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., India

While agencies of the government of the United States (CDC, NIH, DHHS), pharmaceutical corporations, WHO, and the Population Council were meeting at the Palau St. Jordi in Barcelona at their "XIV World Conference on HIV/AIDS",
continuing their deceptions of all the world's people, a group of so-called "AIDS dissidents" were meeting at La Farinera del Clot, a culture and arts center of the Barcelona Municipality, in an "International Meeting for the Scientific Reappraising of AIDS", organized by the Spanish National Association of Complimentary Medicines (AMC). About 500 people attended from Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Mexico, Colombia, India, Cameroon, and the United States, including daily participants.

Monday July 8

  1. OPENING. Mrs. Ruse Veciana, of the Human Rights Counsel of Barcelona City Hall, gave the opening address. She explained that her presence at this meeting honored the right of all people to information and to understand all sides of the AIDS controversy. She promised to present the conclusions of this meeting to the government authorities
    of Barcelona and Spain.

  2. Some historic issues of the AIDS dissident movement: Roberto Giraldo, MD, from the United States, briefly explained the main scientific arguments against the widely accepted belief that HIV is the cause of AIDS. He described the basics of the scientific proposal that   AIDS is a toxic and nutritional syndrome caused by the alarming worldwide increment of immunological stressor agents (oxidizing agents). He explained briefly the non-toxic alternatives for the prevention and treatment of AIDS. He pointed out the major contributions of Peter Duesberg, from Berkeley, California, and Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos, from the Australian Perth Group.

    Joan Shenton, from England, explained the sharp difficulties that she encountered trying to document the dissident hypothesis, from her first videos to her book Positively False.

    Alfredo Embid, from Spain, presented a critical description of the supporters of the official Conference; the CDC, NIH, WHO, the Population Council, etc.

  3. Living witnesses. A dozen 'seropositive' people and people diagnosed with AIDS, from several countries described their personal histories. Many of them were addicted to recreational drugs in the past. None of them are currently using orthodox treatments. All have a normal life, avoiding as much as possible exposures to toxic substances. All use a variety of natural measures to detoxify and stimulate weakened cells, tissues and systems. All are healthy and full of energy.

  4. Opening of an exhibit of photographs, Our Endangered Species, by Diana Giraldo, from the United States. Comprising 80 photographs, the exhibit documents the diversity of toxic agents that have markedly increased worldwide and that are the actual cause of both the general deterioration of health and of particular immune deficiencies.

  5. Presentation of the video Looking for Solutions, by Joan Shenton, from England.  The video includes an interview with President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. The audience heard the South African President's points of view regarding AIDS. President Mbeki described in detail the widespread censorship of alternative views regarding AIDS and insisted that Africa's priority must be to relieve poverty and its consequences. Although the video had been aired in several African countries, this was its European premier.


Tuesday July 9
LECTURES ON THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS FOR AIDS


  1. Immunological Stressor Agents are the Real Cause of AIDS, by Roberto Giraldo, MD, from the United States. This lecture was presented in honor of the memory of Huw Christie, Editor and Manager of Continuum magazine. Giraldo explained the epidemiological, biologic, and common sense reasons for believing that what is known as HIV is not the cause of AIDS. He described the scientific bases for AIDS being the maximum state of deterioration that a person can suffer as a consequence of involuntary, sometimes voluntary, multiple, repeated, and chronic exposures to stressor agents (oxidizing agents) that are significantly increasing worldwide. These agents can have a chemical, physical, biological, mental, or nutritional (lack of food in underdeveloped countries and excess of junk food in developed countries) origin. He explained the scientific bases for effective and non-toxic alternatives for the treatment and prevention of AIDS as a toxic and nutritional syndrome.

