A Breakthrough for Inflammatory Diseases - The Marshall Protocol -- Crohns/IBD Message Board and Chat

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Date Posted: 06:11:45 08/10/04 Tue
Author: DaveW
Subject: A Breakthrough for Inflammatory Diseases - The Marshall Protocol

Hello Crohns, Colitis and IBS Patients,

I am an 18 year fibromyalgia patient who read an article by Dr. Trevor Marshall at Immune Support several weeks ago. I have been investigating his research and therapy protocol ever since. Please understand that nothing is being sold here by anyone. This is simply my explanation of some major medical breakthroughs - that need to be shared.

Dr Marshall's new findings and approach have produced some incredible results with auto-immune diseases that have unexplained inflammation. This includes sarcoidosis, lupus, CFS, fibro, rheumatoid arthritis, parkinsons, (and likely many more). The IBD's are also inflammatory autoimmune diseases.

It has also (unexpectedly) resolved numerous maladies for patients on Dr Marshall's therapy protocol (called the Marshall Protocol, or MP) - including IBS, depression, anxiety, numerous skin problems, migraines, memory/concentration problems, and various dental and vision problems (with the list still growing).

Dr Marshall actually made several profound discoveries recently, which have gelled into a new understanding and approach to autoimmune disease.

First, he has found that extremely small cell wall deficient (CWD) bacteria live within the phagocytes (immune cells) of patients with autoimmune diseases. He was not the first to research CWD bacteria, but he has furthered and refined the understanding of several researchers who came before him, on the nature of these infestations.

Second, he discovered that the presence of the CWD bacteria in the immune cells stimulates them to produce excessive levels of inflammation.

Third, he discovered that vitamin D is intricately involved in the immune cascade that causes inflammation. He found that vitamin D (chemically "25-D") is converted into an active form (or hormone) called 1,25-D which is directly responsible (and correlated) to the level of inflammation in the body. This causes autoimmune patients to often have subnormal levels of 25-D (the fuel), and elevated levels of 1,25-D (and inflammation).

Note: People with such inflammation can reduce their symptoms to a noticeable degree, by eliminating vitamin D from their diets and vitamins, and protecting their eyes and skin from light (especially sunlight). Exposure of skin and eyes to light increases 1,25-D (and inflammation). Vitamin D is a common supplement in milk, margerine, breads and vitamins, and is also in eggs, liver, fish (and fish oils). Drastically reducing vitamin D (temporarily) is also critical to the success of the MP.

A blood test from your doctor that measures 25-D and 1,25-D can show if you have an immune/inflammation problem.

Fourth, he discovered a novel new use for Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB's - available by prescription from your doctor), which are normally used to lower blood pressure. The use of the ARB benicar is used in the MP (in specific quantities and schedule) to greatly reduce the inflammation caused by excessive 1,25-D. This is a novel and safe approach to control inflammation in autoimmune disease (and a major breakthrough in itself).

Fifth, he discovered that the inflammation caused by the CWD bacteria, serves to protect them from both your immune system, and from antibiotics. This is why previous attempts by other researchers to achieve cures with high doses of long term antibiotics, met with limited success.

Once the benicar (ARB) reduces the inflammation, the CWD bacteria become more vulnerable to the patient's own immune system, and highly vulnerable to selected antibiotics, so that even very small doses of (common, safe but specific) antibiotics can reduce and eliminate the CWD bacteria over time.

He also found that when these bacteria die off, they give off toxins - which temporarily increase inflammation significantly and produce symptoms which are often similar to the patient's regular symptoms (but can be much worse). These are called herxheimer reactions (or herx), and they can be intolerably severe - and possibly even fatal. No one on the protocol has suffered lasting ill effects from herx, but can you imagine the effect on your body if your symptoms were multiplied many times in severity? This emphasizes how critical it is for those who try the MP, to go slow, and follow it precisely - which is also critical to its success.

How is the herx managed so it is safe and tolerable?

