Unlike
many research scientists who toil in relative obscurity, Candace Pert
has already earned full-fledged icon status. In medical circles, Pert
is perhaps best known for her opiate receptor, endorphin and peptide
research—detailed in Pert’s bestselling 1997 book, Molecules of Emotion—along
with her current role as Scientific Director of RAPID (Receptor Active
Peptides Into Drugs) Pharmaceuticals in Washington, DC, which is
centered around AIDS research.
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| "This
is an incredibly exciting time in human’s health history...there’s a
real shift to appreciating the truth that when it comes to health—your
mind really matters." | |
|
But it was Pert’s cameo in the hit indy movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? in
2004 that brought her worldwide fame and turned her into an cult figure
for the New Age and Hollywood sets; her lectures throughout the country
are wildly popular among those seeking a scientifically sound yet
spiritual path to optimum health and wellbeing.
Pert’s latest book, Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d,
adds to her already impressive career, and her global status often
finds her mentioned in the same breath with self-help gurus such as
Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer.
Pert's
most important work, however, might just be just getting started. At
her core, Pert remains a scientist, and she is doggedly determined to
finally bring to market a non-toxic, highly potent HIV
drug (called Peptide T) that she helped discover more than twenty years
ago. Pert believes Peptide T* has the potential to effective treat, and
possibly even cure, HIV.
In
the course of a lengthy conversation, Pert touched on a wide range of
topics—the mind-body connection, science and spirituality, the role of
discrimination on health and wellbeing and her cutting-edge HIV
research. Here are some highlights from the conversation:
The body-mind connection is a foundation for much of your work. But can people literally think themselves into better health?
Your thoughts have a profound affect on your health, that’s been
proven. What we think and believe about ourselves tends to be
predictive. It’s important to realize that the body isn’t static—it’s
constantly going through regeneration and repair. The way all these new
cells find their place in our body is under the control of what I call
the molecules of emotion.
In
the lab I’ve proven that the molecules of emotion are our feelings and
they affect—based upon where they lie anatomically—the way we see the
world. But you can’t just logic it all out and think yourself well. I’m
big on therapies that bypass the head and go right to our bodies.
Bodywork can be very effective in liberating old, harmful memories.
As
a practical matter, your diet, sleep patterns, how much water your
drink, and staying away from substance abuse can have a major impact on
our mood and how we feel about ourselves. But at the core of it all is
our emotions. There’s no question that 30-year-old memories can be
running our lives.
Depression, substance abuse and even smoking are very prevalent in the gay community. What role does discrimination play in our health?
People
who are discriminated against, such as the gay community, have it
harder. I’m a rat doctor, not a trained psychologist, but over the
years I’ve interwoven my own experience with what I know as a
scientist. I’ve come to the idea that loving yourself and others and
having a divine connection—which is a very controversial idea for
some—is the root and source of our creativity, joy and happiness,
whether you’re gay or straight.
In your new book, you’ve boldly called Peptide T a possible cure for HIV. But what exactly is Peptide T?
Peptide
T is an experimental therapeutic treatment for HIV disease, which was
actually invented over 20 years ago at the National Institutes of
Health by my colleague Mike Ruff and I. It’s shown to be non-toxic and
able to reduce the viral burden both in plasma and in cells and has
shown no toxicity in combination with various HAART
regimens. A vaccine developed from it neutralizes against all strains
of the virus and has already been tested by the NIH experts.
I’m
extremely gratified by the fact that the development of the drug, which
has long been delayed by the licensing practices of the NIH, is now
moving forward into large scale clinical testing.
What specifically caused such a long delay?
I think Peptide T is very cutting edge stuff—what’s often called a
premature discovery. It was made many years ago, before people ever
knew what receptors the virus used. Only within the last few years have
we realized that the receptor which Peptide T blocks is CCR5, which
turns out to be the most important receptor that the virus in humans
beings uses to infect cells. So there were misinterpretations of our
early data, which often happens when you make a big leap into uncharted
territory. We’ve worked a long time on this and we think we’re finally
coming down the home stretch.
There are sure to be plenty of skeptics out there. What would you say to them?
I know in some ways this drug sounds too good to be true, but I’m
completely optimistic because the new breakthrough is the scientific
data from the NIH, based on its own study. I think the clinicians will
be very excited—the new clinical data and published papers are
available on The Institute for New Medicine’s website (www.TINM.org).
But I’m positive we’ve got something novel and helpful—all we have to
do is put our heads together and reach out. It’s gonna happen.
Treatment of HIV/AIDS has come a long way since the 1980s. What’s your take on the medical community’s success rate so far?
It’s been very exciting to see HIV go from being a death sentence to
being a chronic manageable disease. But it’s sad, because I’ve been at
this for a long time and I have a rolodex of friends who are no longer
on the planet. But you have to be positive and realize that this is a
disease in its 25th year, and in that time we’ve isolated the virus and
developed rational treatments for it. So it’s really a huge success
story, how much has been accomplished. But I believe a vaccine will be
in trials very soon. Let’s get rid of this disease already.
You’re
well known now for combining hard science with spirituality. Where do
you think the quest for optimum health is heading in the future?
This
is an incredibly exciting time in human’s health history. There are new
treatments coming available all the time, and there’s a real shift to
appreciating the truth that when it comes to health—your mind really
matters. It’s not some ‘airy fairy’ thing and scientists like myself
now understand this. The challenge is to expose energy physiology—stuff
like guided meditations, affirmations, and music therapy—and take a
real look at their potential. One day people will look back at this
time and say this is when a real shift occurred.
*Peptide T 'Buyers Club' Alert
--As Peptide T gains media attention, sales of PT are starting to pop
up online. Scientists have almost always found that "underground" drugs
available through buyers clubs have no biological activity because the
peptide is not formulated properly and becomes inactive almost
immediately. Peptide T has been found to quickly become inactive and we
have determined that lots of underground Peptide T does indeed suffer
from this flaw. --Editors
I'm an AIDS patient with CD4 count of less than 100. I haven't started treatment yet but plan to start in coming days. I am experiencing chronic dysentery, some skin related problems and weight loss.
I'm most worried about the weight loss. It's the most horrible thing. 
