Just to chime in, LDN worked for me for a while. I have
lymphoma. It stopped working for me, but has put a relative of
mine with the same kind of lymphoma into total remission for 8
years. You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. I
still take it because it may be at least slowing the process for me.
Stan
To: lowdosenaltrexone@yahoogroups. com
From: kelli_balloch@toll.com. au
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:34:20 +1000
Subject: RE: [lowdosenaltrexone] LDN - the "active placebo"
Here Here Aletha,
<>I not only find it difficult to stomach that LDN is a placebo, I downright refuse to accept that - how could a placebo (effectively thin air) reduce lesions and make them disappear altogether on MRI scans and stop symptoms completely ???? Try asking a doctor that and wait for the stunned silence I say......
IF they were to continue to try to explain it away as placebo effect, then surely every single person with HIV/AIDS, cancer, crohn's ,etc....would be able to just close their eyes and wish the illness away.....!!!
! Kelli
From: Aletha Wittmann [mailto:Aletha@
redshift. com]
Sent: Thursday, 28 June 2007 6:20 AM
To: lowdosenaltrexone@yahoogroups. com
Subject: Re: [lowdosenaltrexone] LDN - the "active placebo"Very good Elliot!!!
<> Two months ago I brought my mother into see her new Nero specialist for Parkinson's. She told him about her wonderful effects with LDN. I told him my husband was also on LDN for MS. He proceeded to tell us that they both are having a placebo effect and the drug is inactive. He also said that on the average Placebo effects only last up to 6 months. So, OK now my mother thought she only had 4 months to go and boom the effects will be gone. I looked at her face and she looked ready to cry. Then I turned to the doctor and said. "Please don't tell my husband this because he has had no progression and all of his symptoms have disappeared, and because he does not know about this being only a placebo, it has lasted him 2.5 years". The doctor said "oh".
I find it difficult to believe that all people on LDN are having a placebo effect because there are just too many people having different varying experiences and that the dosage and filler have made differences.If everyone can have a placebo effect from LDN, well wouldn't they also have a similar placebo effect from the Crab drugs? Hmmmm.
Aletha
----- Original Message -----
From: Elliot
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:59 AM
<>Subject: [lowdosenaltrexone] LDN - the "active placebo"Greetings listers,
I am relatively new to the LDN list, but became a believer quickly.
One of my physician friends became jaded years ago after one of his
MS patients took part in a double-blind, placeb-controlled trial
involving one the now currently FDA-approved drugs for MS. After
being in the study for a short time he indicated that he knew that he
was in the drug group and the placebo group because his symptoms had
dramatically improved. After the study was "unmasked" in order to
asses the outcome of both groups, this patient learned he was in the
placebo group. Unfortunately since then my doctor friend has never
been impressed with any case reports no matter how dramatic the
improvement was.
I bring this little story to the attention of this group because of
something that perhaps has not been considered before. The mechanism
of action for LDN may help to explain why a placebo "really works" to
relieve so many ailments. Anyone who thinks he/she is taking
something that will help just feels better and that alone increases
the endorphin level. This could dispell the notion that some
mysterious force is at work when someone "believes" they are taking
an active drug. We can now postulate that it's no mystery at all. I
recall dispensing placebo capsules frequently and they came in all
kinds of colors.
Prescribing placebo capsules, however, even though they
actually "worked" in some patients, became unethical for physcians to
prescribe years ago.
I think (and many will wholeheartily agree) LDN is really an "ACTIVE
PLACEBO" :)
While as I wrote this jokingly, there is obviously a serius side to
this insight. Perhaps one day, PLACEBO CAPSULES WILL BECOME ETHICAL
AGAIN. Use of a placeo for anything can never be proven, however,
since no one in their right mind would ever conduct a double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial on a placebo - and there would be arguments
over which would be the active group :)
OK well maybe this wasn't so serious after all.
Best regards,
Elliot Freeman
ps maybe a little laughter here and there will raise someone's
endorpin level a bit more