LDN Video Interviews and Presentations

Maria - US: Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Sjogren's (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Maria is from Argentina and now lives in the United states, in California, and is using low dose naltrexone (LDN) for lupus, fibromyalgia and Sjogren's syndrome

"I started getting sick when I was 21.I was experiencing pain in my joints, extreme fatigue and starting having pneumonia but then it happened two years later, and  again three years later.

Later when I was correctly diagnosed, Lupus was attacking tissue in my lung.

Before the diagnose of Lupus I was treated with antibiotics, non-steroid anti-inflammatories and later steroids.

About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's syndrome.

I would have times that I'd be fine for a year or a couple of years, and then I get a flare-up. My quality of life at that point was a 4 out of 10. I couldn't get up and go to work. I had pain all over my body.

I heard about low dose naltrexone (LDN) from some of my friends. I work in biotechnology world in Northern California with an organization that is a nonprofit and developing new biotechnologists for regenerative medicine, mainly focused on curing the diseases of ageing; and I found out that a few of my friends were taking LDN.

One of them suggest me to try and to go on the LDN Research Trust website. I read about it.  I talked to my friends who were taking it, and I realized that it didn't have any negative effects.

I contacted the LDN Research Trust. They gave me a list of doctors and in that list, I got an appointment, and he was in pain management. He prescribed it.

In the beginning I did experienced a lot of dreaming.

I have been taking LDN for a year now. My life got back to normal since I started LDN. I haven't had any flare-ups. A year ago I was taking Prednisone and I could stop taking it. I am taking Hydrochloroquine, 200 milligrams twice a day. I'm going to visit my Rheumatologist very soon, and hopefully, they're going to lower it.

So my quality of life right now is a ten. I haven't had anymore symptoms for the last year.

My eyes are still bothering me. I take Restasis, and I started taking more fish oil, and I think that's helping me.

I encourage everybody who's listening to try it. I don't think there's anything to lose. It's really amazing"!

Summary of Maria's interview, please listen to the video for the full story.

Laurie - US: Lupus, Raynaud's, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Scleroderma (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Laurie was diagnosed with Raynaud's disease aged 12 and at 22 suffered mixed connective tissue disease, various types of arthritis, progressive scleroderma and lupus. Despite seeing many different doctors her symptoms deteriorated leaving her feeling useless with a low quality of life scoring only 1. She had little energy and was losing muscle strength. Often unable to walk she was forced to crawl. As a professional pianist who could no lomger play she was miserable.

Since the age of 22 she had taken Prednisone in fluctuating doses. She was taking other drugs to offset the side effects of steroids which simply masked the pain.

She runs a B&B and when a guest suffering from MS told her about LDN in 2013 she began an autoimmune diet with supplements and weaned herself off strong medication taking only 5mg of steroids daily. Her inflammation reduced considerably and she is now full of life. She is able to dress herself, do chores and prepare breakfast for her guests. She has her life back and no longer suffers from depression.  She can even run! Her quality of life she  now rates at 10.

This is a summary. To listen to the whole LDN interview please click the video link.

Kelly - US: Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Kelly from the United States uses Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

"After my third pregnancy in 1985, I never really got to feeling well after that. Low on energy. I mean, just could not function through an entire day. I worked on a ranch south of where we live, and it was a 30-mile drive, but it was out in the country. So on the way down in the mornings, I would feel tired but on the way home, I would go into a black tunnel. I couldn't have the sheets on my bed to touch my feet. It was just excruciating pain. I was having symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis plus I was having symptoms of Lupus.

Then I started going to rheumatologists, and so he put me on Methotrexate, which I just couldn't see that much progress. There was several of us ladies that were going to the same rheumatologists plus we had mutual friends. One of them used to be on a couch for weeks and she told me she was on Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and was feeling much better.

And so we went all started going to dr. Berkson from that point. I was prescribed with ALA along with the Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and so it took me probably a good six months to a year before I was totally weaned off of the Methotrexate and the antidepressants, and really starting to feel like a real person again.

I started having my own thoughts again and feeling like I could work again because whenever I was on the Methotrexate and the antidepressants, I couldn't even drive.

And so whenever I finally got to the point that I could drive again, and I actually went back to work again, and I felt whole again. That point is wonderful.

