Hep C Study Discredits Milk Thistle
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The Editors at Hepatitis Central
July 23, 2012
Based on a recently published study, the current media blitz stating milk thistle is ineffectual for those with Hepatitis C is missing some key information. Make sure you know about this study’s omissions prior to making any decisions that could impact your health.
Because conflicting information about milk thistle can be confusing to those wanting to protect their liver, get the whole story about the latest study. Click here to learn three reasons of recently publicized milk thistle doubt.
29 Comments
Financed by big pharma with Vertex and Merck being particularly aggressive at the moment as Milk Thistle is the perfect herb for those wishing to wait for interferon free treatment. This particular study, even if faultless was only for non-responders . We could draw the conclusion that interferon leaves the body so vulnerable to hep c if treatment fails, that not even Milk Thistle can help you. Why the media is so hostile toward Milk Thistle at the moment one can only surmise as it would appear to have helped millions of people over a long period of time.
I was diagnosed nonA – nonB at Cleveland Clinic in 1970 while in the USMC. They told me don’t drink. The diagnosis changed to HCV 1b in 1995. Hepatologist said I’d do well to refuse treatment or had a chance with treatment. He supported either choice because of minimal damage.
Fast forward, am 63 now and have ascites and compensated cirrohsis. Max Milk Thistle keeps my liver studies in the normal range except for platelets. Hepatologist doing endoscopy (possible banding) next month and gives me 10 or 11 more years to live. Longevity in the males of my family makes me hope for more than 74 yrs old – but I’ll take it!!
Take your Milk Thistle folks – been 42 yrs for me so far,
did u feel it ,,the scarring,were their any symtons?
I am a 54 woman ..with Hepatitis C 1a.Done the cure with interferon in 2010. For 12 weeks .Respond virual load from 99.990 ..to 80 !!. Than my body and mind refuse ad several points. Stopped,
Recovering more then a year. Now on Milkthistle for about 14 days!! Feeling more already some energy coming. NO Interferon cure for me.
The have to ask us !! The ones with C responding.
But never make it to end the cure (48 weaks).. Because the hell breaks los in there bodys and Minds !!……. Milk thistle do helps me. Not recover ,but this way I can wait a few years for the NON INTERFERON that wil comes 🙂
Diana
My husband uses Milk Thistle and it is a fact, it WORKS! There is no cure out there, and there should be! Interferon almost killed him! It may work for some, but it will put your body through hell for a chance it may work, or do the opposite! The so-called Doctor that states Milk Thistle doesn’t work is WRONG! A study of 126 people I read…. be real doc. My husband and others are witness’s to Milk Thistle working to make them feel better and help the liver. If cures were allowed to be made, many diseases would be gone. But the drug industry doesn’t want cures, why you ask, because they will lose a lot of money! That’s why!
You are not 100% right you are a THOUSAND % right!!!
absolutely way way correct Lorie. No question it is all about big money, but instead of extending or saving human life. they are contributing to death. Milk Thistle is a HUGE contributer to liver health! No guesswork or intuition here. just the facts
I was diagnosed with Hep C over 20 years ago and i have some liver scarring. I tried, but could not continue, Interferon because i’m allergic to it. I’ve have tried at least 4 brands of Milk Thistle and all it did was make me feel much worse, so much so, i couldn’t take it for more than a few doses. So milk thistle is of no use to me.
This study is based on
the results of the following clinical study: Effect of Silymarin (Milk Thistle) on
Liver Disease in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C – Published by JAMA, July
18, 2012 –http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1217238
One
can conclude that there is LITTLE value in the findings of this current study
that can be applied to the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Read my
analysis: http://www.salamresearch.net/2012/07/new-study-on-effect-of-silymarin-for.html
ALSO, milk thistle has been proven to protect the liver. For
some people that IS the goal. For others
the goal may be removing the HCV virus or reducing ALT.
Anyone who actually believes in these “studies” done by big pharma needs to read, The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, PhD. In his book he shows how these evil corporations manipulate the facts for profits and he also shows what REALLY cures us — our mindset. This guy is absolutely no quack either and much new research is validating his and his contemporaries conclusions. Milk Thistle works (if the siliphos type which doesn’t just pass through you like the natural herb does) and the European studies all confirm that it being a prescription medicine over there is because it actually works. The medical system in the USA is a huge joke.
huge joke is putting it too mildly I fear. utter b.s.. all about big money period, end of story.
Amen!
interferon therapy shut my husbands liver down. has since been transplanted. transplant surgeon was the only doctor to tell him, ‘take the milk thistle’. that he has seen livers in people that have taken it, and those that have not. ‘take it’ he said.
my wife with geno type 1b was transplanted part of liver in march 2011.She has,unfortutanely, developed liver fibrosis after a year and 3 months.Could you kindly send me the contact/e mail of your husband’ s surgoen for seeking his advise for my wife.