  2. HIV Has Never Been Isolated, by Etienne de Harven, MD, from France. Numerous scientific reasons were presented for believing that neither Luc Montagnier, nor Robert Gallo, nor Jay Levy ever isolated the virus that came to be called HIV. Attendees were delighted by the manner in which de Harven detailed the technical reasons behind the absence of an electron microscopy photograph of what is known as the AIDS virus. He explained that in 1997 two groups of researchers in the United States, France, and Germany again failed to isolate HIV, even though this time they followed the established steps for the isolation of retroviruses. He explained that if HIV did indeed exist it would be straightforward to isolate it from individuals having high viral load counts. In this regard, he has proposed this very experiment and it will be carried out as one of the experiments proposed by the dissidents at the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel.

  3. Other Causes of Immune Deficiency, by Alfredo Embid, from Spain. Examples of a wide variety of chemical, physical, biological, mental, and nutritional agents that cause immune deficiency were presented. The examples included medications like antirretrovirals, pesticides like Aldicarb, and industrial pollutants like dioxines. Embid pointed out that responsibility for these agents fell on the companies that manufacture them and explained that some of these same companies are sponsors of the official World Conferences on HIV/AIDS. He described in detail the growing problem of ionizing radiation, due to the growth of the industrial/military complex since 1945 and to the bombings carried out by the
    United States and its allies on several countries with weapons said to contain no uranium. He explained the different degenerative diseases that are being caused by radiation worldwide.

  4. Psychosocial Implications of AIDS, Tom DiFerdinando, from the United States. Using philosophical explanations, the official view of AIDS as an infectious, viral, and contagious illness was characterized as blaming and isolating 'seropositive' individuals, people with AIDS, and everyone else. There is a growing spiritual isolation among people and between people and all natural beings.  DiFerdinando pointed out that the orthodox view of AIDS exacerbates this spiritual isolation. Today, not many care about fellowbeings or about nature. We must return to a spirit of solidarity and love, and respect ourselves, our fellow human beings, and all other inhabitants of the universe.

  5. The Chaotic Consequences of the Myth about the Transmission of AIDS, Roberto Giraldo, MD, from the United States. Giraldo described references in the medical literature from June 1981 through April 1984, before the phenomenon known as HIV came onto the stage. These references demonstrate that the CDC, together with other agencies of the United States government and the World Health Organization, unleashed upon the world a rumor about the transmission of AIDS, a rumor having no scientific basis. This rumor evolved into a myth. He described in detail the terrible consequences of this myth for male homosexuals, for hemophiliacs, for people of both genders in the underdeveloped countries of Africa and other continents, for health care workers, and for everyone else.

  6. Retroviruses and Cancer, of Rats and Men, Etienne de Harven, MD, from France. Professor de Harven witnessed the research done during the 70's and 80's attempting to assign viruses-specifically, retroviruses-as the cause of cancer. He described the multimillion dollar sums spent on frustrating investigations which were unable to demonstrate the initial hypothesis. When AIDS started at the beginning of the 80's, it came like "a ring to a finger" to the frustrated researchers of the "war on cancer" program of the United States government. He explained how the institutions for cancer research became institutions for AIDS research and how the frustrated cancer researchers became AIDS researchers,  transferring to AIDS science the idea of viruses as a cause.

  7. The Causes of AIDS in Africa, Roberto Giraldo, MD, from the United States.Giraldo noted that one of the ways to determine whether or not AIDS exists in Africa is through the careful study of publications that describe patients with AIDS from African countries before 1984, when HIV came onto the stage and "infected" AIDS research. He described other facts that favor the existence of AIDS in Africa: changes in the behavior of infectious, parasitic, degenerative and tumor diseases in recent decades in African countries; and changes in morbidity rates, mortality rates and the decrease in life span in several African countries. He described the scientific evidence demonstrating that multiple, repeated, and chronic exposures to infectious and parasitic diseases, in combination with other consequences of poverty, deteriorate the immune system as well as other body systems. He explained that the consequences of poverty are being transmitted from generation to generation in a cumulative way, and that therefore neither poverty nor malnutrition are static phenomena that have always existed in Africa, as stated by defenders of HIV. He explained that the fact that AIDS exists in Africa and that its causes are different from those in developed countries is an indicator that the human species itself is endangered. He emphasized that the official view of HIV/AIDS does not permit us to fully perceive the seriousness of the situation.

