So in the first post I have given a brief history of my MS and the purpose of this blog is to document my experience with the Coimbra Protocol, which I have not yet explained. So here goes....
Dr. Cicero Galli Coimbra is a Brazilian Neurologist, Professor and Researcher who has become popular for treating Multiple Sclerosis and auto immune disease with high doses of vitamin D3 combined with a combination of other supplements and diet recommendations. Dr. Coimbra does not claim to cure MS [some of his patients will tell you differently] but he has proven that his treatment does stop it progression.
The Dietary Restrictions
All patients must discontinue eating or drinking dairy products or calcium enriched foods or beverages. Complete restriction is critical! This includes foods that are formed by milk, cheese, cheese spread, yogurt, curdled milk, cream of milk, caramel, milk pudding, condensed milk. Also includes products made of soy milk enriched with calcium (for reduction of the amount of calcium ingested due to the use of high doses of vitamin D in your treatment) . Coimbra also encourages patients to avoid excessive or routine consumption of bananas. Of course this includes discontinuing any calcium supplement.
Hydration is Critical
Drink at least 2.5 liters [85 ounces] of fluids, preferably water, daily to avoid excessive concentration of calcium in the urine. From Dr. Coimbra "Ingest high amounts of liquids (at least 2 and a half liters of liquids daily, including water, juices,, soft drinks, teas, etc.). This higher quantity of liquids assures a urine volume around 2.000 ml which allows calcium dilution eliminated in the urine, and avoids excessive concentration of urinary calcium ( as when calcium is diluted it does not get deposited in the kidney, preserving renal function).
Calcium, Vitamin D and Auto Immune Disease
Dr. Coimbra believes that lack of vitamin D has led to an increase in occurrence of a growing number of diseases that affect all the organs and systems of the human body', where the most notorious ones are: infectious and autoimmune illnesses, cancer, cardiovascular illnesses, hypertension, diabetes, depression, autism, infertility, spontaneous miscarriages, and pre-eclampsia. Vitamin D deficiency leads to loss of control of 229 functions (genes) as well as in cells of the immune system, reducing the system’s potency to fight infections and allowing immune aggression against the organism. Individuals prone to developing autoimmune illnesses appear to be partially resistant to Vitamin D. Once they get ill, higher doses of vitamin D are needed in order to make the illness inactive. Not only to compensate this partial resistance, but also to "erase" the false information that part of the body sees as a micro-organism intruder by the immunological system memory.
Contrary to what occurs with high doses of steroids and with the use of immunosuppressive agents used as part of traditional treatment, the administration of vitamin D3 increases the power of immunological system in combating infections. When taking extremely high doses of D3 the absorption of excessive amounts of calcium present in food or supplementation can be a problem, at least that has been the common belief. But Dr. Coimbra has determined that these higher doses of vitamin D "completely open the door" to allow the passage of calcium from the interior of the bowel to the blood stream, obliging the organism to get rid of excess calcium through urine elimination. Calcium excess, concentrated during urine formation, could be deposited in the kidneys, and could cause loss of renal function and make the individual dependent on haemodialysis to survive. This is why the water intake he prescribes, as least 2.5 liters [85 ounces] of fluids preferably water, is so critical.
Independent Testing
Dr. Coimbra has claimed amazing results with his treatment and unfortunately very little is done in the US or the UK to prove or disprove any of his claims since our the medical industry has little interest in the subject. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco have done some basic work on MS patients and have reported a reduction in brain lesions and disease activity in multiple sclerosis patients who had higher levels of vitamin D. This conclusion came after a 5 year study, involving 469 men and women with MS. All participants underwent yearly blood testing for vitamin D and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate disease progression. The researchers determined that with each 10 ng/ml increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, there was a corresponding 15% reduction in the risk of new brain lesions characteristic of MS. They also noted a 32% lower risk of areas of active disease as indicated by “white spots” or areas of inflammation visible on MRI images.