I'm still tired of demands of the day, but I'm working in a hardware store managing a hardware store. And so it's hard work, but  I can drive myself home at night without falling asleep. And I sleep well at night. So being tired at the end of the day is a good thing, but not being tired all day is also an extra bonus.

If there's a change of weather coming I know it, because my pain and swelling of the joints returns.

I will get those when low pressure comes in, and they'll swell just a little bit. But other than that I don't have any pain.

I am on LDN probably for 9 years.I felt good for probably eight years. It's just amazing. I can't even describe what a different life is now than it was.

And I used to get an extreme migraine after the third pregnancy. I've had an hysterectomy,  kidney stones. I've had every cold, every flu, every stomach bug, everything that came through. I was constantly sick, and I was in the hospital more than I was out. I haven't had a cold probably in five years.

Extract from Kelly's interview.

Please listen to the video for the full story.

Julie - England: Fibromyalgia, Lupus (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: I’d like to introduce Julie from England who takes LDN, fibromyalgia, and lupus. Thank you for joining me, Julie.

Julie: That's okay. You do it for pleasure.

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us when you first started to feel unwell?

Julie:Um, it was about 1999 when I looked back. Um, and it was just, I used to get swelling in my left foot. I probably had it about free time.

Um, and then it just goes away. It was when I was really tired, and then it would go away when I sat and, um, You forget about it, you know, you just, um, a secret about it and seeing, oh, I don't know. Maybe he does a dummy or something, but then it went on to about 2006. I got pneumonia. Um, and I was hospitalized for eight days.

I couldn't find why it wasn't bacterial. Um, and in the end, I just kept here on my own. And then. After that, I had a lot of pain, and it's a long time to get over it. Um, and then they said I had side the myalgia, and that went. I was diagnosed in 2007, 2008, with fibromyalgia. And then I just used to have a flare if I would feel if I had a cold, if I had an upset stomach, just as that was passing, I would be then laid completely bedridden, total pain, complete from head to toe And couldn't move my head for about four or five days after being ill.

After that, he called after having an upset stomach and, um, I still, they said it was fibromyalgia. Um, and that went on actually until 2012. When by that time, I was losing weight. Um, I was very, very. Nearly lost my job. Very nearly just come on to it by the tips of my fingers. Um, I had just gone part-time. They made me go part-time because of side myalgia, but, um, I was still just cleaning into it and, um, At the end.

And then I started getting really bad man falses. And by the end of 2012, just at the beginning of 2013, I signed me, got diagnosed with lupus, add alone, along with the side, the mild child.

Linda Elsegood: And before you discovered that LDN, what would you say it now? Which day was like for you.

Julie: I don't remember what day it was going to be like. Um, it was, yeah, might have a good day, but mostly it would be staying on the sofa. Um, not knowing what was wrong. No. You know, just in my, in my head, I want you to do so much, but I just could not physically do it. I just did not do it. Um, in a flare during a flare, you know, all bets were off, but when I was not in a flare, I would still get pain, um, everywhere, even driving with NITSA, just, um, you know, Just get ready to go out and then I'd realize that I'd get to the car.

And then we like actually I've left from the upstairs, and I have to go back to the house. And that would be such an effort. Every day was a struggle good days. And bad days were struggles. I had some better days where I've got a bit more done, but my quality of life wasn't very good at all. And like I said, you know, I was on, I was on the verge of losing my job.

Linda Elsegood: So at that time, if you had to score your quality of life on a score of one to 10 and 10 being the best, What would it been?

Julie:I suppose three, four. I still I'd hoped that it was par. Yeah. Now I still had hope, but, um, yeah, I was very, very down and. And it wasn't depression. I know it wasn't depression because I've not, I don't think I really suffered from depression. I know that depression can be linked with lupus, but for me, it was because of my situation because.

I just couldn't shake it off. I just couldn't shake it off. And you know, you are asleep and think I'll just have a little shape, and it'll be a bit that I'm going to wake up, but I never was. I never was. The fatigue was always there. Pain playing in a net, Lisa random, you know, one day you just wouldn't be able to lift your arm.

