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The DNCB Files by GARETH JAMES Note: The information on this website is presented for
educational purposes and This document was provided by
"When I first found out about DNCB, I thought it was the most stupid
thing I had ever heard about. I still think the concept of putting something on your skin
to control AIDS is stupid (and I don’t blame othrs for thinking that it is stupid)
but the evidence is there and the science supports my observations." Billi Goldberg The way in which we choose to treat a disease defines our understanding of its nature and its cause. Therefore, the effective use of DNCB in the treatment of HIV/AIDS heralds a potential renaissance in our understanding of the processes involved in developing the syndrome. The DNCB Files is a compendium of literature, edited by AIDS activist George Delmerico from ACT-UP San Francisco, which describes itself as a "rag-tag scrapbook of E-mail, dense research, news stories and polemic." As the pages turn, such an obvious under-selling sharply reveals it to be a compelling rethink of modern immunology and orthodox medical treatment strategies. Spanning 200 pages, its central claim is that weekly use of DNCB will specifically support and strengthen precisely that branch of the immune system which tends to fails during HIV/AIDS – the cell-mediated immune response. In contrast, The DNCB Files critiques and condemns the use of ‘anti-HIV’ drugs (AZT, protease inhibitors and the usual suspects) arguing that they are not only short-lived in their successes but that they further suppress the cell-mediated immune response. Well presented, convincingly argued, The DNCB Files is, of course, a pharmaceutical company’s nightmare. The opening pages boldly state that "It is evident that every single theory about how AIDS is caused and how it should be treated has been proven wrong during recent years. The truth about AIDS, rather than the dogma, is as follows: (1) HIV does not cause AIDS by killing T-cells; (2) CD4 (T4) cells are an invalid surrogate marker for disease progression; (3) CD8 (T8) cells (and the DTH Multitest) are valid surrogate markers; (4) antibody-based vaccines are worthless; (5) antiretrovirals not only don’t work, they kill people; (6) prophylaxis drugs are immunosuppressive, toxic and don’t stop people from dying (except for PCP prophylaxis, which extends survival); (7) there is no latency period in AIDS; (8) all AIDS opportunistic infections (except PCP) are intracellular in nature; and (9) activating the cellular immune response is the only way to control HIV and intra-cellular infections." So, what is DNCB? DNCB is a chemical used to manipulate the immune system. The letters stand for dinitrochlorobenzene. It is a crystal, dissolved in various strengths of acetone, which is then swabbed on to a 2-inch square of the skin with a cotton bud where it becomes absorbed. The purpose of this seemingly bizarre exercise is to try and prompt a small, red and initially itchy rash. If successful, DNCB has started to produce a pure, systemic cellular immune response in the body. It is exactly this cellular immune response which is typically eroded and suppressed during HIV/AIDS. The theory of how it works goes something like this: The small amount of DNCB absorbed through the skin is picked up by immune cells which migrate to the nearest lymph nodes. Once inside the lymph node, the DNCB antigen is presented to the CD4 T-helper cells which then initiate a cell-mediated immune response. The CD4 cells then proliferate and start to circulate, activating other immune cells – particularly macrophages – which then try to rid the system of the DNCB antigen and any other pathogen-infected cells. In 1993, AIDS scientists Mario Clerici and Gene Shearer established that people testing ‘HIV-antibody positive’ may start to induce a switch between two different types of CD4 cells. They found that there was an ongoing decline in CD4 cells which stimulate the cell-mediated branch of the immune system and an increase in CD4 cells which induce antibody responses instead. These two differing types of CD4 cells are usually referred to as TH1-type and TH2-type. Although no-one is clear as to how HIV causes this to happen, progression to AIDS is often characterized by this switch from cellular immunity (TH1) to antibody production (TH2). Weekly use of DNCB starts to reverse this process back towards TH1-type CD4 cells, thereby reconstituting the cell-mediated response. The real point made by The DNCB Files is that with the exception of PCP, all the microbes which cause the opportunistic infections of AIDS, are harbored inside the body’s cells. Some immune cells can actually serve as reservoirs of microbes. Antibodies can only neutralize microbes once they have emerged from the cell. The only effective way to control cells which are infected is via the cell-mediated branch of the immune system.
The theory (if not the treatment) has attracted supporters from the most unlikely quarters of the AIDS industry. Eminent AIDS scientist Dr. Jay Levy has not only criticized our focus on killing HIV but has also lent his authority to supporting the restoration of cell-mediated immune responses. In a 1995 issue of The Lancet, Levy stated: "I submit that the lack of efficacy in present approaches to finding a solution to AIDS reflects a focus on the wrong target." Levy has also stated that "Cellular immune activity against virus-infected cells is the most important response for protection of the host" and that "one could essentially control HIV and the consequences of HIV infection with a strong cellular immune response." In March of this year, an independent report commissioned by the NIH urged a ‘back to basics’ policy for future funding priorities within the AIDS field. Although sparing no back-slapping for the previous decade’s work (albeit fruitless), the report criticized funding efforts to help develop AIDS drugs ‘as they appear less likely to have a long-term impact on the epidemic’ and instead urged that funding should be redirected to gain a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of AIDS and to support promising avenues of research that have previously been under-funded or neglected. The DNCB Files comes in direct response to this call.
