Milk Thistle benefits

[elpasolady]

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2008/08/hep_c_quality_o.html

FYI....This link  from Hepatitis C Central explains the advantages of taking Milk Thistle for anyone with Hep C, including taking it during treatment.  I just wanted to pass this on if any of you are currently NOT taking this supplement.  I have been taking this for years and am convinced that it has helped me.
I hope this helps someone out there!

[Bali05]

In Europe they conducted trials with MT and it did not show any effect against HCV when taken orally so far. There is still a trial going on where they upped the dosage but so far that does
not look very promising.
Taken by IV (legalon-sil) on the other hand was very effective in reducing viral load at least
temporarily. It acts like a natural PI. Under the right circumstances legalon-sil is promising
problem is it is very expensive , requires weeks of clinic stay , ea infusion is several hours,
only approved in Austria so far  for proven previous non-responders.

[mlkinmb]

I was told that I should take MT over 6 months ago. I buy a concentrated extract 1000mg from WallyWorld. It suggests one, two to four times daily, I've just been taking 3 at a time once a day. Over a 4 month period my VL did not drop, it increased by 1.5mil.+. I have to wonder if it does anything really, perhaps it may help preventing more liver damage?

[elpasolady]

My Gastro told me i should definitely keep taking my supplements during treatment, which include Milk Thistle as well as the Alpha R Lipoic Acid. My personal criteria is that I research the company making these supplements and get the purest, best quality product I can buy. They are NOT all made equally, the same as the vitamins we take. Many may not be familiar with the Alpha R Lipoic Acid so I posted below the benefits.....

The Alpha R Lipoic Acid is described as follows:

Alpha R-Lipoic Acid benefits.....
Universal Antioxidant - Both water and fat soluble
Regenerates Antioxidants
Boosts Glutathione
Supports Normal Liver Enzymes Levels
Powerful Scavenger of Dangerous Free Radicals
Increases Energy
Anti-Aging
Strengthens Memory & Supports Healthy Brain Function

Glutathione is the important factor here. It is composed of three amino acids ( glutamine, cysteine, and glycine)  It is considered to be the body's  master antioxidant, which is why it is so important for your liver.  Many physicians would consider glutathione to be the single most important nutrient for proper liver health and promote cellular health.  I suggest you do research on it if you are interested. You can also get Glutathione from foods such as watermelon, grapefruit,strawberries, oranges, cantalope, peaches, avocadoes, asparagus, potatoes, acorn squash, tomatoes, broccoli, okra, zucchini and spinach.

My feeling is that my body needs all the help it can get to get better and as long as these supplements are not harmful, I'm all over them!

Here is a link containing an article  from Hepatits- Central talking about glutathione.

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2007/07/hcv_and_the_bod.html

[Bali05]

"perhaps it may help preventing more liver damage?"

When you read the results from HALT-C you will see
it did NOT reduce ALT which is a marker for hepatocellular
damage.Makes you wonder if the results of that study regarding
MT are not just one giant placebo effect.
BTW, nothing wrong with a good placebo effect.

[James10500]

From the article;

When comparing silymarin users to non-silymarin users in the HALT-C trial, the following was discovered:

1. No beneficial effect of silymarin was found on ALT levels (serum alanine aminotransferases) – an enzyme often elevated with liver injury.

2. No beneficial effect of silymarin was found on Hepatitis C virus RNA levels.


Quality of life improvements are psychosomatic .......imho

[elpasolady]

There will be more studies and debates on this subject, now and in the future, for sure!
In my personal experience, however, once I started taking Milk Thistle several years ago, my ALT and AST levels have been in the normal range, with the exception of one time.  Prior to Milk Thistle, they were always above the normal range, albeit not by alot. My VL, however, has risen over the years.  In 2006, it was just over 2 mil and now it is 7mil.

So, in IMHO, I don't see any harm in taking these supplements.  Even though they are not a cure for hep c, I will NOT say they don't help our livers in some way, shape or form, especially before our livers suffer severe damage? How will we ever know if we would be worse off if we had never taken them? For ME, it is a no brainer.
All the best !