Pseudoscience Fridays: Video Edition, The Cure For Everything

I posted the video's on youtube the longer version is on google video type in "Bob Beck"

It would have been better to have placed the patent

Alternating current supplied electrically conductive method and system for treatment of blood and/or other body fluids and/or synthetic fluids with electric forces
Document Type and Number: United States Patent 5188738

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5188738.html

and a little more research into the technology, so it wouldn't appear to your readers that you were just doing a hatchet job of reporting on this.

BIOCOMPATIBLE ELECTRIC CURRENT ATTENUATES HIV-I INFECTIVITY

http://www.papimi.gr/safe-hiv/AppendixE.htm

William D. Lyman, Irwin R.Merkatz
William C. Hatch and Steven C. Kaali
Departments of Pathology,
and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Albert Einstein. College of Medicine,
1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, N.Y.10461

Running title: Electricity reduces HIV-1 infectivity

SUMMARY
In this report, we present the results of double-blinded studies on the use of direct electric current to alter the infectivity o£ HIV-1 for susceptible cells in vitro. Two lymphoblastoid cell lines (H9 and CEM-SS) were exposed to aliquots of the RT strain of HIV-1 treated with direct current. Results of these studies show that virus treated with currents from 50 to 100 microamperes (ìA) has a significantly reduced infectivity for susceptible cells. These experimental currents were equal to 3.85 and 7.7.ìÁ/mm2 current densities respectively. The reduction of infectivity was dependent upon, the total electric charge (ìA x min) passing through the chamber to which the virus was exposed. Viral infectivity was determined by two independent measures: a syncytium-formation assay which can be used to quantify the production of infectious particles; and. a reverse transcriptase assay which is an index of viral protein production. Additional experiments demonstrated that the currents employed were biocompatible. Uninfected H9 cells were exposed to the same conditions used for the viral aliquots. There was no significant change in the percentage of viable uninfected cells exposed to any of the currents tested. Therefore, because biocompatible direct electric current attenuates the infectivity of cell-free virus, this treatment may allow development of new strategies to prevent transmission of HIV-1 through either treating the general blood supply or developing alternative barrier contraceptive devices. Additionally, biocompatible electric. current may be applicable for the direct treatment of AIDS patients by utilizing either extracorporeal systems or self contained indwelling electrodes. Lastly, because the virus is being attenuated, electric current may also render treated HIV-1 suitable for vaccine development.

Key words: HIV-1, AIDS, treatment, suppression of infectivity, electricity

INTRODUCTION
The number of individuals infected by the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (I-(HIV-1) continues to increase on a world-wide basis (1). A significant percentage, if not all, of these individuals will eventually develop the acquire d immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (2)- While horizontal transmission in the homosexual. population may be contained or decreasing (3), heterosexual transmission and infection through contaminated blood supplies continues to increase (4). Additionally ver tical transmission from infected females to their fetuses is also on the rise with a resultant increase in the number of children with AIDS (5). New strategies, therefore, must be devised in order to limit more effectively the spread of this virus. In this regard, three principal approaches are currently being investigated. In order to decrease susceptibility to the consequences of infection, vaccines are being sought which will induce the production of protective antibodies (6). As treatment modalities, the use of soluble antagonists to block the receptor for HIV-1 is being studied (7) as are pharmacologic agents such as nucleic acid analogs which can interfere with the transcription of viral genomic sequences (8). Each of these systems has——————and limitations and to date none has proven completely effective. Because heat or light in combination with drugs and dyes can inactivate viruses including HIV-2 in vitro (9), others have suggested the use of these forms of energy to treat .. AIDS patients. The results of studies using heat have not been peer- reviewed and are therefore impossible to evaluate. The use of light with drugs [“photopheresis”] (10) appears to be efficacious although this treatment may be limited by drug toxicity and the potential long-term effects of ultraviolet radiation on blood c ell nucleic acids. Also, by its nature, this last system may not be suitable for the treatment of tissue-associated virus. As result of our interest in the use of electric current to alter biological systems , we focused our investigations on the ability of direct electrical current at biocompatible levels to alter the infectivity of HTV-1 for susceptible CD4 positive cell s in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Electrical treatment of HIV 1: The RF strain of HIV-I (AIDS Reagent Program) was cryopreserved prior to treatment at -70°C. Fur treatment, a sample of virus was thawed and maintained on ice at 4°C . Ten microliters (ìl) of HIV-1 at a concentration of 105 infectious particles per ml were placed into a chamber which included a pair of platinum electrodes 1mm apart permanently mounted into a well 1.56mm in length an d 8.32mm in depth equal to 12.9 ìl volume capacity. The chamber was connected to a power supply capable of creating constant direct current. The viral aliquots were exposed to direct currents ranging from 0 microamperes ( ìA) for up to 12 minutes to 100ìA for up to 6 minutes. Intermediate currents of 25, 50 and 75ìA were used to expose similar viral aliquots. Under these conditions, for example, 0, 50 and 100ìA represent 0, 3.85 and 7 .7ìA/mm2 current densities respectively. The current was monitored throughout the experiment. A matrix of current and time employed is shown in Table 1. After the exposure of virus to electric current, the contents of the chamber were removed and placed into sterile microtubes. Five ìl of each sample were removed and diluted with 95ìl tissue culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) for subsequent assays.

