Chinese Herbal Doctor?

[doglover28]

Hello Kind Folks,
I bought a book the other day.  "Hepatitis C, The first Year."  I am not too sure that I like it yet because I think it might be outdated.  Anyway, it was written by two women that have Hep-C. In the treatment section, they mention a chinese doctor that practices Traditional Herbal Chinese Medicine for Hep C.  I am at work and don't have the book with me, but I think his name is something like Re-dei something or other.  His office is in Manhatten.  Has anyone heard anything about him?
By the way, thanks for all the nice posts regarding my daughter. She had her blood drawn today.  I should have an answer within a day or so.  The thing that helps me right now is you all and riding my bike through the woods.  Yesterday I went 20 miles and meditated while I was riding.  I thought of all the advise you guys have given me...like the one NY girl gave me about there are worse illnesses out there....also, I gave thanks for all the blessings that I do have. It helped

[can-do-man]

you bought....Traditional Herbal Chinese Medicine for Hep C. Get your money back if you can. Thats not the cure for hep-c, never has been never will. Good luck on your daughter. Been many that it has made their levels worse

[doglover28]

Hi Can Do Man,

No, I didn't buy any.  I just read about it in a book I bought.  The book is called "Hepatitis the first year."  Thanks for letting me know that it's not good.  I hope you are doing well today. Thanks about my daughter, too
Pam

[NYgirl]

Really - bring the book back. There is only one current CURE for Hep C and it is Interferon.  

Chinese herbs can hurt your liver MORE than the hep can! We had a member here who completely believed they were going to cure her. She made sort of fun of us for "not knowing" that she was right and for listening to doctors...it was pretty rude.

Well...at her next enzyme test her liver enzymes (which are raised when your liver's cells are being destroyed...they release the enzymes) were TRIPLED!!!!!!!  And her viral load certainly did not go down but up.

The thing I'd advise (oh wise all knowing person that I am hahahahaha) is to make sure to take good regular HEALTH of your body ie: vitamins (but NO NO NO IRON - it helps the virus to replicate and you don't want that), eat right and drink a ton of water.

Trying to find a "cure" that is available like a magic pill...well if it existed we would ALL be on it you know...none of us would be doing this treatment at all!

:)

[amirtracy]

I tried herbs and colloidal silver and everything else i could when i was first diagnosed,(before i found this site), my viral load was 10 million afterwards and dr. said to stop everything but multi-vitamin -that herbs could dramatically increase viral load. Not that it's indicative of liver damage, but it does play into beginning treatment stats. let us know about your daughter when you can and best of luck to you.   tracy

[doglover28]

Thanks!  I am at home now..The book is called "The First Year, Hepatitis C "An Essential Guide."  The three Chinese Practioners that they mention are Misha Cohen, Wei de Ren, MD (He's the one in Manhatten). and Qincai Zhang L. Ac., MD. The book dicusses mainstream treatment as well.  
I will stick with the doctor at Duke that I am scheduled to see on the 16th.  He's  a liver specialist.
I am a little scared now, though, because I have been taking Milk Thistle, SamE, Maitake Mushrooms, and Schizandra. Plus I've been drinking Dandelion Root tea in place of coffee.  I bought all of this stuff at Whole Foods Grocery Store.

[FlGuy]

You might consider putting that stuff away until you see the doc in two weeks. It will help them get an unadulterated view of you.  Then ask about each one of those things you consume.

[doglover28]

I think you have a good point. I better lay off all of it, and just drink my water, exercise, and eat healthy food.  I have even been eating a half a clove of garlic a day.

[can-do-man]

doglover says........ I have even been eating a half a clove of garlic a day........... If its because your trying to keep people away from you hanging that garlic around your neck works better.:)

Agree with flguy, Best to wait and have your doc tell you whats best to take.

[doglover28]

Thanks for sharing.  Please keep me posted about the Milk Thistle and your ALT/AST levels.  
I am anxious to go to the specialist.  Two more weeks!  Hopefully if my liver isn't in too bad of shape, I can hold off on treatment until the end of the summer. I do want to get rid of these bugs as I call them.

[ohgreat]

Iron is bad for me?  Should I cut out my bowl of Raisn Bran in the morning???   ohmygosh..

[sunspot]

Anyone heard from v eggie dip? She seemed to know a lot about herbs and Hep.

Keep eating your bran. It helps to prevent Goofy Dad Bowel Syndrom (syndrome).

[MrsOckert]

There seem to be lots of differing opinions on herbs.  I am currently on 30/48 Peg-Intron/Riba.

I started taking milk thistle last summer before I started tx.  When I saw my Hep doctor he said that he used to tell all his patients not to take anything else with the tx.  Now he says that there have been enough studies on milk thistle that he says it won't hurt the liver or tx.  He also recommended I take 800 mg of vitamin e daily for the liver inflammation.

I stopped taking the milk thistle around week 12 because I just wasn't sure it was doing anything and I got tired of taking so many pills every day.  My liver enzymes started to go up and on my labs for week 27 my AST/ALT's were 105 and 98.  I started taking the milk thistle again and I get labs drawn again next week.  I'm curious to see if my AST/ALT's will go down.

Please don't misunderstand I'm not saying milk thistle will cure Hep C, it won't.  But I believe that milk thistle won't hurt and it may help the liver.

Good luck on beginning tx.  Valorie

[timedog]

Are you sure about the iron thing. At one point I had too much iron in my blood and I was told to stay away from all things iron including iron rich foods.

[Forseegood]

This is a very controversial topic and I hate sticking my big toe in this lake, but I take herbs and vitamins and my alt's go up if I don't...so they might be keeping inflammation down and I know they make me feel better...sometimes I think this has to do with "grand expectations" in that some people take these things hoping to clear the virus, and they won't except in very rare instances...so they are taking them and they don't clear and they get really psst about it and hate these therapies...

I never expected my regimen to cure this virus...I only take them as a means to boost my immune system and maybe hold down inflammation and that's all...I know plenty of people who take some things even while on interferon do help with anemia...and I know some people who took these things to hold them over UNTIL they brought in the big guns...treatment...(what I'm doing)

I also know other people who have to take these things because they have relapsed two and three times on conventional treatment and this is all that's available to them till the next big thing comes along...we have to consider their needs as well...

I don't want to offend anyone but a lot of people don't know what they are doing and take over the counter stuff with no consultation or study, etc and don't consult experts, etc....so maybe they are taking too much of one thing, or too little...

one of the members here (Califia) goes to a person you mentioned in that book, Misha Cohen and Califia says this woman helped her greatly, before, during and now after treatment...and Ms. Cohen works with a leading San Francisco hepatologist, Dr. Gish...so he must think a lot of her herbs with his own patients...

That's not to say that anyone should expect anything else to eradicate this disease except current "treatment" but there are other situations one should consider..I guess a lot of people are afraid, with reason, that many patients will opt for these things INSTEAD OF TREATENT and possibly jeaprodize their health in the process...but remember, there are other situations like I've noted...respectfully...

[Forseegood]

one more thing...a person here who thought the herbs raised her enzymes? well, her enzymes are still raised and she's stopped taking the herbs a long time ago, many times the disease itself raises your enzymes as it progresses and it's hard to pin-point what exactly is going on with enzymes in the best of times...

[lionesss]

Wow, so many educated guys here are against herbal medicine, can't see the basis personally, Yes forseegodd, I am starting to see that this is a controversial topic and I am a little surprised by this, maybe it is a US thing.  I only ever meet people who are positively biased towards them.

Doglover, you are on great herbs for your liver!

I agree tho, that it is best to see a specialist in herbal medicine, especially if you are on tx. (due to some of the old faveroutes, ie: Schisandra, st johns Wort working on cytochrome p450, that is, they work so well at liver detoxification that they may clear the Tx drugs from the liver, rendering then ineffective)

You can't do too wrong on milk thistle tho.  Infact, in germany they prescribe it to people on interferon.

I have taken herbs through most of my hep c years, with no elevated LFTs, I am taking herbs whilst on Tx too,

As I said in another post, Drs are not specialists in herbal medicine, it is not their speciality.  I wouldn't go to a gynacologist for chemotherapy, they would know next to nothing about it, so why see a dr about herbal medicine, they may know a little about it. but they dont generally have time to study someone elses speciality.  They generallly don't even know about vitamins.

Anyway, it seems it is a personal choice which camp you reside in, So good health to whichever path you wish to follow!

[gauf]

99%!  Impossible.  Run away from this quack.

[mikesimon]

"This is a very controversial topic and I hate sticking my big toe in this lake, "
What? You can never resist jumping into controversial stuff like this but you almost always start with this type of disclaimer. After all the years you've been here some of us know better. Mike

[Forseegood]

I usually know to never say never:)... I *never* resist jumping into controversial subjects here? That means I'd be making 50 posts per day, at least...and when I make a disclaimer, I mean that I know it's a controversial subject, that's all I mean, cause I usually got the wall of doo doo dropped on me if I even approached talking about supps, etc...not so much anymore though, this is an old post....lately, there have some posters posting good results, so not too many walls off doo doo that I get lately, lol....people are free to disagree, but some people get nasty...

you have to remember, I was called every name in the book a few years back, some people got really vicious, though I *tried* to be diplomatic, *trying* always to say that people should treat with soc if they have to, and this stuff won't clear the virus for anybody...not only me though..many people got blasted.

[mikesimon]

I just searched your name and I admit that I very much overstated the "disclaimer" stuff. I am not sure how I arrived at that impression. It sounded so familiar that I just popped off. I apologize for my inaccuracy but I wasn't really being malevolent so I needn't apologize for  mean motive. I'll be gentler though once you start treatment - well, I can't promise that but I'll try. Mike

[nygirl7]

Once you finally do start treatment he will be nicer ... he has to be or I'll beat him up ;)
Do you start tomorrow at last? Now that you've pre-dosed with everything imaginable I can't wait to see how the results come in!

deb