The Coimbra Protocol for Treating Autoimmune Diseases

[Canu]

Has anyone here used the Coimbra protocol for treating Hashimoto's? It looks very promising! Antibody levels are brought down. The theory behind it is that patients with autoimmune diseases have cellular resistance to vitamin D. Patients are given large doses of vitamin D (along the lines of 1000 IU per kg body weight per day!) and they monitor this with parathyroid hormone levels and not with serum vitamin D levels. (It involves other things like other supplementation, a low calcium diet, etc.).

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

coimbraprotocol.com/general...

[radd]

Canu,

Vitamin D resistance used to be a buzz word, and VDR genetic impairments were tested alongside MTHFR in the Hashi world, resulting in larger Vit D doses & our methyl supplements. Then the higher doses returned to a Grassroots ‘normal’.

Of course we all metabolise differently depending on age, gender, life style, exercise, ethnicity, other health conditions, adequate cofactors (magnesium & Vit K), and whether eaten with fat. And the UK deficiencies are recognised as is Vit D as a very powerful immune modulator, so much so that during COVID the British Government approved it to be given to patients in old peoples homes as a preventative measure.

Vit D regulates the same cytokines as some of those released in Hashimotos (RA, PA, Crohns, Lupus, etc). It is thought calming the immune system reduces thyroid antibodies and reduces other inflammation in the process. Hence, this forum always keenly promotes members to keep Vit D levels optimised but it is actually a hormone and 10,000IU/ a day as per Dr Coimbra’s protocol sounds excessive as an ongoing blanket dose.

Grassroots state ‘The key indicator of vitamin D status is the nutrient level in the body, but since each person responds differently to a specific dose, everyone will have a personalised dose that enables their body to achieve at least 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L). Our scientists’ consensus recommended range of vitamin D status for general health is 40-60 ng/ml (approx 100nmol/L - 140nmol/L).’ grassrootshealth.net/blog/f...

I understand Dr Coimbra is trying to overcome some said resistance which could be evident in some members with high PTH levels but I’m not familiar enough with those pathways to comment on the forcing of low PTH. However, I do know we can start losing calcium into the blood/urine when Vit D remains high and this is detrimental to our bone health as well as our kidneys.

Not everyone with elevated thyroid antibodies will have Vit D resistance, VDR mutations or a Vit D deficiency, and yet that doesn't appear to figure within Dr Coimbra's dosing considerations. I would be cautious in adopting this protocol without further investigation.

[Canu in reply to radd]

Thank you radd! Will definitely investigate further before considering it.

[Canu in reply to radd]

I found this about the safety of the Coimbra protocol:mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/8/1575

But I also found some negative info too, from individuals concerned about side effects.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Afraid I am very unimpressed by most of the vitamin D professionals. One single reason - they utterly fail to accept that some people are effectively intolerant to vitamin D supplementation - at all.

That they can totally ignore that issue, which is of great importance to those who suffer it, but wander off, speculatively investigating experimental protocols, doesn't impress.

Plus, the cost of adhering to the protocol - and some were on it for years - is prohibitive to individuals - and likely also to be rejected by establishment medicine for that reason.

And just how can they walk past a mean TSH of 1.8 among subjects - going up to around 7. There's not many here who would be happy at those levels. And little mention of actual thyroid hormones.

[Hidden]

news.sky.com/story/vitamin-...

Sorry for the stupid long link! I just read this so thought of your thread!

[ Edited by admin to replace the link with a more direct and shorter link. ]

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hidden]

Just a warning about this story - the journalist doesn't know the difference between International Units, micrograms and milligrams. And the numbers quoted seem not to tie up with the original case report!

Despite that, it is an interesting and admonitory item, worth at least a brief read.

The case report - which is accessible - here:

Vitamin D intoxication and severe hypercalcaemia complicating nutritional supplements misuse

Alamin Alkundi ,1,2 Rabiu Momoh ,3 Abdelmajid Musa,4 Nkemjika Nwafor

casereports.bmj.com/content...

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to helvella]

The case report - which is accessible - here:

Vitamin D intoxication and severe hypercalcaemia complicating nutritional supplements misuse

Alamin Alkundi ,1,2 Rabiu Momoh ,3 Abdelmajid Musa,4 Nkemjika Nwafor

casereports.bmj.com/content...

Good grief, that's one heck of a list of high dose supplements, I wonder if he was following any "guidance" he'd heard about and hopefully not being guided by any kind of practioner.

The patient had been taking the following daily: vitamin D 150000IU

150,000iu D3 daily 😲

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to SeasideSusie]

Trouble is, we do see some extremely questionable recommendations around the place.

As a minimum, I suggest people look around several sites, preferably ones which have absolutely no connection with each other. And not sites selling anything. If there is a consistent message, it is likely to be at least safe, and at worst only a bit too little.

If one site is way out of line with the rest, ask yourself why. Look further.

[Canu in reply to SeasideSusie]

150 000 is way more than what is usually given on the Coimbra protocol. Patients on it are monitored and get frequent tests, but it's still scary to take something that could cause so many problems.

