LDN Video Interviews and Presentations

Kate was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7. Her diabetes and insulin needs were not changed on LDN. After treatment for Lyme disease with antibiotics and herbals, LDN gave Kate relief of her remaining symptoms. Finding LDN was like the magic bullet. Her Hashimoto's antibodies went up on LDN when the dose was too high. She is still working to find the right dose for her Hashimoto's symptoms, with headaches being her main side effect of a too-high dose.

Linda Elsegood: Welcome to the LDN radio show brought to you by the LDN Research Trust I'm your host, Linda Elsegood. I have an exciting lineup of guest speakers who are LDN experts in their field. We will be discussing low-dose naltrexone and its many uses in autoimmune diseases, cancers, etc. Thank you for joining us.

Linda: Today we're joined by Kay from the United States who uses LDN for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and fibromyalgia. Thank you for joining us today. Kaye. Thank you for having me. So could you tell us how long ago was it when you first got sick?

Kay: Honestly it was probably 40 years ago. I'm 58 now and when I completed high school, I started having symptoms of thyroid problems. So it was it was a very long time. So what did they do at that time, such a long while ago? They told me it was anxiety and they totally the doctor totally blew it off and they never did any sort of testing. They never did blood tests. They didn't do an ultrasound; they didn't do anything. Even though I had a constant sense of a lump in my throat and issues with sleeping and anxiety, and quite a number of issues that come with thyroid problems. And it wasn't until after I was married and I had two young children and I was working full-time that I just simply got to the point where I just felt like I couldn't function. And I went to the doctor. And he finally took it seriously. That was a different doctor, but unfortunately my labs for my thyroiditis all they ran was simply the TSH and they said, oh you're perfectly fine and they diagnosed me with fibromyalgia at that time. So I was kind of stuck with that diagnosis for a period of time as well, without any real good answers at that time.

And that kind of progressed, and it was probably another five years or so before anything more significant came out of that. I noticed one day a very large lump in my throat and went to the doctor, ended up with a surgeon and had my thyroid removed, and they diagnosed me as having Hashimoto's. I had two different types of growths on my thyroid and a very large cyst, and the surgeon actually said that it was the most diseased thyroid he had ever seen, and he was absolutely convinced it was cancerous. It turned out not to be, but it was clear why I had been so ill and having so much difficulty in functioning at that point. 

Linda: Wow. So what did they put you on once they removed the thyroid? 

Kay: They simply put me on just a T-4 only medicine and I felt absolutely terrible, and I literally thought that I was going to die. I thought the doctors were going to let me die. At that point my children were probably 14 and 16, and I simply just hoped and prayed that I would live long enough to see them graduate from high school. That that was how bad I felt.  I could I could hardly function. I was continuing to work full-time because I needed to, but I did not have any emotional capacity to deal with raising teenagers and having a husband and living life. It was just incredibly difficult and I just started googling and looking for answers, and thank goodness for the internet these days, right, because you know we can find stuff we couldn't find before So, I ended up at a doctor that was more holistically minded, and that doctor put me on Armour thyroid, so I had the T-3 and the T-4, and I started to feel like okay, I can live now; I can start to function. But I was still having a lot of issues, a lot of fibromyalgia pain.  I was having terrible insomnia. I was on multiple medicines to sleep. Dealing with a lot of anxiety, IBS, TMJ; I've got a laundry list of acronyms that I was dealing with. I came upon low-dose naltrexone myself, and I approached my doctor and asked her if she would prescribe it and she said yes, that she had a number of patients on it and she was happy to prescribe it.  So I kind of got lucky in getting a prescription for it. 

Linda: How did it affect you when you first started? 

Kay: When I first started taking it, really the only side effect I had was just vivid dreams. And I think I started it I 1.5 milligrams. That was fine. Did that for two weeks, bumped to 3 milligrams. That was fine, and did that for a couple weeks. Then when I bumped to 4.5 milligrams, I started to have some of the vivid dreams, and I bounced back and forth between 3 milligrams and 4.5 milligrams for a couple of weeks until I could just consistently stay at 4.5 milligrams.

Linda: And how long ago was that?  

Kay: That that was about 12 years ago. 

Linda: Well so you've been on LDN a long time.  

Kay: I have been quite a while, and I'm still on it. 

Linda: And do you have any thyroid issues now at all?  