I agree with you folks. I hate Big Pharmas so bloody much that I could spit nails!!! Of course the media (driven by government, which is driven by the FDA, which in turn is driven by Big Pharmas) is attacking milk thistle. It’s an important and much-depended upon element of a liver patient’s self-care. If they can completely discredit milk thistle, they’ve gouged a huge chink in the armor of all of us who want to defend our health rights in America, the land of the free. This doctor is clearly an FDA agent, like most of them are. My husband has chronic HepC, advanced cirrhosis and liver cancer. I give him milk thistle as part of his nutrition regimen. They’ll take our milk thistle over MY DEAD BODY!!
Seriously, everyone, in a case like this, always FOLLOW THE MONEY…
purplmama, Milk Thistle saved my life, or at very least has extended it for 10 years. My liver has actually improved drastically. There is no confusion here, in that milk thistle is my only regime besides diet. I do purchase the best, and pay more. The docs at the clinic I first went to never said a word about it. They just said go home, and by the time it gets worse, we’ll have more options for you in a couple of years. Admittedly, I am one of the lucky ones thus far. William
I’ve 6 more weeks of combined Interferon/Ribivirin therapy having survived 12 weeks of telaprevir (brutal) and have a sustained viral response thus far. It’s been rough but worth it. It’s the third try at chemotherapy. In between I used Milk Thistle which seemed to hold my liver readings down. With first stage cirrhosis and at age 65 it seemed like my last best chance to kick it. The therapy team requested I abstain from any other drugs while on the therapy so I dropped the milk thistle. When it’s over I plan to start again as it can’t hurt and may help the damage stop, or even recover somewhat.
Milk thjisgtle and Alpha Lipoic Acid is keeping me extremely stable. 8 Million of my viral load is now dormant. I have had Hep C for 34 years, and if you look at me you would not believe it. My liver is normal size, anf I am doing fine. Milk Thistle is wonderful.
Why the surprise that milk thistle is under attack? How
can the Glaxo/Klein/Beecham/Phizer/Scheering/Plough’s of this world make money
from this God-given plant ? They simply can’t, so their strategy must be to try to deny it to sufferers…
Soon it will probably be
made illegal. (as herbal medicine has become illegal in the UK) You have only your political lobbying system to blame.. The Coca Cola’s and the IBM’s and Proctor-Gambles of this world control revenues greater than the GDP of some countries.
If growing potatoes and apples in your back garden can be made
unlawful (as in California) then how long do you expect cheap herbs to survive
the trampling boot of big pharma, and how much longer do you expect to be able
to get hold of herbs (or herbal derivatives) for your own use?
(apart from gathering them yourself, secretively at night
)
richard
bulgaria.
I would diagnosed with Hep C, now I have my doubts!
Is there any research out there about the use of milk thistle post-successful treatment? I completed in 2005, and have been lucky enough to achieve sustained viral response, but having had hep c for 20 years or so, and with stage 4 damage at the start of treatment (fibrosis but not cirrhosis), I take milk thistle to help my liver regenerate. I have no idea if this helps or not and would be really interested if there have been any studies?
Total b/s sonsored by big pharm because its cutting into their profit margain on interferon and other meds for hep c sufferers
u r absolutely right lorie .there is nobody out there who can control these pharma companies .these companies are selling their products on whatever rates they want .nobody is working for noble prizes anymore.these companies dont want people cured but they want to just hold on the patients for some more years of life .so they can extract all the health and wealth from thier blood.
ALL THE PATIENTS SHOULD CONSTITUTE A ASSOCIATION WORLD WISE AND USE MEDIA TO RAISE THIER CONCERNS AND APPEAL TO ITS MEMBERS TO VOTE FOR THE POLITICIANS WHO SUPPORT THIER CAUSE. .POLITICIANS THIS WAY CANT IGNORE THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS FOR THE FEARS OF THIER VOTES
please someone explain to me what’s the “siliphos type” and the “natural herb” I read in one of these comments.
I use Milk Thiltle from Swanson and Thisilyn from Nature’s Way .Are these any good?
I take a few capsules of those a day
thanks and God Bless you all
Use the siliphos from Swanson. It’s much cheaper then the milk thistle on this site and it’s the same thing.
Put
siliphos in the search on Swansons website. That is the one you want. They sell it here (max milk thistle and ultra) but it is wayyyyy over priced ecspecially compared to the Swanson website. It is the same formula from the same company.
My husband has Hep C has gone through 2 Interferon/Ribiviron and telaprevir treatment which none worked for him. After thousands of dollars of treatments and medications his viral load is elevated. Is there a specific brand of Milk Thistle that works the best?
Unfortunately, after reading about MT
and the fact that it does not work I decided to stop taking it. I figured why spend
the extra money if it’s not doing anything. This was several weeks ago, Well I
can honestly say that I have not felt very good over the past few weeks, so I’m
back on my milk thistle. There is no other explanation for the changes in my
general health, the milk thistle was the only medication I changed. I am no
Doctor or anything close, but my body has been telling me to stick with the
milk thistle. I believe it works and works well. I have very low platelets and
they won’t treat me with the standard therapy including Vitriol. So I’m pretty
much forced to wait for a new drug to hit the scene. .