After blood tests are taken, vitamin D and light exposure is minimized, and benicar started - patients then add a paced schedule of very low doses of a common but specific antibiotic (no more than once every two days, as every day administration does not work). They start with a very small dose. If they find the herx too uncomfortable, the benicar can be temporarily increased (within safe limits) to reduce inflammation and herx. The next dosage of antibiotic can be delayed until the herx passes, and reduced in quantity so the next herx response will not be so severe.

As the same dosage of the antibiotic is repeated, it produces less and less herx (as the total bacteria load is decreasing). When the herx experienced at the first dosage level decreases to negligible (after repeated doses), the dosage of the antibiotic is increased slightly, and repeated until the herx again becomes negligible. Then the antibiotic is increased (in specific increments) again.

This process may be repeated many times, and with several (specific and safe) antibiotics (in specific orders, schedules, quantities and combinations) before no more herx is experienced.

This may take 12 to 36 months - depending on the quantity and number of different CWD bacteria you are infected with. However, when patients reach the level of no herx from any of the antibiotics in the MP, they are (by and large) symptom free - and can stop the medications without a return in symptoms. Blood tests are then repeated to confirm that their immune systems and inflammation levels have normalized.

This is not just speculation and theory. The Marshall Protocol brought 47 out of 50 sarcoidosis patients into a complete remission of symptoms. Sarcoidosis was an incurable disease of unexplained inflammation that was often eventually fatal for sufferers.

Please note that;
- The recommended blood tests before the MP show the excessive 1,25-D/inflammation and immune imbalance.
- The ARB benicar would give no symptoms to an uninfected person, and neither would the low dose antibiotics.
- As patients progress through the protocol, their symptoms (mental and physical) keep decreasing and disappearing.

The blood tests and experience of every stage of the protocol are all testimony to its validity and effectiveness.

If you would like to learn more, and are considering trying the MP, do a search for marshallprotocol. This is a website set up by Dr Marshall and his colleagues - with message boards for patients, doctors and anyone interested, to ask questions, see other's experiences and get advice. You can read the constantly arriving posts from patients in various stages of the MP.

The website has staff (including medical professionals in or approaching remission), who respond to every question posted. Dr Marshall himself is available to answer the indepth scientific questions that are asked by patients or doctors.

The website staff are there to support and advise patients (and their doctors) all the way through the protocol.

This sounds very different - because it is. You can become a member and ask questions yourself just by giving an online name and email address. There is no charge for any of the information or services the site offers, and they don't sell anything.

There are also many articles at the site, which explain the theory and protocol to patients and their doctors.

The older (first) site created for sarcoidosis patients has thousands of posts by sarc patients, and an excellent search feature where you can look up past discussions on any symptoms or topics that interest you. The articles for patients and doctors are clearly presented at the top of the main page.

Your doctor oversees the administration of the entire protocol, so articles with in depth medical explanations of the MP are provided to introduce doctors to these incredible new findings and treatments.

To go to this site, do a search for sarcinfo.

Initial skepticism is healthy and normal. The staff understand that these breakthroughs are initially hard to believe, and are used to lots of questions from new folks. The (now recovered) sarc patients were the same way at the start. I read for two weeks before I realized - how real this is.

If you think the MP may have potential for you, you owe it to yourself to take the time to understand it properly before getting started.

You would be foolhardy to attempt any part of the MP without more information and understanding about it available at the sites (and crazy to try it without the free advice and support offered there). The purpose of this post is only to help you realize that the MP is a real breakthrough - that warrants more investigation.

A much newer website designed for CFS, Fibro, arthritis, lupus, parkinsons (and all other auto-immune disease patients who are interested) is available by doing a web search for the marshallprotocol. Although this site is very new, the patients who have recently started the protocol here are getting blood test results and having struggles adjusting to the benicar and herx responses - similar to what the (now recovered) sarc patients did when they started.

I truly believe the MP has incredible promise for many diseases and ailments, and I hope it may be of help to you.

If you appreciate the promise this holds for autoimmune patients, please feel free to forward this post to anyone you feel might benefit (and help spread the word!)

- DaveW

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