Kay: I'm still dealing with some issues. About 4 years ago I ended up exiting a very toxic marriage, and doing that helped tremendously in reducing the amount of stress and anxiety in my life. I ended up changing to a different doctor, who really encouraged me to change my diet dramatically. So I eliminated all grains and all sugar, and that has helped tremendously. Reducing the stress, getting out of a toxic environment is huge. Just the emotional stress that happens takes a very physical toll on our bodies, and I think that often we underestimate the impact of it. And so for me, low dose naltrexone is part of a bigger package of things that I do to take care of myself. It wasn't the magic elixir that solved my whole life problems, because I had a number of things going on in my body, and a number of things going on in my life that needed additional changes to really create an impact.

Linda: What about the fibromyalgia pain? Is that under control? 

Kay: It is really under control. I'm struggling with a torn rotator cuff, and so another problem like that, it still throws your body off. As you age other things start to go awry as well. But no as far as fibromyalgia goes; no I don't really have any fibromyalgia pain. In fact three weeks ago, I went on a hiking trip with a friend and I had no pain and no stiffness and no soreness after hiking like 15 miles a day through fairly rugged terrain. 

Linda: So that speaks volumes, doesn't it? 

Kay: It does speak volumes.

Linda: Now I probably know the answer to this question because you spoke about diet, which was going to be one of my questions. But because your doctor was looking at your whole body, not just your symptoms, did she recommend supplements for you to take as well?

Kay: This doctor is a male; it's different. He also was willing to prescribe low dose naltrexone, and he knows what supplements I am on, and he has not necessarily recommended that I change them, or that I add to it. I am on a number of supplements.

Linda: Do you take probiotics?

Kay: I do take probiotics. I also take magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 and K2. Those are kind of my staples.

Linda: Yes, when I ask doctors what supplements they recommend, probiotics is always up there as the top one, as is Vitamin D. You're doing remarkably well. I can't believe that somebody who must have been like 14 at the time, had all these problems, and they were just swept under the carpet. But so many people tell me that years ago, and not that many years ago either, that it's all in your mind; there's nothing wrong with you; it's all in your mind, or you're depressed and give you antidepressants rather than finding out why you've got the symptoms, finding the root cause. I'm just so pleased that you have managed now to get your life back on track where you feel you're in control and you can enjoy a good quality of life 

Kay: Honestly I feel better now than I did 20 years ago. I have I have no anxiety anymore; I used to have a lot of anxiety. I had issues with sleeping; I am off all of my sleeping meds; I only use melatonin now for sleep. I used to live on over-the-counter pain medicines, Tylenol, ibuprofen; I only take them very very rarely now; maybe once a month rather than three times a day or more. Just so many things that have resolved.

Linda: That's amazing, because all the medications that you can take, some of them are quite toxic and also all medications carry the risk of some side effects, and the more medicines you take, the higher the risk of getting side effects, and then you end up taking the magic pill to combat the side effects that the original pills have made. So to actually cleanse your body of all of these other medications that you're taking, even though you're 20 years older now, you said you felt better; your body is 20 years older, but you're still feeling better than you did 20 years ago. That's amazing, isn't it? Apart from your shoulders - hopefully that will heal soon. How did you hurt it?  

Kay: I had a bone spur that tore the supraspinatus, which caused too much stress on the infraspinatus and so that one also had a tear, and kind of the whole the whole shoulder system just went downhill. We're still working on that. 

Linda: So you just want to rest it.  Are you, as much as you can? 

Kay: Trying to rest it, and then also exercise it and strengthen it, it’s working well. 

Linda: Well that's it: if you don't use it completely, you lose it. Well thank you very much for sharing your story with us today, Kay. Very remarkable. You're an amazing lady. 

Kay: Oh thank you, thank you. Now I just wish everyone well who tries the low dose naltrexone. Just don't underestimate the impact of changing little things in your life, because lots of little things add up to significant differences.

Any questions or comments you may have please email me, Linda, at linda@ldnrt.org. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time stay safe and keep well.
 

Linda Elsegood: Welcome to the LDN radio show brought to you by the LDN Research Trust I'm your host, Linda Elsegood. I have an exciting lineup of guest speakers who are LDN experts in their field. We will be discussing low-dose naltrexone and its many uses in autoimmune diseases, cancers, etc. Thank you for joining us.

Today I'm joined by Tracey from the US who initially took LDN for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Thank you for joining us today, Tracey.

Tracey: Thank you for having me. 

Linda Elsegood: So could you tell us how easy was it to get your initial diagnosis of Hashimoto's?