Concert by Spanish singer Mara del Alar and guitar player çlvaro Carpi. After a long day of technical, scientific, economic, and political discussions concerning the controversy about the causes of and solutions for AIDS, it was very rewarding to hear this marvelous concert featuring songs and music from different Spanish speaking countries. There will always be a place in our hearts for these two artists.

Wednesday July 10
SEMINAR ABOUT NON-TOXIC ALTERNATIVES FOR THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF AIDS


  1. Scientific bases for non-toxic alternatives for the treatment and prevention of AIDS. Roberto Giraldo, MD, United States.
  2. Essential oils. Ferdinando Pissani, Italy.
  3. Ocean Plasma. Laureano Domínguez & Wilmer Soler, MD, Spain/Colombia.
  4. Body Work. Tom DiFerdinando, New York.
  5. Eastern Medicine. Mechanisms of action and review of experimental papers. Alfredo Embid, Spain.
  6. Naturopathic Medicine and AIDS. Pedro Ródenas, MD, Spain.
  7. AIDS and Traditional Medicines: Yoga, Nutrition, Homeopathic Medicine, etc. Leo Rebello, ND, Ph.D., D.Sc., India
  8. The mind, the mirror and the last herb. Fintan Dunne, Ireland.
  9. Holotropic Breathing/Induced Vibration and other states of consciousness. Manuel Almendro, Spain.

    Through the entire day, lecturers from different countries described in detail the mechanisms by which a variety of non-toxic therapies are currently used, highly effectively and at very low cost, for the treatment and prevention of AIDS, for example :

  10. Leo Rebello, N.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., from India, said that like there are life saving medicines, there are also live saving exercises. Yoga can halt or reverse the progression of AIDS. Quoting from his book AIDS AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (page 56) he said that "scientists were discovering now what folk wisdom has always known : You can worry yourself sick. You can grieve yourself to death".

    "Out of this research has emerged a new branch in medicine : psycho-neuro-immunology, a blend of psychology, neurology and immunology". He emphasised that "good nutrition, proper exercise, adequate sleep, relaxation, meditation, breathing practice of paced respiration enhances the immune function. Whereas, poor diet, inactivity, insomnia, somnolence, constant stress, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, depresses the immune function". 

    Dr. Leo Rebello, President, AIDS Alternativa International, cautioned the poor people of Africa that they, instead of begging for free supply of deleterious anti-retrovirals, should demand adequate fruits like jackfruit, yellow bananas, papaya, black grapes, carrot, spinach, grapefruit, lemon and radish and herbs like Echinacea, Hypericum, Garlic, Lycopus, Mango leaves, horse radish, Neem, Bear's garlic which are specific for boosting their immunity.

    Rebello further said : "AIDS victims must have alkaline diet, naturally grown food with high vitamin and mineral content and low in proteins. Infact animal proteins, which are touted as very effective body builders, are the main cause of cancers and other viral load.  If the body is strong, AIDS or any other virus, germ will not attack, as food builds up the regenerative forces of the body".  He further emphasised that for the so-called opportunistic infections there were many safer, cheaper, more effective biochemic, homoepathic and ayurvedic medicines and also alternative vaccines and approaches. He demanded that the medical hegemony of orthodox medicine must end and WHO should implement all the resolutions of World Health Assembly which has recognised Alternative Medicines.  He reiterated his demand of making available of atleast 25% of research funds to Alternative Medicine. Rebello rounded up his seminar with a practical session on relaxation technique and meditation, which was appreciated by all.

