Oops, if you go to that link, you have to put coffee in the search column and you'll come up with several different topics including this:
Association of caffeine intake and histological features of chronic hepatitis C
The severity of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is modulated by host and environmental factors. Several reports suggest that caffeine intake exerts hepatoprotective effects in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of caffeine consumption on activity grade and fibrosis stage in patients with CHC.
Methods
A total of 238 treatment-naïve patients with histologically-proven CHC were included in the study. Demographic, epidemiological, environmental, virological, and metabolic data were collected, including daily consumption of alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, and caffeine during the six months preceding liver biopsy. Daily caffeine consumption was estimated as the sum of mean intakes of caffeinated coffee, tea, and caffeine-containing sodas. Histological activity grade and fibrosis stage were scored according to Metavir. Patients (154 men, 84 women, mean age: 45±11years) were categorized according to caffeine consumption quartiles: group 1 (678mg/day, n=60).
Results
There was a significant inverse relationship between activity grade and daily caffeine consumption: activity grade>A2 was present in 78%, 61%, 52%, and 48% of patients in group 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively (pA2 (OR=0.32 (0.12–0.85). Caffeine intake showed no relation with fibrosis stage.
Conclusions
Caffeine consumption greater than 408mg/day (3 cups or more) is associated with reduced histological activity in patients with CHC. These findings support potential hepatoprotective properties of caffeine in chronic liver diseases.
My favorite, of course, coffee:
http://www.jhep-elsevier.com/search/results
If you don't like drinking it, you can take find it in supplemental form
any more ideas on this thread would be good
Good one, I forgot about that. Tumeric is amazing. I started using it much more when I was diagnosed.
Your welcome. If your Dr. Ok's the bee pollen, start it slow and build up. I take a tablespoon, but started with granules. It is weird, it too can cause allergic reactions, but if you tolerate it (most people do), it actually makes allergies better. It just has some amazing properties all around. Not sure there is a specific relationship to liver function, but it contains many of the essential amino acids and is related to tissue and cell repair. For the B 12, it is very important to take a B complex (not just B12). I do believe it helps reduce, maybe not prevent, the onset/severity of anemia. I know many do not believe this, but my hgb did not become low until 4th week of treatment; then into the mid to high 11's and did not drop into the 9's until like week 10 or 11, and has now gone back up. I also take 1200 IU of vitamin E, which I upped from 400 when my hgb fell into the 9's. Vitamin E is fat soluble, so I only take it six days a week, not everyday.
BTW, speaking of Milk Thistle, I have learned not all Milk Thistle supplements are not created equal. In fact, I was surpirsed to learn, thru independent labortory analysis that many of the supplements contain very little Milk Thistle, if any.
I found one brand I can get easily. I think the brand is Jarrow, but I don't have it with me now. Also, the research I did was limited to the brands the lab tested. So, I'm sure there are more. But geez, you can't trust anything without doing a lot of research!
Dawn I have bad allergies so I cant take Milk Thistle thank you for your post I may check with my doctor see if I can take the Bee Pollen! I have light Anemia hoping it doesn't get worse that B12 can't hurt but I think it's the kind that is being drawn out of my bone marrow i hear nothing helps that just hope it stays light ;)
NAC is good and there's proven science behind that one. Not just HR's stamp of approval but SOC at hospital's for Tylenol overdose. I take a fancy, overpriced Rx version of that myself, compounded with a form of B vitamin that can pass the bood-brain barrier.
Before, during, and after tx I took (on an on again, off again basis) a Chinese herbal combination:
Hedyotis Diffusae Herba (Hedyotis, Oldenlandia / Bai Hua She She Cao) 18%
Houttuyniae Herba (Houttuynia / Yu Xing Cao) 16%
Violae Herba (Viola, Tokyo Violet / Zi Hua Di Ding) 12%
Isatidis Folium (Isatis Leaf, Indigo Woad Leaf / Da Qing Ye) 8%
Isatidis seu Baphicacanthis Radix (Isatis Root / Ban Lan Gen) 8%
Andrographitis Herba (Andrographis / Chuan Xin Lian) 8%
Lonicerae Flos (Japanese Honeysuckle Flower / Jin Yin Hua) 7%
Prunellae Spica (Prunella, Heal All, Self-Heal Spike / Xia Ku Cao) 6%
Forsythiae Fructus (Forsythia Fruit / Lian Qiao) 6%
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Tangerine Peel / Chen Pi) 4%
Glycyrrhizae Radix (Chinese Licorice Root / Gan Cao) 4%
Coptidis Rhizoma (Coptis / Huang Lian) 3%
Didn't produce any changes in my ALT/AST before or after, but then again I started tx with a relatively low viral load and little liver damage. so I put it in the category of "Probably won't hurt and might help". Like everything else, of course, you should run it by your doc. But don't be surprised if he doesn't have a lot of experience with any of the components. I've spoken with the guy who developed the formula and he doesn't claim it to be a cure or anything else outlandish and he is pro-Western medicine for getting rid of the virus.
Do some research into curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric.
This was an awesomely civil thread. I am interested in the products mentioned, but going to wait till treatment is over. Then the long haul of helping support my liver while it hopefully begins to heal.
Thanks for the tips.
I meant not trying to promote it.lol
Oh ok.yeah I'm trying to promote it.its just a personal opinion.
Although some of the herbal supplements might be beneficial for the liver, none are a cure as you stated. Be cautious of the marketing claims of these products. Of course, you should always talk to your doctor before using these supplements. Wish you the best moving forward.
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/hepatitisc/hepatitiscfacts.htm
SAMe, Bee Pollen granules, B complex with high B12
If you want to discuss herbal medicine, you might try discussing the individual components (in thus case Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root Extract, Wasabia Japonica, and Picrorhiza Kurroa) rather than promoting a specific product. This way people can research any studies on the ingredients and you're not in the position of promoting a specific product.
Also any ones that you use and like feel free to post it on this thread.