What is LDN?
Low Dose Naltrexone, otherwise known as LDN, has gained popularity in the market in recent years. Back in the mid-1980s, Naltrexone was prescribed to help treat patients with a drug or alcohol addiction. However, it wasn’t until recent years that Naltrexone began to be prescribed in the “low dose” form that it is today. The low dose form of Naltrexone is approximately one-fifth of the average dose and has been found to help patients suffering from inflammation, cancer, mental health issues, obesity, chronic pain, and a dysfunctional immune system. It also helps to upregulate the body’s endorphin production, thus improving the overall mood of users.
For most patients, they begin to see some form of improvement within the first few weeks of use. In most cases, LDN is administered orally via a capsule but can be prescribed in other forms as needed by the patient. LDN is also easily accessible and can be purchased as quickly as doing a simple internet search. For example, LDN can be purchased online from AgelessRx, which is a company that specializes in prescription therapies.
What is Crohn’s Disease?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation to the digestive tract. Ultimately, it can lead patients to suffer from malnutrition, abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss, and severe diarrhea. The inflammation oftentimes involves several different areas of the digestive tract depending on the individual and typically spreads to the deeper layers of the bowel. Although the reasoning behind Crohn’s disease isn’t fully understood yet, many scientists believe it’s due to a combination of genetics, immune system dysfunction, changes to the gut microbiome, and other environmental factors.
Many patients suffering from Crohn’s Disease find that it is relatively hard to find treatment, particularly because there is currently no known cure for Crohn’s disease. However, certain treatments and therapies are coming out that have been studied to significantly reduce the majority of Crohn’s symptoms, especially Low Dose Naltrexone.
Can LDN Help with Crohn’s Disease?
Throughout the last 20 years, LDN has been studied among Crohn’s patients throughout the world. The testing was used to decide whether LDN helped to alleviate symptoms in those suffering from Crohn’s Disease. The majority of the trials were successful, which can also be attributed to LDN’s success in helping patients suffering from inflammation, as mentioned previously. In fact, the success of LDN in helping patients with Crohn’s Disease as well as other inflammation-based diseases led to the rise of an online community of LDN devotees, as well as a UK-based charity known as the LDN Research Trust.
But how exactly does LDN help with Crohn’s Disease? TLR, otherwise known as toll-like receptors, play an integral role in the body, especially when dealing with the immune system and its functionality. When TLRs are overactivated, it has been linked to various inflammatory and infectious diseases. However, LDN works to reduce the body’s inflammatory response by controlling the TLRs as well as the signaling that they give off. LDN also increases the body’s internal endorphin signaling, which imitates the effects of opioids within the body. Ultimately, this helps to reduce inflammation, stimulate healing, and prevent future cell growth.
Although significant research and larger-scale studies still need to be held, there have been several smaller clinical trials that have yielded positive results. For example, in a study done in 2011, 88% of participants using LDN to treat their Crohn’s symptoms noted at least a 70-point decline in their Crohn’s Disease Activity Index scores. 33% of those participants actually achieved remission based on the Crohn’s disease endoscopy index severity (CDEIS) with a score of less than 6. In this study, they concluded that LDN helped to improve the inflammatory and clinical activities of the participants suffering from moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease symptoms when placed in comparison with those who received the placebo treatment.
There are so many different uses for Naltrexone, especially when prescribed in a low dose form. If you suffer from Crohn’s Disease or another inflammatory-based illness, LDN may be a great option for you! You can learn more or get started today.