Petrovic Antioxidant Treatment Regime

[Guest guest]

One of the things Dr C was asking about was the Petrovic protocol. I was

very curious about this so did some research and found some testimonials at

the Petrovic website. I contacted one of the testimonial authors (a

patient) in Australia and asked him if it was all genuine. He replied that

yes it was, that all was not perfect, but that he basically had been

greatly improved by undertaking the treatment.

He wrote up his experience in slightly less glowing terms for a local

support group magazine, and I reproduce it below.

I also wrote to Dr Petrovic himself who responded quickly with answers to

some questions I put, and confirmation that the cost is $2600. But note

that he confirmed that he believes that infection is NOT the cause of CFS -

quote:

" c) have you associated it with other immunmodulators like

interferon, transfer factor etc? (I currently take TF and about to

start oral interferon).

***Not at all.I never used interferon or any other cytokine

mediator.This approach is totally ineffective.Unless the primary

cellular damages / subcellular structures,the cell.membrane etc./

and the oxidative stress are addressed properly one can not

expect to cure CFIDS.Interferon has side effects as well.It only

serves to protect other cells from viruses.CFIDS is not caused by

viruses and therefore the implementation of interferon is not

clinically justified " .

So you have to make up your own mind! My only point is that it is a

genuine protocol in terms of intent, there are some other doctors who

appear to believe that it works, and there are quite a few patients who are

highly enthusiastic. There is also a US Patient's Association run by ...

" The founder of the USA Association is Mr.Tom Mowell(

<<cfscure@...> ) a former NASA expert for transfer of

biomedical technologies to the medical community whose

daughter ( works for the USA Navy) almost completely

recovered from CFIDS after four months of the treatment only. "

so you Americans have a local contact if interested.

n

PS I'll have to think for a long while before spending that kind of money,

but I would love to hear from anyone else with first hand experience of

this protocol.

--------------- Le Grice's story from the ME Society magazine-------

The Petrovic Antioxidant Treatment Regime

A Personal Appraisal

A few months ago a friend drew my attention to a very exciting Internet site.

It showcased a treatment protocol based on " 100% natural antioxidants,

vitamins and minerals, tailored to each individual " and claimed that " 100%

of patients have had standardised reactions (improvement) and eventually

disappearance of all CFS symptoms " .

Suspicious?

Very!

But the evidence gets more compelling.

It contained the results of a study conducted by an eminent and respected

professor of biochemistry from the South African Institute for Occupational

Health.

He investigated 56 subjects who were diagnosed with CFS according to the

CDC criteria, and who had shown no improvement from being treated over an

average of 8.11 years. They were placed on the anti-oxidant regimen for

two months and recorded spell-binding recovery rates. The average time to

recovery - i.e. " very much better and back to normal activities " was 8.79

days!!!

I made extensive investigations, read countless glowing testimonials, spoke

directly to people who had been cured and concluded that there was no time

to lose in starting the treatment.

Six months on, I feel a duty to let other sufferers know about this

treatment - and also to present what I hope to be a realistic assessment of

its efficacy.

I am now convinced of two things.

Firstly, I am absolutely sure that this treatment programme can bring about

real improvements for many CFS sufferers. There is no doubt that many

people have enjoyed spectacular recovery from it.

Secondly, I am in no doubt that the results presented by Dr. Kilroe-

are misleading. I do not in any way suggest that this is intentional - Dr.

has impeccable credentials - but for whatever reason, the results to

date in Australia are not nearly as spectacular. (It has been suggested

that some ingredients may have become defective after exposure to x-ray.)

In writing this appraisal, I am anxious to not undermine the enormous sense

of optimism which this treatment promise engenders, but I fear that the

expectation it sets up needs to be tempered with some caution.

I have spoken with 8 other Australian patients who have taken the treatment

in the last few months.

Virtually all have experienced tangible and worthwhile improvements. One

or two are claiming virtual recovery. One or two have not experienced any

benefit at all.

On the basis of this purely anecdotal appraisal, I would put the odds at

something like a 20% chance of full recovery, 60% chance of achieving

tangible and worthwhile improvement and a 20% chance of achieving no

benefit at all. While this has no statistical validity, I believe it

represents a more realistic expectation of the treatment's potency than

that presented on the Internet site.

