Re: Ken This and That

February 10, 2007

that was great ken. i was wondering about the garlic, we can't have any at all?

that book sounds very interesting and informative. any other things to really

stay away from? i know so little about this. thanks so much..pat

nmilover <nmilover@...> wrote: good post and very informative

Ken, thank you. I was never a good candidate...and I think I am glad for

inf....... I am genotype 1b, enzymes normal, bilirubin normal, viral load low,

over thirty years is now 1.2 mil..... and going down....... and I am so mentally

weird that I think ribo rage would kill me..... I hope it works for you. Seems

you are taking the right stuff. Look into into all your B vitamins and Inusitol,

and Choline........ thanks mucho, sally

" and the beat goes on....... " Sonny Bono " It's not the years in your life that

count. It's the life in your years. " Abraham Lincon-----and.... " It's never too

late to have a happy childhood. " Tom Robbins

This and That

Hello Bob and all,

If you do an advanced search using my name, Leep, you will

see that I have posted here from time to time. I do read the posts

and have gained some insight from this group. I have been following

the line about CS with some interest. But, it seems to be going down

a path that I plan to avoid.

As for some of the issues here lately, there is a general discussion

between what I call alternatives and traditional medicine. It puzzles

me why for some it must be one or the other. I have been through five

interferon treatment protocols. However, I also watch my diet and

take some supplements.

Most recently I was on Infergen, interferon alfacon-1, a recombinant

consensus alpha interferon derived from E. coli, and ribavirin,

generic for rebetol. As much as some physicians may call something a

cure, I have yet to see any documentation that supports a cure for

HCV using any alternatives or traditional medications.

The other thing that I have seen mentioned many times is that some of

those posting have indicated HCV infection for up to 30 years or

more. Since HCV was not indentified until the late 80s and a test for

the general public was not available until the early 90s these folks

are just guessing. There is no way to know for sure at this point.

Treatments are evolving and what you may take today could be found

inappropriate in the future. For example, I was taking quinine

sulfate for muscle cramps for years. Recently I was told to stop by a

hematologist due to my low platelet count. This is just one example

that I have from my experience and there are many.

After some research and visits to a nutritionist I found that the

garlic I savor can lower platelet counts. What is interesting is that

while working and studying in Brasil I came to think that garlic was

good for the liver. After all, every Brasilian knows that it is not a

stomach ache but " o meu figado " or the liver that is a problem.

Recently my hepatologist ran some tests and now I am taking some

additional supplements. I continue to take 400 mg of Sam E, but have

added 150 mg zinc, and 24k IU of vitamin A. However, I watch the

vitamin A as it should be taken very carefully since excess doses can

cause other problems.

Another medication that I take is sodium benzoate for encephalopathy.

Again, this is not something that is commonly prescribed but can be

useful for some individuals. The key is to find a good doctor that

will refer and confer with other professionals. I am fortunate to

have a doctor that is connected with a teaching/research hospital.

As far as the skin rashes, I do have spider angiomata, a common

advanced HCV/liver condition. And, I was sent to a dermatologist that

works with HCV patients, the diagnosis was pigmented purpura. It is

small surface legions mostly on the lower parts of my legs and feet.

For more info go to: http://www.emedicin e.com/derm/ topic327. htm.

Regarding weight loss and treatment, I am not female, but was very

strongly advised to get my weight down. This is because a fatty liver

can lower the effectiveness of most treatments and cause other

problems. Diabetes can be one problem related to being overweight.

Both fatty liver and diabetes are not a good for those with HCV.

Exercise has been a problem due to my cramping and fatigue. I found

that swimming is not as much of a problem and my exercise of choice.

Using diet and exercise I have been able to control my weight problem

and diabetes. An added benefit has been that my blood pressure is

lowering and I generally feel better.

Last year one of the doctors on the team from CPMC recommended that I

be put on the transplant list. In his professional opinion he felt

that I would not make my target retirement date of November 07

without a transplant. Although I still have problems associated with

HCV I have extended my retirement date to December 08.

For information on herbals and liver disease this URL may help:

http://www.cpmc. org/advanced/ liver/patients/ topics/herbs. html. It is

connected to the hospital where my hepatologist of 18 years,

Gish, is the chief of the liver transplant and research teams. There

are options for those of us with HCV.

Gish wrote a book with Misha Cohen, OMD, about western and eastern

medicine. Cohen is the founder of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine in

San Francisco. If anyone is interested I can post some additional

stuff and what to avoid related to HCV from the book. I am not sure

that the book is still in publication.

From the book: herbal medications are a part of standard eastern

medicine. Today, more patients and an increasing number of physicians

are using single herbs and combinations in western medicine. Although

these preparations are believed to have some medicinal value, there

is also a risk of toxicity.

So, that is my two cents worth of ramblings. I encourage everyone to

be civil, loving, and understanding. I enjoy a lively discussion, but

again, I do not want to go down a path that leads to hostility. By

the way, my last post was 14660 so it has been a while since I

posted. As this post has gone on for way too long I will close.

And, it's raining all over here,

Ken

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February 10, 2007