Snake oil. Sounds like your liver is healthy so take care of your other problems 1st. These herbs if they do anything(they're unproven) then they'll just be prolonging the inevitable. You still have time. This stuff doesn't clear the virus, you just spend money. Don't panic, you still have time and are being proactive which is more than most people. Some people do intravenious Alpha Lipoic Acid. Some doctors(very few) do this as alternative medicine. A lot of people live forever with this disease without any treatment. 5-10% of people develop serious problems and die from this disease. It's slow and progressive. They call it the silent killer because you don't have any problems or major symptoms until it's too late. Do you want to gamble on your life that you wont be that 5-10% on this unproven alternative crap that can make any claims they want about their product unrestricted and unregulated?

You definitely want to wait till you take care of any thyroid issues because tx has caused thyroid issues with many people. No good starting out with a problem and taking a chance to make it even worse.
Also, I think your diabetes is more of an immediate concern to be in control before starting tx for hep.
If you liver is not in a bad condition, then definitely take the milk thistle, but instead of trying any of the other garbage that claims to cure you, focuse more on doing things like quitting drinking and smoking if you do either, and get your diet very clean. There are many things that can upset your liver; start to eliminate them and you will be helping your liver.

thanks for your advice bill:) no i dont 'want to gamble on my life that i wont be that 5-10% on this unproven alternative crap that can make any claims they want about their product unrestricted and unregulated' i agree with you entirely about taking stuff that isnt proven, but it doesnt stop me looking and thats why i came here and asked for advice. cos i knew nothing about it, perhaps someone else might know something. i do believe that there's a cure for everything out there, just growing wild. you have responded candidly and wisely, suggesting caution bill and i thank you for that. as for my liver sounding healthy? do you think so? even though i have cirrhosis, varices, portal tension and an enlarged spleen? wow! thats interesting. i'm even more confused now! i obviously dont understand much of what i've read on this disease. i guess i better get back to the drawing board eh.
thanks bill. you take care ok:)

thanks justblue.... hmmmm. you're the second to 'poo poo' alt meds. thats interesting. i'm getting the idea that perhaps its not a good idea to take them. yeah, the dr said that tx can cause thyroid probs, but what happens when they remove it i wonder??? i guess they'll have to monitor the thyroid drugs closely then. as for my liver being good or bad. i dont know! lol.. i know it sounds silly, but i dont know. the gastro says not, yet i do have cirrhosis, varices, portal hypertension and enlarged spleen.... along with lotsa pain, naucea and fatigue. is that good or bad????

I think your first order of business is to get another gastro.
If he said your liver is not in an advanced stage but you have cirrhosis, I would want to take a close look at his diploma on the wall.
Did you have a biopsy? What were the findings?

I think you best sit down with your dr and get some straight answers on the exact condition of your liver.

Yes, all that alternative stuff offered is not going to help you and your liver. A good clean diet and milk thistle will help.

thanks again blue:) its all helpful. unfortunately in the uk we dont get a choice of dr. i could ask to be referred elsewhere through my gp but it would take months and months and i dont wanna wait. its bad enough having to wait for the thyroid and breast op and treatment for them. i wont see this gastro again now anyway cos when he gets the genotype and viral load he said he's referring me to a treatment centre at another hospital. hopefully, they'll be able to give me more info. in the meantime its another waiting game. grrrrr!! no i havent had a biopsy. he said that i should, then he changed his mind and sent me for an mri instead cos he was specifically looking for cancer owing to the pain. luckily he tells me theres no cancer in the liver. he says that the new guys at the treatment centre will prolly do a biopsy, but he wont be referring me for a few months until my other bits are sorted out. i guess i can push with my oncologist to get him moving if nothing happens soon after that.
thanks again for your help blue:)
you take care

I agree w/all comments...especially re: new doc-I had to change-bioposy is absolutely necessary-only way to tell what Grade/Stage liver damage you have...how the hell he can tell you have cirrosis w/o it I've never heard of. You 1st must know GenoType, Viral Load and BX (I also had ultrasound and Liver Scan-they only show inflamation or cancer not liver damage). Need all this info before can make intelligent decision re: treatment. Also need to make sure you are healthy in other areas as tx is hell on body mentally and physically! I also take Milk Thistle while awaiting tx. Best of luck to you in this very confusing world! Patience is the hardest part cause the dragon keeps ya waiting and teasing ya!

thanks for the advice lightning. no no biopsy yet. ultra-sound, ct scan and mri with contrast but no biopsy. my gastro says the next guy will do biopsy. it is frustrating cos here in the uk we dont get to choose our dr. we are referred to specialist at local hospital and each test that is carried out takes forever to come through. my lft came back abnormal in feb this year. i was referred to hospital urgently by my gp. from there i was sent for 'urgent' tests and more 'urgent' tests and you would think 'urgent' means urgent, but here it means within 3 months. so from feb to now i am still waiting. thats the nhs for you. gastro tells me that mri with contrast can define amount of damage and ct scan picked up cirrhosis. this is what my gastro told me. he also said i have calcium spots in liver - whatever that means??? we are v much kept in the dark over here. they dont give you written results or copy x=ray or scan reports. we are expected to put our lives in their hands. i wish i could do that, but i cant and thankfully so too, cos if i did i would have been far worse off now. my endoc increased my diabetes meds when he should have taken me off them immediately lft probs raised its ugly head. hmmmmm.... it was not until i researched the meds and took myself off them, got in touch with him and told him, that he agreed and told me to come off them immediately. (that was 4 weeks after i had stopped cos it took him that long to return my call!) they say that medical practice here has fallen way behind europe in recent years and more ppl have to manage their own medical probs with little support from medical team. i am awaiting viral load and genotype in a couple of weeks time. he says he will write to me with results. apparently they take 4 weeks to come back. we will see anyway. thank you for all your support. i am so glad i found ds. you guys are amazing! thank you all:) and good luck to all of you with your dragons.