At the end of the day, we each have to make our own assessment of risk and

my interest is simply to let other people be aware of this opportunity -

but to temper it with the caution of my experience.

The following is an assessment of my own response to the treatment.

This is just one person's experience - and is almost certainly not typical

- but it does suggest that

the treatment is 'worth a look'.

Case History:

My story began with a dose of Gandular Fever 71/2 years ago and kept me

out of the work force for the first 4. Over time, I have gradually

improved - but the progression has been very up and down.

You would be very hard pushed to find any treatment I have not tried over

the last 7 years, and while some certainly helped - nothing really made any

demonstrable difference.

Before taking this antioxidant treatment, I was again at the point of

despair to know how the hell to keep going. I had rebuilt a life of sorts;

was putting any available energy into work so that I had at least a basic

income (I averaged 10 hrs p.w. last year) but was essentially struggling

most of the time and certainly not finding any energy for actually enjoying

life.

I had frequent relapses/viral episodes, rarely walked more than 10 minutes

without feeling dreadful, and still had a wide range of all the usual

symptoms - albeit that they were far less severe than in earlier years.

Response to treatment:

Within days of starting the treatment I felt 'something going on.' It was

as though there was a 'stirring of energy' and after about a week or so I

started to feel fantastic. I promptly did too much, fell in a heap and

then felt worse than I had in a long time! Dr. Petrovic was very

supportive through this period, always responding promptly to my (many)

concerns and queries and monitoring my progress.

I felt quite despondent after one month that I was not fully cured but by

the end of the two month programme realised that although I was still

getting very tired, I really had virtually no symptoms going on.

I flew to Europe and felt terrific.

I kept surprising myself with all the things I was 'getting away with' and

my confidence was gradually readjusting to the new idea that I could do

things without fear of doing damage.

My family noticed a huge difference. My mood was good. I felt 'normal'.

By the time I returned to Australia, I really felt as though I no longer

had the illness, and had simply to concentrate on building up my strength

and stamina to return to a full and productive life again.

I was walking further and more strongly and starting to swim again.

Then I was run over by a major dose of flu!

I have not yet fully regained the wonderful position I reached in August,

and I am not completely 'symptom free' - but compared to where I was before

starting the programme there is no comparison. I am certainly not 'cured'

- but I just don't seem to have to deal with all those really awful

symptoms of the past.

There is no question that the treatment has been effective for me.

I am disappointed that it has not yet brought about the 'final cure' I had

anticipated, but it is the only thing that has ever made a real difference

and I am very grateful to now be a few rungs further up the ladder.

As far as I am concerned, anything which can bring about some degree of

relief has got to be worth exploring! If you too decide to take the

plunge, good luck...

Treatment Overview

Some people travel to South Africa to begin treatment; I conducted all my

consultations by email and in the early stages held a regular dialogue with

the treating doctor who was always very responsive to my many concerns and

questions.

After an initial assessment of symptoms by questionnaire the treatment

programme is tailored for each patient and delivered by DHL express

courier. It is essentially a 2 month 'major' programme followed by a

lower dose maintenance programme for at least 3-6 months. All the

ingredients are natural antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

My 'major' programme included 100 tablets per day! Actually this is not as

fearful as it sounds, although I believe some people do experience some

stomach upset in the early stages.

The programme also includes a number of dietary guidelines (nothing

unusual) and instructions on daily steam inhalation.

Cost

The first two months 'major programme' costs US$2,200 plus DHL costs

(US$200). Maintenance programme is US$800 for three months supply plus

US$200 DHL.

My treatment was classified 'sales tax exempt' (otherwise add 22%!) and

also attracted a 4% customs duty.

On the plus side, this is regarded as a legitimate medical expense for tax

purposes and attracts a 20% tax benefit.

Contact Details

A full 'information kit' including details of the programme, research

findings and contact details can be obtained from the M.E. Society by

contacting Annella Wheatley. Ask for " antioxidant treatment information " .

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