The Promise of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy
Book Review of Elaine Moore's and Samantha Wilkinson's LDN Textbook
Jun 23, 2009
Elaine Moore is a medical technologist who has written several medical textbooks (mostly about autoimmune diseases) and Samantha "SammyJo" Wilkinson is an LDN activist who has multiple sclerosis. Together they have authored a fascinating volume explaining the benefits of low dose naltrexone therapy and the scientific foundations of it.
About Low Dose Naltrexone
Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist (a drug that blocks opioid receptors) which is used in the treatment of narcotic and alcohol addiction. In doses of about 1/10 of those normally used, it only results in temporary blockage of these receptors. This stimulates the body to produce more of its own endogenous opioids, resulting in powerful immunomodulatory and neuroprotective actions.
This is the foundation of low dose naltrexone (LDN) therapy, which has been used since the 1980s in the treatment of e.g. autoimmune diseases (especially multiple sclerosis), HIV infection, neurodegenerative diseases and most types of cancer. It has the benefits of being very safe, well-tolerated and inexpensive. Unlike most treatments for autoimmune disease, it is not an immunosuppressant.
While there have only been a handful of clinical trials, the scientific evidence behind the mechanisms of the therapy is vast. Unfortunately for patients, most doctors still don't know about this therapy, but hopefully Moore's and Wilkinson's textbook will change this.
Contents
The Promise of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy (McFarland, 2008, ISBN 978-0786437153) starts off with the history of opioids and naltrexone, which was developed to treat heroin addicts. By blocking the opioid receptors it also blocks the pleasure achieved from narcotic drugs. Unfortunately it also blocks the endogenous opioid peptides binding from these receptors, resulting in troublesome side effects.
Several doctors like Ian Zagon and Bernard Bihari were studying naltrexone in the early 1980s and noticed that low doses of the drug have effects opposite to those of high doses. E.g. high doses stimulate the growth of cancers while low doses have the opposite effect. Bihari also found that naltrexone can have very beneficial effects in HIV infection and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, often completely halting illness progression.
The Promise of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy focuses on the use of LDN in the treatment of autoimmune diseases (especially MS and Crohn's disease where it has been studied the most), cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease, but also in autism, for promoting wound healing and for the suppressive effect it has on viruses and some bacteria.
Possible etiologies of these illnesses are also discussed, including somewhat controversial theories like MS not being autoimmune and on the other hand the possibility of autism being an autoimmune disease. Strangely chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis or CFS/ME (which despite being as serious and much more common than MS is only discussed in passing) is claimed to be an autoimmune disease, even though there is no convincing evidence of this.
Most of the contents focus on the science, not anecdotes, though the book also features the compelling story of Samantha Wilkinson, who has multiple sclerosis and had tried just about everything before finally finding relief in low dose naltrexone. There is also plenty of information about prescribing, acquiring and actual use of LDN.
Overview
The book is very well researched with plenty of scientific explanations of the reasons why LDN works in a variety of seemingly different illnesses and conditions. Some of these are also explained with illustrations. There are plenty of references and also information about the LDN studies that have only been published in conferences. It is also balanced and does not encourage false hopes or treat LDN as a panacea.
The book includes quite a lot of repetitive parts and some parts could have used more copyediting, but only a few insignificant factual errors could be found. The Promise of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy is a convincing and compelling medical textbook which should be read by everyone with autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases, HIV/AIDS or cancer, and doctors treating these illnesses.
See Also
Immunostimulant Drugs for Autoimmune Disease
