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Sarah Testimonial
This is a moving testimony by Karen Bell, the mother of a MS patient. Karen published this post on the North American FB group (link below) and kindly allowed us to share it. We added the image of a "black hole" on the post so readers will know what Karen is referring to:
"My daughter has M.S. but is able to live as she doesn't, thanks to the Coimbra Protocol. She prefers to not do Facebook so I am sharing her progress. Below is what I just sent out to those who are on a prayer list for her. I want to share it with you.... it's really good news!
I’m writing this with Sarah’s permission to give you an update on her health because we know you care about her and have been praying for her.
First some history…. In Oct. 2015 she started having symptoms of numbness in some fingers of her right hand. Doctors suspected carpel tunnel but tests proved that was not the cause. In Feb 2016, after an MRI and spinal tap, she was diagnosed with a progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis and the MRI showed what appeared to be a black hole which is usually permanent brain damage. The neurologist said “you just don’t see a black hole at the first MRI” – that is why he said it was progressive. This news devastated all of us because the normal progression of someone who has progressive M.S. leads to a wheelchair and a very poor quality of life and oftentimes only in a matter of several years. This was not the future we wanted for our daughter. So, like any mom would do, I started researching… and researching… and researching. What I found were various diets and lifestyles purported to slow or stop the progression of M.S. I read countless scientific studies on M.S. and found tons of research had been done on the positive effects of Vitamin D on M.S. I found studies that said that taking 10,000 I.U./day of Vitamin D helped as much as the current drugs on the market but without the horrible side effects and sometimes permanent damage that can occur from taking the drugs (including death). No drug on the market stops M.S. – usually the most you can hope for is a 30 -40 % reduction in relapses. A relapse can cause temporary discomfort or permanent damage. So even having one is not good. By this time, Sarah had had 4 relapses/attacks including the numbness in her fingers, extreme vertigo which put her in bed, and an electric shock kind of feeling that went down her spine. Thankfully, no permanent damage except for the relentless numbness in her fingers from the first attack. Sarah immediately starting taking 10,000 i.u./day of Vit. D.
My research had also found a treatment called the Coimbra Protocol, created by Dr. Cicero Coimbra, a neurologist in Brazil, which utilizes high doses of Vit. D for autoimmune diseases. I found YouTube testimonies about how it had helped people immensely and before and after videos showing how people were debilitated prior to starting the protocol and the tremendous improvement they had after being on it a while. The neurologist who created the protocol said it puts 95% of M.S. patients in total remission. He said usually a stressful event can trigger the autoimmune disease and it usually only triggers when low in Vit. D. I started researching what vitamin D does in our body and found it works to make our immune system work correctly among other good things. Her neurologist had not tested for Vit. D so we requested that and of course she was extremely low. I thought of all the stress she had been under in the fall when starting her most difficult college semester to date. There is a genetic factor with M.S. and it is in her family. Sarah’s skin her whole life had been covered with sunscreen when outside to avoid skin cancer due to her fair skin so she couldn’t have gotten Vit D from the sun, pretty much ever. It all started making sense as to why she got M.S.. Now, how do we help her?
At an appointment with her neurologist to discuss treatment, I took the studies I had found and wanted his opinion on treating her M.S. with Vit. D instead of the drugs. Well, he was totally against it. He went on about how the Vit D studies can show anything they want. In almost the next breath he spoke about how studies prove the drug works. It just didn’t make sense to me since the Vit. D studies were randomized double blind studies just as the drug studies were. We had an appointment with another neurologist just for a second opinion to make sure she had M.S. and to get his opinion on treating with Vit. D. He said she definitely had M.S. and said she would get toxic if she took the amount of Vit. D the protocol uses. More research ensued while it was being set up with the insurance company (which took months) to start Sarah on Plegridy, an every 2 week injection that comes with possible side effects. The Coimbra Protocol made more sense to us than any other option since it provided the best benefits with NO side effects, if done correctly. The decision Sarah needed to make was to take only the Plegridy, take both Plegridy and do the Coimbra Protocol, or do only the Coimbra Protocol. She decided to do only the Coimbra Protocol because it offered total remission with no side effects but to also take Plegridy until she was on the protocol for 2 months. At the 2 month mark, the Vit. D was supposed to be at the level it needed to be in her body to provide total remission. She took one injection of Plegridy, had a severe allergic reaction, a rash all over her body so had to stop taking that. It was scary. Since starting 10,000 i.u./day of Vit. D in February (and it was now May), Sarah had not had ANY relapses which was astounding!! Remember, in the 4 months prior to starting on Vit. D, she had had 4 relapses.
