Colonics for Cleansing

HI All - I'm new here. Not yet diagnosed. Routine lab showed elevated ALT (73) and AST. A repeat test six weeks later showed an increase in ALT to 83 and a decrease in AST. I'm 50 pounds overweight and have otherwise not taken good care of myself in recent years during a very long and stressful cancer that finally took my young daughter's life.

I am hoping that a low fat diet, good nutrition, exercise and cessation of alcohol will take care of things. Otherwise, I am completely healthy - no symptoms except for some fatigue.

I am waiting to schedule more tests for a bit because of insurance issues and also I am holding off informing my family of the labs during the holidays. Also, I have read that most of the medical treatment for less advanced cases is the lifestyle change I have described.

So my question... is colonic hydrotherapy (cleansing) a good method of removing toxins and healing the liver, or would such a sudden disturbance possibly harm a frail liver?

I have read conflicting information on this. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks! Abletree

[couldn't think of a nickname]

I do not know much at all about colonics, but my massage therapist has told me she used to do them frequently. One of the herbal therapies I tried offered that as an option, but I declined. The sales lady said she thought they were important, but, again, I don't know much about them. I think they are good for removing toxins, which is always a good thing. Is there a better way to do it? I don't know.
I drink apple cider vinegar (teaspoon) in a glass of water daily to help remove toxins.
I think that has helped.

[MAUIANGEL]

Before I started tx I was looking at many alternative ways to detoxify and cleanse my liver. I had a series of 6 colonics 1x a week for 6 weeks and I feel like it made a huge difference I could feel myself detoxing and around the 5th and 6th colonic felt much better. Both my accupuncturist and many people I've come into contact with highly recommend it. I haven't done any since starting tx but I really think it was helpful for me pre-tx. I'm not having bad sides yet 8/48wk. Hope this was helpful. I definitely recommend it. Helped me...

[fullmergavin]

Hello, Able. I am very sorry to hear about the difficult struggle that you've been through. My heart goes out to you and your family. As a devout believer in God's love, however, I'm very sure that you'll be with your little one again someday, able. I hope that the Holliday season goes well for you and your family.

Able, I'm not a medical professional, and therefore cannot give you any advise.

When it comes to recommending herbs and vitamins to others, I've always felt that there's a very fine line there, being that so many of the natural methods can be as equally troublesome as actual meds.

In your case, however, there might be some merit in reading up all you can on two OTC products that may or may not offer you some help. While these products certainly did help my family member, that's not to say that they will always work for everyone else, as you might guess.

My family member was placed on a statin medication at the same they too showed for the elevated liver enzymes that you have. The doctor's decision made me a bit nervous at the time for obvious reasons. If they were already up there, what's going to happen with the addition of a drug known to be harsh on the liver, etc.

During a two month follow up, however, after she had begun the new statin, the liver enzymes had actually returned to normal, and I contribute what happened fully to the benefits of the Milk Thistle herb.

Based on my loose research of this herb, in particular, there appears to be very little concern for any possible side effects. Only a small handful of cases have been reported, to my understanding, those that have been pretty minor. Again, however, I would strongly suggest that you read up on this herb personally before making any decisions.

Colonics therapy does have some merit, without question. Anyone that's ever read about the truth behind the deaths of Elvis and John Wayne, etc, know that this can be an issue.

At a personal level, before I would want to do this, I would want to know where my electrolytes were sitting at, however. The effect of such therapy is bound to have a little bit of an effect in the short term with those levels, so quite often one probably want to know how they were doing in this area.

The real problem here, however, in my mind, at least, doesn't necessarily involve the actual "Contents" of the lower GI, but rather, what's going on with those bile ducts. A strong investigation into GI related health certainly leads one to suspect there being an active problem with the bile duct and/or its acids. If the liver and gallbladder are good, and the bile ducts are ok, there really should be no other issues at work.

So at that point the issue goes back to the unthinkable, the one we're learning about more and more everyday. The entire metabolic pathway is moreless controlled by that thyroid gland, which in turn is under the control of the Pituatory/Hypothalmus (IE-Your brain).

The general belief is that everything starts with the brain, which than effects the Pituatory, via the Hypothalmus, which in turn targets the Thyroid and Thymus, thereby affecting the heart. As we keep going "Down," the endocrine system connects to the adrenals, which sit atop the kidneys, etc. Clearly, in other words, a great deal of our health is the result of our emotions/stresses.

But that's not the complete answer, either, for any systemic toxin can lead to disruptions with the mind, etc, so than we're looking at this thing from the reverse angle, once again.

Somewhere, somehow, so much of this seems to all come together right with the liver. Alpha Lipoic Acid and Milk Thistle tend to be the safest OTC treatments for such based on the available literature. SAMe might be another. As for the Thyroid gland, irish moss and Ashwanda extract seem to be the favorites among the natural medicine folks, I guess.

At Swansonvitamins.com, you can get the standardized milk thistle supplement for something like $3.50. I looked it up and that seems to be the cheapest, that coming from a company with a fairly good overall reputation in terms of quality.

Good luck to you and your's. May His heart stay with you and your's through your struggles, Abie. Take care, ma'am.

