Cleansing the Blood?

[alagirl]

I haven't seen anything on this, probably because its been posted before I found you guys and I just can't find it, but has anyone heard about this method of tx for hep c?  I actually used significant bleeding to remove a large overdose of iron (given IV over a series of weeks by a hematologist who though I had iron deficiency anemia).  It worked great.  Of course, iron isn't a virus that will keep replicating.  

But could this work for chronic hep c patients?  And if so, why hasn't anyone thought of it before, liver dialysis instead of dialysis for renal disease.  I'm asking to be educated here.  Does it follow that if you keep a lower virus level, even if you are a nonresponder, that your liver is damaged less?  Because if that's true, then it seems like some type of dialysis would work unless there's something (probably) about it that I don't understand.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6713252.html

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/liver/hemotherapies.html

[alagirl]

you owe me a new keyboard.  I just spit diet coke all over it I was laughing so hard.

[Forseegood]

I think these new things they are coming up with are great, even if they are just in preliminary stages...if you think about it, many people have at least tamped down the virus, and bought themselves a few years (even if they didn't SVR) by enduring 48 weeks of treatment...I know some...if they could do the same thing by not having to endure this many times unfriendly treatment, more to the good....

if they could keep at least keep the virus in check, as they do with protease inhibitors for HIV, by any method necessary, it would be a great thing for people who multiple relapse or don't respond to conventional treatment....At the very least, it seems, they are now throwing some things at this virus, like never before...more shall be revealed I'm sure...

[jmjm530]

I think the concept is to get the virus "high" by bomarding it with black light like back in the sixties possibly piping Jimmey Hendrix in the background. That way, the virus will use up most of its energy looking for munchies as opposed to harming the host.

-- Jim

[copyman]

dont think it will help with a virus that produces up to one trillion virions a day! i did not read the links but have read about studies that cycle the blood through ulta violet lights, etc. the thing is with HCV is how fast it replicates and how hard it is to kill.  this is why they are having a hard time finding a cure.

[alagirl]

Yeah.  Let me know how that no stress thing works out for ya.  lol then tell me your secret! ;)

Hope goes well with the doc, and good luck txing!

[HappyDeb]

Sorry, I hit the wrong button. I feel that this could be a good thing, especially for slow and non responders. I feel that Iron plays a big part with this virus. I recently had to stop my tx. due to a really bad rash and that , at 12 weeks, I only dropped 2 n 1/2 log. Went from 7 million to 4.2 million. I asked them to take a ferritin tect to check my level of iropn, and it came back elevated , 250 count. Normal is around 150. So it makes me wonder that , maybe too, iron can be a part of getting to SVR ? Noone really knows, do they, but is an interesting debate. I have an appt. to go see Dr. Eugene Schieff at the university of miami on Jan. 30th , I am so happy, maybe I will have a chance of SVR, too, if I can be treated by someone who knows. I will keep my fingers crossed. I also think that diet has a big inpact on this virus, and also STRESS !!!! Which we cannot run from, but I bet while treatring, if we cannot have ANY STRESS, that would also help too. Oh well, that's my two cents.