What is “AIDS,” are there any reliable tests for a virus that allegedly causes it, and why are certain people living many years after they “test positive”? Here at “How Positive Are You,” these questions may be a bit, shall we say, elementary, but they may be new to some listeners. Joan Shenton (Immunity Resource Foundation) and Dr. Christian Fiala break it all down for New York Podcaster Mitchell Rabin in advance of the February 5, 2015, London premiere of Joan’s 30-minute film Positive Hell. Listen in — because “the fundamental things apply.” Without reliable tests, clear disease definitions and treatments that don’t cause the diseases themselves, we’re not sure what we’re looking at.

Listen at The Progressive Film Hour.

Noting the ever-shifting definitions of AIDS, Dr. Fiala, last interviewed on HPAY in February 2014, calls the whole paradigm “a fiction of one fiction [“HIV”] causing another fiction [AIDS].” And what about those drugs? “These are the most toxic drugs we have in medicine,” he says, and yet they are approved by “fast-track” procedures at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

[CORRECTION: HPAY co-host Elizabeth Ely questions whether AZT was officially “fast tracked” as Dr. Fiala states. These accelerated approval programs appeared later, didn’t they? However, John Lauritsen, in his book AZT: Poison by Prescription, details the shoddy clinical trials, greased approval process and propaganda surrounding that drug — at least, an unofficial fast tracking.]

The early 1980s provided a “perfect storm” for the appearance of AIDS as a “construct” made up of other diseases, as journalist Terry Michael previously described in his account of the rise of NIAID director Anthony Fauci in our Episode 92. “History tells the tale,” says Joan, recalling “a very hungry generation of virologists . . . who had lost funding for infectious diseases.” Rabin adds to this “an epidemic of privately funded research” as Reagan-era cuts began to be felt at the National Institutes of Health. And Dr. Fiala describes the “hysteria” that rushed to pin all ills, social and medical, on a virus.

What was that fourth “H” describing the early risk groups for AIDS? Homosexuals, Haitians, Heroin Addicts . . . and Hemophiliacs!

Finally, HPAY of course welcomes Joan’s sneak peek of its own upcoming, translation-scripted interview with Dr. Manolo Garrido Sotelo, who appears prominently in her film about several “HIV positives” in northern Spain who are defying the odds and living long, healthy lives:

“In most cases, I can safely say that the people who live longest and in the best state of health are those of us [who’ve been diagnosed HIV positive] who did not take the medication.”

Living well, living longer. Isn’t that what this is all about? It’s not that complicated after all.

We previously interviewed Joan about her film and her helpful Web site in Episode 72. She was also a guest on co-host David Crowe’s “The Infectious Myth” show on the Progressive Radio Network.

Joan can be contacted directly at joanshenton@clara.co.uk.

UPDATE, January 2016: Joan’s films are now available on YouTube!  Immunity Resource Foundation Web site editor Mohammed Aziz writes as of January 14 that Joan Shenton and Andi Reiss’ Meditel film production company granted YouTube channel Question Everything permission to upload both Positively False and Positive Hell (English/Spanish version and French-subtitled version), which it has done. We see a lot of other AIDS-dissident documentaries on the channel, including the acclaimed House of Numbers and Anne Sono‘s I Won’t Go Quietly, so head on over there.

The 16th Anniversary edition of Joan’s book, Positively False: Exposing the Myths Around HIV and AIDS, has received at least one very favorable review on Amazon. Congratulations, Joan! (We note that “KindleUnlimited” customers get the Kindle edition free. Free.)

See Dr. Garrido’s new “Superando el SIDA” Facebook page — en Español! — HERE.