Re: My theory about RA (and other) flares/exacerbations on LDN

[Guest guest]

---Makes perfect sense to me. I dont have RA but I do have MS and I

think your opinion fits MS suffers as well. Not exactly but pretty

dam close. Nothing goes away without a fight.

In low dose naltrexone , " judyr12345 " <jrudin@...>

wrote:

>

> I am developing a theory about why those of us with RA are flaring

on LDN after an initial

> boost. I've been reading about antibiotic therapy for RA and other

rheumatic diseases

> (check out roadback.org if you want more info) and it seems that

when the antibiotics

> start to attack the bacterial source of the disease, there are

Herxheimer reactions as the

> bacteria die off. These feel like flares, as the worst of our

symptoms come back with a

> vengeance. Many of us know about these reactions already - they

occur with yeast as well.

>

> My theory is that initially, the LDN is making us feel better

because the endorphins are

> doing their pain relief thing, and it's great. After a while, the

immune system becomes

> strong enough on LDN to start giving the bacteria in our systems a

run for its money. In

> effect, we are developing our own antibiotic effect because our

immune systems are

> finally doing their job. Then, as the bacteria start to be

affected, we start herxing in

> reaction to the die off. Because many of us are JUST on LDN, and

not on antibiotics too,

> the amount we can accomplish with this method may be limited. We

probably are not able

> to fully conquer the bacteria with LDN alone. But these flares are

actually a GOOD sign

> that our bodies are going after the source of the problem.

>

> I've read here before that people will tend to revisit their

symptoms when on LDN, in

> reverse order, sort of a homeopathic effect. If you accept that

there is a bacterial or viral

> source to most of the diseases we're all facing (and at this point,

I really do), this theory

> takes the same phenomenon and adds to the explanation. The return

of symptoms is

> indeed about the body trying to repair the areas that are affected,

and the symptoms

> themselves are Herxheimer reactions.

>

> So, my theory means that the LDN does not " stop working " after a

while when those of us

> with RA start feeling worse, but rather that it has entered a new

phase of working on the

> bacteria causing the illness in the first place. Rather than give

up on LDN at this point, it is

> important that we persist and perhaps augment what we're doing with

antibiotics to really

> get at the source of the illness.

>

> I'm not a doctor or even in the medical field - just an RA patient

for the past 16 years who

> has been very proactive in trying to find answers. This " feels "

right to me and I intend to

> pursue it by going on antibiotic therapy as soon as my doctor and I

can agree on a

> protocol to follow. I would imagine that staying on the LDN would

be beneficial during

> that therapy - and I would love to know if anyone has done it that

way and what the

> results were.

>

> Judy

>

[Guest guest]

--- In low dose naltrexone , " judyr12345 " <jrudin@...>

and I would love to know if anyone has done it that way and what the

> results were.

Hi Judy;

I often have the needs of taking antibiotics (augmentine) due to

bladder infections. It has not affected good or bad days... The bad

days were as bad and the good days were as good. I am not sure that

help you tho; but we never know...

Cheers!

Algis

[Guest guest]

I believe you are more or less correct. The same thing often happens

with Crohn's disease. There is an initial period of improvement,

followed by a back slide, which is actually problems caused by

intestinal bacteria die off, likely Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and

sticky E-Coli.

Then the improvements start coming back once the offending bacteria

are reduced. I did not have this problem, because I already had

eliminated the bacteria before my LDN use.

D Bergy

>

> I am developing a theory about why those of us with RA are flaring

on LDN after an initial

> boost. I've been reading about antibiotic therapy for RA and other

rheumatic diseases

> (check out roadback.org if you want more info) and it seems that

when the antibiotics

> start to attack the bacterial source of the disease, there are

Herxheimer reactions as the

> bacteria die off. These feel like flares, as the worst of our

symptoms come back with a

> vengeance. Many of us know about these reactions already - they

occur with yeast as well.

>

> My theory is that initially, the LDN is making us feel better

because the endorphins are

> doing their pain relief thing, and it's great. After a while, the

immune system becomes

> strong enough on LDN to start giving the bacteria in our systems a

run for its money. In

> effect, we are developing our own antibiotic effect because our

immune systems are

> finally doing their job. Then, as the bacteria start to be

affected, we start herxing in

> reaction to the die off. Because many of us are JUST on LDN, and

not on antibiotics too,

> the amount we can accomplish with this method may be limited. We

probably are not able

> to fully conquer the bacteria with LDN alone. But these flares are

actually a GOOD sign

> that our bodies are going after the source of the problem.

>

> I've read here before that people will tend to revisit their

symptoms when on LDN, in

> reverse order, sort of a homeopathic effect. If you accept that

there is a bacterial or viral

> source to most of the diseases we're all facing (and at this point,

I really do), this theory

> takes the same phenomenon and adds to the explanation. The return of

symptoms is

> indeed about the body trying to repair the areas that are affected,

and the symptoms

> themselves are Herxheimer reactions.

>

> So, my theory means that the LDN does not " stop working " after a

while when those of us

> with RA start feeling worse, but rather that it has entered a new

phase of working on the

> bacteria causing the illness in the first place. Rather than give up

on LDN at this point, it is

> important that we persist and perhaps augment what we're doing with

antibiotics to really

> get at the source of the illness.

>

> I'm not a doctor or even in the medical field - just an RA patient

for the past 16 years who

> has been very proactive in trying to find answers. This " feels "

right to me and I intend to

> pursue it by going on antibiotic therapy as soon as my doctor and I

can agree on a

> protocol to follow. I would imagine that staying on the LDN would

be beneficial during

> that therapy - and I would love to know if anyone has done it that

way and what the

> results were.

>

> Judy

>