Milk Thistle ... your thoughts and experiences are requested (update)
- Curcumin
- Vitamin D3
- MultiVitamin
- Biotin (for hair and nails as chemo damaged both)
- Magnesium & Calcium to deal with the neuropathy
I've heard good thinks about the protective benefits of milk thistle for liver. Mom's latest scan indicated fatty liver which we were told was due to chemotherapy.
Mom's starting maintenance regimen (low dose Xeloda + Avastin) next week.
I'm writing to request your thoughts/experiences with this supplement and also see if there are any potential contraindications between milk thistle and Xeloda/Avastin.
Your feedback is always appreciated.
Comments
-
Hi
I have no experience with it, but it is always best to inform her onc of her supplements prior to getting treatments in case there is any contraindication.
Marie who loves kitties0 -
Definitely check with someone
Carl was prescribed it for after his liver surgery this next week by his naturopath. I would check around locally to be sure there isn't an interference with other things she is already doing just to be safe. From what his dr.told us it is to help with healthy cell formation. Also been studied for anti-cancer properties. She wants him to start this 2 days after surgery. Since he will still be in hospital not sure that will be an option but will be looking into it.
FYI however please be sure that should surgery ever be a necessity that curcumin is mentioned. Carls dr. put him on it when she thought he was suppose to do chemo only the plans were changed by denver surgeons..curcumin can cause excessive bleeding during surgery.
Renee0 -
jasminsaba -
jasminsaba
Milk thistle is part of the prescription for our African Grey parrot.
She's had some sort of an ailment that 's been knocking the hell
out of her. The Vet prescribed a few things, and one was a
combination of multi-vitamins with Milk Thistle.
If it's good enough for a bird, with it's very delicate system,
it certainly should be safe enough for a human.
(Our baby of twenty-plus years is doing better, by the way)
Cheep enough.
Best of health to you,
John0 -
I did take it for two yearsJohn23 said:jasminsaba -
jasminsaba
Milk thistle is part of the prescription for our African Grey parrot.
She's had some sort of an ailment that 's been knocking the hell
out of her. The Vet prescribed a few things, and one was a
combination of multi-vitamins with Milk Thistle.
If it's good enough for a bird, with it's very delicate system,
it certainly should be safe enough for a human.
(Our baby of twenty-plus years is doing better, by the way)
Cheep enough.
Best of health to you,
John
I did take it for two years along with other supplements. Stopped for a few months, now the beast is back. Dummy me!0 -
Milk Thistle
My husband has taken Milk Thistle daily for the past couple of years or so, while he has pretty much damaged his liver from his own fault, I can't tell you if the milk thistle has helped in any way, shape or form but; I like to think that it's made his liver "less" damaged, but who knows.
I'd ask her onc before taking it to be sure, as you know we're kind of in a "special" group, and you don't want to do anything that might hurt, so always best to make sure.
Winter Marie0 -
Hi
Hi **** has been on Milk thistle and a number of other supplements for at least two years now. Dr. Lenz at USC put him on the milk thistle. He has had over 80 rounds of chemo and just this past week his blood work is all normal and has been most of the time. However, he does still have cancer in his lungs.
Best to your mom.
Aloha,
Kathleen0 -
you have a good selection to start with
er um, my list of supplements is a little bit longer.
you got to start somewhere.
just search our board for neuropathy discussions, been heaps.
milk thistle is great, all i have read confirms its actions in many ways.
now that said, if your focused on the liver i would research what your personalised liver detox pathways are doing using a genetic profile. i am doing a fitgenes genetic test.
this month i am doing 4 weeks of glutathione and iv vit C therapy to boost glutathionation as i am an undermethylator. i suspect when my genetic tests come back this will be an indication of why i got cancer, as i also have chronic mercury and lead poisoning which is starting to be addressed.
so start basic and just keep on improving , as much as you want.
hugs,
Pete0 -
you have a good selection to start with
er um, my list of supplements is a little bit longer.
you got to start somewhere.
just search our board for neuropathy discussions, been heaps.
milk thistle is great, all i have read confirms its actions in many ways.
now that said, if your focused on the liver i would research what your personalised liver detox pathways are doing using a genetic profile. i am doing a fitgenes genetic test.
this month i am doing 4 weeks of glutathione and iv vit C therapy to boost glutathionation as i am an undermethylator. i suspect when my genetic tests come back this will be an indication of why i got cancer, as i also have chronic mercury and lead poisoning which is starting to be addressed.
so start basic and just keep on improving , as much as you want.
hugs,
Pete0 -
My Integrative MD at MSK put me on Milk Thistle
for liver issues. She advised me to start at 150 - 200 mg twice/day and increase that to 300-400 twice a day after a week; not to start the full dose all at once. It has helped - my liver enzymes were very high, and now are slightly high. Next blood work in 2 weeks...
