Customer Reviews

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders

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Elaine Moore and Samantha Wilkinson's (Sammy Jo) book on `Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy' is a much needed book. LDN therapy is an off-label use of an established, FDA approved drug - Naltrexone -- used to help modulate the immune system for autoimmune diseases like MS, Crohn's, and others. However, LDN therapy has also been proven beneficial for cancers by helping to reduce tumor size - in pancreatic cancer for example. The dose of Naltrexone used in LDN therapy is similar to the doses that are used in homeopathic medicines. It's good to have a reference that cites credible professionals describing the safety and efficacy of this therapy.

The information about LDN therapy is presented so that the average person (non medical) can understand the history behind LDN therapy, how LDN therapy works, and offer guidelines to help a patient talk to their doctor about the applicability of LDN therapy for their own health issues. I particularly liked how the writers broke chapters into smaller sections with clear, descriptive headings -- really made for easy reading even though some of the information is very technical.

There are a number of resources included in the book as well as a glossary and index. Specific conditions are also covered - like `autism' for example. Also, information about clinical trials is included. I especially found Sammy Jo's experience with MS and LDN to be very inspiring.

I particularly liked that the writers highlighted that the older theories of autoimmune disease proposed that the immune system was `hyperactive, strong, and easily stimulated'. Whereas new theories accept that the immune system in autoimmune disease is in-fact ` weak and ineffective'. I think this point is important because the confusion between the two theories hinders a lot of possible treatment options / therapies.

However, I think a doctor / medical professional will find the book most beneficial. Doctors don't have a lot of time to research --- this book consolidates a lot of the [current and historical] information about LDN therapy -- available on various websites -- into one place. It also includes information from LDN researchers that were interviewed and offers patient guidelines for a doctor considering prescribing LDN for their patient. I thought it was especially helpful that some LDN experienced doctors agreed to have their names published as a reference. These doctors offer phone consultations which will be helpful for not only for patients who cannot find a doctor willing to prescribe, but perhaps for other doctors as well.

The writers are very clear to point out that LDN therapy is NOT a cure for autoimmune disease nor cancers...but is to be used as a therapy to stop or slow the progression of disease. They also make the important point that larger, clinical trials are needed to allow LDN therapy to become more main stream and so that the larger medical community will become aware of this therapy. I agree with their assessment that a patient should be monitored by their doctor if they decide to try LDN therapy.

I want to thank the writers for creating a reference of information on LDN therapy that I'm sure will be helpful to a lot of people.

I had intended to write a longer review of this important book but many of the points to be made have been listed in previous reviews. I can, however, add an historical context for many of the points discussed.

In the late 70's, I was a graduate student in Neuroscience working on my dissertation on the effects of chronic alcohol consumption in an animal model. As background, I was required to know what treatments were being used to treat physical dependency and naltrexone was just starting to be used to treat both opiate addiction and alcohol dependency. While naltrexone did not turn out to be especially effective in treating alcohol dependency, I heard a number of stories "on the grapevine" of unexpected and (then) unexplained effects of naltrexone. I knew a number of respected investigators who were convinced that naltrexone had, in the right circumstances, remarkable positive effects with some individuals on conditions unrelated to dependency or addiction. I was intrigued, then, when I came across this book.

The authors do not make outrageous claims for low dose naltrexone; what they do, instead, is present a substantial body of information and number of scientific studies that argue convincingly for further investigation of the use of low dose naltrexone in a variety of conditions.

Hopefully, this book will be read by both medical researchers and patients whose conditions may be improved by low dose naltrexone therapy.

Let me keep it simple. This is an outstanding piece of work that everyone with any inflammatory/autoimmune/cancer problems should read, and every doctor should read. Not everyone will understand it, but most people will realize the potential this medication has in treating chronic and life-threatening illness. I speak from experience and it is changing my life for the better after 20 years of difficulty. The authors have gone to great lengths to present objective information, and to indicate the need for continuing education concerning "low dose naltrexone" treatment.

Like so many of Elaine Moore's other books, this one takes a complex subject - in this case how LDN influences biochemical and cellular processes and modifies the regulators of an immune system response - and puts it into a readable format for almost all levels of readers. It is well-written, engaging, science-based, and resourceful. Moore and her co-author Wilkinson do not portray LDN therapy as a "cure all", having avoided all the pitfalls of foregoing science for false promises, and have instead made the case for LDN use in such chronic diseases as multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, Crohn's disease, certain cancers, HIV/AIDS, and autism. The book factually describes the nature of the drug, its protocols, the bioprocesses involved, and what its influence is on various diseases. It also covers the extensive research and discoveries made by such notable scientists as Drs. Zagon and McLaughlin as well as the outcomes of various LDN studies and trials. The "promise" of low dose naltrexone is that it has done so much good for so many, and with further research and study into it, will surely receive further validation. Moore does a remarkable job of covering a lot of ground in one 213-page book. The book also includes a considerable back section of glossary of terms, resources, and list of clinical trials. Hopefully, this book will make its way to the desk of every physician who must treat chronic illnesses as LDN increasingly finds its way into the mainstream.

