One patient’s UC success story
| By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Nick’s success story
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis just a few days after my 16th birthday. Today, at age 18, thanks to Dr. Hoffman, and the rest of the staff at the Hoffman Center, I have become 100 percent symptom free through diet, supplementation and low dose naltrexone.
My colitis was severe. I was anemic, I had lost almost 30 pounds, I could not participate in high school sports, my attendance at school was very sporadic and I was on the verge of surgery to have my colon removed.
As a last hope, my parents took me to the Hoffman Center as they were familiar with Dr. Hoffman’s “intelligent medicine” from his radio show. My parents believed there had to be an answer other than the Remicade and steroids my second gastroenterologist had prescribed for me. Both my first GI doctor, who had me on 19 Asacol pills per day, and my second GI doctor, who had me on the very dangerous immune suppressing drug Remicade, maintained diet had nothing to do with my colitis.
Dr. Hoffman, though, immediately put me on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). With guidance from the Hoffman Center nutritionist, Leyla Muedin, I have been able to stick to the diet despite my initial concerns about always being hungry, or not getting enough calories to gain weight or have energy.
The second thing Dr. Hoffman did was to set up a plan of supplements for me to take without overwhelming me with a 100 pills a day. It’s simple and easy to maintain, and my parents are able to get all the supplements from the Hoffman Center through the mail.
To help boost my nutritional intake, I was also getting two or three IV treatments per month at the Hoffman Center. I am now down to one IV treatment per month just for maintenance.
The third part of the successful treatment plan Dr. Hoffman established for me was a prescription for the medication known as low dose naltrexone, or LDN for short. Dr. Hoffman wrote the prescription for LDN in late May of 2007 based upon his research of a study performed by Dr. Jill Smith at Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Hoffman learned of the study when the results were published in a national GI medical journal. Unlike Remicade, which has the possible side effect of lymphoma because it limits the immune system, LDN improves the immune system.
In September of 2007, my parents took me to see Dr. Smith who recommended I continue the protocol Dr. Hoffman has prescribed.
For the past five months, I have not had a single symptom of my colitis, and I am no longer anemic. In the seven months of following Dr. Hoffman’s plan, my health, strength and energy are as strong as they ever have been. I have gained nearly 35 pounds, my attendance at school is 100 percent, and for the first time since freshman year, I have been able to run track and cross-country without missing an event.
Before seeing Dr. Hoffman, I was confined to the house except for when I tried to go to school or had a doctor’s appointment. I couldn’t work or do anything social with friends. Most days I couldn’t make it up the stairs to my bedroom. I was in the hospital emergency room two times just in the first few months of 2007 because of pain and dehydration.
While it was nearly impossible for my parents to get my second GI doctor to return a phone call, Dr. Hoffman or his staff would not let the evening pass before they returned a call and were speaking to my mom or dad.
When I saw my GI doctor in July of 2007, he refused to acknowledge the benefits of the SCD diet, supplementation or LDN. He dismissed the study Dr. Smith wrote about and Dr. Hoffman believed in. Instead, since it had not helped at all, he wanted to increase the dosage and frequency of infusion of the Remicade. My parents and I walked out, and we haven’t spoken to him since.
From my first visit to the Hoffman Center, the change in my life–which really is like having life back–has been amazing. I owe it to Dr. Hoffman and the staff at his center.
Nick P.
Doylestown, PA
January 2008
To read more about the Hoffman Center, see “The Center”
To contact us
Call 212-779-1744 or e-mail patients@drhoffman.net
We are located at:
776 Sixth Avenue (Between 26th and 27th streets)
Suite 4B
New York, New York 10001 (Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan)
To read other articles about ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s click here:
How does Dr.Hoffman treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease?
Addressing inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease update
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils
