RE: Attention: Layla Denley

[Guest guest]

I think the reason why LDN works on many illnesses should be added.

This site gives some explanation,but maybe there's another site

where it is better explained.

http://www.digitalnaturopath.com/treat/T74481.html

Naltrexone is usually used in 50mg doses as a drug to help heroin or

opium addicts, by blocking the effect of such drugs. FDA-approved

naltrexone, in a low dose (only 3mg), can boost the immune system,

helping those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. LDN is

currently under experimental use for many conditions. Preliminary

results are very encouraging: Naltrexone increases the body's

production of the beta and metenkephalin endorphins and blood tests

have indicated that it can double or even triple the activity of

natural killer cells. The web site that presents the current

available information on this therapy can be accessed by clicking

here.

[Guest guest]

Lara,

Great letter, Once Oprah and her staff see a need, they normally step right up to the plate. I hope this is one of those times. Thanks for your time and energy!

(spms)

From: Lara Schuchat [mailto:Lara1967@...] Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 11:21 PMoprah.com@...Cc: low dose naltrexone Subject: [low dose naltrexone] Attention: Layla Denley

Dear Ms. Denley,

It has come to my attention that you have been contacted by patients with Multiple Sclerosis who are treating their disease with a medication called Naltrexone. As you may or may not know, Naltrexone is an FDA-approved medication for treating opiate and alcohol addiction. Many years ago a doctor named Bernard Bihari made an incidental discovery when treating some of his patients. He discovered that naltrexone, in lower doses, alleviated symptoms of many progressive diseases and even helped cancer and HIV/Aids patients. Over the years he has fine-tuned this off-label use of naltrexone and the word is spreading like wild-fire in the on-line community. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people managing their diseases (including Multiple Sclerosis, Hepatitis C, Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia and more) with low-dose naltrexone therapy or LDN, as it is known on the Internet. Off-label use of FDA approved medications is very common nowadays but some people in the MS community (including the National MS Society) have tried to discredit the use of LDN without any concrete proof that it does not work.

I am hoping that you might have some interest in bringing LDN to the forefront of national attention by using it as a topic for a segment on Oprah Winfrey's show. I realize that more information may be necessary to convince you that there is a WIDESPREAD audience, eager to learn about this treatment and eager to see it become public knowledge. For now, the news about LDN is spreading word-of-mouth, or rather "fingers-to-keyboard" on the internet. This medication is very inexpensive, seems to be very effective and has the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of people. To keep Naltrexone from becoming a widely accepted treatment is unjust and inhumane, therefore others (like myself) and I have taken it upon ourselves to campaign for LDN and clinical trial that will validate this therapy and make it widely-accepted and accessible to anyone.

There are several prominent celebrities with MS, including Teri Garr and Montel . J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, may also find this therapy of interest as it has shown some benefit to people with other neurological disorders. Below, please find two e-mails that I have circulated on the Internet. Feel free to follow the links to the sites listed and research this topic for yourself. As you will see, there are far too many people getting better, feeling well, regaining mobility, slowing (or even halting!) the progression of their diseases and enjoying life again, ALL thanks to LDN.

It would be a pity for this therapy to remain shrouded in secrecy simply because there are no major clinical trials underway to support its use as a bonafide treatment.

On that note, I will mention that there is a trial starting at the University of Pennsylvania involving LDN as a therapy for Crohn's Disease. There is also great interest in getting a trial started at Southwest Medical School in Dallas, TX for LDN as a treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. In the UK and in Europe there are several LDN advocates helping to spread the word about this medication and get clinical trials started there as well.

I truly believe that LDN has such widespread applications, such potential for helping so many people, that it would make a wonderful topic for one of Oprah's shows. And as I offered before, read the messages I have attached below and browse the LDN forums. There is also a link to a recent article in a Vermont newspaper about a local resident who is taking LDN.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and feel free to sign our petition that has been circulating the Internet in support of further clinical trials. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you find this information as exciting as I do!

Kindest Regards,

Lara Schuchat

Seattle, WA

206-265-9754

schuchat@...

Lara1967@...

To Whom it May Concern,

I belong to an on-line forum for patients who are treating their MS (and other auto-immune diseases) with Low-Dose Naltrexone therapy. This therapy has been pioneered by Dr. Bernard Bihari, a physician practicing in New York City. While Naltrexone in high doses is an FDA approved medication, its use in low doses for MS and other diseases is still considered off-label by the FDA.

