Guillain-Barre Syndrome – General Recommendations
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), is a neurological autoimmune disorder, in which the body’s own antibodies begin attacking the myelin sheath around nerves. Usually, the syndrome begins after an infection, and affects just about any of the peripheral nerves that travel to the ends of the body. Patients can have sensory or motor disturbances.
You may remember during the 1970’s several hundred Americans developed GBS after receiving the Swine flu vaccine available at the time. A number of these people ended up paralyzed for life – a lesson many health professionals have yet to learn about properly testing vaccines.
My mentor, the late Dr. Robert Good, former President of Sloan-Kettering, suffered GBS while a medical student after a bad case of influenza, but recovered enough to pursue his very productive research career – though he required braces on his legs.
The Miller Fisher Variant affects only about 5% of GBS patients and can lead to total paralysis, even in the eye muscles. The standard treatment of choice in the conventional world is steroids and usually the syndrome resolves with time. There are no simple solutions that I know of for this disease. I have treated post-polio syndrome, which can be similar in presentation, and GBS with my protocol of intensive nutritional therapy and detoxification, but I have not treated someone with the Miller Fisher variant that persists after steroid treatment.
For GBS, I typically prescribe nutrients that stimulate myelin regrowth around the nerve axons, such as the omega-3 fatty acids. With my patients suffering post-polio syndrome and Guillain-Barre, I often recommend anti-viral herbs, such as Lomatium (available from Eclectic Herbs in Oregon, 800-332-HERB). I find Lomatium very useful to keep persistent viral infections under control, and it tends to normalize immune reactions.
But of course, I never use omega-3 fatty acids or Lomatium alone, it is always in tandem with my complete protocol of individualized diet, supplement program and detoxification.
By Nicholas Gonzalez, M.D.
