Alternative medicines?

[cwar]

Hello,
I am new to this board and I am in need of your assistance!  My husband has chosen not to go through with the interferon treatments due to the extremely bad side effects we were told about by the doctor and also heard about!  So I am asking you, does anyone know of a doctor/heptologist/gast. that is out there-anywhere that is treating hep c with any other medicinal, herbs etc that has actually combatted the Hep C as the interferon is supposed to do?  Right now my husband and I are thinking of going to NY to see a heptologist from China to try the personalized chinese herbs in a tablet form. Would appreciate any help you can give!!!!

[MrsPapajohn]

I lost my husband of 28 years to Hep C.  Do NOT waste your time on any other treament than Peglated Interferon and Ribovirin.  If your platelets are low, they can give you platelets and blood transfusions twice a week - or whatever is necessary.

Start the treatments right away.  Don't worry about the side effects.  Just do it!  The Hep C virus is an unkind and vicious killer.  It takes poisons (yes poisons) like Interferon and Ribovirin to find it and kill it.  The virus keeps mutating within your body, so the Ribovirin acts like birth control and keeps the virus cells from multiplying and transforming themselves.  Interferon figures out the composition of the remaining viruses and kills them.  Take your medecine precisely the way your doctor or coordinator instructed you to do.

If you are willing to travel, Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale AZ has a wonderful program for liver patients (that's what you are now) and Baylor Universirty in Dallas is also good.  They are on the cutting edge of treatment.

The good news is my brother-in-law was stage 2 but after 48 weeks of treatment he is UND.  I am so happy.  I could not bear to watch someone go through end stage liver disease again.  It's a terrible trip.

[Rockerforlife]

Biologists Develop Machine To Remove Viruses From Blood
June 1, 2008 — Infectious disease experts designed a machine called the hemopurifier. It works much like a dialysis machine, using thin fibers to capture and remove viruses from the blood it filters. The machine requires the drawing of blood through an artery, which is sent through a tube into the machine, then back into the body. It can treat a number of illnesses.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0602-cleaning_infected_blood.htm

[medicmommy]

I wish there was a way to know...I knew, at the least, it wouldn't hurt to try...I tried everything I could think of, plus a few extras..I would heartily recommend to others to do the same. Perhaps the extra "boost" with ensuring my body's mineral stores and all of my systems working as well as possible did it...I am continuing healthful living to hopefully ensure the Hep C doesn't come back...(((((HUGZ))))~Melinda

[Rockerforlife]

Maybe all the healthy living you did before tx helped you SVR.

[medicmommy]

Hello!
As a hepper who has tried all sorts of things before going through the conventional treatment and clearing the virus, I can say natural remedies help, but they won't eradicate the Hep c. Using a Naturopath for nearly a year before committing to treatment, I had my viral loads, liver enzymes, and blood values monitored while I used Sho-Saiko-To (Japanese Hep C treatment), milk thistle, vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as an experimental treatment that used IV Germanium, an element found to cure liver cancer tumors in dog lab studies. I also got as healthy as I could, had a bad gall bladder removed, had a liver biopsy done, and altered my eating habits so I was eating completely preservative-free and organic. I did get my viral load to drop from 465,000 to 16,000 and my liver labs to return to normal ranges, but the hep C persisted. A year ago I started conventional treatment for the 24 weeks, and am now SVR (Hep C free). My liver biopsy showed grade 1, stage 1, so I was still in the beginning stages with minimal and reversible damage...It still amazes me how much the Hep C was affecting me prior to treatment...it was causing low blood sugars, fatigue, memory problems, digestive problems, joint aches, and just the general sensation of feeling "old". I no longer feel this way. I feel really great and have enough energy to be "super Mom" and to do the fun stuff that I had ran out of energy for...Although it didn't rest easy in my mind, I don't regret going through with treatment...((((HUGZ)))))~Melinda

[Rockerforlife]

But....big pharma drugs have got the proven drugs that cure the virus right now...but who really knows if the natural cures can slow the progression until we die of natural causes...i guess most people dont want to take a chance....like me...id rather kill the beast now with big pharma..but one thing is for sure....NO NATURAL REMEDIES WILL KILL THE VIRUS

[Rockerforlife]

No...i meant even if your liver stops progressing while taking the natural stuff...still no proof...until we have massive studies

[jmjm530]

Forgot to address your comment of "wider range of in-depth studies". That requires tons of money and the people with the money (the pharmaceutical companies) are hardly motivated to test non-patentable herbs and alternatives against their big-gun money making drugs.

[jmjm530]

i think even tho if we take the alternative route and LFT and PCR`s all come back in good numbers....
------------
I agree.  Even if LFT's come down and viral load drops, there is no guarantee that liver damage (fibrosis) is not increasing. That's why I suggest "reality checks" in the form of hepatologist oversight including periodic liver biopsies. Without that, one may end up in a fool's bliss thinking one thing while the liver is doing something else.

-- Jim

[Rockerforlife]

Jim...i think even tho if we take the alternative route and LFT and PCR`s all come back in good numbers....this is still difficult to prove its because of the 'natural"..TX...you know yourself how insidus this disease can be....in order to prove the natural way ,there has to be world wide longer in depth studies...what you think?

[jmjm530]

Dr. Zhang in NYC and Dr. Misha Cohen in San Francisco both appear to have decent credentials in alternative HCV treatments. As stated, they do not claim to "cure' HCV, but if they can help you can stave of liver damage that can be almost as important. The tricky part with alternative treatments is figuring out if they are working or not. For that reason, you should probably be seen by a conventional hepatoloigst who can monitor your liver damage along the way via physical examination, biopsy, blood tests, etc.

[JTRiver]

I posted the same thing you did a long time ago. I just bit the bullet and did treatment. I just did shot 7 last night and I still have no side effects. Tell your husband not to look at the negative he could be lucky enough to have minimal side effects. Good luck.

[fretboard]

Yes, unfortunately that platelet count is a call of cirrhosis.  I don't know why it wasn't caught in 2007 when the biopsy was done, but that's ok it wasn't and now you can do something about it.  There are alot of ppl on this forum who can help you with the names of the tests and your other questions, including a good doctor in Canada?  Unfortunately HepC carries such a stigma with it and that partially complicates getting good and fast tx sometimes.  Hopefully his platelets are higher now and he can start tx, but please don't put off anymore time.  Also, if his platelet level is too low to tx then one of his options will be a clinical trial.  You can go to clinicaltrial.gov and find more information.  Sorry for your bad news, stay informed here on this forum.  This response was also placed on the other side, give you a double bump.  I gotta run for now.  later  

[cwar]

Thank you very much for the great feedback.  As you probably have guessed, our doctor has said nothing about the low platelets etc etc.  The only thing I forgot to note was he had a liver biopsy done in 2007 and the gasteronologist told us his liver was mild to moderate (scarring I presume) and he was at a stage 2?  Know nothing of a genotype though. What test has to be performed to get this information??  What is the easiest type to treat with interferon? What does the majority of the population have?  I am really concerned because my doctor knows nothing. We went to see a new gasteron. this week and simply by reading the same blood results I gave you he noted that my husband now has cirrosis!  Does anyone know at what rate this virus travels if you are not consuming alchol?

[fretboard]

I just noticed your husbands platelets are low, that could be a very big problem.  Better to have more test run and talk to a doctor about the results.  good luck

[fretboard]

Your husband needs to have a liver biopsy done to determine stage of disease.  ALT is  high, but that could be for any reason and you really can't tell much by reading ALT and AST.  All your gonna know is that your liver enzymes are high, for that matter they could be high from the supplements he's taking.  Time to make an appointment and check it out if you want.  Paying a doctor to read your bloods and specifically tell you how much MT and/or Goldenseal is bunk and a waste of money.  If you are gonna focus on supplements then that's up to you, but please don't help support one of these doctors who is minimizing HepC.  good luck

[cwar]

Hi.  
No it is Dr. Wien de Ren from China whom is practicing in New York, NY.  Do you know of him?  He is at the University at Union Square in New York City. Apparently he studies your blood levels, viral load, biobsy etc and then puts together a specific herb/vitamin pill just for you to combat this virus? Does anyone know about this?  

The more I think about it the more I am thinking that vitamins and herbs may not be strong enough to combat this virus however I wish there was something other than the interferon and riberviron.

WE ARE NOT SURE HOW PROGRESSED HIS CASE IS.  IS THERE A DOCTOR ON HERE THAT CAN LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS FOR ME AND LET ME KNOW?

ASPARTATE TRASAMINAASE (AST)  189
WHITE BLLOD CELL COUNT                3.7
LYMPH                                                 .9
PLATELET COUNT                               70
RDW                                                   16
ALANINE TRANSAMINASE (ALT)         239
AFP ONCOLOGY                                 6.5
ALBUMIN                                             41
RED BLOOD CELL COUNT                  4.57
HEMOGLOBIN                                    140
THYROTROPIN                                   1.53

He has been taking Milk Thistle daily, Vitamin K1 and K2, Selenium and Serrapeptase.

Thank you,
cwar

[FlGuy]

Dr. Zhang,  I presume. Taking an educated approach to hepatitis is important. You will not find a claim by Dr. Zhang that his treatments will 'cure' hepatitis c but that ' proper treatment, lifestyle, diet, abstinence from alcohol and stress management are key factors in mitigating disease progression'  Some people who frequent this forum have studied more about his approaches and a couple have followed the regimen.  Perhaps they will comment..

[charm27]

There is no cure for Hep C EXCEPT Interferon & Ribavirin. Many many people have cured...Its the only think we have going...no herb or supplement will EVER cure this disease.....My opinion you will be wasting your money.
I dont know your husbands stats, stage of liver disease etc.
But my opinion only isnt a year of tx worth giving it a try?
A biopsy really must be done to know even if you have to treat right now...perhaps you can wait till 2011 when newer drugs are brought into view.

I just finished tx myself...learn more here get educated..and DONT waste you money on HERBS!
Best of luck
CHARM