Resources for physicians

The Marshall Protocol (MP) is the name given to a therapy devised by Professor Trevor Marshall. Based on the pathogenesis Marshall has proposed for chronic inflammatory disease, the MP is aimed at targeting bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microbes that appear to interact to cause chronic inflammatory diseases.

Marshall and colleagues have hypothesized that chronic inflammatory diseases, including many autoimmune diseases, are caused by dysbiosis of a metagenomic microbiotaThe community of bacterial pathogens including those in an intracellular and biofilm state which cause chronic disease.: communities of microbial pathogens, many of which persist intracellularly. A recent (2009) peer-reviewed paper describes this Pathogenesis in more detail.¹⁾

Supported by Autoimmunity Research Foundation, the MP has been available since 2002 and has been used in a wide range of chronic inflammatory illnesses.

A significant number of patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, post-treatment chronic Lyme syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, uveitis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes type II, psoriasis, lupus (SLE), multiple sclerosis, and a number of other diagnoses are showing a promising response from being treated with the Protocol.

In determining whether a patient can be successfully treated with the MP, a specific chronic disease diagnosis is not as important as the clinical assessment by an interested health care provider, the results of a therapeutic probe, and outcome of the vitamin D metabolites blood test.²⁾

According to the Marshall PathogenesisA description for how chronic inflammatory diseases originate and develop., chronic inflammatory disease is characterized by dysregulation of the nuclear receptorIntracellular receptor proteins that bind to hydrophobic signal molecules (such as steroid and thyroid hormones) or intracellular metabolites and are thus activated to bind to specific DNA sequences which affects transcription. pathways which control the innate immune response. For example, the Vitamin D nuclear receptorA nuclear receptor located throughout the body that plays a key role in the innate immune response. (VDR) expresses many of the body's antimicrobial peptidesBody’s naturally produced broad-spectrum antibacterials which target pathogens. (along with TLR2A receptor which is expressed on the surface of certain cells and recognizes native or foreign substances and passes on appropriate signals to the cell and/or the nervous system.). In addition to down-regulation of expression of the VDR itself by many common bacteria and viruses, antagonistic microbial metabolites incrementally block ligands from activating it. Ingested vitamin D slows activity of the receptor in this same manner, preventing the body from killing the pathogens at the heart of the disease state. That is why avoidance of ingested vitamin D (in food and supplements) is essential for the innate immune system to recover. ^{3) 4)}

The MP uses multiple daily dosing of olmesartan medoxomil (Benicar, Olmecip, Olmetec) to re-activate the Vitamin D Nuclear Receptor, dislodging bacterial ligands in the process. This drug was developed as an Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) but it has multiple actions in the human body when dosed as defined by Marshall. In addition to immunostimulation via the VDR, Olmesartan also reduces inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting the NF kappa-B transcription pathway. This inhibits, among other things, the release of TNF-alpha, helping to protect the organs from effects of excessive inflammation.

Additionally, several pulsed, low-dose, bacteriostatic oral antibiotics may optionally be used, in a minority of patients it may reduce IP, but is more likely to provoke it when after some months, it has declined to insignificance. Four bacteriostatic antibiotics: minocycline, clindamycin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim DS), and demeclocycline (Declomycin) have been found useful for these outcomes. Minocycline directly acts in an immunosuppressive manner on the PXR nuclear receptor, and this biochemical action may be useful in pulsing immunopathology to (for example) a 48 hour cycle. Bactrim, however, may be better avoided by anyone with a tendency to high potassium MedPage which is not under control by sodium bicarbonate (see baking soda)

N.B. azithromycin is no longer recommended for use while on the MP.

Seriously ill patients may develop photosensitivity during the healing process, so avoidance of direct and indirect sunlight may be necessary. Patients may need to protect their eyes from bright lights to prevent further retinal damage and reduce neurological symptoms due to inter alia, the effect of ocular 1,25-D production on the brain.

Patients may also develop sensitivity to skin exposure to sunlight, and/or find that they need to avoid skin exposure to sunlight in order to maintain the naturally low blood levels of vitamin D required by the Protocol. However, some patients do not experience significant photosensitivity during recovery. Those who do often find it more manageable several years into the therapy.

Access to the Marshall Protocol study site is available for health professionals upon request. Health Professionals are welcome, and will be manually joined into the database after sending an email to Moderators@MarshallProtocol.com listing their desired username and password. Health professionals are granted access to the Private Section for Health Professionals.

In addition to the Private Section for Health Professionals, health professionals have the option to contact Dr. Marshall at TM@AutoimmunityResearch.org or (818) 584-1201.

To ensure success, physicians are asked to encourage their patients to carefully study this Knowledge Base. This site provides additional instructions, helpful hints, and support that will greatly ease a practitioner’s emotional support workload and smooth the patient’s path to recovery.

Trevor Marshall and the rest of the Autoimmunity Research Foundation research team have been active in publishing papers and making presentations before learned bodies.

This material is provided in order to give a more detailed description of the Marshall Pathogenesis and Protocol.