Hepatitis B - LDN & Complimentary Supplements-Our Success #2

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Hello everyone,

I'm posting a follow up to my previous note (Message 56843,

titled " Hepatitis B - Our success story with using LDN " ) on 11/14/07.

My daughter has been on a minimal dose of Low Dose Naltrexone and we

continue to dramatic results in her lab work. So I'm still a believer

in the positive effects of LDN .

We've received back my daughter's recent lab report. I've included a

listing of all of her lab work done and our history below so you can

see her full journey. Her ALT/AST continues to decrease and it's now

around the optimal range - from a high of ALT/AST 196/203 on 5/11/07

to new results of 22/31 on 11/16/2007.

At this point, she has not seroconverted the HBeAG or the HBsAG -

she is still HBeAG & HBsAG positive. We hope she will continue her

downward progression of disease and eventually seroconvert!

Especially with increasing her LDN dosage level (from 1 mg to 3 mg)

and returning to the other supplements that we were using. We've

achieved partial success with her Liver Enzymes (ALT/AST) going to

such great levels...we just waiting for the other positive effects,

too!

Take care and God Bless You! Joyce

Here is a timeline/history of her lab work since 2001 to current:

11/28/01 - HBsAG - Positive (Reactive)

Note: This is the first set of lab results once we are back

from China. This is when we discovered her Hep B illness.

12/05/01 - HBV Viral DNA - 151,733,400* copies/mL (Ref Range<4700)

- DNA Final 536.160* (Ref Range <.017)

(Note: * indicates outside normal range)

The following Hep B tests have remained the same

since 2002. Therefore, I have not continued to include these results

on the following annual lab results):

- HBeAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBsAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBeAB (Antibody) -Non Reactive

- HBsAB - Negative

Other tests completed (but not continued to be repeated

every year)

- Anti HBC Total IGG - Negative

- Anti HBC IGM - Negative

- Anti HAV IGM - Negative

- Anti HDV - Negative

- Hepatitis C (HCV RNA Qual) - Not Detected

12/12/01 - ALT 27 (0-50 normal range) / AST 37 (9-53 normal range)

7/2/02 - ALT/AST 67*/57*

- HBV Viral DNA - 640,000,000* copies/mL (Ref

Range<4700)

- DNA Final 2260.000* (Ref Range <.017)

(Note: * indicates outside normal range)

1/28/03 - ALT/AST 43/50

- HBV DNA - not taken

9/23/03 - ALT/AST 28/36

- HBV DNA - not taken

10/1/04 - ALT/AST 34/39

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 317,000,000* /mL (Ref

Range<100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 1,503,400,000* (Ref Range

<160)

* Summer 2005 - Note: We started using supplements beginning in

2005 to help with her severe eczema and terrible food allergies.

These supplements included probiotics, essential fatty acids (Omega

3/6/9 via Hemp Oil or Fish Oil), liquid vitamins and minerals, and a

number of antioxidants (L-Glutamine & N-Acetyl Cysteine (both

precursors to Glutathione), B-12, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Glutathione, and

also various rotations of Milk Thistle, Schizandra, Licorice Root,

Astragulus during a portion of the time between 2006 - 2007).

9/15/05 - ALT/AST 53/51

- HBV DNA (PCR) - not taken

12/21/06 - ALT/AST 136*/103*

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 26,500,000* (26.5

Million) (Ref Range <100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 104,700,000 (Ref Range <160)

2/7/07 - ALT/AST 124*/89*

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 59,200,000* (59.2 Million)

(Ref Range <100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 248,100,000 (Ref Range <160)

(*Note I did start using Milk Thistle during the January/February 07

time period and this may be why the ALT/AST numbers went down

slightly between December 06-February 07 results. Once we decided to

put her in the Entecavir drug trial, I stopped the Milk Thistle.)

4/23/07 - Liver Biopsy:

Grade / Scale Based on 0-4 (0 being none / 4 being

worst)

- Scarring: 2

- Inflammation: 2

5/11/07 - ALT/AST 196*/203*

- HBV DNA (PCR) - not taken

7/10/07 (approximately) - **started 1 mg pill LDN taken at bedtime

Note: (there were no other changes in diet/supplements/drugs).**

Note: I spoke with her gastro doctor and he didn't have a problem

with her taking the LDN, as long as it wasn't going to preclude us

getting into the drug trail. I also spoke with the doctor who is

going to run the study out of s Hopkins. She said that LDN use

prior to the trail would not prevent her from getting in the trial,

but she thought that it could not be used while she was on the trial

(which I understood). Also, since she is a very conservative doctor,

she could not recommend LDN because she had no knowledge of it's use

in children. To date, the drug trial has not yet started, so I

haven't spoken to s Hopkins since June 2007. I can't wait to talk

to the doctor and tell her that my dear daughter doesn't qualify

anymore for participating in the trial because of her rapidly

improving condition!**

8/10/07 - ALT/AST 26/38

- HBV DNA (PCR) - not taken

Note: The doctor's can't believe the results and order more tests.

Her liver enzymes have returned to the normal range - these are the

lowest ALT/AST results we have seen since her diagnosis in 2002.

8/17/07 - ALT/AST 29/39

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 53,300* (Ref Range <100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 133,225* (Ref Range <160)

(over 1000% decrease in viral load since Feb 2007.)

