Welcome everyone to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health. This week I want to revisit LDN (Low-Dose Naltrexone) with a patient success story.
Colton Marcum, Owner/PharmD of Marcum’s Pharmacy, has suffered from autoimmune disorders all his life. Our families have known each other for years. Colton’s grandad, Carl Marcum, founded Marcum’s Pharmacy in 1962, and my dad (Dr. Emory Rogers) used to send all his patients there to get their scripts filled. Colton has researched LDN as a pharmacist, as well as a patient. Needless to say, it was an honor to have him on my podcast.
We talk about LDN all the time, in our offices, on the Common Sense MD, on Explain This with Robin Riddle, FNP-C, but we have never had a pharmacist give a personal testimony of how LDN has changed their life. Experience speaks louder than words.
Let’s get started.
Colton’s Success Story
Colton has struggled with allergies off and on his entire life. There were good and bad years during his childhood, but as he got into his teens, his condition got worse (especially his eczema, atopic dermatitis, and asthma). The treatment during that period was mainly with antihistamines. At one point he tried a biologic, which went well for about a month and then unfortunately, he developed an allergy to it.
Colton came to me as a patient having symptoms of constant rashes, itching, and even anaphylaxis. We sat down and talked about considering LDN. Usually it takes up to 3 months before seeing results. For Colton, within 30 days the visible rashes were gone! His asthma and allergies were much improved, and he felt like a different person. He sent me the pictures to prove it!
Before LDN
After LDN
What an amazing LDN success story! I know I hear this kind of success frequently, but it’s nice when a medical professional talks about it.
Will LDN Help Me?
When you think of Naltrexone, you think of an opiate antagonist. At high doses, it takes away the high that narcotic addicts and alcoholics crave. In functional medicine, we use it for an entirely different reason. Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN), not to be confused with Naloxone (Narcan), is totally different. With LDN we’re talking about 1mg, 3mg, and maybe 4.5, as opposed to 50-100mg.
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) works by tricking the brain into releasing its own endorphins. It also has great antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, which is especially good for autoimmune diseases.
We use LDN in functional medicine for many different things:
- Fibromyalgia
- Crohn’s Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis (inflammatory diseases of the bowel)
- Neuropathies
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Arthritis (even Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Anxiety/Depression
- Psoriasis and Eczema
- Lyme’s Disease
- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
- Weight loss
LDN helps with cravings, which supports weight loss and alcohol and opiate abuse. In addition to decreasing cravings, it also increases growth hormone, which is essential for building lean muscle and decreasing fat.
Performance Medicine is using LDN for Long Covid. It’s not so “out there” any more. Even Stanford’s Long Covid clinic uses it as one of their main treatments. Note: The only side effect I’ve seen is vivid dreams. The cost for a month’s supply is $40.
Final Thoughts
Since Colton has dealt with allergies all his life, and continues to study and experiment on himself, I asked him for a few tips in prevention of outbreaks. Here are a few pearls:
- Take a shower after you’ve been outside.
- Cleanse your sinuses. Nasal sprays are underutilized. Get a squeeze bottle and use a saline rinse or a Navage.
- Learn what triggers you.
LDN works! Many thanks to Colton Marcum for sharing his story. I hope it will encourage others to do their own research and see how LDN might benefit them. At Performance Medicine, we use LDN for a variety of conditions. Make sure you take advantage of our videos on this subject.
Stay educated. Stay healthy.
Till next week.
LINKS TO LDN VIDEOS:
Low-Dose Naltrexone | Explain This w/ Robin Riddle, FNP-C
Low-Dose Naltrexone for Stress and Pain | The Common Sense MD