Re: Why can't we cure AIDS and HIV by reducing body temperature?

Question: Why can't we cure AIDS and HIV by reducing body temperature?
From: Maria 
Grade: 10-12
City: Aldridge, State/Prov.: West Midlands Country: England
Area: Immunology Message ID Number: 975449371.Im

I understand that the HIV and AIDS virus's are susceptible to temperature 
and can't survive for long outside body temperature.  Why can't we kill 
the virus's by cooling the body into a state of suspended animation until 
it dies and then warm up the body, presumably free of the disease?

ANSWER:

There was a recent study that looked at in vitro HIV survivability at 
various temperatures.  The study discovered that HIV survived 50% of the 
time at temperatures as low as 4 degree’s Celsius – That’s about 39.2 
degrees Fahrenheit.  [Abdala N; Reyes R; Carney JM; Heimer R, Survival of 
HIV-1 in syringes: effects of temperature during storage.  Subst Use 
Misuse 2000 Aug;35(10):1369-83.]  With that in mind, it’s obviously 
unreasonable to attempt viral eradication by virtue of freezing the 
patient.  Not only will the patient be unsatisfied with the results, he 
will be quite dead as well!

Another thing, the colder we are, the slower and less efficient the immune 
system works.  Alternatively, allot of treatment strategies attempt to 
increase basal metabolic rate and temperature in patients.  Back in 1994, 
Dr Gary Null demonstrated that after several treatments with a patient, 
whereupon blood was removed and heated to 116 degrees Fahrenheit, and 
replaced back in the patient, lowered p24 HIV protein titers to 
undetectable.  [Interstitial virons will eventually replicate, therefore 
reactivating detectability.]   There are several firms that work with 
physicians on this such as Biocontrol Technology, Inc. (412/279-9455) and 
HEAT INFO (201/865-4483).

Another novel treatment that has been utilized with several viral diseases 
such as hepatitis C and HIV has been autohemotherapy and I.V. ozone.  I’ve 
seen this clinically done, and for whatever reason, I have seen about the 
same results as Null’s treatments.  However, I’m not going to make any 
direct correlations here – Moreover, I will point out that viral p24 
protein titers do eventually return.  

In summary, in lowering body temperature enough in an effort to eradicate 
this virus will more readily result in patient death rather than cure.