That being said, as others have said, please check with the onc. prior to taking ANY supplements during chemo or radiation.0 -
What an odd conincidenceJohn23 said:jasminsaba -
jasminsaba
Milk thistle is part of the prescription for our African Grey parrot.
She's had some sort of an ailment that 's been knocking the hell
out of her. The Vet prescribed a few things, and one was a
combination of multi-vitamins with Milk Thistle.
If it's good enough for a bird, with it's very delicate system,
it certainly should be safe enough for a human.
(Our baby of twenty-plus years is doing better, by the way)
Cheep enough.
Best of health to you,
John
What an odd conincidence that you mentioned your parrot. My wife and I just went to look at an African Gray but decided to start out slow and got a green cheek conure and eventually an african gray. BTW I have been taking milk thistle for about 3 months now. Before and after my most recent liver resection.
Glad to hear your baby is doing better. We have only had our conure for a week and he is already a huge part of our lives.0 -
Milk Thistleabrub said:My Integrative MD at MSK put me on Milk Thistle
for liver issues. She advised me to start at 150 - 200 mg twice/day and increase that to 300-400 twice a day after a week; not to start the full dose all at once. It has helped - my liver enzymes were very high, and now are slightly high. Next blood work in 2 weeks...
That being said, as others have said, please check with the onc. prior to taking ANY supplements during chemo or radiation.
HI all: Yes, I would certainly check with your oncologist. I was taking milk thistle after my liver resection April 2010 and told the oncologist that before we started chemo. He took me right off it. He said he has had patients who took milk thistle and their liver enzymes went through the roof. So, I stopped taking it. I don't know one way or the other but you need to tell her oncologist.
Cheryl0 -
Liver Enzymeswestie66 said:Milk Thistle
HI all: Yes, I would certainly check with your oncologist. I was taking milk thistle after my liver resection April 2010 and told the oncologist that before we started chemo. He took me right off it. He said he has had patients who took milk thistle and their liver enzymes went through the roof. So, I stopped taking it. I don't know one way or the other but you need to tell her oncologist.
Cheryl
It's funny you mention that your values went through the roof while on Milkthistle. It just proves again how different we all react to the same treatments and how important it is to let your Onc know. I am on 1g Milkthistle every day and it actually helped my lived values to get back into shape after the first rounds of Folfox blew them out of the ranges.
So with Milkthistle my liver seems happier then before considering what our poor organs have to deal with from the chemo.
Toddi0 -
are you still diving ?toddi1973 said:Liver Enzymes
It's funny you mention that your values went through the roof while on Milkthistle. It just proves again how different we all react to the same treatments and how important it is to let your Onc know. I am on 1g Milkthistle every day and it actually helped my lived values to get back into shape after the first rounds of Folfox blew them out of the ranges.
So with Milkthistle my liver seems happier then before considering what our poor organs have to deal with from the chemo.
Toddi
i love the picture!
only a few divers on this board.
i am doing 1 gram breakfast, lunch, dinner. but alternate this with some other liver goodies.
glad your enzymes behaved themselves.
hugs,
Pete0 -
doctor google is free and is on call 24 hours 365 days a yearpeterz54 said:Milk Thistle
you can also do research using Google Scholar on milk thistle and other angiogenesis inhibitors (e.g. green tea, resveratrol, grape seed)
hi peter,
first welcome to the board,
he has not let me down yet.
hugs,
pete0 -
metastatic to liver
My liver had lotsa tumors, chemo shrunk and killed them, resection removed them...through it all I took milk thistle and did very well...good blood test results every time and my liver did well with surgery and recovery. I haven't taken any vitamins since the resection in August, letting my liver rest and recuperate. Having a cancer recurrence now in other places...planning to start all vitamins up again to help keep me going during chemo.0 -
Sistersledge, so sorry toSisterSledge said:metastatic to liver
My liver had lotsa tumors, chemo shrunk and killed them, resection removed them...through it all I took milk thistle and did very well...good blood test results every time and my liver did well with surgery and recovery. I haven't taken any vitamins since the resection in August, letting my liver rest and recuperate. Having a cancer recurrence now in other places...planning to start all vitamins up again to help keep me going during chemo.
Sistersledge, so sorry to hear you've had reoccurrences in other places?? where has it reared it's ugly head again?? What's the plan on dealing with them?0 -
I've taken milk thistle for 3 years
Liver enzymes always within normal ranges with a few spikes here and there that would go back to normal with next blood test. Our vet recommends to keep some on hand for our horses in case of a random weed poisoning.
All the best, Leslie0
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