Several years ago this West Virginia native feared for his life. He had managed to survive two heart attacks, but his sarcoidosis of the heart, myopathy, atrial fibrillation, and fluid-filled lungs were only getting worse. Now, after 2 1/2 years on Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol, this 69-year old is active again thanks to the fact that his heart conditions and sarcoidosis symptoms have improved considerably. Meet Freddie Ash.

Can you describe the progression of your disease?

As a child I was fed canned milk fortified with vitamin D. Early on I was deficient in iron. They made me eat molasses to try to bring the level of iron up, but in grade school it was so low I saw the doctor almost every day. They had to pull out my baby teeth because they rotted too quickly.

In grade school they had a nurse come in to check our hearts. Later that day I was given a slip – I never did find out what it said. A doctor examined me with a forescope but could find nothing wrong. I was dismissed.

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P.Bear (P.B) is a registered nurse who lives on the Ozark border in Missouri. Symptomatic since childhood, P.B. is feeling dramatically different after three years on Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol. He will now take your questions.

Describe the progression of your disease. When did you first start to feel sick, how did your symptoms progress?

I was allergic to many things as a kid and would break out in a rash at the drop of a hat in response to many foods, additives, or topical exposures. I also suffered from many respiratory, sinus, and ear infections. I fell ill with an acute illness accompanied by a bulls-eye type rash in 1963 after playing in the woods along the coast of Connecticut. My doctor at one point suspected scarlet fever or rheumatic fever but eventually decided on mononucleosis. Because of my extraordinary fatigue, the illness ended up keeping me out of nearly a year of school. I almost fainted every time I stood up, had joint pain, and needed up to 18 hours of sleep on many days. A few days I felt so sick I thought I might die. Today this might have been diagnosed as acute stage “Lyme” (I did eventually test positive by one western blot to borrelia in 2002, with many positive bands on the other blot[Igenex]).

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What do Microsoft and medical research have in common?

Let’s start with the simple fact that they have both been wildly successful. Microsoft has 79,000 employees, global annual revenue in the year 2007 exceeding $51 billion, and has made more than 12,000 of its employees millionaires simply by increases in stock valuation. Additionally, Microsoft’s market share for the operating systems on desktop computers, by one 2003 estimate, is 90%. Not bad for a garage startup.

In the United States alone spending on medical research is at or near the $100 billion mark in the year 2007. That’s about $300 for every man, woman, and child and more than doubles what was spent just a decade ago. According to Dan Fox, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a philanthropic group that works on health policy issues, the data in a recent JAMA review makes it plain that “we are spending huge amounts of money, more than any other country, to develop new drugs and devices and other treatments.”

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When this California librarian found out she had sarcoidosis, she felt as if a massive freight train was headed her way. Now, thanks to Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol not only is she leading a normal life, but her bloodwork has returned to normal and her bone density is headed in the right direction. Sherry Cook will now take your questions.

Can you describe the progression of your disease? When were you diagnosed?

I became symptomatic little by little over many years. In my 20’s I was diagnosed with “Reynes Syndrome” but in 1988 a funny lump developed on my upper neck. After a biopsy I was diagnosed with Cat scratch fever – an infectious disease thought to involve the intracellular parasite Bartonella. My doctors told me not to worry, but I found it quite odd that I was not offered any treatment options. Insomnia and headaches grew more common, and the only way I could make myself feel good was by swimming outside on my lunch hour. If I didn’t swim, I was literally in a torpor of brain fog.

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While alone in a foreign country, this mom from Houston Texas began to suffer from an array of debilitating symptoms. Soon, she was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Despite the fact that she had to care for three young children, she successfully started Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol and today, about two years later, is active once again. Meet Lisa Shanahan.

When did you start to get sick?

It all happened very suddenly. Before becoming symptomatic, I considered myself very healthy. I was even preparing to run my second half marathon after completing two full marathons. My husband and I had decided to adopt a baby from Guatemala. We went down to Guatemala to see our son for the very first time. The next morning I woke up and my face was swollen. I didn’t know what to make of it. At the same time, two large lumps appeared on my arm, at my inner elbow area. Upon returning to the US that next week, I saw two different doctors that informed me that I had allergies and not to worry, so I went on with my usual routine. They gave me a small steroid dose pack to decrease the swelling.

