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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Hepatitis / March 2007A word about alternatives such as milk thistle.
Tried the alternatives for 5 years. Took all the suggested herbs in "Loyd Wright's" book except frozen thymus which I could not afford. Took "Maximum Milk Thistle" and tried the Chinese herbs ( "Nu-Liver" ) and all I can say is: Don't waste your time. After 5 years the flu-like symptoms from the Hep C itself became so frequent and intense I went with conventional therapy. I am 1b, maybe they are effective with other genotypes or maybe it depends on the individual but I was only able to lower my viral load from 350K to 250K. ALT went down but never normalized. Comments ? >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >Comments ? G1B is one of the tough strains to kill, as the pathetic SVR numbers with the current combo therapy ranging around 35% illustrates quite starkly. We can only hope the proverbial "something better" comes along as soon as possible. How long have you been HCV+, and have you ever had a biopsy? I gather you're a full-fledged skeptic wrt alternative therapies, so in the mean time, are you staying clean and trying not to mess up what's still working? Cheers /greyhackles > >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Found out in 2000, stopped drinking ( I was a heavy drinker ) and went on the alternatives. Been sober for 4 years. Had one biopsy, Dr only said there was "some scarring". On Interferon/Ribavirin now for 2 months. >> >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. >> [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >Had one biopsy, Dr only said there was "some scarring". >On Interferon/Ribavirin now for 2 months. Sorry, I managed to lose track of this thread... When did you have your last viral load test? Seems to me, if you've been on therapy for two months - that'd be 8 weeks - you might have been tested at 4 weeks to see if you were a "super-responder", otherwise you wouldn't *normally* be tested until the end of the 12th week. So, either your numbers show you just aren't a super-responder, or your doc runs a different schedule than most and that's an 8-week test result - which would show you're at best a slow responder, or you've actually been on therapy for over 12 weeks, and you're actually a non-responder. While you're thinking that over....what year was your last biopsy, and do you have any idea what year you think you might have been infected? Cheers /greyhackles > >> >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. > [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I was tested at 4 weeks, blood only, Dr said enzyme levels are normal. That's it. Last viral load test was about 2 months ago and I think it was about 450K Asked Dr when he is going to check the viral load and he said after 6 months. So up to this point I have no idea if I am a good responder or a bad responder. >> >> >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. >> [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] >So up to this point I have no idea if I am a good responder or a bad >responder. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ok,dammit, I'm innocent this time! You followed one sentence that contained "I went with conventional therapy" with another sentence that included "I was only able to lower my viral load from 350K to 250K". So, being the literal reader I am, I was left believing the *conventional therapy* had basically failed you.... <sigh> Ok then. You had a pre-therapy viral load check. Your doc really should do another check at 12 weeks, to save you 12 more weeks of aggro if in fact you were a non-responder. You might tactfully broach the topic on your next visit, or not, your deal... Cheers /greyhackles > >> >> >Tried the alternatives for 5 years. > [quoted text clipped - 83 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Sorry grey, the mind fog makes me go in all different directions thus I may type things out of context or scattered. Thanks, I will run that by the Dr on my 12 week visit in a month. After all, why continue if I am not responding. Later buddy On 28 Mar 2007 20:26:25 -0700, "Guy" <phxazhepc@cox.net>, in message ID <1175138785.516145.306230@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, in the newsgroup alt.support.hepatitis-c wrote: >Sorry grey, the mind fog makes me go in all different directions >thus I may type things out of context or scattered. >Thanks, I will run that by the Dr on my 12 week visit in a month. >After all, why continue if I am not responding. > >Later buddy Oh yeah. Definitely a 12 week test required. At least if you are not responding it will save you from unnecessary punishment. I thought a 12 week VL test was standard procedure by now but it sounds like some doctors haven't got around to it yet. |
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