homopathic

went to see a alt medical person.
i am trying
thisilyn.schisandra,chelidonium, quercetin and liver dotox kit
anyone know bout this stuff?

[merryBe]

loys do....search for liver detox kit in this forum, and the others indicidually and you'll find out.
liver detox will not remove this virus,,,,just lighten you wallet.

I'd read up in here if I were you, what type HEP do you have.

[desrt]

Homeopathy and herbal medicine are two separate things. Homeopathy involves ingesting sugar pills that supposedly contain super small traces of highly toxic materials that will trigger your body's responses to heal itself. It's mostly bunk - harmless if compounded with the claimed dilutions, toxic if not diluted to the claimed degree. Herbal medicine is powerful stuff and unless you have total confidence in your herbalist (i.e. *know* that his background in Western medicine is comparable to an M.D. *and* he's given long years study to herbs) your taking a chance there also.

[passagrille]

i have hep-c genome 4
i have had esophageal varices, and had a shunt put in to divert blood flow from liver.
i feel good...... meld score is 9.
the person who i saw to give me the herbal remedys is a licensed pharmacist with 17 years exp. and speaks often on the subject.

[nygirl7]

Herbal remedies won't cure the hep and can often RAISE your liver enzymes into the the stratosphere.  You have to be very careful.

[moahunter]

Homeopathy is quite harmless (unless it encourages people to stop taking real medicine, or waste their money). It is a well known fraud. Homeopathic remidies are simply water. No magic contained (depsite what practitioners will say).

http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/homeopathy2.htm

[alagirl]

Moa -But from passagrille's post, I don't think that's what was meant.  It looks like actual herbs are being given and used so I think potentially there is concern about introducing a toxin into the system that would further damage the liver. Anyway, I know you and I are pretty much of the same mind on this issue

All, Passage - I read a study this past week where they were trying to save ten people with a liver dialysis unit until an organ donor could be found.  All ten were in liver failure due to toxins.  Eight of the ten were experiencing the liver failure due to the toxic effects of herbs they had ingested.  Two of them had overdosed on drugs or were allergic to them, I can't remember which.  I'll try to find the link for it.  

Until I can find THAT link, here's another case study that I think brings up some good points.  Some of the main concerns of the researchers noted in this study have to do with the adulteration of herbs by blending them with other toxic substances, practioners confusing the names of Chinese herbs and accidently giving clients hepatoxic herbs, and poly-herb use, which apparently can have the same toxic effects as poly-pharmacy.  (There was also concern about possible liver damage due to mixing pharmaceuticals and herbs and the possible toxic effects this might cause, as there have been few studies along those lines).  And unfortunately, since they aren't regulated, there are few warnings to consumers about which herbs, and/or herbs and pharmaceuticals, can be used together.  Here are a few they do know about:

"Recent studies show that Saint-John's-wort has pharmacokinetic interactions with drugs that are substrates for cytochrome P-450 enzymes and P-glycoprotein transport mechanisms, such as cyclosporine, ethinyl estradiol, and digoxin.45,46 Herbs that induce hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzymes could potentiate the toxicity of intrinsic hepatotoxins such as acetaminophen. Other herbs may have clinically relevant drug interactions or synergistic actions with other botanicals. For example, herbs with anticoagulant effects such as ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and garlic could increase the risk of bleeding in patients taking warfarin or platelet inhibitors"

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1071652
Here is an excerpt from the case studies:

"A 39-year-old female office worker began taking several herbal products for “detoxification” after she noticed her eyes appeared yellow. She reportedly felt well at the time and did not have nausea, vomiting, fever, or abdominal pain. When she was a teenager, she had hepatitis associated with infectious mononucleosis but had since been healthy. She did not seek medical care but sought advice from a local nutrition store and a self-help herbal therapy book on how to detoxify her liver. One month before presentation, she began taking several herbal products that reportedly included milk thistle extract (Silybum marianum) in her tea and 2 cleansing products called Liv-Alive and DeTox caps. However, her jaundice gradually progressed.

