Phase One Guidelines

The check that you are writing today in lifestyle restrictions will be cashed in a future that may never have happened had you decided to do nothing at all.

Restricting your lifestyle to save yourself is not a selfish act. It is a selfless act when you are saving yourself for the ones you love. They deserve the best of you and want the best for you. They will eventually adapt also. After all it is what we do best.

It may all seem a little overwhelming. You're thinking that you cannot avoid the light. Maybe you struggle with the diet restrictions or other parts of the Protocol. I'm here to tell you that you can do it.

You will be amazed at how much fight you still have in you no matter how ill you may feel at this time. If history has given us nothing else it has shown what adaptable creatures we are. You can do it! You should do it, and you should rejoice along the way that you are doing it!

Listen to your own body!

Don't let his/her symptoms become your symptoms:

The worst case stories you read here are not necessarily your present, but left untreated they may become your future.

Just keep in mind that some of us have been sick for a very long time. Get an understanding of the science behind the MP but don't get bogged down in it. We are not scientists. We are just a bunch of sick people trying to get well.

Keep daily journals. Not just your aches and pains but write down your feel good days also (There will be feel good days along the way) Let your friends and family know and let us know. It gives everyone the incentive to dig a little deeper. If you only talk about how sick you are your life may become a self fulfilling prophecy.

You will not have everyone else's symptoms while on the MP. Your reactions will be unique to your own system. (Don't panic in the Benicar phase) This is where I first jumped and ran. Your body is really going through some changes but it will settle down in time and you will be fine. Your body will let you know when you are there.

I made an appointment with my Doctor to discuss the program. I was fortunate that he along with the Nurses were very supportive and cooperative. I filled my Benicar prescription about a month in advance while I was still researching the MP; that way I had a reserve supply handy in case of an emergency. I'm glad I did because the insurance company got a little weird about filling Benicar in the quantity that we need it and it bought me some extra time to get it straightened out without running out of Benicar.

I would try to fill the prescriptions at least two weeks before starting and get the minocyclineBacteriostatic antibiotic used by Marshall Protocol patients. at the same time. Make sure the Doctor states at least 3 refills so you can get grandfathered in with the insurance company or so they are aware that it is not a one-time shot. (Insurance companies don't play by the same set of rules as the rest of us)

Mail-order Benicar ordered 3 months at a time at 40mg, 120 tabs cut my out of pocket cost from $100.00 a month to $42.50 per month

It does not have to be an expensive treatment but you will have to do your homework!

Prepare your environment:

Have all of your sunglasses available before starting Benicar. Office, home, clothing, (Ketaconazole cream). Don't start Benicar before you have your personal rooms darkened enough. I set myself up for failure the first few times around by trying to stand in the light and cover windows while the Benicar was trying to do it's job.

Take the light in the eyes thing very seriously especially if you are already experiencing neurological problems, sleep disorders, memory, brain fog, dizziness etc. My one time severe reaction came after inadvertently sitting down at the computer for an hour without the proper eyewear on. It was an uncomfortable evening that taught me an invaluable lesson. .

Everyone's Herx is different and yours will be too. My wife told me to try to describe what it feels like. My particular Herx was mostly neurological in Phase 1. It felt somewhat like mild food poisoning at 25mg Mino but at the next 3 cycles 50, 75, 100mg it just felt like there were too many other people living inside my head.

There was an irritable guy and the guy that struggled to sleep. There was the confused guy that couldn't focus on more than one thing at a time. There was the guy whose ears rang constantly and he usually showed up with the pain in the neck guy. Some day's they would all show up at once and some days (thanks to the MP) they took the day off.

This is when the other guy showed up. The guy who thought his sense of humor was gone forever because of his illness. The guy that took a deep breath of air and it is tasted like cool sparkling water. The guy that traded in a beat up negative attitude on a shiny new drivable science, that will surely replace the assembly line medicine that is still being produced today. This guy still disappears occasionally, but I take measures to assure that he is not forgotten.

I leave myself notes, tape recorded messages and I tell others to remind me of these feel good days. I listen to and read them on the days that are not so good. The discomfort that may be your companion today will slowly loose ground to the feel good guy/gal of tomorrow.

Dr. Marshall has given us a wonderful gift. Finally a proven path to follow after all these years.

Angels for moderators who make sure that we never go farther or faster down that path than safety allows. I'm not sure exactly how far I will venture down the path. I guess I'll know when I get there.

What more can I say?

My sincerest thanks for all your help and patience in Phase 1, (beginning phase 2, Dec. 31-05)

Mic

(filelink) Advice for a 'newbie'

-Please read as much of the info on this site as you can. The folks here are very supportive and no one here is out to make a buck. No-one here gets any money for you being in the protocol or obtaining the medications, glasses etc that you will need. That is all done through your doctor.

This web site is way different than any other that claim to deal with specific health issues in that there is no product, no pitch, it's all about educating yourself about your condition and then being proactive in your own care. The information here is based upon science. The results are repeatable. The folks running this site are qualified, knowledgable, and on the protocol themselves. So they know what you are going through.

You are in a war with this disease. This site is the state of the art intelligence, and resource for your victory. You have been given some links to information. These are the first steps to understanding your condition, why you feel the way that you do, and how to overcome it. Welcome!” ~Bookdad

(step by step instructions on how to start the Marshall ProtocolA curative medical treatment for chronic inflammatory disease. Based on the Marshall Pathogenesis.-the first 3 months) (Click here for instructions on opening PDF files)

Before you begin the MP, you must read and thoroughly understand this guideline. Print out the guideline so you can refer to it often.

The second and third phase guidelines are available to study participants upon request at completion of phase one.

Your physician has access to all guidelines in the Private Section for Health Professionals.

Read this Safety Warning

Give this Letter of introduction to your doctor

Review the items on this checklist.

Please note:

• It is the patient's responsibility to see that the prescribing doctor is following the MP correctly.

• It is the patient's responsibility to see that the prescribing doctor understands the effectiveness of the MP and the dangers inherent in deviation from the guidelines.

• Combining other protocols with the MP will not work and can lead to dangerous immunopathologyA temporary increase in disease symptoms experienced by Marshall Protocol patients that results from the release of cytokines and endotoxins as disease-causing bacteria are killed..