When Ricardo Garcia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he followed his doctor’s advice and started medication until the side effects became worse than the disease. A relapse pushed him to search for answers, and discovering Dr. Cicero Coimbra’s high-dose vitamin D protocol changed the course of his life.
In this episode of The Hope & Health Podcast, Mathew Embry talks with Ricardo about dosing as high as 130,000 IU, the science behind the protocol, and how discipline and belief helped him stay relapse-free for more than a decade.
Welcome to Hope and Health. Today's conversation features Ricardo Garcia, a Brazilian born father, runner, and advocate who has lived relapse free with multiple sclerosis for the last decade thanks to a high dose vitamin D protocol. Ricardo shares his journey from diagnosis to finding an alternative treatment path that has kept him symptom free.
Ricardo's MS journey began in 2004 while he was finishing his undergraduate studies at UT Austin in Texas. He experienced numbness and tingling on his right side from the waist down that lasted about a week. After visiting a physician who wisely referred him to a neurologist, he underwent MRI scans of both his spinal cord and brain.
The diagnosis came via a phone call from a nurse, not even the doctor. She delivered the news bluntly: he had multiple sclerosis, a disease with no cure that would be with him for the rest of his life. Ricardo was in his twenties and at work when he received the call. It was devastating.
At the time, Ricardo knew nothing about MS. He was left to find information on his own, turning to the internet and library resources to understand what was happening to his body.
After consulting with three different doctors, Ricardo chose to work with a neurologist who specialized in MS. Despite having only one relapse, the doctor warned him that starting medication could make the difference between needing a wheelchair versus a cane in 10 years. The doctor claimed they were in the "golden age of MS" with multiple treatment options available.
Ricardo was given three medication choices: Rebif, Avonex, and Copaxone. He chose Avonex because it required only one injection per week, though he hated shots. The side effects were severe. One day each week, Ricardo would be bedridden with flu like symptoms, fever, and shaking. He would prepare by taking two Tylenols, wearing layers of clothing, and covering himself with three blankets, knowing he would wake up feeling terrible.
Two and a half years later, Ricardo returned for a regular consultation and received unexpected news: the doctor said he didn't think Ricardo had MS after all. Since Ricardo had only experienced one relapse and his brain showed relatively few lesions compared to typical MS patients, the doctor suggested he might have had some other brain disease that presented like MS. He was told to stop Avonex, monitor himself once or twice a year, and live his life.
Ricardo was fortunate that his lesion was large enough to cause symptoms, leading to an early diagnosis. His cervical cord showed one big lesion, but his brain didn't have the extensive spotting typical of MS patients.
It was one of the best days of his life.
Ricardo followed the doctor's advice and stopped all medication. Destiny took him back to Brazil after living in the US for seven years. He met his wife, and during their wedding planning, a period of high stress, he had his second relapse.
This time, Ricardo knew what was happening. An MRI confirmed active lesions, and the diagnosis was clear: he had MS. He went back on Avonex, but this time he wasn't willing to accept the side effects. He decided to search for an alternative treatment.
Ricardo joined the MS association in Natal, a city in northeast Brazil near the equator where it's 30 degrees Celsius year round. There he met people taking high doses of vitamin D following the Coimbra Protocol, developed by Dr. Cicero Galli Coimbra. They were doing remarkably well.
Ricardo invited several of them to his home for dinner to learn more. One person had been on the protocol for more than seven years with excellent results. He saw people who had used wheelchairs now using walkers, people who had stopped dancing return to dancing, and people who had needed canes walking without assistance.
This empirical evidence was enough for Ricardo to take the leap.
Ricardo started at 40,000 international units of vitamin D per day. To put this in perspective, regular doctors typically recommend between 600 and 2,000 IU per day. This was 20 times the standard recommended dose, and Ricardo eventually increased to as high as 70,000 IU per day.
He flew to São Paulo to consult with Dr. Coimbra, who had been successfully treating patients with this protocol for more than 20 years. The key concern with such high doses is calcium absorption. High dose vitamin D opens up the gates of calcium absorption in the body. Where a regular person absorbs calcium through a small window, someone on this protocol has absorption capacity like a gigantic gate.
To manage this safely, Ricardo had to:
Ricardo's vitamin D levels are maintained between 200 and 250 ng/mL. Standard lab machines only measure up to 100 ng/mL before indicating a vitamin D overdose. His blood sample has to be diluted multiple times before the machine can provide an accurate reading. His levels are approximately four times what would be considered healthy for a typical person.
Despite these extraordinarily high levels, Ricardo has experienced no negative side effects, only the need to vigilantly watch his calcium intake.
The theory is that vitamin D acts as a natural immune regulator. At these high doses, it may help the immune system auto regulate and stop white blood cells from attacking the myelin sheath around neurons, which is the core problem in MS.