Tracey: It actually was not easy. After I had my second child I could just tell, even though I had a child, the fatigue was extreme, hair falling out, inability to lose the baby weight, and just a lot of different things. So I went to a primary care. I did get tested and they did say I was hypothyroid, but it took until 3 years later until I went to a naturopath for them to actually test, which it's kind of crazy, because it's really just one test. They tested my antibodies and realized I had Hashimoto's. Because I got that diagnosis with the naturopath, I stuck with that office, because they seemed to be working better with me.

Linda Elsegood: Okay, so what was the length of time it took from when you had your child to having the actual diagnosis?

Tracey: I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism originally within six months, and they gave me Synthroid, which really did not help very much. I was still exhausted. Maybe it helped me about 15%, and I just kind of struggled along with that for about 3 years. I went to an endocrinologist. Same thing. They just said just stay on Synthroid. And finally, I moved, and I went to a naturopath. They did the test, realized it was Hashimoto's, and then also switched me from Synthroid to natural desiccated thyroid, which changed my life. It really did. I felt like I wasn't hypothyroid or Hashimoto's anymore. I still struggled a little later with some fatigue, but it helped me about 80%. Then, I guess it was around 9 years ago, my naturopath said there had been studies - the office really kept up with trends and studies - and they really researched a lot, which is another reason I like going to a naturopath; and they told me about low-dose naltrexone, LDN. I had not heard of it, and most people at that time, because it's a while ago, had not heard of it. He gave me some research. I did some of my own research, and I started taking it. I started taking it about five years into my hypothyroidism, so it was about a year after I got diagnosed with Hashimoto's. And I titered up, and it made a big difference within literally just two months. I know they say it can take longer, but for me I noticed within two months. 

Linda Elsegood: So it was like you say, a long while ago now, but did you have any side effects? Can you remember when you started? 

Tracey: Well I know some people take tiny tiny amounts and they titer up really slowly. I split one 4.5 mg pill into four, so I took a quarter of that for three or four days, and then a half for three or four days. I really didn't have any side effects. I think the first night I had a little insomnia, and the first three days some unique dreams. And that's really it. I was one of the lucky ones that I just didn't have too many side effects at all. I had energy within one or two weeks. I felt extra energy in the day, which was great, because fatigue was one of my bigger problems. So I never ever had really any bad side effects. 

Linda Elsegood: Wow. So, comparing your life now to how it was before you started LDN, how would you describe it? 

Tracey: It's just much better. Fatigue, as a lot of people know, can really be debilitating. It can just affect your whole day. I used to be exhausted from about one o'clock in the afternoon until five, and I would be in the middle of working, or when I was younger taking care of my kids and working, so I had to stop for three or four hours and sit down or lay down. I don't have to do that anymore. I've just been staying on the 4.5 all these years. Unfortunately, last year I got diagnosed with seronegative RA. At least that's what we think it is, and so I am looking at increasing that to the 6 mg because there's been studies since nine years ago, of using it for RA in a slightly higher dose. So I'm just starting to play around with that. 

Linda Elsegood: And how's it making you feel increasing the dose?

Tracey: I just started the 6 mg about two weeks ago. I don't notice a huge difference, but I do know my doctor told me that sometimes to change RA with anti-inflammatory reasons, it could take a month or two. So I'm just gonna keep going with that, because there are some other people with RA who I talked to that are doing really well on that dose. I only take it at night. I know some people dose twice a day, but I feel like my body needs the 18 hours to cycle through the whole LDN cycle.

Linda Elsegood: Okay, so are you following a regime from your naturopath, on diet and supplements as well? 

Tracey: Yes, I've been taking so many supplements for years, probably the typical ones that most people take, you know the turmeric and black seed oil, B vitamins, D, C, all of those. I also take resveratrol and glutathione just for liver cleansing, and I do I did the ALP diet when I got diagnosed with the seronegative RA. I started the AIP diet, and after the 30 day elimination, I moved into basically a paleo diet. No sugars, processed food, stay away from gluten. And that definitely helps me, about 20 to 25 percent the diet alone. I feel a combination between LDN, my supplements, my diet and I do take one other mild RA drug, first line drug hydroxychloroquine, so maybe between all of them they all work around 20 percent. I can get back to my normal self.

Linda Elsegood: How did you know you've got RA? Were you getting lots of joint pain? 

Tracey: Yes, it kind of came out of the blue. I do know that people that have one auto inflammatory disease are prone to get others. It really was out of the blue. One day for years, working out five, six times a week, hiking, yoga, etc, at the gym. Then I started to feel knee pain, and I thought it was from running too much, so I stopped running. And the knee pain didn't go away. Then I started to get wrist pain, and then thumb pain, elbow pain, shoulder pain, and that's when I knew this is not from exercising. And I was in denial for a month or two, and it was pretty excruciating, I'll say. It escalated very quickly, and from what I've heard from a lot of other people, that's actually common, unfortunately. So I started my process, going to my primary care, and they sent me to different doctors, and I finally landed at a rheumatologist. I'm one of those people where my blood work was perfect, my RA and lupus and all of those, ANA, were all negative. The only thing I had was high inflammatory markers, which show that you're inflamed and in pain, so you don't look like a crazy person. They just started examining my joints, and they call that seronegative RA. Some doctors call that inflammatory arthritis, with the hopes that it will go away, but next month will be a year or so.

Linda Elsegood: That's a long time isn't it? 

Tracey: Yeah; I don't I don't think it's going away. 

Linda Elsegood: Who is guiding you with your LDN? Your naturopath still? 

Tracey: The naturopath is still guiding me with my LDN and my supplements. Rheumatologists generally go right away to medication, pharmaceuticals, which I understand, but I take all my test results and all of the suggestions from my rheumatologist, and I go to my naturopath, and we discuss it, because he'll spend more time with me. We kind of agree on what the next step will be trying to take things conservatively. So that's how I landed on hydroxychloroquine, but also the diet and the supplements. Since nine ten years ago, there have now been studies for RA where they're using it in slightly higher doses, all the way up to 9 mg actually. He sent me all studies, and I thought I would go ahead and try that, and very slowly titer up. I like to do one thing at a time so I can see what's working. 

Linda Elsegood: Yes, it gets a bit confusing doesn't it, if you start too many things at the same time. 

Tracey: Right. I had started that hydroxychloroquine and thankfully had zero side effects, and I let that work a few months, and then then I started increasing the LDN. I've only been doing that about 12 days, so we'll see. Hopefully, in another month or two, because I think it will be gradual - I don't think I'll just wake up with no pain. I think it will be more gradual, looking at my pain level over a whole month versus just day to day. 

Linda Elsegood:  Yes, well the good news is I know of two rheumatologists that will actually prescribe LDN as a first-line treatment. The LDN Research Trust has been going over 18 years now, and the message is spreading well. It's not just naturopaths anymore. Conventional medicine doctors who find that their patients need extra help, and they've tried everything, and there isn't anything extra. Many of these doctors have looked outside the box to see what else there is out there that they can prescribe to help their patients. I know of neurologists, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, a lot of consultant doctors, who are interested in using LDN. When I started LDN in 2003 there weren't that many doctors prepared to even look at LDN. There were pockets of doctors all over. But it's a lot easier now for people to get LDN than it ever was before.  Are you still with the same naturopath that you…? 

Tracey: Yes I'm with the same naturopath for, I believe it's 10 or 11 years already. People can still see a rheumatologist or endocrinologist or whatever, but it's really nice to also have a functional doctor or naturopath to run things by them as well, or to find a doctor that mixes alternative, western, eastern medicine, and looks at all sides. A lot of the drugs for RA, multiple sclerosis, etc, Crohn's are pretty serious drugs with hefty side effects. I like that you know rheumatologists that will start with LDN first instead of running to methotrexate or these other low-dose chemo drugs.

Linda Elsegood:  Methotrexate, I know there are people who have said it's helped really well initially, but as you were saying, the side effects are high. They're very toxic drugs. 

Tracey: Very much even at low dose. 

Linda Elsegood:  If LDN if it's not going to do you any good it's not going to do any harm. It's not a toxic drug. It's safe to try without running the risks of getting awful side effects. So, what would you say to people who are skeptical about trying LDN, because there are still people out there who like alternative therapies and LDN is still a drug, and some people are like no, I don't want to take drugs, any drugs, doesn't matter that it's a low dose and it's not harmful, it's still a drug. What would you say to people from your experience about giving LDN a try? 

Tracey: Well, I had an excellent experience basically. No side effects. But I do know that some people need to titer up more slowly, which they can do. I just feel like the side effect profile for LDN is so minimal, and from what I know, and I have read quite a bit of studies, nothing, no side effects are permanent, and it's such a low percentage of people that continue on and the side effects don't go away for them. It has such a high success rate versus side effects. I just feel that they should research that, and I know occasionally somebody will say naltrexone, you know they'll look it up right away and they don't understand low dose naltrexone is different than naltrexone. Everybody absolutely has to know the two different situations, and just read the studies. I haven't found one study that says really anything negative. Like you said, the worst thing that will happen is three months later you find it didn't work for you. It helped me greatly with Hashimoto's, and it basically changed my daily life, so I'm hoping that will also change my RA effects as well. 

Linda Elsegood: Well amazing story, and thank you very much for having shared it with us today. 

Tracey: You are very welcome.

Linda Elsegood: Any questions or comments you may have please email me at Contact@ldnresearchtrust.org I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time, stay safe and keep well. 

The LDN 3: To Purchase with discounts before 1st September 2022 Go to ldnresearchtrust.org/ldn-book-3 for full details

Summary:

Ellen is from the United States and takes LDN for lupus, Sjogren’s, Hashimoto's and interstitial cystitis, and for pain. She is in her 70s, and began with autoimmune issues at 24. When she started LDN, she quickly had this overall feeling of feeling good, and was able to increase her activity levels greatly.

Full edited text:

Linda Elsegood: Welcome to the LDN Radio Show brought to you by the LDN Research Trust. I'm your host, Linda Elsegood. I have an exciting lineup of guest speakers who are LDN experts in their field. We will be discussing low-dose naltrexone and its many uses in autoimmune diseases, cancers, etc. Thank you for joining us.

Today I'd like to introduce Ellen from the United States, who uses LDN for multiple conditions. Thank you for joining us today, Ellen

Ellen: You're welcome. Thanks for interviewing me.

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us what it is you take LDN for

Ellen: I take LDN for autoimmune diseases. I have lupus, Sjogren’s, Hashimoto's and interstitial cystitis. But, I was hoping to take it to get rid of pain

Linda Elsegood: Right. When did these conditions start? How long have you had them?

Ellen: I got Hashimoto's when I was 24 years old, and interstitial cystitis in my 30s, and I think I might have had lupus in my 40s, but I don't know, you know, people would say, why is your face… So I think it was the butterfly rash. I was tired all the time. I had pain all the time. I just thought that's what everybody lived with. Then the <rainy> started in my late 30s and early 40s, and we moved away from this small town in north-central Pennsylvania, and I moved to Savannah, Georgia, and I began to play tennis every day for hours, and I didn't use any sunblock, and all of a sudden, my head, this terrible rash itching, and then I got really tired. I was diagnosed with lupus actually at age 61. Then, in my 40s, I got ulcers on my cornea from dry eyes, but nobody picked up on that, and so recently, my eye doctor said I had Sjogren's, and I had another rheumatologist say yes, you have Sjogren's. So it's just like, everything kind of, just every decade, it’s something new.

Linda Elsegood: What did the medical professionals do to help you cope with what you were experiencing?

Ellen: Oh, nothing, because I don't think I told anybody, because they thought I was normal. This was normal. I know I had two young children 21, 20 months apart, and my husband was a lot older, so I did everything, and it was very stressful, the Hashimoto’s. I think I know that my aunt and two uncles had Hashimoto's, so that was sort of, I guess inherited. I'm not sure if you can say that. But the other things that came on, I think it was I had very high-stress in my 30s, in my 40s, and my 50s, and then when my husband died, I don't know. It was kind of a relief, but he was older, and he was kind of stressful. An interesting thing is that I moved to Savannah, Georgia, when I met my third, but I was never too sure.

So, what LDN has done for me: the very first time I took it, I just had this overall feeling of feeling good. I felt positive. I felt like I could do the laundry, I could cook dinner, I could swim, I could play tennis. Yeah, it was just wonderful, how easy was it to get a prescription. Well, I thought it was easy. Even though I was in my 60s - a lot of people aren't familiar with the internet and stuff - I just went on the internet. I looked at your webpage, and I found how to find a doctor, and I arranged an interview and paid my hundred dollars, and he prescribed it for me. It was real easy.

Linda Elsegood: And how long ago was that?

Ellen: the only time I had side effects is when I went up to six milligrams. I thought if I took a larger amount, maybe the pain would be less, but I kind of had hot flashes. I was really hot and sweat profusely, and then I would get real cold, so I went back down to three. Now three seems to be okay.

Linda Elsegood: And what are your pain levels like on three?

Ellen: Well, my pain is not too bad, but I think it's some other things that I'm taking. I am not really sure if yes, low dose naltexone is reducing the pain, but I feel good on it so I just keep taking it. Yes, I feel good. I feel good,

Linda Elsegood: If you were to rate your quality of life prior to starting LDN, what would it have been?