Note: I called my daughter's Pediatric Gastroenterologist when we

first got her lab results in mid-August 07. I said to the

doctor " Isn't this good news " ...He responded back... " No...this is

GREAT news! " . We discussed that LDN appears to be having similar

responses to other anti-viral drugs. He said that he had a teenager

on Entecavir and this patient also saw dramatic results within the

first month (similar to my daughter's 1000% viral load decrease).

However, the advantage to LDN is that since this isn't an anti-viral

Hep B drug, but rather her own immune system fighting the virus via

the LDN, we don't have to worry about the anti-viral resistance that

can be a problem with other anti-viral drugs. Also, if at any

point the LDN does not appear to be working in the future, we always

have the option of starting anti-viral drugs (without the worry of

her already building up anti-viral drug resistance). The gastro

doctor was not the prescribing doctor of the LDN, but he said to keep

on doing what we are doing because it appears to be successfully

working!

The Advanced Practice Pediatric Nurse who prescribed the LDN is

ecstatic with the results. Since LDN has had such good results with

AIDS and other immune illnesses, she thought that maybe LDN would

help prime her immune system (that way we could get better results on

the impending Entecavir drug trial). Her words were, there's

virtually no risk (we didn't experience any of the sleep changes that

a minority of people have), it's been so helpful for other illnesses,

and it's so cheap (less than a $1 / day), then why not try it? She

knows I now research everything relating to my daughter's medical

conditions, so she left the decision to me...and I'm so glad we took

an alternative approach with LDN.

9/21/07 - ALT/AST 25/36

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 29,000* (Ref Range <100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 69,307* (Ref Range <160)

- HBeAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBsAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBeAB (Antibody) -Non Reactive

- HBsAB - Negative

Fall 2007 - *Note: As stated above (In the Summer 2005 notation, we

started using supplements beginning in 2005 to help with my

daughter's severe eczema and terrible food allergies. During the Fall

of 2007, her eczema has improved so dramatically, along with

progressions in her food allergies. Therefore, we stopped some of her

additional supplements.

11/15/07 - - ALT/AST 22/31

- HBV DNA, BLD, QL, PCR - 170,000* (Ref Range <100)

- Virus DNA, SER, QN - 462,842* (Ref Range <160)

- HBeAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBsAG - Positive (Reactive)

- HBeAB (Antibody) -Non Reactive

- HBsAB - Negative

While her ALT/AST numbers continued to drop from her last blood

draw (from ALT/AST 25/36 on 9/21/07 to 22/31 on 11/15/07), her viral

load did increase from 29,000 to 170,000. I believe this may

possibly be due to wo factors,

-- First, I spoke with Skip (of Skip's Pharmacy). He recommended

increasing her dosage of LDN. We have started gradually increasing

her dose - it was previously at 1 mg and have started 2 mg and will

move to 3 mg in the near future.

-- Second, over the past couple of months, we did make a change

in her supplement routine, which I didn't realize at the time may

have probably lead to the slight increase of her viral load. My

daughter's eczema had improved so dramatically, that we stopped a

couple of months ago many of the supplements we were using (that were

specifically targeted for her eczema). I didn't realize when we

stopped them, they were not only benefiting her eczema, but also her

liver. These supplements included probiotics, essential fatty

acids (Omega 3/6/9 via Hemp Oil or Fish Oil), liquid vitamins and

minerals, and a number of antioxidants (L-Glutamine & N-Acetyl

Cysteine (both precursors to Glutathione), Selenium, B-12, Alpha

Lipoic Acid, Glutathione, and also various rotations of Milk Thistle,

Schizandra, Licorice Root, Astragulus during a portion of the

time). Therefore, I have re-started her on the supplements a couple

of days ago. There's a few clinical trials that I found below that

support these supplements.

I've sent the lab results to the Pediatric Gastro doctor over two

weeks ago, but I have not yet heard back from him. However, I did

talk to the pediatric advanced nurse practitioner that helped me so

much for my daughter's eczema (and was the one who suggested LDN this

summer). She believes that stopping the supplements may have led to

the slight viral load increase, but it's hard to say. Glutathione and

Alpha Lipoic Acid are very important to healing the liver. Also, she

concurs with increasing the dosage of the LDN. The max we will go to

is 3 mg a day. But we are still excited that her liver enzymes

continue to improve! That's progress! We've still seen dramatic

results compared to where she was this summer!

http://www.hon.ch/Library/Theme/HepB/comp.html

Antioxidants and Liver Supplements

Treatment Options - Treatment Information

http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-options/treatment-

information/antioxidants-and-liver-supplements/

National LIbrary of Medicine (PUBMED) Articles: by NIH:

A conservative triple antioxidant approach to the treatment of

hepatitis C. Combination of alpha lipoic acid (thioctic acid),

silymarin, and selenium: three case histories.:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=ShowDetailView & TermToSearch=10554539 & ordinalpos=2 & itool=

EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection via antioxidants:

results of a phase I clinical trial.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=ShowDetailView & TermToSearch=16082287 & ordinalpos=1 & itool=

EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Antiviral effects of Glycyrrhiza species

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=ShowDetailView & TermToSearch=17886224 & ordinalpos=3 & itool=

EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[study on chronical hepatitis B with treatment of integrative

traditional Chinese and Western medicine] (Note: Astragulus)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=ShowDetailView & TermToSearch=17048576 & ordinalpos=2 & itool=

EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum