LDN
Alternative Treatment Options – LDN
Are there any Alternative Treatment Options for IBD, IBS, UC, and Crohn’s?
YES!
So, why isn’t your Doctor sharing this information with you?
As we have addressed before ( in prior Updates), many of the treatments currently used for IBD, UC, and Crohn’s also come with many side effects, some just annoying (like hair loss, decreased libido, joint pains), some quite serious (serious allergic reactions, threats to your kidney and liver functions, just to name a few), and others increasing your cancer risk, and others still actually life threatening.
Currently there are 2 Alternatives Treatments Options used in IBD, UC, and Crohn’s which have some great success stories associated with them.
We have discussed each of these Alternative Treatment Options in our Updates.
LDN
LDN – Low Dose Naltrexone
It’s very interesting to me that this medication (not Big Pharma) has been around since the early 1980’s when Dr. Bihari first experimented using it on his AIDS patients. So, it’s been in the marketplace for the past 30 years.
You’re probably wondering: ” Why Haven’t I Heard of It Then?” – because doctors don’t like to prescribe anything that isn’t Big Pharma.
Why is that? As Dr. Gluck explains, “…Unfortunately, because naltrexone has been without patent protection for many years, no pharmaceutical company will bear the expense of the large clinical trials necessary for FDA approval of LDN’s new special uses. It is now up to public institutions to seize the opportunity that LDN offers.”
Since Dr. Bihari’s first experiments in the 1980’s, it has been successfully used to treat patients with various Auto-Immune Diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkingson’s, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, as well as different types of stage 3 and stage 4 cancers ( in conjunction with regular cancer treatment, LDN exponentially boosts your remission rates).
So, what is LDN and how does it work?
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) is just an off-label use of the FDA-approved drug naltrexone.
Dr. David Gluck, explains it this way:
“…LDN works by blocking the body’s opioid/narcotic receptors for just a few hours rather than the all-day blockade caused by the standard 50 mg dosage. The opioid/narcotic receptors are the same receptors used by the body’s endorphins. The body responds to this temporary blockade by greatly increasing its endorphin production, and those higher levels last all day—far after the blockade by LDN has ended. Endorphins are the major normalizer/upregulator of one’s immune system.
This is of critical importance to anyone who has an autoimmune disease. Published studies have demonstrated that all autoimmune disorders tested thus far are marked by weak, dysfunctional immune systems (in contrast to the common belief that they are probably too strong).
This makes good sense, because the first commandment of the immune system is “Thou shalt not attack self!” Only a dysfunctional immune system attacks self.
When the LDN normalizes one’s immune system, it halts the further progression of any autoimmune disease. When one takes LDN, one is regaining a normalized immune system, and it is the immune system that has such a positive effect on such a wide variety of conditions…”
LDN is inexpensive and is a small capsule or a transdermal cream to be taken or applied once daily at bedtime only – it works with the circadian rhythm to stimulate the body to put out endorphins between 2-4 am, so preferably should not be taken any other time, or else it may be confusing to the body’s attempt to modulate the immune system. It is safe, non-toxic, non-invasive, non-addicting, and non-expensive.
Rare side effect is insomnia the first couple of days as the body gets used to it (in 5-10% of persons). Endorphins are the chief signalers and messengers of the immune system; the effect lasts 18-20 hours, keeping the immune state in optimum status, and apparently has no loss of effect during use for up to 15 years or longer in some with autoimmunity diseases such as MS or AIDS.
A 2nd research study just completed on Crohn’s Disease also indicates effectiveness and safety; these papers have been published in the Journal of Gastroenterology – it has been used in cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and almost all known autoimmune diseases with remarkable benefit.
Click here to read about LDN
Click here to read on LDN and Cell Proliferation
Click here : How LDN works – Controlling Cell Proliferative Diseases Video from LDNScience – How LDN Works – LDNscience™ – Communicating all the scientific research and rationale for Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) and related therapies. LDNscience™ is a project of the MedInsight® Research Institute.at LDNScience.org.
LDN must be given by prescription only. Our recommendation is always to work with your own Doctor, but as it’s an off-label FDA medication, some Doctors are reluctant to prescribe LDN but will be happy to monitor you.
In order to help you obtain a prescription, there are some online doctors who are willing to have a consultation with you (wherever you reside in the world) and may be prepared to help if they feel LDN will benefit you.
If you need help with LDN, you’ll need to set up a short skype/phone Personalized Advice.
Sign up on my website: Click Here
LDN Websites and Resources:
LDN Science :- LDNscience™ is a public information project of the MedInsight Research Institute.
LDN Info :- “Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) may well be the most important therapeutic breakthrough in over fifty years. It provides a new, safe and inexpensive method of medical treatment by mobilizing the natural defenses of one’s own immune system. LDN substantially reduces health care costs and improves treatment of a wide array of diseases. Unfortunately, because naltrexone has been without patent protection for many years, no pharmaceutical company will bear the expense of the large clinical trials necessary for FDA approval of LDN’s new special uses. It is now up to public institutions to seize the opportunity that LDN offers.” — David Gluck, MD
Click here for LDN Database
Click here for LDN Research Trust
Click here to see the study by Dr. Jill Smith of Penn State with Crohn’s patients
“RESULTS:
Eighty-eight percent of those treated with naltrexone had at least a 70-point decline in CDAI scores compared to 40% of placebo-treated patients (p = 0.009). After 12 weeks, 78% of subjects treated with naltrexone exhibited an endoscopic response as indicated by a 5-point decline in the Crohn’s disease endoscopy index severity score (CDEIS) from baseline compared to 28% response in placebo-treated controls (p = 0.008), and 33% achieved remission with a CDEIS score <6, whereas only 8% of those on placebo showed the same change. Fatigue was the only side effect reported that was significantly greater in subjects receiving placebo.
CONCLUSIONS:
Naltrexone improves clinical and inflammatory activity of subjects with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease compared to placebo-treated controls. Strategies to alter the endogenous opioid system provide promise for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.”
My comments on LDN:
Based on the research by Dr. Jill Smith ( see study above), 78%-88% of patients with Crohn’s went into remission with LDN. Dr. Smith has published 2 studies on Crohn’s patients and LDN.
Based also on a great number of anecdotal stories, this percentage is accurate for both Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis patients as well.
I owe my remission to LDN, so I know first hand of its success.
LDN is pretty inexpensive as it regards financial burdens and more importantly in my opinion, in terms of side effects – ( about $30-$50 per month, depending on type of LDN and which pharmacy fills it), and little to no side effects. But LDN works best and most effectively in combination with proper diet such as SCD or Paleo ( I always recommend Paleo as it is the only anti-inflammatory diet out there). And you have to be prepared and committed to a trial of 6 months to get the best results. Most traditional doctors won’t prescribe it; you’ll need a GP or Holistic type doctor who thinks “outside the box” to prescribe it for you.
Is it worth it? YES!!
If you need help finding a doctor to prescribe LDN for you, email me, and we can set up a short skype/phone Personalized Advice.
Sign up on my website: Click Here
