I have taken supplements since the early 1990s (first under Dr. Joan Priestly in L.A.)to fight HIV. It has worked well, until overconfidence made me lax. Now I am starting HAART and getting back on supplements. Under Priestly I took 50 mg+ of zinc daily--retesting tolerance every three months with some zinc liquid solution. Now, however, I see lots of people talking against zinc supplements, saying they might actually quicken the progression to AIDS. I noticed you take 50 mg and was curious where you stood on the conflicting zinc reports. Thanks for your time and the great service you provide.

Zinc is essential for skin and hair health, for testosterone production, and for immune function. There was one poorly designed study pre-Haart that found that people with higher zinc levels were dying faster. I doubt these results since the study was not the best in design. I see a big difference in my skin, hair, and sex drive with zinc supplementation of 50 mg/day with 3 mg a day of copper.

By the way, I love Dr Priestly since she was a pioneer criticized back in the 80's and early 90's for her holistic approach that kept many of us alive and well.