It's so random, and I never knew what any day was, you know, I could never plan anything. It would be it depending on how I am, you know, it was just, couldn't make times really, um, and had to cancel things. And

just not going out because. That was my quality of life. You know, it just wasn't, um, letting people down and then feeling that feeling bad because of that. And that would get you down, but I couldn't help it. I just could not help it. I could not do very much at all.

Linda Elsegood: Yeah. Okay. So how did you hear LDM?

Julie: I first heard about it on the internet, um, actually on the health and looked site. Um, the lupus health on Luxilight, which I joined. And I stood up to Chris Steele's, um, video or DVD on YouTube. And I watched that, and I thought, well, I've got to investigate this. So then I just really started investigating, and yeah, I learn for it.

Linda Elsegood: And when you first started, did you notice any introductory side effects?

Julie: I would say, and I would want, this would happen because when I first started here, I was still on steroids. I was on steroids for lupus because other medication that had been on methotrexate for one hadn't agreed with me for that to come off of that.

And I was on steroids. So 10 milligrams a day, um, So I continued to take steroids and started LDN very low. And initially, I'd say maybe three days, three, maybe four days I was on this would happen by my prescribing doctor. The pain got a bit worse. Um, but I persevered, um, And then just slowly, very gradually began reducing steroid, letting it stabilize and up in the LDM, but it was a gradual process.

And I did, I would say about the second week of taking the LDN. I got a cold normally. It's the cold would be subsiding. I would be bedridden with pain, really, really raked with pain everywhere. But I managed to carry on going to work, which for me was fantastic. It was almost like a normal person having a cold.

I managed to work for it. I was tired, and you know, to rest when I got in from work. But. It was great to be able to, to not go into the fare. I didn't go into the flair. And that was the LDM working. I know it was 2000, 2008, any little cold, I, you know, just not used to fix.

Linda Elsegood: So how long have you been on LDN now?

Julie: I started LDN, and I know the day if my mom's birthday or on March 11, 2014.

Okay. And I haven't had to go and work.

Linda Elsegood: I mean, you haven't been on it that long. I mean we're now June.

Julie: Yeah. So like, yeah, exactly. And are now still it free to about the power. Four or five weeks, they were afraid. I'm just an LDN now. And I'm high blood pressure tablets. I still take those. But other than that, there's the occasional occasionally if I do still get pain, but I can cope with it.

It doesn't wear me down. It's all manageable. If I get, at the bad time I will take ascent or paracetamol, but that's it that's the most touch it. That's what I'm taking now.

Linda Elsegood: Okay. And on the score of one to 10, for the quality of life, 10 being the best, what would it be now?

Julie: It's eight or nine. I've still got lupus.

Um, and like you said, it's early days. I'm not cured, but I am living again previously. I was not living. I was just existing, and I can plan, I can plan things. Um, Lastly comment on a union conference for five days managed to do all that previously. I couldn't have said I'll go somewhere. We've worked for five days because I couldn't, I wouldn't have known how I was going to be each day.

So I am living now, and it's great. I'm so I just really, really. 10, if you to give it a try, you've got absolutely nothing to leave and every sheet again,

Linda Elsegood: thank you very much for sharing your wonderful experience with us. It's really amazing. Very inspiring. Thank you.

Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us. 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.
 

Julie - US: Multiple Autoimmune Disorders (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Julia takes LDN Low Dose naltrexone for thyroid nodules, frozen shoulder, MCTD, Lupus, Scleroderma, Sjogren's, degenerative disk disease, Dupuytren's Contracture, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and more.

Erin - US: Hashimoto's, Lupus, Depression (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood: I’d to introduce Erin from the United States who takes LDN for hypopituitary or as it's sometimes called secondary adrenal insufficiency. Hashimoto's thyroiditis, lupus and depression. Thanks for joining me, Erin.

Erin: You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

Linda Elsegood: Could you tell us when you first started to become sick?

How old were you?

Erin: Um, well, I would say I noticed, um, I was, it was after the birth of my third daughter. Uh, and that would be approximately 13 years ago that, uh, I was. Becoming increasingly fatigued and, um, just not handling stress well at all. Um, and we discovered at that point that I had a, that my thyroid was underactive and I started taking, um, some people medication, which, you know, it kind of sorta helped, but I, I never really, um, So back, quite back to normal and over the years following that birth, but especially after the birth of my next son, which was, um, I mean, my son, which was let's see, ten years ago, almost 11.

