LDN and Steroids-long [was Re: LDN and RA]

[Guest guest]

Elliot wrote:

<...based on a dose-related response it would SEEM possible that

low doses of prednisone (5mg or less perhaps)

could be used without significantly interfering with LDN effects. ....>

Yes, at least that, since each works differently and both are

anti-inflammatory--although I agree with Art that Prednisone is a

nasty drug. Over the long run it has destructive physical side effects

including severe bone thinning, so best be off it ASAP.

Prednisone is a mimetic of cortisol, (also called cortisone, short for

hydrocortisone). Cotisol is one of our body's many naturally occurring

steroid hormones. It is made by the adrenal cortex, and regulates

carbohydrate metabolism and maintains blood pressure as well as being

anti-inflammatory.

But pred, like most drugs, is not an exact copy of cortisol because an exact

copy would not have been patentable for some big pharm. (But now there

is a natural form of exogenous cortisone that does match that in our bodies,

and anyone who needs to be on pred probably would be better off

prescribed it instead. The difference is analogous to natural progesterone

vs. the various progestins developed by big pharms to treat women's

menopausal symptoms. With natural substances you get all the benefits

without the sides, at least in physiologic doses. Of course, very large

doses

of even a natural substance change the body's balance and can be harmful

over time.)

The hope is that LDN (low-dose Naltrexone) therapy will reduce or

eliminate the need for any form of exogenous cortisone or mimetic,

e.g., in treating Crohns disease by helping the body heal itself. I

don't know if LDN therapy indirectly increases cortisol levels when they are

low but wouldn't be surprised, and hope researchers are tracking cortisol

levels as well as endorphin production in the LDN Crohns trials.

If LDN were negated by steroids or if it negated steroids we'd all be out

of luck because our bodies' natural steroids are vital for our functioning,

and each works in its own miraculous fashion. In addition to cortisol,

the bile acids, sex hormones, and cholesterol are all steroids, for

instance.

In medical terms they sometimes are called sterols, which simply

means having the structure of a steroid.

Steroids are widely distributed in plant and animal tissues naturally.

It is opioids that should not be used with LDN; in fact, Naltrexone HCL,

called ReVia, was developed to help wean people off artificial opioids

like heroine. In large doses Naltrexone does negate the effects of opioids,

both artificial and of the body's natural group of endorphins, as does

even LDN in time-released compounds; hence we want a form of LDN

that will give us one nightly spike of activity then wear off.

Our endorphins are our bodies' natural opioids; they are produced by the

pituitary gland, and even LDN inhibits their production in the short term.

But it turns out that one small dose of fast-acting Naltrexone HCL,

i.e., LDN,

usually not more than 4.5mg and sometimes less, taken between 9pm and 3am,

wears off in time for the body to overcompensate for that inhibition,

and make

more endorphins over a 24-hour cycle than it would have without LDN.

Most of the body's opioids function entirely differently from most of

its many

steroids. It does happen though that both natural cortisol, (and it's

mimetic

Prednisone), and our natural endorphins do share the property of reducing

pain but that's pretty much where the similarity ends. Except so much

in the body is synergetic. Besides being a pain reducer, endorphins are also

thought to connect to euphoric feelings, help modulate appetite, and

influence

the release of sex hormones. And LDN therapy has been showing us that

they apparently help regulate the immune system, too.

Who wouldn't want a few more of them?

Best health,

Jo

(LDN for allergies, arthritis, and general better immunity)

[Guest guest]

MARY JO - really appreciated your "take" on steroids and LDN, etc. it was well-worded and very interesting; and, i must say, very informative!! THANX

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