they say that people with CHB should limit alcohol or avoid it. So what exactly is safest thing to do? completely eliminate alochol/smoking or is it okay to have it occasionally , like once or twice a year?
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Reducing as much as possible is best. Saying that, itās not likely that long-term harm is going to come from having an occasional drink.
Thomas
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Hi Kevin, I agree with Thomas that an occasional alcoholic drink will not kill you. With that said, however, bingeing is not recommended even once a year. Also, you donāt want to drink any alcohol the day or two before your blood tests because even one drink can artificially elevate your liver enzymes (i.e. ALT). Thatās just piece of advice to avoid upsetting yourself or you doctor! Always, Joan
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Iām very late to this conversation but March I was not on medication yet lol
Iām curious about the exercise part - I have started to lift weights just to get stronger - if Iām interpreting your message correctly - I know ALT can be raised after exercise - but you seem to be saying this is not due to your liver being damaged further? itās just something that happens after exercise without your liver actually being damaged is that correct?
I was under the impression that ALTs are secreted by the liver and was unaware that muscles also release ALT into the blood stream.
so i might have to stop weightlifting too? lol godā¦
Definitely not! You should keep doing exercise.
I think it was just a special circumstance if you havenāt done any exercise in a while and go hard at it, it can interfere with blood results and it isnāt actually your liver being injured. If your body is used to it, you donāt see this spike.
Hope that clarifies things.
Cheers,
Thomas
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My uncle swears by milk thistle but heās never been in a scientific study - my specialist also says itās useless against HBV lol
I do have a bunch of milk thistle and I take it sometimes - I asked my pharmacist if I can take it with Vemlidy and she just said thereās no interaction but take it at different times - not right at the same time so thatās kind of what Iāve been doing off and on - take some milk thistle in the morning and Vemlidy in the afternoon
- so I donāt know if milk thistle can be used as another way improve our liver health while on medication - I mean we need all the help we can get right?
donāt know if thereās any studies done on this interaction or not.
Thanks for clarifying lol
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Hi @joseph, yeah milk thistle is commonly quoted as a herbal remedy. But youāve got to be a little bit careful with it. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the hep B foundation has done a good summary of its effects here: basically it doesnāt do a whole lot against HBV, thereās very few studies about how safe it is, and we donāt know how it can react with your other medications.
Cheers,
Thomas
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Hi all,
I wanted to post this video and hopefully get some feedback from @HealthExperts and anyone for that matter. I know there are a LOT of products out there that make many claims that are false and some that can even be harmful. There are even a lot of products out there that are sold by ādoctorsā.
I did want to preface that I do know that Dr. Gundry is for real and his claims about his profession and expertise are true. 3 of my specialists are out of Loma Linda University Medical Center where Dr. Gundry was a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon.
After starting Vemlidy in 2017, I had numerous reactions and issues that I have mentioned before on this forum. One of those issues was major GI problems. I would have so many digestive and ābathroomā related issues. I started taking one of Dr. Gundryās products called, āBio Complete 3ā that was supposed to help the gut with probiotics, prebiotics AND postbiotics. I had taken many probiotic products prior that never helped or seemingly did anything. I started that product over 2 years ago and even though I still have major GI flareups, itās not as often and the ābathroomā issues mostly levelled out. When I say ābathroomā issues, I am speaking of a back and forth battle of constipation and diarrhea without getting too TMI. This product has helped with regular BMās and I personally know that it has had a positive effect.
All that being said, and knowing that Dr. Gundry is for real and his products are made out of high quality and quality control tested ingredients, I was wondering what our scientists and doctors have to say about this particular product and if the scientific claims made about the foods we eat and the medical claims about the efficacy of the ingredients put into this product are viable.
I have been hesitant to use too many supplements and even a multivitamin as I am worried that with cirrhosis, my liver canāt handle processing too much and I donāt know if a multivitamin would have certain minerals that my liver couldnāt handle or too much of any particular vitamin that could cause more damage. Is this possible with a multivitamin?
This particular product is not a multivitamin but something that is supposed to help us absorb and utilize what Dr. Gundry says is such a low amount of nutrients within our food, even āhealthyā foods.
Any feedback would be appreciated as I donāt want to waste money on something that wonāt work but even worse, something that could be harmful for the liver.
Thanks,
Paul
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I just watched The video Iām interested . I hear a bunch of crazy herbal stuff too and itās hard to believe hopefully this one seems to be legit. I wonder what the experts have to say about his products at the same time I really do want to just try to see what happens but only thing is I just donāt want the product to mess with my liver thatās what is concerning
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Hi Paul,
To be honest, this comes off like a bit of a scam. The simplification of the science of nutrition and metabolism is just too much and I am not sure that these claims are supported by the science or by reputable societies (e.g. American Heart Society, American Diabetes Association, etc.). I also donāt find much in terms of recent research articles from him, which throws up a lot of red flags.