Um, then I fell into a deeper state of ill health where Lucas. Uh, come out, and we discovered that my hypothyroidism was actually, um, Hashimoto's thyroiditis. So it was the autoimmune, uh, form of the condition. And I was very, um, I was depressed. I was exhausted. I was in pain, um, and we were able to get my autoimmune conditions, um, under relative control.

Uh, within a couple of years, uh, doing some anti-inflammatories and things like that. But since then, I have always had lingering symptoms. So since the birth of my son, my periods never came back. So I, I never, um, had natural cycles again. Um, I've always suffered from depression, uh, nearly chronic, um, just.

Very easily brought low. I've always suffered from extreme irritability. Uh, just very low tolerance, distress, uh, any sort of loud noises. And I just, you know, lash out. I just, it would make me come unglued and, um, I was also, uh, having extreme constipation and just a lot of lingering what I would call high coats.

Fibroid symptoms, um, or, you know, low adrenal symptoms, but no one ever checked my adrenals at that point. So about a year ago, I started doing some investigating on my own, and I discovered that I was showing symptoms of a low adrenal function. And I started contacting through the help of my doctor and through the help of some forums on the internet.

Uh, I. Was able to piece together some tests that I might benefit from and come to find out last October, we came up with the diagnosis of a hypopituitary. So I have the reason that I wasn't cycling. And, um, the reason that I had such low-stress tolerance was that the pituitary couldn't communicate with my other endocrine glands, the need for the hormones that my body needs.

For, uh, my, you know, oblation and my cycles, he couldn't communicate it for the adequate amounts of cortisol to deal with stress. And, um, I was on that at that time on one of the LDN forums, because someone had suggested that it was a great forum to be on. And I hadn't really, um, heard of LDN, but I. They said it helps library problems.

So I joined the forum. I started learning about it. Um, I was in the process of optimizing my thyroid meds, getting switched over from T four to T three, which is a more potent, uh, thyroid medication. Um, and I, at the point at which I thought I'd find it. Fairly optimized. My thyroid things were going a lot better.

I was working on my iron levels, which were low. And, my symptoms of low thyroid were beginning to resolve on the different, on the different stuff. I would medication that, the symptoms that weren't resolving, where my depression, um, and I had also heard that LDN on the form that it can support the, uh, hypothalamus.

Adrenal pituitary. Um, adrenal axis, the HPA axis, which is typically the problem in hypo pituitary. I heard it could support that.

So I decided that once I optimize my thyroid meds, as much as I could, I was going to try all the, that came about, uh, just before the turn of the new year. So I think it was December 27, 2013.

I decided to go ahead and start the LDN. Uh, starting December 28, 2013. I have not been depressed one day since it had resolved all of my depression from day one. That was, it is unbelievable. It brings me to tears to think about, because I have suffered under such chronic depression and I think it was due to just, you know, low serotonin levels is all I can, um, Really think, cause I know that they'll be in supporting those serotonin levels and no one ever figured it out, but the LDN resolved it, and I have not been depressed day one.

Um, so that was resolved. And then within a week of taking the LDN, I was able to drop one-third of my thyroid medication. Um, I track my vital. Are you religious late? So I am constantly aware of my blood pressure, my heart rate and my body temperature. And uh, based on those. Vitals. I could tell that I just didn't need another dose, uh, that I normally take.

So I dropped one of my doses during the day, and I did fine. My vital States, they stayed great. So then, um, as I was following the protocol of moving up on the LDN a month later, so in February, when I went from 1.5 milligrams of LDN to three milligrams of LDN, A week after I made that change, I was able to reduce my thyroid medication again by one third.I was able within just under two months able to reduce my thyroid medication by two thirds and resolved all of my depression. And I'm still looking forward to seeing if it fixes any of my other hormones, albums. I just went in today actually for some retesting of my sex hormones.

And I'm looking to see if maybe, you know, over time it might improve those levels naturally. I'm not sure what other magic it's going to do to my system, but I am utterly grateful for LDN. And I'm so pleased with the results that I've had now. I did have some sleep issues with it, but those are gone, and I'm just.

