The Best Laid Plans
When we imagine our lives, we usually imagine ourselves being active and engaged in that which brings us joy. There’s much to look forward to: a walk on a beautiful day, a spirited conversation with someone who energizes us, a good night’s sleep that replenishes our body and nourishes our well-being. For some people – especially those living with chronic pain – those activities are longed for but not always possible. Their bodies simply can’t perform all those tasks because they hurt.
The recent opioid crisis and subsequent challenges around managing pain adequately for sufferers of chronic disease have left many patients floundering, literally aching for relief. In an interesting turn of events, naltrexone, which is used to treat opioid and other drug addictions, has been clinically proven to be very effective in treating pain. It’s prescribed in much lower doses for pain relief than it is for helping people who have experienced opioid addiction.
How Does Low Dose Naltrexone Work?
To fully explain how low dose naltrexone works to manage pain, we have to back up a little bit to talk about how the body works. Our bodies have innumerable autonomic, or automatic, functions. The actions that occur regulate respiration, heartbeat, digestion, and mood just to name a few. Peptides are one of the physical elements that initiate and sustain those functions. They are small chains of amino acids, and they’re made of proteins, which are essential to our body’s inner workings.
Endorphins are some of the peptides created by the body. As most of us know, endorphins help regulate mood. They also help boost immunity and manage cell growth. People with chronic illness, especially those with autoimmune diseases, have low levels of specific endorphins that regulate the immune system’s function.
Low dose naltrexone, or LDN, works to block those specific endorphins from attaching to certain immune and pain receptor cells, which signals the body to make more endorphins. In turn, those endorphins cause the body to create more beneficial cells and prompt a decrease in the level of immune overactivity. In short, by serving as a block for certain endorphins, LDN causes the body to create more of them, which is necessary for those in whom endorphin levels are low because of illness.
LDN can benefit people who have:
- Chron’s disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Anxiety and depression
- Nerve pain
- Fibromyalgia
What is Considered a Low Dose of Naltrexone?
A dose of 50mg to 100mg of naltrexone is the standard dose used to treat opioid addiction. To treat pain, inflammation, and autoimmune symptoms, naltrexone is prescribed at dosages of 3 mg to 4.5 mg and is usually taken at bedtime.
Call Us to Feel Your Best!
Vallee Health Repair in Quincy, IL uses LDN as part of treatment to support those living with chronic pain and/or autoimmune disease. Vallee Health Repair Family Nurse Practitioner Tasha Vallee provides compassionate, thoughtful care to help you live your healthiest, most vital life. Reach out to Tasha at (217) 577-2992 or by email at vhrillinois@gmail.com to try low dose naltrexone. Wouldn’t it be amazing to enjoy a walk in the sun, laughter with friends, and a good night’s sleep with minimal pain? Vallee Health Repair wants to help you get there.
Disclaimer: The information contained here was not written by a medical doctor and is intended for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for medical advice.