The Promise Of Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy: Potential Benefits in Cancer, Autoimmune, Neurological and Infectious Disorders

This book treats a very important subject: the use of an inexpensive generic drug in an off-label manner to treat a host of immune system dysfunctions from MS, Crohn's Disease, and thyroid diseases to various cancers. The drug should be included among a great many standard of care options physicians freely use in the attempt to ameliorate suffering. Unfortunately this book probably won't accomplish that. The information is excellent but the writing is not of a level that would attract professional consumers of information.

It is of supreme importance that doctors themselves are made aware of the benefits of low dose naltrexone. They often argue that there are no clinical trials to support its use and therefore cannot prescribe it. But that is not true. Doctors commonly use many drugs sans clinical trials for off-label purposes without thinking twice. They don't prescribe low dose naltrexone because they know nothing about it and therefore they do not discuss it among themselves. There are only a very few vehicles at hand capable of bringing low dose naltrexone to the attention of busy professionals and unfortunately this book is not among them.

That said, the book will be of immense use to patients desperate to find answers as to how to avoid the dangerous drugs they are often forced to accept in lieu of real help and/or to find relief for aliments untreatable by any drug currently listed in the accepted panoply of drugs. But the onus of doing all the work is still on the backs of suffering patients.

Another down side is the price: extremely high in consideration of the unprofessional level of writing.

I started taking Low Dose Naltrexone in early 2009 for my Hepatitis C and within months had tremendous results. My lab results showed a drop in my HCV viral load from over 1,500,000 to 47,000 and my liver enzymes had returned to normal for the first time since my diagnosis in 2002.

It was at this time that I purchased "The Promise of Low Dose Naltrexone" and read it from cover to cover. It enabled me to have a better understanding on how LDN works, particularly on immune disorders, such as Hepatitis B and C:

"In his studies on endogenous opiate, Ian Zagon has found that intermittent blockade of the receptor with low doses of opiate antagonist drugs upregulates production of endogenous opiates. Endogenous opiates such as metenkephalin and beta endorphin regulate homeostasis, immunity, wound healing and cellular removal.

However, persistent blockade of the opiate receptor and persistent elevations of endogenous opiates, particularly metenkephalin, contribute to cell growth. Several studies of hepatic encephalopathy, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C show that higher levels of metenkephalin in the liver are associated with more severe liver damage, cirrhosis, and the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Persistent blockade stimulates cell growth, including cancerous cell growth, whereas intermittent blockade with LDN has an inhibitory effect and restores homeostasis.

Along this line, low dose naltrexone has been shown to offer benefits in hepatic encephalopathy, viral hepatitis, and cholestasis-induced liver injury."

Wonderfully researched and easy to understand, this book is a must for every researcher, physician or for anyone who is interested in learning more about LDN and how it can help most disorders.

I love this book I have an Autoimmune disease and have been on most all of the standard medicines available. All made me extremely sick, lung collapsed, more pain,
adrenal failure etc. I found a Naturopath and she put me on LDN omg what a relief, I have been on the drug for 6 months and have found my life once again. Before LDN I was ready to retire and move into a nursing home (I am not old enough to retire) I could not function on those other meds. I wanted to just die because to live that way was inhumane. But LDN has changed all that. This book explains what you need to know about the drug. LDN has improved my skin, my hair (which fell out on the methotrexate drugs), reduced the pain, I am losing weight, a mole that turned black before the LDN therapy has completely gone away, cuts and bruises heal quickly and life seems better. I am not cured or completely healed - I still have a disease, I still have problems but compared to how I felt on all those other drugs that were suppressing my immune system I am happy. Plus LDN costs so much less than other drugs and I don't have to go in for monthly blood tests, or deal with horrible side effects. This book can change your life and save your money.

A perfect book for the serious minded patient who is researching treatment for immune system mediated diseases. This field is growing so swiftly that this book could already use an update, but it is by far the most detailed and up to date book of its subject. It is understandable by both doctors and their patients. A must-read for those whose chronic illnesses include MS, Crohn's disease and its relatives, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and the major mental illnesses. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book, full of information about the history and current uses of LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone), for all sorts of illnesses. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their health, from auto-immune diseases to allergies.

P. Fox

Everyone with cancer, an autoimmune disorder, or a chronic viral infection should read this book, as should the doctors who take care of those patients. LDN offers the promise of an effective, non-toxic therapy for a host of diseases that are difficult or impossible to manage with conventional medical treatment.