Just very, very happy with it. And as I was telling a fellow, uh, a friend who was asking me about it for their own health, I said, you couldn't pry it from my cold dead hands.

Linda Elsegood:  Amazing story

Erin:it is, I am just, um, I'm so grateful. I honestly, I, I suffered from depression for so long, just, you know, four out of seven days a week probably. And I just. I feel like a new person.

Linda Elsegood: I'm so pleased for you.

Well, keep me posted, let me know how you get on in say a year's time. That's very interesting. Yes,

Erin: I will definitely do that.

Linda Elsegood: Thank you very much for sharing your story with us, Erin.

 

Any questions or comments you may have, please contact us. 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.

Dr Tom O’Bryan, LDN Radio Show 27 Sept 2017 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr Tom O'Bryan shares his Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) experience on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Dr Tom O’Bryan discusses his book, The Autoimmune Fix. Expect continual OMGs.The prevalance of autoimmune disease is the #3 cause of getting sick and dying in the world. Autoimmune diseases progress over years, till enough tissue is damaged that enough symptoms appear to get a diagnosis. For example, a very early sign of Parkinson's is loss of sense of smell, and can be predictive of death within 5 years.

Measuring our antibodies can predict illness in its early stages. Antibodies cause cellular damage, then tissue damage, then inflammation, and eventually organ damage. 

Getting this in control early is important. Most of us are bombarded with toxins every day, so learning how to avoid them is crucial to a good healthy life. LDN is helpful in bolstering and regulating our immune system so that it can naturally fight off these elevated antibodies.

This interview includes some valuable knowledge for all listeners concerned with how to combat autoimmune diseases, cancers etc.

This is a summary of Dr Tom O’Bryan’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Dr O’Bryan’s story by clicking on the video above.

Dr Scott Zashin, LDN Radio Show 2017 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr Scott Zashin shares his Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) experience on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Doctor Zashin from Dallas, Texas, is a Rheumatologist who is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. 20 years ago he changed his practice to specialize in autoimmune conditions which required more time to evaluate and treat. 

Unlike most Doctors who allow only 10 to 15 minutes per visit, he spends an hour or more as necessary to get a firm grasp of the patient's problems. He discusses the many autoimmune conditions he treats and how LDN fits in, and why diet and exercise are very important.

This is a summary of Dr Scott Zashin’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Dr Zashin’s story by clicking on the video above.

Dr Scott Zashin, LDN Radio Show 2016 (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Dr Scott Zashin shares his Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) experience on the LDN Radio Show with Linda Elsegood.

Rheumatologist Dr Scott Zashin talks about Pain conditions and LDN, he also answers callers questions.

Doctor Zashin from Dallas, Texas, is a Rheumatologist who is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. 20 years ago he changed his practice to specialize in autoimmune conditions which required more time to evaluate and treat. 

Unlike most Doctors who allow only 10 to 15 minutes per visit, he spends an hour or more as necessary to get a firm grasp of the patient's problems. He discusses the many autoimmune conditions he treats and how LDN fits in, and why diet and exercise are very important.

This is a summary of Dr Scott Zashin’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Dr Zashin’s story by clicking on the video above. 

Dr Ronald Hoffman Interviews Linda Elsegood on LDN and The LDN Book (LDN, low dose naltrexone) from LDN Research Trust on Vimeo.

Linda Elsegood shares her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Story on the Intelligent Medicine Podcast with Donald Hoffman.

In 1969 at the age of 13, Linda had glandular fever (Epstein-Barr virus). She was seriously ill and away from school for six months. 

Late 1999 Linda’s mother had a serious heart attack and the trauma affected her badly. She was working full time, travelling two and a half hours every day and running the home. This excessive workload and stress began to take its toll on her health, and by May 2000 she had lost her balance, lost feeling in the left side of her face and her head, tongue and nose were numb with pins and needles.

In early December 2003 Linda started Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), and the results were incredibly positive. By Christmas Linda was functioning again, and her liver tests were back to normal. She felt like herself again.

Linda founded the LDN Research Trust in May 2004. In this interview she says that it is the most exciting thing she has ever done. She is able to give many hours a week to the Trust, helping people to get LDN and trying to get it into clinical trials.

This is a summary of Linda Elsegood’s interview. Please listen to the rest of Linda’s story by clicking on the video above.