Guest guest Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Low Dose Naltrexone FDA-approved naltrexone, in a low dose, can boost the immune system — helping those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Welcome to the Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Home Page Latest News August 2003 + The Developing Nations Project + A humanitarian effort to respond to the AIDS pandemic ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- NEW! For announcements and discussion about Low Dose Naltrexone, subscribe to the LDN Group: The LDN Group is an announcement and discussion group for those interested in LDN, and who wish to be notified about updates to this website. We expect that official announcements to the group will be fairly infrequent, typically not more than one per month. Group members not wishing to receive general discussion e-mail from other members may set their message delivery option to " Special Notices " when joining, or by logging on to the LDN Group site and clicking on " Edit My Membership. " ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- > On this page you can find answers to these questions: What is low-dose naltrexone and why is it important? How does LDN work? What diseases has it been useful for? How can I obtain LDN and what will it cost? What dosage and frequency should my physician prescribe? Are there any side effects or cautionary warnings? When will the low-dose use of naltrexone become FDA approved? What can I do to spread the word about LDN? Who sponsored this website? > You can go to more detailed information on these linked pages: The Latest News Concerning LDN LDN in the Treatment of Autoimmune Disease LDN in the Treatment of Cancer LDN in the Treatment of HIV/AIDS In-depth historical reports on LDN for HIV/AIDS: " Low Dose Naltrexone in the Treatment of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, " a paper presented in 1988 to the International AIDS Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, describing in detail the 1986 LDN HIV/AIDS clinical study. " Low Dose Naltrexone in the Treatment of HIV Infection, " an informal description of the results in Dr. Bernard Bihari's private practice through September, 1996. LDN in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Further Questions and Answers about LDN Reliability Problem With Compounding Pharmacies NEW! The Developing Nations Project Curriculum Vitae for Bernard Bihari, M.D. Excerpts from Patient Interviews: LDN and HIV The Developing Nations Project ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- What is low-dose naltrexone and why is it important? > Low-dose naltrexone holds great promise for the millions of people worldwide facing a possible death sentence from virtually incurable cancers and other diseases. > In the developing world, LDN could provide the first low-cost, easy to administer, and side-effect-free therapy for HIV/AIDS. Naltrexone itself was approved by the FDA in 1984 in a 50mg dose for the purpose of helping heroin or opium addicts, by blocking the effect of such drugs. By blocking opioid receptors, naltrexone also blocks the reception of the opioid hormones that our brain and adrenal glands produce: beta-endorphin and metenkephalin. Many body tissues have receptors for endorphins and enkephalins, including virtually every cell of the body's immune system. In 1985, Bernard Bihari, MD, a physician with a clinical practice in New York City, discovered the effects of a much smaller dose of naltrexone (approximately 3mg once a day) on the body's immune system. He found that this low dose, taken at bedtime, was able to enhance a patient's response to infection by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. [Note: Subsequently, the optimal adult dosage of LDN has been found to be 4.5mg.] In the mid-1990's, Dr. Bihari found that patients in his practice with cancer (such as lymphoma or pancreatic cancer) could benefit, in some cases dramatically, from LDN. In addition, people who had autoimmune disease (such as lupus) often showed prompt control of disease activity while taking LDN. As of March 2001, Dr. Bihari has been treating 175 AIDS patients using LDN in conjunction with accepted AIDS therapies. Over the past 4 years over 85% of these patients showed no detectable levels of the HIV virus — a much higher success rate than most current AIDS treatments, and with no significant side effects. It is also worth noting that many HIV/AIDS patients under Dr. Bihari's care have been living symptom-free for years taking only LDN with no other medications. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- How does LDN work? > LDN boosts the immune system, activating the body's own natural defenses. The brief blockade of opioid receptors that is caused by taking LDN at bedtime each night is believed to produce a prolonged up- regulation of vital elements of the immune system by causing an increase in endorphin and enkephalin production. Normal volunteers who have taken LDN in this fashion have been found to have much higher levels of beta-endorphins circulating in their blood in the following days. Animal research by I. Zagon, Ph.D., and his colleagues has shown a marked increase in metenkephalin levels as well. [Note: Additional information for Dr. Zagon can be found at the end of this page.] Bihari says that his patients with HIV/AIDS who regularly took LDN before the availability of HAART were generally spared any deterioration of their important helper T cells (CD4+). In human cancer, research by Zagon over many years has demonstrated inhibition of a number of different human tumors in laboratory studies by using endorphins and low dose naltrexone. It is suggested that the increased endorphin and enkephalin levels, induced by LDN, work directly on the tumors' opioid receptors — and, perhaps, induce cancer cell death (apoptosis). In addition, it is believed that they act to increase natural killer cells and other healthy immune defenses against cancer. In general, in people with diseases that are partially or largely triggered by a deficiency of endorphins (including cancer and autoimmune diseases), restoration of the body's normal production of endorphins is the major therapeutic action of LDN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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