I mean, Iām sure he is a decent cardiothoracic surgeon, but thatās not who I would go to for advice on stuff that concerns my metabolism or nutrition. Itās really a completely different system: I would definitely not be commenting on, say, IBS, even though itās in the same realm of gastroenterology.
While Iām happy that you have had a reduction in your GI flare-ups, it looks like the major component of this stuff is fibre. It might be cheaper for you to increase the amount of fibre in your diet or fibre supplements.
Regarding vitamins, Iām actually finding it difficult to understand what specific vitamins are in there, which makes it hard to tell if they could be liver toxic or not. This is the problem with supplements like this: they are very poorly regulated, so anything could be in there.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
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Hi Thomas,
I appreciate your feedback and your candor. However, I donāt think I was clear on a couple of points.
-
The product I have been taking for over 2 years that helped manage the bathroom issues was called Bio Complete 3 and it is a pre, pro, post-biotic. THIS product is called Active Advantage and is something completely different.
-
This product is not a multivitamin. I was also asking generally about multivitamins; if they are safe when you have cirrhosis. I have read that certain things like iron is hard for the liver to process and can even cause harm if you have too much.
Here are a bunch of different articles about multivitamins and liver disease and some of them contradict each other. Some say that multivitamins are important because the liver canāt process nutrients as well and needs supplementation. Some say that certain vitamins can cause harm, especially if over a certain amount. I have read that people with liver disease, especially cirrhosis can often times be deficient in vitamin D; which I am and one of my doctors has me on a prescription D supplement.
My worry is that I am not getting enough nutrients absorbed into my system and need a multivitamin but on the flip side, I donāt want to take something that can be harmful. Thatās why I was hoping that with this product, it would just help me absorb and utilize the nutrients I take in from food better. For some reason I have really bad reactions to most meds I am given and I was hoping that maybe I could help my body more naturally with supplements and reduce the amount of meds I have to deal with.
I did tell my GI and my hepatologist about the Bio Complete 3 back when I started taking it and they were fine with that product because it was just gut biotics. Based on your input, I will definitely hold off on this product since there is no positive feedback on the three major ingredients used in it. I wouldnāt mind if any of the medical community chimed in on this too.
I hope I am not coming off as a little obsessive, itās just that I am trying to take a proactive stance on my care since five years later, after starting treatment, I still have many of the issues that arose after treatment. I eat healthier than the average bear, I am active and constantly going when I am not stuck in bed due to flareups or meds, I take the slew of meds I am prescribed like a good boy regardless of all the side effects, I am very careful about putting toxins in my body and even very careful about bacteria, and particularly this past year I have been focusing on the mental side of things and am trying to stay as positive as possible by volunteering, keeping my mind active and doing therapy. So thatās why I am looking for other ways, methods and means of improving my quality of life. Maybe what the doctors seem to insinuate is true and I am just sort of stuck due to the state of my medical status. I had a previous hepatologist tell me every time I would tell him the issues I was dealing with, that itās your liver, itās your cirrhosis causing it. That is the same hepatologist that told me that food canāt hurt you, drugs (meds) canāt hurt you. We all know thatās not true.
As always, I appreciate your input and effort Thomas.
Thank You,
Paul
P.S. I know this is a lot of reading but there are a lot of questions on this forum about supplements and holistic remedies. Maybe this information will help someoneā¦ or maybe even cause more confusion like it did for me. Thatās one of the reasons we have all you professionals, to give us some guidance when there is so much data out there; that at times can be conflicting data or hard to discern.
Hi Paul,
I think you make great points, and glad that you got the OK from your hepatologist. I think itās great that youāre taking a pro-active stance. I think the issue of having a lot of contradicting information is that there is no simple answer and nothing that fits everyone. If you are worried about your absorption, youād probably need to visit a certified dietician (a board-certified food and nutrition expert) to get it assessed and get something that targets what you might be missing. Itās worth noting that a nutritionist is not subject to any regulations.
Cheers,
Thomas
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I have benifited alot from the discussion on steatosis save to ask if by observing proper diet, steatosis grade S1 /mild can regressā¦
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Yes, when the disease is mild like this it can regress, but sometimes it can take years.
TT
With blood test it can go up and test. I gotten f1, f2 now back to f0 and s0.
Better to to fibroscan.
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Thanks alot for your precious time and informative response.
I am also happy that graduallyiam getting into our community.
The good thing about this group is it has experts and people who emphathise.
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I wrote you a long text on my laboratory, CT scan and US . Kindly find pleasure to give a gift of response.
I am aware you advised me to write in the community forum and am still trying.
I am sorry in advance if I appear imprudent.
With regards
Kinoti.
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