Opinions on Natural treatments

I saw a book on Natural treatments. I think it was called "triumph over Hepatitis C" by Lloyd Wright. I have come across so much misinformation or no information at all. Any opinions on this book or any other book in regard to this subject matter

[Raquel28]

Do you know of any other books that would be helpful?

[Snookmiester]

"The Hepatitis C Help Book"
Written by Misha Cohen and Dr Robert Gish

Also, you can read through a book named "Choices"...You can find it at  http://www.hepcchallenge.org/choices/coverpagep.htm

Very good reads

[way]

I am on another list that is speciffically for the discussion of alternative treatments for HepC. This group is comprised of non-responders, relapsers and people who do not wish to put their body through conventional TX. They use the same abreviations as us and they are really a nice polite group of people.
I have heard Lloyd Wright's name mentioned and also Zhang and a few others too.

Here is the link but it is a list and you will have to join.

***@****

[mremeet]

Wright is a scam artist, his books and products is how he makes his fortune at your expense. Basically in a nutshell what he has to offer is cow thymus. Thymus is an immunomodulating gland in animals, which is claimed by it's proponents to stimulate your immune system (you eat it in raw or frozen form). Wright asserts it will either suppress your virus to undetectable levels or cure you outright, although he provides zero proof it actually works. His recommended regimen is about $1600 a month, available on his website. But there's just one problem - it doesn't work. If you ask around here or pretty much anywhere on the net with people who actually have HCV, you wont find anyone (who can be trusted) that has been cured or helped by cow thymus. Even Wright himself will not allow himself to be independently tested to see if he has cleared the virus (he claims to have been cured). He also claims that interferon and ribavirin do not work, and will not cure you. You can check with some of the many SVR's here to verify if that assertion is true or not.

If you're looking for an herb that might help you, good quality Milk Thistle may provide at least some benefit to someone with HCV. Although the evidence it truly protects the liver against the effects of viral attack is mixed and somewhat weak (contrary to what you may read elsewhere). And I've known people who have religiously taken it and still progressed from moderate to significant liver damage over time. But I've decided it's probably worth the dollar a day it costs for me to take it. Otherwise the best thing you can take is to NOT take harmful things, to eat properly, drink lots of fresh water and get plenty of exercise. Funny how it always seems to come down to those basics. Good luck to you.

[Forseegood]

hi, hope youre doing well on the meds...anyway, I do take certain herbs and supplements that do help me with symptoms, and possibly inflammation issues...I know they work cause I saw how I did without them for 2 and half months...I don't take milk thistle cause I'm allergic...course, they help, but they don't eradicate the virus, only SOC does that...anyway, hope youre having a good weekend...

just like the treatment hits everyone differently, so do these other treatments -of course, you have to go to experts...

[cuteus]

could not have said it better myself, if I tried.
very well stated.

[GrandOak]

while I have seen some natural therapys which do seem to work, in some cases (like glucosomine) the bottomline seems to be that there are no bonafide studies to prove that they work.  Likewise, there is a large void of information on how some homeopathic therapies will interact with Rx medicines.

If my life were not on the line, I might be more open to considering such forms of treatments.  But in my case of HCV, the price is much to high for me to be placing hope into therapies which have not been studied or tested.

I simply look at how long current alternatives have been studied and the fact that we still are looking at 3-5 years from them to become available and compare it to the amount of research which has gone into natural treatments to determine that I'd rather stake my life upon the treatments which have been more closely scrutinized and have numbers to show the rate of success and what sx's to possibly expect.

[Forseegood]

also didn't want to intimate that I follow Mr. Wrights protocol, never really looked into it, his claims put me off right at the gate...sorry, but don't remember, did you say youre going to take conventional treatment at some point?

[lab-rat]

I agree with mremeet about the milk thistle.  I don't think it can hurt.  My viral load went from 6 million to 3 million after taking it for a year (although it did go right back up again the following year - and that isn't really considered a very big drop).  My friend "magically" cleared the virus and that's the only thing she did - took milk thistle.  Of course I realize its not a cure and nobody really knows how she got rid of it after having it for 20+ years (and no tx).  When she finally went for real treatment they couldn't detect the virus.  She's been to two different doc's and still - no detectable hcv.  Its worth a shot. In fact my doctor is doing a milk thistle study beginning the end of Oct - (in the Philly area).  However, he told me to stop taking it while on treatment as it can interfere with the treatment meds. So it must do something.

[NYgirl]

There is NO cure for HepC except Interferon/Ribavirin.  NONE end of story.

milk thistle should NOT Be taken while on treatment.

We have to be extremely careful not to alter anything in our body chemistry or we risk not having the treatment work.

You can take milk thistle for 100 years but it will NOT cure or kill the virus. End of story.  It has never happened and it never will.

[GrandmaA]

I was fortunate I was able to return Lloyd's book and exchange it for another one that I liked better. I couldn't try his protocol because I'm a strict vegetarian. So I never even considered it. I had no idea it was a scam. What a terrible thing to do to suffering people. It's disgraceful. Shame on him.

[NYgirl]

The more you read the more you will learn - they are 99.9% scams.  People trying to make a quick buck on sick people. Obviously if there was ANYTHING that was PROVEN to actually help us the doctors would let us know and we wouldn't do this chemotherapy ... but we've seen in here all SORTS of people come threw trying to tell us different things will "help" or "cure".

And it wouldn't be a "product" that someone was selling on the internet.

But of course we all (when first diagnosed) are hoping a good combination of vitamins, herbs, etc. will help us out with the HCV.

it can of course - but
a. common sense tells us that
b. it isn't a 'cure"
c. we always always ALWAYS have to double check that it has been STUDIED in conjunction WITH Interferon/Riba medications because some things CAN cause them to be LESS effective!

It's sort of better NOT to take any meds/vitamins/herbs that are not spoken of by your doctor.  For example - with the anemia one would THINK that IRON would be a good thing for us to take and certainly that is 100% the opposite.

But...we learn in time and threw good advice of people like us who HAVE DONE TREATMENT.

You can't replace their advice.  It's been the biggest blessing of treatment. My doctor might "care" but he doesn't "know" how I feel you know?