Since 1984, the ‘one microbe – one disease - one cure’ ideal has dominated our attempts to unravel the mysteries of AIDS. Accelerating competition between pharmaceutical companies to patent for profit that elusive ‘magic bullet’ has further obscured alternative treatment strategies for controlling AIDS. However, such a crystal clear admission by the NIH of our complete failure to understand (and successfully treat) AIDS in this exclusive context, lends tremendous weight to the DNCB message. The DNCB understanding of AIDS relies upon re-interpreting AIDS as an immunological disorder rather than treating it as a virological disease. This sobering switch of perspective also fits snugly with many of the non-HIV based theories of AIDS. All the damaging risk-factors associated with the syndrome, namely: psychological stress – from receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis or living with AIDS-related illnesses; multi-microbial stress – from an accumulation of microbes other than HIV; toxic stress – from recreational drug use, certain vaccines and prescription drugs; and nutritional stress – from depleted antioxidant reservoirs, all specifically suppress the cell-mediated immune response. AIDS scientist, Prof. Robert Root-Bernstein places the greatest emphasis on the role of risk-factors in suppressing this cell-mediated immune response. Published in the science journal Genetica in 1995, he notes that "a significant proportion of people repeatedly exposed to HIV become PCR positive (a test for the ‘virus’ itself) but remain antibody negative and healthy." He further states: "It follows that the presence of HIV antibody is symptomatic of a failure of T-cell immunity (cell-mediated immunity). The issue in under-standing AIDS now becomes that of establishing what causes the failure of T-cell immunity. Since this failure does not occur in a large proportion of people exposed to HIV... it is unlikely that HIV is, itself, the cause of this failure. HIV is more likely an opportunistic or synergistic infection that becomes manifest only in people predisposed to or with on-going causes of immune suppression." Root-Bernstein also acknowledged that "these data strongly suggest that the primary line of defiance, and the only effective one against HIV is a T-cell response." Coupled with the recommendations in the NIH report, incorporating risk-factor theories into this new model of AIDS should become a priority for healthcare professionals and seriously underscores our need to respect AIDS as a multifactorial phenomenon. Unlike many alternative and non-orthodox treatments, DNCB has over the last few years attracted sufficient interest from the scientific community to merit a number of small trials and studies. The results have been extremely impressive and we now have a wealth of study data validating the claims and endorsing its use as a treatment for HIV/AIDS. DNCB induces a gradual and consistent increase in cell-killing (cytotoxic) CD8 cells. These cells primarily clear pathogen-infected cells from the body. One established common trait for long-term survivors and non-progressors is that they all have high levels of cytotoxic CD8 cells. DNCB increases the numbers of CD4 cells though the increases are not as great as the CD8 cells. Natural killer cells, responsible for destroying tumors – Kaposi’s sarcoma – and other foreign substances in the body, also increase in number during DNCB treatment. A major reduction in opportunistic infections and increases in weight are typically documented for DNCB trial participants. Subscribers to the modish wonders of viral load testing should also have no argument here. The latest trial data on DNCB presented at this summer’s annual AIDS Conference in Vancouver demonstrated a mean drop in viral load of about 1 log over a 3-4 month period. Many trial participants experienced a reduction well over 1 log and the total average drop was from 150,000 to below 20,000. The DNCB Files lists over 15 studies which testify to the efficacy and safety of this treatment. The only US-based study failing to concur with the findings of existing studies was conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) itself, which announced DNCB failed to ameliorate disease progression. It comes as little surprise to discover the trial was deeply flawed in its design. So, amid such positive reporting, where’s the catch? Well in this case, the drawbacks of DNCB use appear slight indeed. Using DNCB alongside antiretrovirals is contra-indicated as these drugs are such powerful suppressors of cell-mediated immunity. Similarly, standardized herbal ‘shotgun formulas’ containing high levels of polysaccharides are also contra-indicated as they favor humoral immune responses and suppress cell-mediated immunity. Although there are no reported side-effects, sporting a 2" square rash every week somewhere on the body may deter the would-be DNCB user. However, in the words of George Delmerico: "I’ve gotten really annoyed with those who whine and mope about a small and almost always painless pink patch on their skin – usually in a place hidden by clothing in the first place. I want to slap these guys and ask, ‘would you rather have KS blotches on your face? Get real!’" Perhaps best of all, DNCB costs next to nothing. The commitment to DNCB therapy by ACT-UP San Francisco means they will ensure anyone wanting to use DNCB can do so irrespective of their ability to pay. The Heal Trust also supplies DNCB at a cost of £3.00 for the complete starter kit (which should last about six months – postal service available throughout the UK).
DNCB is certainly not a cure for AIDS but even if your cellular immunity is already significantly compromised, DNCB may still be an appropriate treatment option. As treatment strategy is fast becoming recognized as the key to longevity and survival, then a weekly pulse of DNCB to strengthen cell-mediated immunity could become one of the most valuable tools in the survivor’s tool kit. The DNCB Files, itself, is an articulate, first rate user’s guide to a new paradigm for AIDS immunology. Anyone who has been given a positive HIV-antibody test result or is immune-compromised should completely immerse themselves in this ‘rag-tag’ collection of data before making any decision about their treatment choices – it is an absolute must. The DNCB Files and DNCB starter kits are available from: The DNCB Treatment Group (ACT-UP San Francisco) & The Heal Trust, Heal House, 375 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY |