Share your thoughts and memories
of Dr. Bihari.
Last Sunday, the world lost a truly wonderful man: Dr. Bernard Bihari, a medical hero, and one of my personal heroes, as well.
Dr. Bihari was the genius who discovered that a very low dose of naltrexone, a drug that had been approved at a higher dose by the FDA for another purpose entirely, could help people with some of the most difficult-to-treat diseases.
Thanks to Dr. Bihari, tens of thousands (some say hundreds of thousands) of people with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, HIV/AIDS and even cancer are now living better lives. Many are symptom-free.
Dr. Bihari had the highest of credentials: a Bachelors degree from Cornell, and his MD degree from Harvard. But he never lost sight of his true mission: to lessen the suffering of real people.
And that he did.
I’ve been fascinated by Dr. Bihari’s work for a long. long time. I wrote an ebook about LDN for International Low Dose Naltrexone Awareness Week, and am now writing another book about LDN and 3 other treatments that most doctors aren't aware of.
Dr. Bihari is one of the heroes of my book.
And several of the LDN Advocates who admire him so greatly have written chapters. My work has led me to talk personally with so many of the people LDN has helped -- especially people with MS. And many of them are now my good friends.
I hope you will join with me in honoring Dr. Bihari by leaving you own personal comments below; I plan to share them with his wife Jackie Young. So, please leave your memories below – or your thoughts. Or anything you’d like Jackie to know about how you feel about Dr. Bihari.
If you’d like to write a longer piece -– something that is more than a comment--please send it to me at [email protected], and I’ll be glad to post it here on my site, as well.
But first, at this sad time of his death, I’d like to share some of my favorite links with you; links to a few wonderful memories of Dr. Bihari. I hope you will enjoy reading, listening, and watching.
1) First, here’s a 30 minute video of Dr. Bihari,with Dr. Pat Crowley, from the 2006 LDN conference. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see several thumbnails. If you scroll to the right, you’ll see that Dr. Bihari himself appears at several times, interspersed between patient testimonies. I love listening to him talk; he’s fascinating.
2) In this transcript of a radio interview from 2003, Dr. Kamau B. Kokayi interviews Dr. Bihari.. I love this interview, because of the way Dr. Bihari explains his paradigm-shifting theories. His brilliance and kindness shine through.
And finally
3) I've excerpted a six minute section from an audio interview I did with Dr. Burt Berkson, another one of my personal heroes. Here, Dr. Berkson tells, in his own delightfully inimitable fashion, the story of how he first learned about Dr. Bihari and LDN. It’s truly wonderful. (You may listen to the whole interview with Dr. Berkson, as well.)
So, thanks for reading, watching and listening. And thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts below. I know that Jackie will love to read what you have to say.
Dr. Bihari he was so great!!
Thank you Dr. Bihari for having a cure for some diseases..
Posted by: FertilAid for Women | May 19, 2010 at 01:46 AM
Dr Bihari was an amazing, inspiring and generous person who has saved thousands of lives around the world. Thank you for inspiring me!
Posted by: cyndi lenz | May 19, 2010 at 06:55 AM
We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a wonderful Doctor, man and friend. Thank you, Dr Bihari, for giving thousands of people and their families their lives back thanks to your discovery of the human benefits and clinical application of Low Dose Naltrexone. We are forever indebted to you. Jacqueline, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Mary and Noel Bradley
Posted by: Mary Bradley | May 19, 2010 at 11:03 AM
I, too, want Jackie to know what an influence Dr. Bihari had on my life. I haven't told many people, but I first learned about Dr. Bihari from my dear friend Dennis Roth.
When my husband Tim's brain tumor came back in 2001, Dennis called me and said, "You've got to talk with Dr. Bernard Bihari. He's the 'real deal.'" And so I spoke with Dr. Bihari -- what a wonderful man he was!! -- and he prescribed LDN for Tim.
Unfortunately, Tim died -- several years later -- as a result of a surgery; not as a result of his tumor.
Thank you, Dr. Bihari, for everything you have done for so many people.
Posted by: Julia Schopick | May 19, 2010 at 11:15 AM
Thanks To Dr Bihari my wife of 26 years is alive and well after taking LDN for cancer. Jackie you must be so proud of your wonderful husband. Our hearts and prayers are with you at this sad time.
Posted by: John Donnelly | May 19, 2010 at 04:24 PM
I would like to say a MASSIVE Thank You to Dr. Bihari and his pioneering work with LDN & its uses. Because of his work I now have the 15 years that Fibromyalgia & CFS has stolen from me, given back to not only me, but my Husband & Children too!
I am deeply saddened by this sad news but am equally strengthened by the knowledge that his legacy will now pave the way for our future, a better future for everyone!! My thoughts are with his family xxx
Posted by: Sallydarin-brame | May 19, 2010 at 04:42 PM
Such sad news about a wonderful man who obviously cared for people.
On behalf of all those who have benefitted a huge thank you. Your legacy will live on and on....
Sleep peacefully xx
Posted by: Karen Galley | May 19, 2010 at 05:09 PM
I have prescribed LDN for very many patients over the last five years and it really has had a remarkable effect on many of them. Some people discover a drug that helps a small group of patients or one particular condition but LDN seems to be effective for many diseases.Thank you Dr Bihari for making so many lives fulfilled where little or no hope existed.
Posted by: Dr Edmond O`Flaherty | May 19, 2010 at 06:34 PM
Jackie,
Our most sincere condolences. Thank you for all your insight and most wonderful help whenever I'd speak and work with Dr. Bihari over the last 5 years. He will never be forgotten, his gentle spirit and concern for multitudes will live on forever in our hearts.