Ellen: My quality of life was pretty low. I didn't feel well. I was so tired and just lethargic, and I just kind of did a lot of sitting around, and all of a sudden, I took it, and it was RESULT. I feel good. I think the release of the endorphins just makes you feel better. It could be, I just don't know, but I don't have a lot of pain right now. I don't, so it's good. It's good. It could be the LDN, it could be, yeah.

Linda Elsegood: Do you have any thyroid problems, and what about the cystitis, is that under control?

Ellen: I cope with it; I don't notice it during the daytime. When I go to bed at night, I have pain; I take two muscle relaxers at night and the low dose naltexone, and it's not excruciating pain. I'm so used to it. I just sort of go okay, take a deep breath. It's just a nuisance, basically. I did have treatment for that at one time, and I'm thinking about doing that again, but for now I’m just trying to ignore it, and to be frank with you, I eat too much citrus things, and that's a real irritant. If I would cut down on that, it would be better. Coffee isn't good even for bladder, and I love my coffee. I'm just going to be 73 in August, and I just don't want to do certain things. I just want to live my life, and I'll put up with the pain. But I told you, I play golf and I play tennis, and I swim on the swim team, so to speak - I go to swim, me! So yeah, I'm doing okay lady!

Linda Elsegood: What about the dry eyes? How are you coping with that?

Ellen: That is really amazing. I have been doing my drops twice a day now, and if I do that, I seem to be doing well. I also have a prescription in the refrigerator from my eye doctor, with the prednisone drop, so if my eyes flare up, I'll use the drops, and the eye doctor is okay with that. She will check the pressure in my eyes to make sure it's okay, but the dry eye can be really bad. And then the dry mouth is a nightmare, which is… So, I have a lot of things that could make people depressed ,but I guess I've just sort of gotten used to it, and I just get up every day, and I try to do everything I can do and try not to overdo it.

But today, I did. I went to my garden, and I stayed too long. I am in bed.

Linda Elsegood: I hope you recuperate quickly. I mean, we, it's something I think we all tend to do when you feel good. You want to do as much as you can while you feel good, and then you have to pay it back with interest. Do you manage to bounce back quickly? I mean, would the next day, like tomorrow, be okay or would you still be really fatigued?

Ellen: Well, I was so bad when I got home. We decided to take another five milligrams of low dose naltrexone in the hopes of keeping a square away, so I did that. And I won't be on that one, but I take five milligrams, I took an extra one.

Linda Elsegood: Thank you for sharing your story with us today. I hope you get enough rest today to feel fighting fit tomorrow.

Any questions or comments you may have, please email me, Linda, at contact@ldnresearchtrust.org. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciated your company. Until next time, stay safe and keep well.

Ellen takes LDN for Lupus, Sjogren’s, Hashimoto's and interstitial cystitis, and for pain. She is in her 70s, and began with autoimmune issues at 24. When she started LDN, she quickly had this overall feeling of feeling good, and was able to increase her activity levels greatly.

LDN Webinar Presentation 18 May 2022: Dr Mathewson - LDN as supportive care for Oncology and Autoimmune patients: Case Reviews

Sponsored by Innovative Compounding Pharmacy https://icpfolsom.com/

LDN Webinar Presentation 18 May 2022: Dr Sato-Re - How and why I prescribe LDN in my integrative and general practice

Sponsored by Innovative Compounding Pharmacy https://icpfolsom.com/

LDN Webinar 18 May 2022 (LDN; low dose naltrexone)

LDN Questions Answered Live by

Pharmacist Dr Masoud Rashidi - LDN Specialist
Dr Sato-Re
Dr Mathewson

Sponsored by Innovative Compounding Pharmacy icpfolsom.com

Sakina Davis, MD - Hashimotos and LDN (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr. Salina Davis practices Functional medicine and knows the heartache of Hashimoto’s as does her daughter. She describes the testing process and the various treatments for it. She prescribes LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) to her patients and utilizes it herself. During this interview, she gives great suggestions on diet and nutrition and life style changes.

Review by Ken Bruce

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A fellowship-trained physician, Sakina Davis MD, FAARM, ABAARM, provides outstanding care to her patients. At Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center in The Woodlands, Texas, Dr. Davis delivers a wide range of medical spa services. She takes pride in helping patients achieve each of their medical and aesthetic goals.

Dr. Davis graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. She completed her internship in internal medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine –Jacksonville. Later, Dr. Davis performed her residency in family medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

For many years, Dr. Davis specialized in family medicine and general practice. But she always held a passion for functional medicine and anti-aging care. In 2005, she established Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center so that she could help patients prevent illness and achieve optimal health.