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After being diagnosed with the deadly disease sarcoidosis, he felt as if his entire body was shutting down. But after several years on Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol this Australian geologist is feeling great and living life to the fullest. Meet Mirek Wozga.

When did you start to get sick? What happened?

In 2001, I woke up and went outside. For some reason I was extremely cold. Upon returning inside, I realized that I was running a low-grade fever. Several weeks later it was still there. Then, I started to have terrible night sweats, insomnia and severe gastrointestinal pain. I was exhausted and brain-fogged. Because my body was so burnt out, I began to lose weight – almost 15 kilos, dropping down to 65 kilos. Upon waking up every morning, I felt as if someone had beaten me up – literally, not a single muscle wasn’t aching. It was like I’d been to the gym the night before and completely pushed myself over the top. In reality, I lost the ability to exercise.

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This cyclist had to put away his bike in 2002 due to CFS. But today, this New York City resident, who has also conquered his depression, is psyched to be riding again thanks to Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol. Paul Albert will now take your questions.

What did you do for fun before you became acutely ill?

Starting in college, I rowed crew. I was not much of a technical rower, but I got pretty good at pulling the oar hard. Crew was just what I needed at the stage in my life.

When I graduated from school, I went on to do triathlons, which include swimming, biking, and running. One of the last biathlons (which is just running and biking) I did, I went from 30th place or so after the run to third place after the bike. It occurred to me then that I could be pretty good on the bike.

In 2001, I blew out my knee a second time, and that kind of sealed it: I would race my bike exclusively. I started to train in earnest, putting in as many miles as I could. My favorite event was the time trial. I was pretty good at putting in a consistent effort and staying just below my red line for a long period of time. One time, I got a lactate tolerance test (LTT) and my coach, who is now my friend, said that my LTT was the highest he’d ever seen. Yup, I’m really good at suffering.

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In 2003, this school teacher from Indiana was suffering from sarocoidosis, fibromyalgia, CFS, and myriad other symptoms. Today, thanks to Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol, she considers herself healthy and is traveling the world with her husband. Meet Carole Morgan.

What were you dealing with before starting the MP?

Before I found the MP, I was actually undergoing tests for cancer. I had originally visited the emergency room in December 2003 because my legs had become so swollen and painful that I could hardly walk. An abnormal chest x-ray revealed extremely swollen lymph nodes. My physician referred me to a pulmonologist who ordered more tests, including a CT scan for my bloated and painful stomach. He then referred me to an oncologist, feeling that I probably had cancer. More scans and tests were performed because they just weren’t sure what form of cancer I might be suffering from. First they thought it was lymphoma, then bone cancer, then finally lung cancer. While they were pondering a diagnosis, I started to do my own research on the Internet. Since the second possibility listed from the CT and PET scan reports was sarcoidosis (a disease that I had never before heard of), I started to research sarcoidosis on the web and found sarcinfo.com—a website created by Autoimmunity Research Foundation that was the predecessor to MarshallProtocol.com.

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She used to alarm others with her wheezing and now she can run up the stairs of her house and not even think about her breathing. In fact, this Texan is literally singing about how good she feels thanks to Autoimmunity Research Foundation’s Marshall Protocol. Shirley J. will now take your questions.

When were you diagnosed with sarcoidosis? How did you feel?

I was diagnosed in 2004. It was very scary to be told I had a disease that other doctors believed has no cure. My doctors told me that few people die from sarcoidosis (which is incorrect), but right around that time football player Reggie White died from sarcoidosis. I was very alarmed.

I started researching sarcoidosis on the internet and found myself at a support site. Marshall Protocol nurse moderator Meg Mangin was also a member of the site. She emailed me an overview of the treatment and also warned me not to take prednisone because it is a steroid that suppresses the activity of the immune system and allows L-form bacteria to spread more easily. Then, Belinda Fenter, another MP moderator helped me find an MP doctor (we both live in Texas).

I started reading the information on Sarcinfo.com – a site created by Autoimmunity Research Foundation that was a predecessor to MarshallProtocol.com. As I started to read and understand the science behind the Marshall Protocol, I knew that Dr. Marshall was onto something. It makes so much sense that Th1 illnesses are not genetic but due to the spread of bacteria, and that pulsing the antibiotics gives the body the opportunity to fight these pathogens. I started the MP in January of 2005.

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