[beamishboy]

i took milk thistle ,alpha lipoic acid& SAMe pretrx--for what it's worth my viral loads went down significantly--draw you own conclusions,who knows?? i also take selenium,vit c&e,b-complex,N-acetyl Cysteine and folic acid.........during trx(now!!!!) i dropped milk thistle,SAMe and only take vit c&e every other day...........? my own makeshift arrangement,oh also taking co-enzyme q-10.....my vit c&e are kinda mega,hence reduced dosage,plus i'm eating lotsa veggiess&fruits,plus carrot,beet,apple juice every other day---Just one guys strange&twisted path to Viral-free status.............hope it helps give ya sum perspective,or maybe Apprehension!!!!--Good Luck

[Abletree]

Thanks to everyone for your input!

I saw a colonic therapist last week and almost went through with the treatment, but she recommended I see a homeopath/naturopath to resolve any concerns I might have.

So I did that today. The practitioner hooked me up to an electronic gadget that tested various points and measured the supplements I was taking. Oddly enough, milk thistle was the only thing that registered in the favorable range.

She gave me a droplet bottle of something called Neutrovir that I am supposed to take for three weeks, along with the lifestyle changes. She thinks I can bring down my ALT within two months and wait for the ultrasound. She says she has seen many people with elevated LFT's come back to normal.

I really appreciate all of your input. I know I have only begun to understand it all.

I think I will cut back on the supplements - very similar to the ones mentioned in the previous comment - for now, wait for the colonic, try going with Neutrovir and Milk Thistle and work at more exercise and good diet.

Thanks also for the input on protien. I will avoid meats, but vegetable protien should be OK from what I gather???

Thanks again for your support. I will surely be reading and posting more in the days ahead!

Abletree

[beamishboy]

hey, i'm week 5 of 48 (i hope) 1b--- interesting pretrx advice...I am still visiting accupuncturist twice a month,and getting massage &reiki(?) each once aweek--i really like all of it ....Are you still recieving any alternative therapy during trx??? I'm doin Pegintron& riba-1200 plus vit& good food ,,,...,,,clean livin(of course-whata goodboy am i!!!)--sides are tolerable thus far...

[honey11]

Don't worry,,,,You are doing all the right things so far. I didn't take any supplements while on tx either.  I can't even say that I always ate healthy,,,I was just glad some days to be able to get something down.  I ate alot of ice cream and pizza on tx and still lost weight so that is a plus on tx lol  Good luck on your pcr!

[beamishboy]

i am doin standard pain relievers-percacet-5mg & ibuprofen- 200mg .twice a day,sometimes,and this works:for Me.......every body is different & i am by no means knowledgeable in alternative or mainstream medicine!Previously i took L-glutamine 500mg,twice a day--Really flying by the seat of my pants here...I review lotsa diff. reports,trials,opinions,posts of others w/ definitive views& of course i review my thots,conclusions w/ my Doc.......Anemia is treatable w Procrit but to date i'm doin good 'nuff..Maybe vits& good food is helpin..I sure like to think so& maybe thats helping?---What trx protocol r you on,dosage,stage.......? Good Luck,there are lots of very well informed patients here...They can Help!!!

[cougareyes]

Diet is important on or off tx, especially with a compromised liver. I had a girlfriend that would get anemic sometimes, her doctor told her to try a little red meat sometime. At the time she did mostly veg, a little fish, and no red meat. She tried a good quality burger(low fat)every once in a while, her overall health did improve.
Not all of us with HCV have problems with our iron. Iron being stored in the liver does not necessarily mean your body is using it. If everyone just stops with their vitamins and all food containing iron, you may actually contribrute to an anemia problem. An iron defientancy is usually one of the first signs of anemia, of course on tx; riba is the culprit.
Procrit doesn't even work if there's not enough iron, it may just be better to maintain a healthy balanced diet; rather than becoming obcessed. If you are concerned about your iron; there  are blood test.          Peace

[iceboy]

As silly as it sounds, Im doing an experiment and taking nothing (no supplements or painkillers) just try to eat as much as I can of as healthy food as I can. I basicly have changed nothing (I don

[genedog]

hi everyone hope your all doing good, i getting pcr and labs done thursday to see how liver is doing. Dr is going  write letter to ins company to see if they will cover TX again

[friole]

Good luck to you - I have been following your posts and do hope you are able to treat again
frijole

[Snookmiester]

Man, been wondering about ya!! Hope all is well, and your tests show a bit of improvement! Think you where a stage 3 going in, right?

[MAUIANGEL]

I'm really interested in taking supplements. Especially associated w/pain and fatigue. Are u aware of any that are especially helpful in that area. I have stopped doing alternative therapies during tx b/c to be honest I was feeling fine so far. I now have an appt for accupuncture next week. I plan do do it weekly it makes such a difference in the overall way your body feels. My GI also recommends accupunture to help with sides and of course diet is so important. I do my best to stick with fruits/veggies...juicing especially, carrot, beet and cucumber seems to be cleansing for the liver...i thought alcohol and harmful substances was what I needed to avoid and that was the easy part compared to being disciplined with the food you eat..I'm so aware of everything I put into my body and in that aspect I'm healthier than I've ever been..I just say do what works...Aloha

[cquest]

Years and years ago 'high colonics' were all the rage...however, a friend did it and he got really sick afterwards...it kills all the good flora as well as rid your body of some bad flora so my opinion, not a good idea...Your body isn't meant to have that done if you think about it...exit...not entrance...sorry for the visual there...
Cin