Charlie Sheen is searching for a cure for HIV, and he revealed on The Dr. Oz Show that he took a radical step: stopping HIV medications and seeking an experimental treatment from a doctor in Mexico.
Since the actor's revelation on NBC's Today show in November that he is HIV-positive, Sheen has been undergoing an experimental treatment from a controversial doctor in Mexico, Dr. Samir Chachoua, who claims to be able to cure HIV infection and other diseases. Sheen told Dr. Mehmet Oz he had stopped taking the more conventional medications that he claimed had reduced the virus to the point that it was undetectable in his system after trhee years of use.
"I'm been off my meds for about a week now," Sheen told Oz in the pre-taped segment that aired Tuesday. "Am I risking my life? Sure. So what? I was born dead. That part of it doesn't faze me at all."
Sheen's manager, Mark Burg, told People magazine the actor resumed taking his medications December 8, after the episode was taped.
"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," Burg said. "He said he would start on the plane on the way home and that is exactly what he did."
"I didn't see it as Russian roulette." Sheen said. "I didn't see it as a complete dismissal of the conventional course we've been on. I'm not recommending that anyone else do this -- I'm presenting myself as a type of guinea pig."
Watch Dr. Oz interview Charlie Sheen here.