  11. In the audience were about one hundred alternative, complimentary or holistic therapists who have been preventing or treating AIDS with excellent results, enriching the discussions with their knowledge and expertise. Also, a group of "seropositive" individuals, and some who had AIDS in the past described the simple ways in which they were able to prevent or overcome AIDS and the fact that they are currently enjoying healthy lives.

  12. It was emphasized that it is important to continue building an international network with those institutions, health care professionals, and alternative/complimentary therapists that are currently preventing or healing AIDS without antiretroviral or any other toxic medication. It is important that they communicate among themselves, exchange knowledge and experiences, and record their techniques and results.

  13. Alternative treatment of 200 HIV-positive patients from different countries: "Health is not a prescription; it is a discipline." Juan José Flores, MD, PhD, Mexico; Mohamed Al-Bayati, PhD, DABT, United States; Christine Maggiore, United States; Alejandro Flores, United States. "From 1998 to 2001, 200 patients were seen in Xalapa-Veracruz, Mexico.

  14. The analysis of 10 of the 200 patients reveals additional evidence that AIDS is not caused by a retrovirus named HIV, but that its development depends on multiple factors. In most patients it was easy to revert their immunological abnormalities, even those that were severe. All patients were treated in a similar way:
    a) Antiretrovirals are suspended;
    b) Nutritional alterations are treated by rigorous diet intervention;
    c) Vitamin supplements were given;
    d) Oral lipoic acid;
    e) Permanent psychological help;
    f) If necessary, specific treatment for infections is administered. Neither did HIV status influence decisions nor
    were AIDS tests ordered.

    Unfortunately this research was not presented at the meeting because Dr. Flores, once in Spain, was intentionally sent to a different city.

    Theatrical production by the Grupo de Teatro Atzavara from Tortosa, Spain. Performed by a solo actor criticizing the official view on HIV/AIDS. Concert by Apollinaire Dschoutezo, a songwriter and musician of African Jazz from Cameroon.


Thursday July 11
ROUND TABLE: THE MEDIA AND THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE CAUSES OF AND SOLUTIONS FOR AIDS

  1. Guillermo Caba, journalist, Spain. "It seams that there is no solution in the way that they describe the problems today; there is a crisis of paradigms and the media, instead of promoting light, make a living by healing illnesses" … "The language used by the major media is improper, they try to complicate everything with weird words, creating a bad ambience. Popular language may help us a lot. We need to learn from those who are happy and optimistic.
    I believe that the way I say things is more important than the things themselves."

  2. Delia Arellano, journalist, reporter of the newspaper El Bravo from Matamoros, Mexico. She explained how, from a case diagnosed as AIDS in a woman from Matamoros, Mexico, her coworker and photographer, Héctor Lozada, upon seeing in a newspaper a "photo of the AIDS virus," realized that the photo was not a real photograph, and started to investigate the medical records of the patient diagnosed with AIDS. He found that what she really had was tuberculosis. Her physician had not realized it and, thanks to the work of the journalist, the treatment was corrected. Since then both journalists, Delia and Héctor, have continued to report upon similar cases that were diagnosed as AIDS using non-specific tests, in different states of Mexico, but that were in reality other diseases. These two journalists have been fortunate in having the support of their managers in the newspaper El Bravo. They have published several articles containing dissident views about AIDS. The newspaper has a very large readership and there are now workers from 150 factories in the region who are interested in the subject and have contacted them. They have even been contacted by several physicians who did not know about the dissident views of AIDS. "We know that the number of AIDS cases has declined in this State" … "We came to this meeting to let you know about this modest work and to let you know that we will continue in this struggle as AIDS dissident journalists. "