[Healthyiswealth]

Hi ! I was 15 years into severe MS when I discovered the Coimbra Protocol and today I have no symptoms since 2016 and swim one mile three times a week. They promote a one size fits all approach with mega doses that make some people worse. I found that lower doses did more good and were safer from a calcium toxicity perspective. I am replying here as hashi very commonly leads to an MS diagnosis later in life as optic neuritis often does. Daily vitamin D supplementation of even 20,000 iu with a brand of Vitamin D that makes you feel great ( there are many that make autoimmune activity worse) would be wise, avoiding dairy 🥛 products essential to mitagate against risk of calcium toxicity. I have blood tests every 6 months and take over 50,000 iu a day , no elevations in calcium yet diagnosed. I know many here in Ireland 🇮🇪 on high doses D3 therapy and it is astonishing for them too ( without doses of D3 at Coimbra levels aka 80k-200k) .

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Healthyiswealth]

First, glad things have helped you.

Afraid I do not understand how you can identify a brand of vitamin D which makes you feel great - if every single one you have ever tried makes you feel awful.

(This does not apply to me. I have no problem taking vitamin D. But others do have issues even with quite low doses.)

[Healthyiswealth in reply to helvella]

Olegodendricites are the specialised cells that repair myelin on the brain 🧠 and they are 80 per cent dependent on Vitamin D3 to function properly. When you are seriously ill with ongoing brain damage it can make you feel like death, when something puts its finger on the root of your suffering the impact can be less like ordinary healing and more like the hand of God. The brain switches from chaos to brimming with life mode. It’s simply incredible!!! My mum lived in Florida and in 1998 I went for two weeks as my symptoms were really bad, after two weeks of sunshine ☀️ every symptom disappeared!!! After two weeks in ireland the symptoms started to return, remember there was no internet, no goggle, you were on your own!! I bought vitamin d supplements which were only 400 iu capsules and it took 30 capsules to turn off the electric shocks in my brain. I quickly ran out went back to buy more but that particular brand was out of stock so I bought another brand of 400 iu capsules but this gave me new symptoms of dizziness and mental confusion. Initially I never thought the brands were the problem I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me. Now I know there is bio equivalence in pharma meds but not in brands of vitamin D.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Healthyiswealth]

Healthyiswealth, 'I am replying here as hashi very commonly leads to an MS diagnosis later in life '

Really? First I've heard about this! This forum has been around for well over a decade and has thousands of members, many who might be classed as being 'later in life'. Yet rarely if ever do we hear members saying they've been diagnosed with MS following on from their autoimmune thyroid disease.

[Healthyiswealth in reply to RedApple]

I know two MS patients who were first diagnosed with Hashi. I had eczema my whole life and age 23 had my first MS symptom, losing the use of my left arm for about 2 minutes. Autoimmune disease activity can erupt in different parts of the body over time.

[Canu in reply to Healthyiswealth]

Thank you very much! It's so wonderful that you have managed to cure yourself!

Which vitamin D brand do you recommend?

[Healthyiswealth]

I have been testing brands of Vitamin D3 since 1998 and have discovered only four that halt and reverse MS. There are two brands that get great results in 80 per cent of autoimmune patients. They are Healthy Origins D3 capsules 10,000 iu and Life Extension D3 drops without mint flavour be careful Life Extension sell a liquid Vitamin D3 in an almost identical bottle with mint added, it is from a different lab and does not work. When I take 20,000 iu of Healthy Origins D3 a day for one week I cannot walk without a stick , it makes my MS flare like crazy , but half the MS patients I know could walk the length of Ireland 🇮🇪 after taking it. When you take the wrong D3 your symptoms will flare, when you take a brand that clicks with your body, your symptoms ease within hours or a day. As a species we are designed to manufacture 20,000 iu from sun exposure so I always recommend this a testing dose for supplementary vitamin D as your body will always give you an honest answer whereas when you test on 10,000 iu it may not give you a yes or a no. I take two brands of Vitamin D3, one at 10,000 iu and another at 40,000 iu. The vitamin D receptor sites on my eyes 👀 only respond to Micellized Vitamin D3 and the rest of my brain and spine are fully attended to by life Extension drops. This has to be taken with two brands of genuine medical grade magnesium to transport the Vitamin D3 around the body and to help in it conversion from inactive to active. Vitamin D gets all the credit but it loses its superpowers when not supported by magnesium.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Healthyiswealth]

Healthyiswealth 'As a species we are designed to manufacture 20,000 iu from sun exposure '

An interesting claim. 20,000 iu over what period of time? Can you point us to a source for this information please.

[Healthyiswealth in reply to RedApple]

That depends on the time of day and the amount of pigment in your skin. The easiest time to make Vitamin D3 is at noon, early morning and late afternoon no Vitamin D3 can be produced. It’s all to do with how high in the sky the sun is. Black skin is SPF 50, White skin SPF 0. Professor Michael Holick inventor of the Vitamin D3 blood test, study his work, very knowledgeable man.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Healthyiswealth]

The source I was asking for was your claim that 'we are designed to manufacture 20,000 iu'.

[Canu in reply to Healthyiswealth]

Thank you very much!

[Canu in reply to Healthyiswealth]

Would you recommend that one also takes vitamin K2 MK-7 along with vitamin D?

Also, which two brands of genuine medical grade magnesium are you referring to?