Triumph Over Hepatitis C - Book

[John316]

The author of this book claims to have eradicated HCV using a mixture of herbs, mushrooms, and gladular extracts.  Any insight on their effectivness?

http://www.hepatitiscfree.com

[DownThisRoad]

Yoyu should absolutely, positively not accept a doctor telling you there is nothing you can do.  I would run away from this doctor so fast, I would probably jerk the hinges off his office door during my departure.  Having this comment made to you or anyone else is like going into a bakery and the baker tells you he can't make a cake!

There are many things that can be done now a days, not just with the disease hepatitis C but other illnesses.

Go find a doctor who will speak with you about what your condition is. Have him or her run the proper testing in order to determine exactly what is going on with you as well as what are the treatments, medications available.

Only then, can you make a decision or a non decision to treat.  You have to be the leader of your own journey, even with high price doctors, in order to get the results that are available.

Good luck!  Study the facts, get as much information as possible and have your doctor look into all your symptoms.

[mikesimon]

My viral load has been as high as 6.8 milliom IU/ML and I have read of higher loads here on this forum. Viral load (VL) does not correlate with liver damage and people with high loads can have relatively minor evidence of liver damage whereas people with low loads can have major damage. Unless you are having symptoms of cirrhosis (ascites, varices,encephalopathy,jaundice, high bilirubin etc) the only way to know how your liver really is is by having a liver biopsy. I would advise that you consult a GI or hepatologist regarding your ascites. Draining can greatly reduce your discomfort and though it is a temporary measure it may be something that you would want to do to improve the way you feel. I question whether your bleeding gums are a direct result of hepatitis c though it could be related. I think you are wise in your decision to see a doctor. Instead of guessing about clotting time you should have a test done so you know exactly what your clotting time is. Other tests can also tell a lot about your liver health as well as your overall health. I think one trap we must guard against is attributing every syptom or health problem to hep c. Though they may be related they may have a genesis all their own and may also be candidates for treatment. Your gums, for instance. That's why it's so important to consult with a knowedgeable physician. Things can go untreated and become major problems simply because we assume they are hep c problems. And even if they are related there may be treatments available which could be of benefit. About the 2 threads - many of us have done the same thing. No problem with that until you know the limitations. Good luck and keep us posted. Pursue getting well aggressively. Don't let anyone tell you there's nothing you can do. Be your own advocate. We're all in this together. Mike

[John316]

Thank you all for your comments.  Sorry for hogging two threads, I'll use more wisdom in the future (learning as I go).  I'm still learning the terminology, so forgive me for my ignorance.  I am dealing with ascites (should I ask that this be drained?), as well as general fatigue, bleeding gums, etc.  No apparent trouble with clotting though, as my shaving cuts seem to heal fine.  With regard to the hepatitiscfree site, I suppose I was taken by the author's (Lloyd Wright) passion for alternative medicine, being that he, like myself, was disillusioned with the attitude of his traditional doctors.  Being told there is nothing I can do, no treatment, etc. is not comforting.  For those of you who have tried the alternatives (galen?), did the Thymus lower your viral load?  Also, in order to chart my progress with different remedies, what are the numbers I should look for and which abbreviations should I make sure I know.  So far, I'm realizing obviously that the viral load is something to monitor, and my platelet count.  What else?  BTW, I was absolutely hhorrified to learn my viral load was at 2,900,000 being that most I've seen post and discuss their own viral loads seem to be much much smaller.  I'm a bit frightened and am trying to learn all I can online.  I will search for another physician.  Thank you all again.

[raining]

I've tried all sorts of alternative stuff, spent lots of money and did not find much relief. Now I take some vitamins and Milk Thistle along with Chinese Medicines. All I can say is my symtoms have been reduced with Chinese Medicines, my "really ill" periods are not as bad they were (although not gone). I would say that if I did not have such bad symptoms I probably wouldn't bother. Do you actually have symptoms??

[Bevily]

I'm not sure what this forum is about.  I went in to post a question and now it says make a comment.  Well, I'll comment about a problem and anyone can join in with their comments.  My husband, in week 15 of ribi and interferon started to take Levaquin for a sinus infection.  To make matters worse, his platelets had dropped last week, but now they are fine, but he got a call that his Sed Rate was at 99 and I thought this was odd.  I have looked up what this might mean and thought it might be a problem that some others on this tx might have had. The Levaquin is said to be a very dangerous drug and I don't like the idea he is taking it while on this tx.  It may have caused the Sed Rate to rise, or it may be that my husband is experiencing some type of autoimmune problem.  I thought others on the list haved mentioned they have ached and been swollen.  He has the most pain in his shoulders and neck area.  His wrists also hurt.  He has cracking in many joints.  But his Sed Rate was not high before the Levaquin.  It could be that the ribi/interferon is building up in him, also.  I would love to hear comments about the Sed Rate being so high.  Thanks, Melissa

[MichaelT]

From my perspective, to recommend any <I>treatment</I>, the treatment must be based upon responsible research where there are controls and the results are repeatable and the work is verified and reviewed. If it is valid, Johns Hopkins will be able to repeat the results, for example.

Herbal treatment is largely useless. Some of it is harmful. Some has merit.

Acupuncture suffers from many problems such as doctors cannot agree on which organ or body has too much "chi" or too little "chi" and stick needles in entirely different places in the body - too many investigations have come up short in the repeatable/verifiable department.

These issues make homeopathic/naturopathic and acupuncture largely issues of faith and a far cry from science. What tiny amount is valid does not create legitamcy for any of these treatments. I drank reishi mushroom tea (not bad tasting), but would not dare make a claim that it cured me or even helped - how the heck could I tell?

I went through cycles of feeling very poorly and times of feeling great. That is largely the nature of our disease. Anecdotes do not constitute a valid basis for recommending treatment.

My apologies in advance if my position raises hackles. I mean to attack no person, but wish to draw a line between what a person believes/experiences works for them and responsibly advocating treatment to others.