  3. Héctor Lozada, journalist, reporter of the newspaper El Bravo from Matamoros, Mexico. From his job as a reporter he knows that journalists do not have a critical spirit, most journalists do not question official views and report the things that they are told without asking for proof. "I believe many of my colleagues neither question individuals at the governmental level, nor those from large centers of research, nor those from the pharmaceutical companies. We write exactly in the way that we are told, even knowing that this or that is not true … There is a lack of common sense in understanding subjects and problems. For example, in Luck Montagnier's book, he explains that there are people who develop AIDS who are HIV-negative, who die from AIDS. However, journalists do not care about this contradiction … A similar thing happens with discrepancies between Gallo and Montagnier regarding the origin of AIDS, discrepancies which are published, but nobody says a word. Similarly with information from the CDC; they replied to me that viral load is improper for diagnosing HIV infection, yet nobody calls them on this, most journalists do not question it, they just report that viral load diagnoses HIV infection … In the future, we journalists should compromise ourselves in seeking truth and should not let those who feel that they are the keepers of truth manipulate us in the way that they are doing now … We must no longer believe in an AIDS virus that supposedly has magic powers, that mutates, that every time they use a new antiretroviral the virus uses its magic powers to resist."

  4. Gudrun Greunke, journalist (Reuters, Spiegel, Stern, ITV), author of several books on scientific and medical controversies, Germany/Spain. "The case that I am going to describe is not directly related to AIDS, but I believe it is the beginning of a pattern, an example of how they manipulate a disease, as they have with AIDS. The issue concerns the Oil Toxic Syndrome, which surprisingly started at the same time as AIDS, 1982. In a family a boy gets sick and is taken to hospital, then three more members of the family become ill and, in the medical records of the emergency room, it is recorded that they all have pneumonia. A physician starts to investigate. Then come more and more similar cases. The media only finds out about it a week later. The physician explains to the relatives that he needs their help since everything indicates that there is a food poisoning. After half an hour of searching it is found that the common food was salad … Dr. Muro displayed proofs that indicated that the agent responsible for this poisoning was a pesticide from Bayer, but the health authorities in Spain called and gave the case to the CDC. Dr. Muro was fired as Director of Hospital del Rey and officials from the CDC checked his documents and proofs. The official view is that the agent responsible for this poisoning was spoiled olive oil. Up to this date, any alternative view has suffered tremendous censorship from the big media and the scientific journals … When I see and hear all these discussions about AIDS, I very much remember the case of this oil."

  5. Angel Galeano, writer & journalist, author of several books, Director of the newspaper El Pequeño Periódico and of the NGO Fundación Arte y Ciencia, Colombia. He presented a brief abstract of the Colombian situation in the time that El Pequeño Periódico was born, 20 years ago in Magangué, a remote and selvatic region of Northern Colombia. He described the tasks of El Centro Médico de Especialistas, directed by Dr Roberto Giraldo, in that region, and the work that they did with cooperatives of peasants and miners. His newspaper helped bring the "Brigades of Health" to distant places in the South of Bolivar, Colombia. He explained that they were forced to leave this region by the guerillas. He also described the role of his newspaper in spreading Giraldo's critical papers on AIDS. The newspaper has published several articles and interviews with various dissident scientists in the last 7 years. The Science and Art Foundation published Dr. Giraldo's first book, AIDS and Stressors. In Colombia, El Pequeño Periódico is the only media outlet that has continued publishing dissident views on AIDS. Galeano proposed the creation of a network of alternative media that would facilitate bringing this information to a wider public.

  6. Martin Walker, journalist/researcher (Continuum, The Ecologist), author of Dirty Medicine, England. He read a report that he wrote about "a British family," pointing out that "the ideas that are of interest to the state must be kept under control and that the ideas of medicine are no exception." He explained that even though it sounded futuristic, we are already living in a world where science and medicine more and more use the legal system as a means to validate their ideas … "Nothing illustrated better the legal control of medicine than the compulsory treatments and techniques regarding HIV and AIDS." He told the story of an HIV-positive couple, friends of his, and their baby girl, as a way of showing that orthodox medicine and the governments of England and Australia manipulated the law in order to impose upon this couple the prevailing view on AIDS.