Dr. Coimbra told Ricardo that he had one patient who came very close to achieving complete remission through the protocol. When Ricardo asked who this patient was, Dr. Coimbra revealed it was a monk. This highlights the importance of stress management, as stress is one of the worst enemies for anyone with MS.
It's now been 10 years since Ricardo started the high dose vitamin D protocol, and he has had no relapses. He experiences no MS symptoms, walks normally, and lives a normal life like anyone else.
His neurologist in Canada, where Ricardo now lives, admitted he doesn't understand what Ricardo is doing but acknowledged that since it's clearly working after 10 years, he should continue. The doctor simply asked Ricardo to get an MRI for the Canadian system records and told him to keep doing what he's doing.
Exercise has become an increasingly important part of Ricardo's life. He enjoys swimming and running. He completed a half marathon in Rio with his wife, training despite the challenges of Brazil's extreme heat, which can be particularly difficult for people with MS.
Living in Natal's consistently hot climate meant Ricardo had to train early in the mornings to avoid heat as much as possible. Now in Canada, he continues to prioritize physical activity, particularly swimming, which he loves.
Ricardo has his entire family on vitamin D supplementation. Following Dr. Coimbra's guidance, his children receive 100 IU per kilogram of body weight. For his kids, who weigh about 20 to 25 kilograms, this means about 2,000 IU administered as drops three times per week. Their vitamin D levels are monitored during annual reviews and typically measure between 80 and 100 ng/mL. His wife also takes vitamin D almost daily.
According to Dr. Coimbra, someone with white skin and full body exposure along the tropics could synthesize 10,000 IU of vitamin D in just 15 minutes of sun exposure. He recommends that everyone in the world should be able to take 10,000 IU daily without dietary restrictions to achieve normal vitamin D levels.
The financial aspect of this protocol is remarkable. Ricardo spends approximately $1,000 per year on all his vitamins and supplements, including vitamin D and supporting nutrients. In comparison, pharmaceutical MS drugs can cost between $50,000 and $100,000 US annually.
Dr. Coimbra has trained doctors from around the world on this protocol because he couldn't handle the demand alone. Patients can now see one of his trained physicians. The protocol information is available through the website vitaminadporumaoutraterapia.
Ricardo sources his high dose vitamin D from a company called iHerb, which sells 10,000 IU pills, allowing him to easily reach his daily dosage requirements.
One theme that emerges repeatedly in Ricardo's story is the importance of personal research. He spent significant time in libraries before the internet became widely accessible, teaching himself about MS. He didn't get comprehensive information from his doctors; he had to seek it out himself.
Ricardo draws a parallel to his immigration journey from Brazil to Canada. Only when he took matters into his own hands and did thorough research was he able to make smart decisions about his future. The same principle applied to managing his MS.
He emphasizes that nobody else knows what you're experiencing or feeling like you do. Even close family members can't fully understand. Taking control of your own health journey is essential.
From the very beginning, Ricardo accepted his MS diagnosis. He didn't ask "why me" or become angry or upset. He simply accepted the reality and focused on what he could do about it. This acceptance, he believes, has been key to keeping the disease under control.
He views the mental battle as crucial. MS is already an autoimmune condition where the body fights itself. If you add mental struggle and resistance to that, fighting against your own destiny and situation, it only makes things worse.
Ricardo maintains his positive mindset through:
He tries to honor both the good times and the bad times, recognizing that everything has led to where he is now. This brings forgiveness of himself and others, allowing him to continue on an upward path.
When asked if MS has been a gift in his life, Ricardo thoughtfully agrees. He acknowledges that he has what could be called a benign type of MS, having had only two relapses in 20 years. The disease has given him an extra stimulus to look for better ways to live and to view things from different perspectives.
As he points out, if we didn't strive for benign MS, why would we talk about these strategies at all? The goal is always to minimize disease activity and maximize quality of life.
Ricardo Garcia's story demonstrates the potential of alternative approaches to MS management. His decade long success with the high dose vitamin D Coimbra Protocol, combined with dietary modifications, exercise, stress management, and a positive mindset, has allowed him to live completely relapse free.
His journey underscores several important principles: the value of thorough personal research, the importance of acceptance and mindset, the need to take control of your own health decisions, and the willingness to explore evidence based alternatives when conventional treatments aren't providing the desired results.
While this protocol requires careful medical supervision, regular monitoring, and strict dietary compliance, Ricardo's experience adds to the growing body of real world evidence suggesting vitamin D's significant role in MS management. His story offers hope and a different perspective for those seeking alternatives to conventional MS treatments.
Important Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement of any specific treatment protocol. Anyone interested in exploring high dose vitamin D therapy should consult with qualified healthcare professionals and undergo appropriate medical supervision and monitoring.
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