Question: I see that you suggest LDN for MS. Recently someone sent an article on the MS Society website that advises against its use. I certainly don’t take everything they say as gospel. In fact I sometimes do the complete opposite of what they suggest, but would like to know what your thoughts are on this.

Larry’s Response: I think that the MS Society has an agenda that differs from most of the people who actually HAVE MS. That’s too bad, but it is the way things work. The March of Dimes scrambled to stay alive when they found a way to prevent polio. What would all the MS Society folks do if MS were actually cured? What would the BIG drug companies do if an inexpensive, non-patentable drug did more than their thousand dollar treatments? Some things to ponder.

I’ve been compounding and selling low dose naltrexone since 1999. Many of the original customers still use it. We sell many doses each month. According to “some people” all of those customers are deluded or experiencing nothing more than a placebo effect. If that’s the case then it is too easy to deceive a lot of people.

I think LDN has value for anyone who suffers from any sort of immune-based disorder. I also do no agree with the experts about the immune response issue when it comes to MS. The author of the article you are referring to writes the following;
“People with MS are advised to avoid any medication, dietary supplement, or other treatment that is touted as strengthening the immune response.”

That’s based on some very old, outdated ideas about immune diseases. There are basically two “camps” of MS researchers. One side says that MS is too little immune response. The other side says it’s too much immune response. Those are both MEDICAL OPINIONS. Neither side has any scientific evidence that would prove their position over the other. In fact, most of what we believe to be medical facts are merely opinions. In time they can change or be proven wrong (Karl Popper).

I think that anyone who would suggest that a person avoid strengthening their immune system is nuts; and I don’t care how many fancy degrees they have or how long they’ve worked in research.

The original article stated;
“There are, however, no published reports of placebo-controlled clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of naltrexone in any of these diseases. The marketing efforts rely entirely on anecdotal reports.”

That’s somewhat true. There are few scientific studies in the United States. Almost all drug studies are sponsored by a drug company – usually the one who would benefit from positive results. No drug company executive in his/her right mind would spend funds to prove the effectiveness of a product the company could not patent. Without the guarantee of huge profits from a patented product nothing will be studied.

There are people in other countries who are looking at LDN and the results are positive. Sadly, doctors in the U.S. are not inclined to accept any study results that were not done in the U.S. and funded by drug company dollars. I wonder why?

Furthermore, what’s wrong with anecdotal reports? Almost everything I buy, eat, wear, or use is because I have believed the reports of people who have tried or used the product before me. I do not rely on studies to tell me which car to buy or what food to eat. It is only the medical scientists who make a big deal about anecdotal reports, as if everyone who says something positive is either stupid or lying. I find neither of those to be the case. I depend on the reports of credible people for everything, including whether I use a drug or not.

The current scientific medical establishment is so goofed up that they are recommending drugs or surgery for almost everything that happens. When I was a kid, the ones who acted like today’s ADHD/ADD “patients” were the ones that were the most fun to be with. They were the athletes, the clowns and the actors. I have personal experience with a young male friend of the family. When he is doped up on Ritalin he is calm and attentive. When he is OFF his drugs he is active, intelligent and a lot of fun. He tells me that when THEY drug him he feels odd, but calm. He does not like the drugged feeling, but his doctors, teachers, and parents insist. That’s a great way to treat a kid!

And don’t get me started on the unnecessary surgeries performed each year.

Our medical system is wacko. If THEY tell me something is bad, I will surely look into it more carefully. I saw a doctor on television this morning telling people that they would be unwise to purchase flu vaccine from Mexico or Canada because only in the U.S. do we have the FDA who is looking out for our health. I almost choked. That’s the “party line” and all the docs in white coats with stethoscopes around their neck want to believe it. The FDA has a miserable track record and thousands die each year from FDA-approved drugs. The last group I want assuring me is the U.S. FDA.

I will not claim that LDN does anything at all. I point only to the thousands of doses we dispense each month to people who say it works for them. At the worst LDN is a harmless, low dose placebo. At the best it does what it is claimed to do. I’d wager that the truth lies someplace in between.

I applaud you for thinking on your own and searching for your own answers. Vast numbers of sheep-like people would think you’re nuts. The fact is just the opposite. The sheep will be the first to complain and the first to jump off the bridge. Some drugs, like LDN, may improve the situation for people with MS, but I can assure everyone that THEY will never find a drug that will cure it. They can’t and they really don’t want to. That’s the way it is for every chronic disease/condition. There are no drug cures for them. Research money for drug research is an embarrassing waste. The cures lie in the environment and our diet, not in a laboratory.