‘HEY NONI, NONI? NO’I have always resisted pressure to try out various herbs for my condition, since disastrously consulting a Chinese herbalist a couple of years ago about my puffy legs.
After a 30-minute examination, the herbalist prescribed herbs and advised me to see her every Saturday to collect one week’s supply. I duly paid £52 every Saturday for eight weeks until it dawned on me I wasn’t getting better. In fact, my condition was fast deteriorating. Foolishly, each time I undressed for examination, she would compliment and encourage me saying my legs were “wonderful” and had just started to “shape up”. Finally, I phoned my super doctor at my HIV clinic and requested an urgent appointment. Upon assessment I was immediately started on chemotherapy and underwent six cycles. Had I continued to have blind faith in the herbalist, I would not be here today.
From day one of my diagnosis, I realised HIV was no ordinary disease as there were so many issues to understand and take in. At the beginning I felt like someone on death row, always thinking of how to escape the situation. This led me to consider various ‘alternatives’ like the Chinese herbalist. I am no different from many other people who, in their desperation to do away with HIV, try anything presented to them promising a near or complete, cure.
Right now, there is a very ‘hot’ product called noni doing the rounds in the HIV community. A lady walked up to me the other day and said: “Simon, have you tried noni? Everyone with HIV is taking it.” She suggested I must be backward not to know about its “amazing” properties. Just her approach was enough to put me off. But this is how noni is distributed and sold: via ‘network’ and ‘multi-level’ marketing that relies heavily on the personal testimonials of people who take the juice, rather than backing its health claims with hard scientific evidence.
Noni has raised a lot of people’s expectations - but at what price? It’s a tonic made from fruit native to the Polynesian islands, where it is thought to have healing powers. But a quick scan on the internet reveals very little hard evidence to support these claims. In 1998, Finland even temporarily banned the marketing and sale of noni because its accompanying literature claimed the fruit juice cured many illnesses including HIV, cancer and diabetes and urged people to reduce their prescription medicine “to prevent possible side effects”.
I am currently very concerned that some people are claiming that noni surpasses the strength of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy and are even contemplating ditching their combo. This is utter nonsense. First and foremost noni is no wonder cure: it is a dietary supplement, and this should be stated on the accompanying leaflet, if you are lucky to get one at all.
Even Dr Neil Solomon, a leading expert and advocate of noni, concluded it could not help everyone or all health problems, especially those faced by people living with HIV/Aids. If people want to take it as a dietary supplement alongside their HIV meds, and in consultation with their doctor or pharmacist, that’s fine. But they should not give up their medication.
Then there is the expense: a 946ml bottle costs £35 (about a month’s supply). As you are advised to take two tablespoons twice a day, one bottle may not even last the month. This is a lot of money. I know people will do anything for their health, but equally many people living with HIV already struggle to make ends meet, so is it really money well spent? If you analyse the contents of noni, you may well consider your money may be better spent on supermarket vitamins (cost around £5). Even your consultant should be able to give you vitamins on request.
We people living with HIV have to be extra careful and patient when dealing with any new products. We must be especially careful to distinguish between a medicinal product and a dietary supplement. Over the last 20 years, people living with HIV have been assailed by all sorts of products claiming to help, or cure, HIV. Most have come and gone without even saying "bye bye". All these were once perceived to be HIV/Aids cures. So where are they now?