Oh, I guess these scientific studies are all junk, then. (Check them out, they're intereseting)

http://www.papimi.gr/safe-hiv/AppendixE.htm

http://www.cancer-treatment.net/The-Medical-Hypotheses-Article.htm

http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=427729

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11588820&dopt=Abstract

I watched the video through and Dr Beck goes to great effort to point out that he is making no money from this but is simply providing the information and plans for you to build these devices with a list of parts from Radio Shack and other suppliers unconnected to him.

He points out that you could buy the finished articles at greater cost from numerous manufacturers and suppliers (he will not benefit from that either) He repeatedly states that the devices are simple to make by anyone given the instructions he provides for free.

How is this man a Quack? He is credited with designing the first low voltage flashbulb,based his blood treatment technology on a granted US patent filed by medical doctors, while he is a former government employee and appears to have a perfectly valid degree in physics. By comparison our government and their agencies honesty is often suspect (Never forget the quackery of 19 men with box - cutters who evaded a multibillion USD defence system for over an hour and managed to collapse three steel framed buildings (the first in history by fire) ? with all three buildings falling perfectly in their own foot prints at near free-fall speed (!). One of these buildings (WTC7) was not even hit by a plane.

Who would a rational person believe believe - a retired physicist persuading people to build a health making device without gain - Or agents of a government that lies to its own people and perpetrates illegal wars on false pretences - killing hundreds of thousands of people in the process?

Gustavo, checked out the referenced articles and...

http://www.papimi.gr/safe-hiv/AppendixE.htm

http://www.cancer-treatment.net/The-Medical-Hypotheses-Article.htm

Re: the last two...
Yes, applying DC current to a medium full of bacteria or virus particles can render those viruses less infectious and kill bacteria locally, in fact it'll kill anything locally. DC current passed from metal electrodes to an ionic solution will cause a massive local change in pH, as the electrons coming out of metal will cause either hyper-acidity or hyper-alkalinity depending on which electrode you're at. This is the methodology described in these papers. However...

This does not mean that DC current applied on *the skin* will cure cancer, or HIV, or any other uncurable disease listed here. DC current will only pass locally under the skin between the electrodes, but the electric field and current densities would be nowhere near those in the in vitro studies. If they were, you'd cause massive cell death in the vicinity of the electrodes on the patients.

Just because he had some good ideas long ago, and just because he claims to not be making any personal benefit doesn't make his bad science any better.

It's a common tactic of pseudoscientists (either those trying to cheat you, or those who are simply delusional) to reference real, good science that is in fact remotely related to the treatment of interest. However, there's a massive jump between simple electrochemical/electrophysiological phenomena and something being a legitimate treatment for a disease.

This video clip is actually from a 2 hour VHS that is about 15 years old. You make a point in your first article that Bob Beck is 'only' a D.Sc. You might be interested to know that his specialty is in things electrical. He has done work for the U.S. Govt, Navy etc. Admittedly it is not a very well produced video and leaves some unanswered questions but in the 15 years that I have been curious about all this I have never encountered any truly conflicting evidence. A few years after this was produced there was discovery article from France showing connection between white blood cells and electrical charges. In the 2 hour presentation Beck notes that the charge required to be effective is REMARKABLY small and that by proper placement of electrodes over a vein/artery with a small skin depth an effective charge can be insinuated into the blood. His thesis was that this didn't need to be an invasive/expensive treatment as the original patent would imply.

I doubt very much that any comments against Dr. Bob Beck's works and ideas are made by anything less than armchair quarterbacks, they never built nor tested these devices. I now have 3 of 4 devices and am very prone to the believe Mr. Beck as truthful and caring. My grandchildren will benefit from the kindness and charity of Mr. Beck.

The medical community stands by while the FDA declares vitamins as drugs, hence under their control. The ADA study on fluoridated toothpaste is another sham. The ADA says the FDA did this study while the FDA points back to the ADA. Mean while all Americans are being poisoned by this trash. They do the same to water supplies. Fluorine attaches itself most freely to calcium. What's that! Osteoporosis is on the rise? Imagine!

What the medical community allows, so as to not jeopardize their high salaries, equates to them being no more than prostitues of their trade, selling anything that brings a buck. They rate below the car salesman and lawyer since they not only sell you bad service and product but will take your life once the funds dry up. While Hypocrates rolls in his grave from the association with his name, doctors are sending him a lot of company.

Dr. Bob Beck's words and work make him a hero and not a villan. The medical community should follow his lead and start practicing real medicine - stuff that does not kill.