In May of 2016, we traveled to Florida to a doctor who had been trained by Dr. Coimbra. At that time, Dr. Tannimoto was the only trained doctor in the U.S. Prior to this appointment, Sarah had to get a bone density test, tons of blood work, urine tests, and the MRI to provide a baseline of how things were in her body prior to staring the protocol. She was put on 60,000 i.u./day of Vit. D along with another supplement containing several vitamins. She has to severely restrict her calcium intake, drink 2.5 ltrs. of liquid a day, and try to exercise 30 minutes a day. She repeats the tests periodically to insure the Vit. D is not hurting her since the dose is so high. All tests to date have shown no adverse reactions. Last year, her MRI showed significant improvement in the area of the black hole and other improvements but there was some progression of the disease evidenced by some additional lesions in her brain. By this time, she had been on the Vit. D protocol for 1 year but had not been fully protected by the Vit. D between the time period of Feb. 2016 and July 2016 (5 months) so the disease progression could have occurred during that time period.
HERE’S THE UPDATE…. She just had her yearly MRI and this time…….. there is “stable appearance to plaques since the previous study”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This means there has been NO progression AT ALL since being on the Coimbra Protocol for a full year which means NO new brain damage which means she IS living her life fully as she is supposed to. And she feels better and has more energy than ever! She has her life back and is starting her career as a teacher, her lifelong dream.
I’m sending this to you because I know you care about Sarah but also so you will be informed about the Coimbra Protocol. If you know anyone whose life is being negatively impacted by an autoimmune disease, please tell them about the Coimbra Protocol so they can do their own research. Only a Coimbra Protocol trained doctor should be used. Usually, one can find a local doctor to order the lab work, if required by their insurance.
From what I’ve read, most people, with and without autoimmune diseases, are deficient in Vit. D and can (and should) take 10,000 i.u./day. We can take up to 10,000 i.u./day without having to restrict calcium or get any tests. Vitamin D has been proven to prevent and help autoimmune diseases and prevent many cancers. From what I’ve read, to achieve the most benefit from Vit. D, our blood level needs to be between 60 and 80 ng/ml. I’ve found and read that many doctors are against taking 10,000 i.u./day of Vit. D as they consider that too high. But, your blood level is what should determine how much you need to take as everyone’s body is different. Thousands of people around the world are in remission from autoimmune diseases because of the protocol and doctors can go get trained by Dr. Cicero Coimbra for free in Brazil. Many have. Vitamin D will probably never become a treatment for an autoimmune disease because there is no money in it. Drug companies will most likely fight it tooth and nail. M.S. drugs cost at least $12,000- $20,000/month. Sarah’s Vitamin D costs around $20/month and the other required vitamins are around $80/month. The Vit. D protocol works better for most people and has no side effects if done correctly.
Thank you for praying for Sarah… please continue!! We are thanking God for a normal life and a tremendous future for our sweet Sarah!!!!!! Also, thanking God for Dr. Cicero Coimbra who created the protocol!!!! You do have our permission to share this story. We want people to know there is another (usually more effective) option to treat autoimmune diseases. And we are hoping more doctors in the U.S. will go get trained so that more people can be helped by the protocol."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vitamin ... thamerica/
