HIV cure and Charlie Sheen: Chachoua’s alternative treatment fails, actor back on medicine

Charlie Sheen’s HIV condition announcement shocked the whole world. Next, he shocked everybody yet again when he announced on “The Dr. Oz Show” that he is off his HIV medications. Sheen vowed to find an alternative treatment for HIV cure and went to Mexico to be under the guidance of Dr. Sam Chachoua. However, it has been reported that Sheen is back and taking proper HIV medicines after the HIV numbers in bloodstream went up considerably. Chachoua’s treatment failed, apparently putting the former “Two and a Half Men” actor’s life at risk.

“Charlie is back on his meds. He tried a cure from a doctor in Mexico but the minute the numbers went up, he started taking his medicine,” said Sheen’s manager, Mark Burg.

According to People, Chachoua claimed that he is working on an HIV vaccine and that he even injected some of Sheen’s blood into his own body. He told celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz over phone that if he was not confident about his HIV cure then he wouldn’t have risked his life by injecting Sheen’s blood. However, a few days into Chachoua’s treatment, Sheen was disappointed about the results.

“I had been non-detectable, non-detectable and checking the blood every week and then found out the numbers are back up,” Sheen told Dr. Oz.

After Sheen’s HIV diagnosis in 2011, he started taking proper HIV medicines and that brought down his numbers to undetectable levels. However, now the numbers are up again and that’s a cause of worry.

However, there is good news on the HIV cure front. A new study, published in journal Heliyon, has provided important insights into finding a cure for the life-threatening HIV infection.

Read more on HIV cure: A protein in humans and other primates switches on immune system, stops HIV infection

The researchers have found a new part of the TRIM5alpha protein that has been named SIM4. This new part can attach and activate an immune response allowing an HIV-infected person to fight off HIV infection.