Safety warnings for the Marshall Protocol

The Marshall Protocol (MP) is a powerful therapy for immune function recovery and must be followed exactly. Every aspect of the MP is designed with a patient's safety in mind. Patients intent on beginning the MP should first ensure that they have completed all the items on the checklist before they begin.

The MP is a serious multi-year commitment. Succeeding on the MP requires patients to do at least the following:

• attend regular appointments with a licensed physician
• get blood tests
• buy sufficient olmesartan medoxomil (Benicar) to ensure continuing dose if there is a delay in delivery or in renewing prescription
• buy special sunglasses that block infrared light
• avoid areas where Radio frequency radiating technology is in use
• block light in the home/work environments when patient comfort requires this measure

To use MP medications, the law says patients must be under the care of a licensed physician. Doctors are responsible for their patients' welfare. The Autoimmunity Research Foundation and associated online support sites act in an advisory capacity to support the treating physician and their patients.

All guidance given on the study site is based on the premise that a patient's doctor supports participation in our observational study and that support implies permission to follow our recommendations.

Patients on the MP are expected to read and internalize key concepts outlined in the Marshall Protocl Knowledge Base. For example, it's important to know:

• why consumption of vitamin D is prohibited
• why patients must feel worse before they get better
• why higher than normal doses of olmesartan (Benicar) are required
• why the use of antibiotics while taking olmesartan can provoke dangerous levels of immunopathology
• why the use of telmisartan or azithromycin is considered particularly dangerous

It has been the experience of the staff and volunteers of Autoimmunity Research Foundation that those patients who understand the rationale for the different components and instructions of the MP have the most success and best treatment outcomes.

Some physicians consent to treat a patient with the MP after a cursory examination of the various presentations or papers which describe it.

The MP involves signs and symptoms of disease that may be unfamiliar to many clinical practitioners:

• Patients on the MP will see temporary increases in inflammatory markers and symptom severity due to immunopathology.
• Patients on the MP may have levels of 25-D that decrease into the range of undetectability by laboratory testing while continuing to maintain normal levels of the active metabolite 1,25D.
• Olmesartan (Benicar) should not be discontinued in an acute emergency situation. More than one death has been reported following the abrupt withdrawal of olmesartan from a patient in such situations.
• Patients on the MP should not take nimesulide (Aulin / Mesulid / Nimed). It could cause bleeding. One death has been reported during its use.
• rivaroxaban (Xarelto) increases the risk of bleeding and can cause serious or fatal bleeding. A specific antidote for rivaroxaban is not available.

Physicians are encouraged to take advantage of the private Health Professionals' Forum or to call Trevor Marshall, PhD with questions. Especially when the physician is treating a patient in an emergency situation.

Some physicians have been known to alter the MP – for example, by using the MP in conjunction with vitamin D supplementation. This is not acceptable. There is no such thing as a “Modified MP,” an “MP Lite”, or an “Alternative MP.”

Combining, varying, or eliminating any aspects of the MP may cause unsafe or even dangerous outcomes. Doing so may sabotage patients' success or even jeopardize their safety. Components of other protocols or alternative treatments such as (but not limited to) supplements, vitamins, glyconutrients, rife machine, infrared sauna, SAD light therapy, chelation, etc. are all contraindicated.

Note that there is nothing unique about over-the-counter supplements. They may interfere with immune function in the same way that prescription drugs do.

Finally, Olmesartan works best as a monotherapy. Other drugs just seem to get in the way of the body's ability to heal.

Professor T.G. Marshall - March 2017

Patients with severe forms of disease may develop strong immunopathology that is difficult to control. Patients should internalize the strategies for managing immunopathology. Knowing how to manage the MP independently on a day-to-day basis will serve you well should an urgent situation occur. Also patients should learn to work closely with their physician.

In the event of severe immunopathology, doctors may call Trevor Marshall at any time to discuss your individual treatment. For safety and patient comfort, all patients are expected to post at least weekly so that our staff can provide effective assistance.

Many of the patients who began the MP with strong symptoms or who have been sick for decades are doing well. However, if the disease process has advanced to the point where symptoms are extremely debilitating or vital organs are severely compromised, it may be very difficult or even impossible to tolerate the immunopathology involved in the healing process.

There is no way to definitively determine this in advance. It will, ultimately, be up to the individual to decide what level of symptoms they are willing or able to tolerate and up to the physician to monitor biological processes to make sure they stay within acceptable limits.