About 2 weeks before she was admitted to the hospital, she reportedly took chaparral (Larrea tridentata), 500 mg daily, for 2 days as a liver “tonic,” then stopped it when she noticed a marked worsening in jaundice. About 1 week later, she was found at home, obtunded and disoriented. On being seen in the emergency department, she was cool and lethargic with marked jaundice and scleral icterus. Her blood pressure was 160/88 mm Hg; pulse rate, 94 beats per minute; respiratory rate, 24 per minute; and temperature, 35.1°C (95°F). Findings of the physical examination and laboratory values (table 3) were consistent with fulminant hepatic failure with hepatorenal syndrome and progressive encephalopathy.

An endotracheal tube was inserted, red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma were transfused, and continuous hemodialysis was started. On the second hospital day, the patient underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. Examination of the liver specimen showed massive hepatic necrosis with mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate and moderate cholestasis. Fibrosis and steatosis were not evident. Histopathologic examination did not reveal the cause of the fulminant hepatic failure.

The patient's postoperative course was complicated, but she eventually recovered and was discharged from the hospital 21 days after transplantation. Although her recall of the events before her hospital admission was poor, she reported occasionally taking a cold and allergy combination product with acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine for allergic rhinitis, echinacea daily for 1 year, glucosamine for 1 month, multivitamins, and the herbal products described. The Liv-Alive and Detox caps contained 11 and 20 herbal ingredients, respectively, none of which were suspected hepatotoxins. She drank ethanol rarely and used no other drugs. The results of a urine toxicology screen were negative. Her serum acetaminophen level was lower than 70 μmol/L (10 μg/mL). Serologic tests for viral hepatitis A, B, and C were negative. Chemical analysis of the herbal products showed no pharmaceutical adulterants or contaminants. Although the cause of her initial painless jaundice remained unknown, the rapid progression to massive liver failure was suspected to be related to the use of the herbal products, most likely chaparral. However, the amount and duration of chaparral use was less than reported in previous cases of liver injury."

[passagrille]

I do know the person who is giving me the info on what to take does not beleive in using Chinese herbs, due to quality control isues. here is her stats

Pamela Seefeld R.Ph. - Pharmacognosy Consultant, is a 1990 graduate of the University of Florida College of pharmacy. In pharmacy school she studied Pharmacognosy (the study of medicinal plants). She has worked as an integrative pharmacist teaching physicians, pharmacists, and the general public about the proper use of botanicals. Her expertise in the area of vitamin and herbal supplements has placed her on many television and radio shows as well as numerous newspaper features. She is also a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health in Washington D.C. Her philosophy in terms of vitamins and supplements is that by having sound medically referenced information individuals can make more accurate and informed choices on which supplements they can take. ...she is well spoken of in traditional medical circles

[Liz50]

...wow, use of herbal remedies, a touchy subject. Whe my hubby was listed for a liver he was told, in extremely clear terms, that if he was EVER to be found with traces of herbal "rememdies" in his blood or urine tests he would be considered "Non compliant with protocol" and delisted. Yes, that may seem hardsh, but with only 20,000 livers being donated per year and many hundreds of thousands in the "need one" column...you do the math. they simply cannot afford any patient who will not be completely and totally on board with the post op (and pre-op) care. My daughter just had a friend under the age of 30 who died from Kava-kava overdose--fulminant liver failure from uising the stuff as a sleep aid. Now on Interferon, we are given so many "natural" things to try, but he is straight forward "Western medicine" for everything. we just feel we have to stick with the dcos reccomendations---this is too life changing and too life altering a condition to mess around with --not to mention the cost--to turn it over to some herbal remeday that "somebody's aunt said" worked great. Not to make light of a serious thing, but teh FDA doesn't regulate herbal remedies and you ahve no idea how much of one thing you're getting and how it interracts with another...too scary for me!

[working dog]

i stopped taking shaklee liver dtx and nutriferon about 4 or 5 months ago...i do watch my diet ...i'm sorry to say i spent a lot of money on this in hopes it would help...now i'm trying to get my life set up so i can treat if i choose to..billy

[passagrille]

im not totally on board with herbal remedys but the doctors dont address my borderline anemia or give me any diet suggestions.guess they make there money on liver surgery.