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!

[elpasolady]

Also, the main reason I posted this was because of the benefits of taking Silymarin ( Milk Thistle) during treatment, not that it would replace treatment. What James did not post were the findings right under the two he listed, which are as follows...The last paragraph is important!!

3. Those on silymarin showed significantly fewer liver-related symptoms than non-users.

4. Those on silymarin scored higher on quality-of-life parameters than non-users.

5. After adjusting for age, race, education, alcohol consumption, exercise, body mass index and smoking, silymarin users showed significantly LESS  fatigue, nausea, liver pain, anorexia, muscle and joint pain, and improvements in general health over non-users.

Confirming that silymarin has little direct effect on the Hepatitis C virus, the qualitative values generally used to evaluate virus severity were similar in silymarin users and non-users.

However, there were other observable benefits to the silymarin users. By reducing the severity of common Hepatitis C symptoms and interferon side effects, silymarin use demonstrated an obvious advantage to people managing this virus.

[willbb]

The use of MT has been discussed here many times....The experienced Hepa I asked  if MT was useful or useless when treating...said    "We Don"t Know"

For what it"s worth .I have taken 1000mg/ day  for many years ..however stopped when on tx.

Will

[James10500]

Right like I said it's psychosomatic.  The "real" numbers say it doesn't help.  The subjective questions say it does.

To each there own, the goal is SVR and for that ML does nothing.  But if it makes you happy by all means take it!

[James10500]

As there is no edit feature I have to add this post.

Nicole Cutler I'd not a doctor, and I'm fairly suspicious of anything she writes, seems to be motivated by the ads on here site.  Why doesn't she just post a link to the study ?

Here's what HALT- C actually said, scroll down to page 4ish.  They say exactly what my doc (Everson google him) who does HALT-C studies said.  Problem is you don't what is in those capsules, because there are no regulations of the supplement industry.

http://www.haltctrial.org/newsletter/Jan2007newsletter.pdf

[aj7538]

My dr suggested mt with vitamin e. He said it would not cure yep c but would. Slow progression of disesase aj7538

[Boobert]

I've been taking it for over 9 years now with a few others. My GI at the begining had just said it wouldn't hurt but now after all these years and my lab reports he is now suggesting MT to other patients. He truley believes it has helped manage my AST/ALT in the normal levels. I KNOW it has. I also take Sam-e, R-liopic acid,Nac,Vitamin E,Selenium,Glutathione,B12, and D.I believe it is definitely helping and don't really care what the skeptics have to say.