Thank you again.
Janis Kracht (Binghamton NY).
Posted by: Janis Kracht | May 19, 2010 at 07:23 PM
We never knew Dr.Bihari personally but his name is often mentioned in our house as the doctor who thought outside the box and promoted the use of LDN. I have a husband who, after five years of LDN, is still walking, talking and working.
Your legacy will live on in the healthy lives of all the people who are benefiting from LDN. Thank you.
Posted by: Bev Kean | May 19, 2010 at 10:29 PM
I learned about LDN from a patient 12 years. He was given a terminal cancer diagnosis in addition to suffering from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. After visiting Dr. Bihari he returned to New Mexico free from disease. I have seen so many people who were told to go to hospice, recover from their disorders.
I only visited with Dr. Bihari a few times over the telephone and
found him to be kind, intelligent, and generous with information about his innovative studies.
What a great man and what a loss to the reasonable people in this world.
Burt Berkson MD MS PhD
Posted by: Burt Berkson | May 19, 2010 at 10:48 PM
I will never forget watching my husband's first interview over the phone with Doctor Bihari. It was the first glimmer of hope and relief I had seen in him in over 3 months since he had been diagnosed with MS. Being a scientist, Paul was very skeptical of LDN and the many claims that people were making. I don't know exactly what Dr. Bihari said to him but he completely changed my husbands perspective on this drug and its ability to help him. And here we are 5.5 years later with basically all symptoms gone and no progression. Bless Dr. Bihari for giving my husband his life back (and so many others as well).
Posted by: Aletha Wittmann | May 20, 2010 at 03:51 AM
Thank you Dr Bihari, for stepping out side of the box and bringing LDN to the world, I should have been dead over three years ago, but thanks to your work, I am still here.... On your behalf we spread the word...What a legacy...
Celia
Posted by: Celia | May 20, 2010 at 06:09 AM
My sincere condolences to Jackie for her loss.
Dr Bihari's work has given life back to me, to thousands of others, maybe hundreds of thousands, and certainly will to many more in the future.
Posted by: Margaret Schooling | May 20, 2010 at 11:20 AM
My heartfelt condolences to Dr. Bihari's family on Dr. Bihari's demise. The world lost a genuine man, one without whom many would have still been suffering... Thanking Dr. Bihari for his research on LDN.
Posted by: Esther Vasa | May 20, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Dr. Bernard Bihari was an angel to all of us who knew him here on earth. I will always remember his kindness to Dad and me at a time when we needed it most - Dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow plasma cancer) at age 87. The prognosis was dim, as Dad refused chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Bihari accepted my father as a patient and saved his life by putting the cancer in remission with LDN (4.5 mg nightly).
I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Bihari and Jackie numersous times, and my only regret was that I did not meet him in person. I hold him in the highest regard as one of the finest person's I have been blessed to know. With Love and Prayers to All - Sunny Sedlock O'Malley
Posted by: Sunny O'Malley | May 20, 2010 at 12:45 PM
An amazing story that is still being told, Dr Bihari will always be at the center of LDN discussions as the first physician to prescribe LDN. He will be missed and long remembered in the hearts of many. The world needs more physicians with his ethics and vision. I hope that in the near future his story is more widely told, perhaps even a movie. Millions would benefit. There is so much more to be accomplished with LDN and so many more people to be helped. I am thankful to be part of this story, even just a very small part. It's very empowering in the face of such devastating diseases to have the knowledge that Dr Bihari and the many who came before and after him have shared about LDN.
Posted by: Janet Perry aka Garnet | May 20, 2010 at 01:10 PM
My condolences go out to the Bihari family. I can’t thank this man enough for helping countless people with various autoimmune diseases, cancer and HIV/AIDS. I owe my life to him because without LDN, I may not be here today.
Posted by: Sherri | May 21, 2010 at 12:26 PM
Dr. Bihari should receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine for pioneering the remarkable and wide-ranging health benefits of taking a small nightly dose of Naltrexone.
Posted by: Dr. Dudley Delany | May 22, 2010 at 07:21 AM
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Dr. Bihari at this sad time. He will be dearly missed by so many. The thousands of us who have benefited from his work with LDN will be forever grateful to him.
Posted by: Anita Meyers | May 25, 2010 at 05:19 PM
Great Doctor's Thanks for sharing their profile.
They all are very appreciable person.I would like to appreciate Dr. Bihari
for their contribution.
....Alex
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Posted by: view | June 22, 2010 at 02:15 AM
Bernard Bihari was my friend, Barbara's older brother. It is wonderful to read about him and his accomplishments.
Posted by: Faye (Berk) Weiner | June 22, 2010 at 11:16 AM
I honor a complex and fascinating man. May his pioneering work with LDN spread far and wide, and soon see adoption by the broader medical community. May Dr. Bihari's children and family know comfort, and recall the best of days with their father, partner, and brother.
Posted by: Cath | June 23, 2010 at 02:11 PM
Condolences to Mrs. Bihari - I share your grief over the loss of a fine and honorable man who as a result of his contribution to medicine transformed my young, newlywedded daughter from a life full of spasms, fatigue, depression, and sensory symptoms gone wild to one full of life, hope, love, and dreams again!! He will always hold a very special and dear place in my heart! Thank you Dr. Bihari!
Posted by: Sandy | July 01, 2010 at 07:37 AM