Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “I was just diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. I am interested in using natural products to do my best to take care of my liver. What can you recommend? I am looking for something simple. I don’t think I can handle more than one or two things right now!” —Scott B., Tacoma, WA A. Dear Scott, I am sorry that you are faced with this health challenge, and am glad you are taking a proactive approach to staying healthy. If you are under a doctor’s care and taking prescription drugs, please make sure you discuss natural product use with him/her to make sure it agrees with your plan of treatment. My advice does not replace your health care practitioner’s oversight. One herb that always comes to mind with liver health is milk thistle. There is a compound in milk thistle called silymarin that reduced fibrosis in the liver (turning healthy liver tissue into non-functioning scar tissue) in people with advanced hepatitis C. Silymarin has also been shown to inhibit the hepatitis C virus. I recommend you use milk thistle 600 mgs daily, along with 600 mgs alpha lipoic acid and 225 mcgs of the trace mineral selenium for optimal effects. The next herb I would recommend is curcumin, which is extracted from the spice turmeric. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant, and very powerful at protecting the liver. In very recent studies published just this year, it was found that curcumin significantly halts the replication of the hepatitis C virus in vitro, and the science in this area is progressing rapidly. I believe we have barely scratched the surface of curcumin’s capabilities when dealing with any chronic liver disease. However, not all curcumin is created equal. Plain curcumin 95% is very poorly absorbed and basically is trapped in the intestinal tract. There is a new high absorption curcumin that is up to 1000% (10 times) better absorbed than plain curcumin 95%. This is a micronized curcumin with turmeric essential oils blended back into the powder, along with some natural plant phospholipids. When you use this curcumin, you will get much better results, because absorbed up to 10 times better means up to 10 times stronger effects for your liver. Lastly, avoid substances that stress your liver. Eat foods that have not been processed or have lots of food additives as these are not healthy for you. Go organic! I’d also recommend that you greatly limit grains and focus on moderate amounts of healthy protein, like grass-fed beef, organic chicken, or salmon (to name just a few), and lots of fruits and vegetables. Healthy Regards, Terry . . . Naturally