Dr. Davis believes that hormone balance is the key to wellness. At Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center, she specializes in hormone optimization like hormone pellet therapy. Hormone-balancing treatments can help stimulate weight loss and boost energy levels. Dr. Davis is also proud to offer a wide range of weight-management services to help patients feel their best.

Dr. Davis takes pride in delivering a cutting-edge approach to functional medicine and healthy weight management. She’s fellowship-trained in metabolic and nutritional medicine and board-certified in anti-aging and functional medicine. Dr. Davis has also developed her own skin care line, available at Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center. Sanavi skin care products use natural, botanical ingredients to deliver exceptional results.

When she isn’t assisting patients, Dr. Davis enj oys spending time with her family and giving back to the Woodlands community. She is involved in the Montgomery County Food Bank, Interfaith of The Woodlands, and CASA Advocates for Children. She has also chaired the American Heart Association Luncheon.

Please visit our website ldnresearchtrust.org which is packed with information on Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for Autoimmune Conditions, Cancers, Chronic Pain, Women's Health, Children's Health etc, plus we have a very active FB Closed Group facebook.com/groups/LDNRT/

Charlotte - US: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 03 July 2019 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: Today, my guest is Charlotte from the United States, who takes LDN for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Thank you for joining us today, Charlotte. Could you tell us how old you were when you noticed there was something wrong with you? 

Charlotte: So I noticed something was going on with me around the age of 30. After I had my daughter, I started to have some symptoms of rashes and extreme fatigue, and then I just thought it was just age. I really didn't know what was wrong. 

Linda Elsegood: So what did you do? Did you tell your doctor at that time or did you just grin and bear it? 

Charlotte: At that time I talked to my doctor and of course I got the typical treatment. “We'll put you on some allergy medicine for the rash. You're a young mom with two children. You're tired for that reason.” I lived with the symptoms, and it wasn't actually until about a year ago that I started to really consult with my doctor to dig deeper and find out what was wrong with me. So I actually got diagnosed with Hashimoto's in the fall of 2017, so fairly recently.

Linda Elsegood: So when you were diagnosed at that point, what would you say a normal day for you was like? 

Charlotte: Oh, it was completely awful. A normal day would be sleeping for 10 hours through the night, but waking up around 3:00 AM, feeling completely exhausted after sleeping 10 hours. I remember almost falling asleep on the way to work. So even after sleeping all that time, I can only really describe that as debilitating fatigue. By the end of the day, I just wanted to go to bed. I became kind of antisocial. I didn't really want to do much. Everything felt very overwhelming. So even small tasks were very overwhelming.

I was always cold. So at this point in my journey with the disease, I was freezing all the time. I didn't sweat when I worked out, which I thought was kind of interesting and I didn't realize later that was part of Hashimoto's. So I was pretty much at a point where I was not feeling human.  But my thyroid levels were coming back normal. So my regular primary care doctor said, “There's nothing wrong with you. Your levels are great.” But I sought out a different doctor who was willing to explore other options.

Linda Elsegood: How long ago were you diagnosed, you said 2017, is that right? 

Charlotte: Yes, that's correct. 

Linda Elsegood: At that point, when you were diagnosed, what medication were you given?

Charlotte: I was given a natural desiccated thyroid hormone. So I started at a very low dose and I eventually went up to 4.5mg, but switched to another and that's what I still take to this day. But at that point, other than the vitamin D prescription I had, those were the only two medications I took.

Linda Elsegood: And did you adjust your diet at all? 

Charlotte: Yeah. So I'm actually a corporate wellness strategist, so wellness has been my whole life for the last decade. So I was already doing a lot of lifestyle factors, like working out, avoiding gluten and dairy. I had done that for years already. At the time of diagnosis, I found another Hashimoto's Facebook page that talked about autoimmune illnesses. I did try that diet. That diet proved to be a little bit interesting for me. When I reintroduced nightshades, in particular, I started to get a new symptom of extreme joint pain. Also on that diet, I gained weight. I gained seven pounds. Most people lose weight. It is actually after that diet that I went back to my doctor and talked about LDN. 

Linda Elsegood: How open was your doctor to prescribing LDN? 

