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Summary:
Dr. Nasha Winters is from Colorado in the US. She is a naturopathic doctor, a licensed acupuncturist, and holds a diploma in Oriental medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology, having completed continuing training in naturopathic and integrative oncology. In 2014 she sold her private practice and became a consultant for clients around the world who want more access to integrative approaches to oncology.
She was introduced to low dose naltrexone (LDN) when she worked in Durango Colorado. In that area are mercury plants and coal-burning plants, so a lot of thyroid, endocrine, and autoimmune conditions. Around 2004, one client with severe multiple sclerosis asked her about LDN, and found a doctor to prescribe it. Within a few months the patient was out of her wheelchair and back to full life functioning. Dr. Winters explored LDN more and started using it in patients with autoimmune and endocrine issues, chronic insomnia, and anxiety patterns. She started seeing quality of life and other conditions really change in patients. About 2008-9 she heard about its use in cancer, and by 2010 she was using LDN in about 80% of her cancer patients at some point in their treatment.
As for side effects, extreme muscle cramping, especially in their legs at night, was one that made LDN intolerable for a few patients, despite adjunctive support like magnesium, potassium, IV drips, and lowered dosage. A few could not tolerate the sleep disruption, and do better with lower doses and titrating up a bit slower. A few needed to remain at a lower dose, but most handle 4.5 mg well. Generally patients start at 1.5 mg LDN for a week, then 3 mg for a week, then 4.5 mg, and within a couple weeks have significant changes in their sense of wellbeing, changes in inflammatory markers, the adrenal stress index and the circadian rhythm. She does various hormone testings during treatment with LDN, and typically sees a big change in how the body is processing the hormones.
With a patient base mostly with stage 4 cancer, including those with auto-immune processes going on, Dr. Winters promotes a low-glycemic or ketogenic type diet, one nutrient-dense and organic, organic because we are what we eat and what our food eats, so you want to make sure it is clean, or avoid it. She is a proponent of a mitochondrial reboot, an approach popularized by Dr. Terry Wahls, with 9 cups of vegetables daily. Thus a vegetable-rich foundation, and secondly, quality fats with condiments of quality protein. Sugar is removed from the diet as much as possible, including extreme limitation of fruit. She follows labs, such as insulin growth factor, C reactive protein test HsCRP, and blood insulin levels, and when they improve, they can try to increase fruit and more starchy vegetables intake.
She sees a lot of autoimmunities and leaky gut issues in the cancer population, so she keeps them off grains, from the lectins and the inflammatory markers in the high starch and sugar content fruits and vegetables. Once their blood sugar stabilizes some of those can be reintroduced, but she finds most of her patients do much better completely off grains and limiting or avoiding legumes.
Dr. Winters tries to do as much through diet and lifestyle modification, but a few supplements are key. Vitamin D has a big role in oncology autoimmunity, hormonal balance, blood sugar balance, the inflammatory processes, and epigenetics. There are theories that vitamin D deficiency can impact our internal endocannabinoid system and our opiate system and how we respond. This may be why LDN is such a benefit as an immunomodulator. She also does SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) analysis on all patients. Magnesium also is important, and synergizes well with LDN, and works with the way the body processes hormones and stress hormone.
She uses supplements based on what labs tests show. For example, with a high fibrinogen and a lot of inflammation she might use proteolytic enzymes; or things like lumbrokinase to lower ferritin, often high in these chronic conditions. She might do therapeutic blood draws if their marrow is good, then add on avoiding red meat and cast iron cookware if needed, to lower ferritin.
Hormonal balance and blood sugar control are key. She works a lot with natural angiogenesis inhibitors such as oral or IV alpha lipoic acid combined with LDN, like Dr. Burt Berkson’s protocol, especially with aggressive cancer, or liver metastases.
Although Dr. Winters does not diagnose or treat any more, to have her help you sort through your data and create a roadmap to get you to the best fitted practitioner available, go to her website https://www.drnasha.com/. Her website has many valuable resources; and information about her book, a compendium on integrative oncology with a foundation in nutrition and therapeutic diet. She can be emailed at info@drnasha.com. She also is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/drnashainc/, where she posts articles and blogs and information.
Summary from Dr. Nasha Winters, listen to the video for the show.
Keywords: LDN, low dose naltrexone, cancer, vitamin D, hormones, ketogenic, alpha lipoic acid, autoimmune, glucose