Our group is trying to organize an on-line fundraising drive to collect the support necessary to get an LDN clinical trial underway here in the United States. A trial for the use of LDN in Crohn's Disease will begin soon but our particular focus is on getting a second trial started for patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

We would like to know if Mr. or any other celebrity who lives with MS (or any kind of auto-immune disease) would be interested in helping us with our fundraising efforts.

The National MS Society recently published a grossly un-informed article that was not supportive of Low-Dose Naltrexone therapy for MS. But the real-life experiences of many patients from all over the world who are utilizing this medicine clearly points to the need for a controlled clinical study of this therapy. Dr. Bihari was at one time offered $25,000 by the National MS Society to begin a clinical trial but this amount falls far short of what he needs to properly conduct the research. And indeed, Dr. Bihari feels that a neurologist or similar specialist would be best-suited to conducting an objective clinical trial.

To learn more about LDN itself, please visit the website:www.low dose naltrexone.orgHere is a link to an article that was just recently published in the Brattleboro, VT Reformer that contains some more information about a man who is utilizing LDN as part of his MS treatment:

http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8860~2150078,00.html

Here is a link to the forum of MS patients (and others) who are utilizing Low-dose Naltrexone:

low dose naltrexone

And finally, here is a little more information about Dr. Bihari in the event that you would like to contact him directly:

Bernard Bihari, MD

29 W. 15th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 929-4196.

Dr. Bihari has found that Low-dose Naltrexone has valuable therapeutic effects on many different diseases including:

ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Alzheimer's Disease, Behcet's Disease, Celiac Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Crohn's Disease, Emphysema (COPD), Fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease, Pemphigoid, Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS), Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sarcoidosis, Systemic Lupus (SLE), Ulcerative Colitis and Wegener's Granulomatosis.

Dr. Bihari has also noted that LDN is an effective treatment for many types of Cancer including:

Breast Cancer, Carcinoid, Colon & Rectal Cancer, Glioblastoma, Liver Cancer, Lung Cancer (Non-Small Cell), Lymphocytic Leukemia, Lymphoma (Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's), Malignant Melanoma, Multiple Myeloma, Neuroblastoma, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer(untreated),Renal Cell Carcinoma,Throat Cancer and Uterine Cancer.

While I do not have MS myself, I have several dear friends who do. I have an Auto-Immune Disease (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis), have battled an Endocrine Cancer (Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid) and was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C (HCV), for which there is no known cure. The standard treatment for HCV is chemotherapy. But Dr. Bihari has successfully treated 60 HCV patients with LDN therapy. I will personally be utilizing LDN in the treatment of my HCV. It is my hope that collecting the funds to begin a legitimate study of LDN in the treatment of MS will lead to other studies that may one day offer all of us relief from the challenges that we face each day whether we are living with an Auto-Immune Disease, a Neurological Disease or Cancer.

Thank you for your kind attention to our inquiry and for any assistance you might offer our effort.

We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Lara Schuchat

Seattle, WA

(206) 265-9754

schuchat@...

Lara1967@...

I have just read and signed the petition: "Sign & Support the Campaign for Research & Trials in 'Low Dose Naltrexone for Multiple Sclerosis' ". This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. Not because I have MS but because there are two people in my "family circle" of friends that I care very much about who do have MS.

And secondly, I have Auto-Immune issues of my own. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, was diagnosed with two types of Thyroid Cancer and suffer from chronic pain that is either caused by Fibromyalgia or Behcet's Disease (a neurological and immunological auto-immune disorder). Thirdly, I was just diagnosed with Chronic Hepatitis C (viral), or HCV.

I would like to see a nationwide campaign to educate the public about Low-dose Naltrexone as a treatment. This research needs to be conducted so that other clinical trials can focus on Low Dose Naltrexone as a treatment for HCV, HIV/Aids (it is a very low cost treatment for HIV!!!) and for other Autoimmune Diseases. I am researching this medication and plan to incorporate it in my treatment regimen to keep my liver functioning and treat my HCV. So far I am holding my own but eventually I will need a treatment (or worse, a transplant) and I would prefer to take the LDN treatments that have very few (if any) side-effects rather than subject myself to interferon injections and chemotherapy!But in order to get the National MS Society and other medical organizations to pay attention to the off-label use of this FDA approved medication we have to gather the support to make it happen!We are trying to reach a goal of 100,000 signatures, and we need YOUR HELP!Please help by signing this petition to help everyone with Multiple Sclerosis (and any kind of auto-immune disease) have easy access to Low-Dose Naltrexone. It only takes about 30 seconds and will really be appreciated.

Please follow this link:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/110785607Once you have signed, help this important cause even more, by telling your friends and family to sign as well or post the weblink on your websites and in your emails!Thank you from the bottom of my heart!Lara Schuchat(schuchat@...)