  7. Montse Arias, journalist, Director of the Spanish version of the journal The Ecologist and of the newsletter Vida Sana, press reporter of Biocultura, Spain. She explained that a powerful censorship is used against the AIDS dissident movement. The fact that there are many newspapers, as is the case in Spain, does not mean that there is democracy. On the contrary, seeing what gets published in the media, the existence of all these media is actually very dangerous, giving the false impression that they are providing varying information and different points of view, while fundamentally they are all official media. She pointed out the case of the newspaper El Paìs. She said that we need to promote the creation of more alternative magazines and newspapers, in order to resist the big media and as a means of bringing to readers other viewpoints, not only on AIDS but on all subjects. She described her very positive experience as Director of The Ecologist in Spanish. She suggested that dissidence is in fact "resistance", and that she would prefer to use this word.

Conclusions of the Round Table with the journalists:

  1. All the journalists who attended agree with the creation of an international network to improve information to the public.

  2. In the same manner, we will exchange more documentation from AIDS dissident scientists and circulate this information to journalists in our countries, as a means of breaking the censorship against alternative views on AIDS as well as alternatives on other health and science issues.

  3. We promise to exert our efforts to bring together more journalists, editors, TV and radio producers, writers, and directors of the media to convince them to report more extensively on alternative non-toxic treatments for the prevention and healing of AIDS. We need to report specific stories on people with AIDS who have been cured with natural therapies.

  4. It was agreed that an example to be followed was the work of Joan Shenton during her 15 years of struggle bringing the other side of AIDS to the public. Other examples of commendable work were the journal The Ecologist, El Pequeo Periòdico, and the patient work of hundreds of journalists in many countries who are fighting on a daily basis to bring truths about AIDS to the public.

  5. To recognize the important work of the magazine Holistic Medicine, from the Spanish Association of Complementary Medicine, coordinated by Alfredo Embid and Amrit Manthan - an international journal of holistic healing, compiled, edited
    and published by Dr. Leo Rebello from India.

Other conclusions of this meeting:

  1. It is important to point out that during presentations and discussions all attendees agreed that the controversy about the causes of and solutions to AIDS has multiple sides and implications; technical, scientific, medical, ethical, moral, legal, social, political, and economic. It was concluded that solutions will arise from continuing the construction of a great international network of associations, institutions, organizations, celebrities, governments, politicians, artists, investigators, scientists, health care workers, religious leaders, prostitutes, homosexuals, journalists, lawyers, mothers, "seropositive" individuals, and all the rich and poor men and women in all corners of the earth who care about the future of humanity and of other species and who want to participate according to their abilities in the various tasks that the circumstances demand.

  2. Emphasis was placed upon the importance of continuing to build an international network of institutions, health care professionals, and alternative therapists who prevent and heal AIDS without antirretrovirals and other toxic medications. It is crucial that they communicate among themselves and exchange documents, knowledge, expertise, and results.

During his stay in Spain, Dr. Roberto Giraldo was invited to give lectures at the Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, at the University of Granada, and at the School of Medicine at the University of Barcelona. The latter was presented during an International Congress on Cell Nutrition that was part of the Congress for Life (CMV), organized by Plural 21. Both lectures were well received and it is quite probable that these two orthodox institutions will become a new source of AIDS dissidents.

Similarly, Dr. Leo Rebello from Bombay, India also participated in the "official" conference on AIDS, held a Press Conference at the Media Centre on Step Motherly Treatment to Alternative Medicine, interacted with world leaders, distributed his book AIDS AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, read a poem titled "Aids No More" and conducted Meditation programme.

NOTE: The full text of the conferences and discussions will be published in the journal of Complementary/Holistic Medicines. Also, there is a video of the main lectures and discussions. To obtain this video, please contact the Association of Complementary Medicines in Madrid:

Prado de Torrejón 27, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Madrid 282224
Tel +91 351 2111
Fax +91 351 2171


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