Charlotte: Actually this doctor, in particular, mentioned it to me first. At that point, I didn’t know very much about it. So upon my diagnosis, he talked about it a little bit, and I said I don't want another medication. So when he talked to me about it, that's when the diet wasn't working for me, that's when I went back and did some research on LDN and actually found the LDN Research Trust Facebook page and really dug deep. When I realized the benefits and the stories behind it, that's when I went back to him and said, “Okay, I want to try it.” So he was more than happy to prescribe it to me. He actually told me one of two things will happen according to what he'd seen in his practice. Either nothing will happen at all, or you'll feel better. So he started me off at 1.5mg. I started right there, and I took it for about two or three weeks. Then I started to feel kind of bad again. I felt really great in the first two weeks. I felt like I never felt before:  energy. I was sleeping really well through the night. I wasn't cold anymore. I started to sweat during my workouts.  And then I started to feel kind of blue and tired again. I had actually reached out to the Facebook page, which is a huge lifesaver. I wrote what I was, my symptoms, and how I felt. Someone said to skip the night and if you feel better the next day, you just needed to skip a night and clear your receptors. I did just that. I felt a hundred per cent better the next day, probably better than I felt ever since I can remember. So that's kind of the approach I took from then on out.

I think that actually gave my doctor a bit of knowledge in that area because I told him what I learned. I'm so happy for that page because I think if I would've kept feeling that way I would have just stopped the medication completely, not skipping a night. So once a week I would skip a night, and then I would never have that same experience. So I've been taking it then for nine whole months. I'm up to 4.5 milligrams, and I only skip a night once a month now, if that. It's been an amazing life-changing experience. 

Linda Elsegood: So what would you say a normal day for you is like now? 

Charlotte: A normal day now is seven hours of sleep. I can actually go to bed later and enjoy my free time. After my kids go to bed, I wake up with energy, so I wake up and I’m ready to take on the day. I actually don't even need caffeine anymore to get me through it. Just drink tea, like green tea, in the morning. I can think clearly. I can actually process what people say, which is huge. The brain fog was so bad before, I might not even understand what someone just said. I can find my words. So before I would be conversing with someone and I wouldn't even know the word I wanted to say next. Brain fog has been eliminated. I have energy, I sweat. I'm not cold. The only thing that hasn't changed is the joint pain that I get. So it's getting better. But other than that I have almost complete resolution of my symptoms.

Linda Elsegood: Well, that's amazing. How did you manage with your children when you were having to sleep 10 hours? Did they ever wake up in the night? You know, when you've got a new baby, they tend to do that and need your attention; and when they need it, they need it now. How did you cope? 

Charlotte: Well, it was really, it was really rough. I have to say, I leaned on my mother for support a lot. She helps me with my household stuff because I work a lot. I'm also an army reservist, so I spend one weekend a month away from my kids and my house. So she really helped pick up a lot of things; the chores that I just didn't have the energy to do she would do. I have to say I wasn't the best mom. My children had the iPad in front of them or the TV on, so I could lay there. Then my husband, who now joins us, was actually active in the Army, and now he's retired. But he’s got the best of me because when he actually gets to spend time with us now, I'm actually better. I really leaned on other people a lot to cope. But now I feel like a great mom because if they want to play a board game in the evening, I'll do it. If they want to go outside and play, I'll do it. I have the energy to do that. I remember laying in bed after getting home from work at five, and laying in bed and not being able to move. That wasn’t the best feeling. Now it's like, yeah I'll stay up till 10. I'm good with that. I have the energy to do that. It was really hard for me. But you manage, and you just get through, and that's kind of how life is. I guess I didn't realize how bad it was until I got better.

Linda Elsegood: Well, I'm sure your children really appreciate having a mum that can play and join in, and not just lie on the sofa; and feed them real meals, and be attentive. 

Charlotte: I noticed that before, I just couldn't do much, so I would just be whatever they needed, I’d make sure they have it, but I wasn't involved. 

Linda Elsegood: Of course for your husband, having his wife back is a big thing as well, isn't it? To actually be able to socialize as well. 

Charlotte: Yeah. That's another thing, I'm naturally an introverted person. I didn't realize how the Hashimoto's had made it worse. Just the thought of doing something outside of my normal activities of going to work and coming home was completely overwhelming. So I was like, wow, I didn't realize I actually like to do this. 

Linda Elsegood: Well, what an inspirational story, and thank you very much for sharing it with us today.

Charlotte: Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity. I know when I was in my journey of trying to figure out solutions, the LDN Research Trust, the page, the interviews that you do, really helped me. I appreciated that so much. So I hope that somebody has the same thing from hopefully, my story.

Linda Elsegood: Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a wonderful day. 

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