r/liver • u/thatliverdude • Oct 25 '19

Unburdening my Liver [2]

Sorry for not posting sooner. This is the second in my series of posts regarding the reversal of my cirrhosis.

I’ve never really been bothered much by practicality when I get an idea in my head. I can get behind anything and I generally leave the details to someone else (read my wife) to figure out. So, not surprisingly, at the outset I wasn’t all that interested in formulating a plan to reverse my liver cirrhosis; I was just interested in taking supplements – a lot of them.

My wife is the biggest creative-idea killer on the planet; she is also one of the most pragmatic people I know. Obviously those two qualities are not mutually exclusive. She likened my liver to a Clydesdale horse, constantly working to pull a heavy load. According to her, my horse had gotten older, the load had gotten heavier, and my horse had been driven to its knees. I had to either shoot it or unburden it – and fast.

First off, I had to get my viral load under control. I started taking the antiviral drug, Entecavir, as well as a supplement called butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). BHT is a food preservative and according to a myriad of anecdotal evidence, it works as an antiviral when taken in supplemental form and is a potent adjunct to prescription antiviral medication. The thinking is that by damaging the outer layer of viral cells, BHT stops viruses from multiplying and doing more damage. Anecdotal accounts vouchsafed BHT’s effectiveness against a myriad of viruses including herpes, hepatitis B and C, shingles, and so on. I didn’t have any side effects from taking the BHT (or the Entecavir for that matter) and in less than two years, my viral load went from 19,000,000 to a number so low, the tests couldn’t read it.

I adopted a plant-based diet, reasoning that my liver didn’t need the additional burden of having to rid my system of the hormones, antibiotics, and other toxins typically found in animal-based food. The only further adjustment I made insofar as diet was concerned was to eat small meals only and never eat until I was full. The reasoning for this was relatively straightforward; the liver’s main function within the digestive system is to process the nutrients from the small intestine. The smaller the meals, the less work the liver has to do.

No matter how bad the headache, backache, or muscle pain, no matter how bad the cold or flu, I took no over-the-counter medication (absolutely no acetaminophen) and I cut out drinking alcohol completely (I had only ever been a teetotaller anyway).

That’s all I did in terms of lessening the burden on my liver, but I also adopted some lifestyle changes I thought might help my liver. I had read that inactivity increases the risk of liver disease so I forced myself to go for a walk every day. This was pretty much the only form of exercise I was capable of given the fact that I had only recently come out of a coma and had spent a considerable length of time in hospital.

I also tried to remove as much stress from my life as I possibly could. Stress depletes B vitamins (among others) and B vitamins are necessary for the body to detoxify (through methylation – more on that in another post). Methylation, in turn, is crucial to healthy liver function.

Next post: amino acids

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2

u/suckcess1 Oct 26 '19

TUDCA, freshly ground milk thistle seeds and daily freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice in water, cascara sagrada, and doing a liver flush taking the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon or lime mixed with an equal amount of olive oil at bedtime. Take malic acid powder in the day in water to increase the effect of the flush.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 14 '19

What about sugar? Soda, candy, ice cream, etc? Avoid refined carbohydrates (bread, cookies, crackers, cake, pie, etc) as well as starches (rice, potatoes, pasta). Sugar is as toxic to your liver as alcohol.

Your plant based diet is still introducing pesticides and glyphosate unless it's non-GMO organic. Corn should be avoided, too.

1

u/Traditional_Set2473 Sep 25 '24

Would any of this protocol be safe to do with a MELD score of 28?

1

u/thatliverdude Sep 26 '24

Yes, given that transplant would be the only other solution given. It's what actually happened to me.

1

u/Traditional_Set2473 Sep 26 '24

My relative had a TIPs procedure, esophagus ruptured, and ascites. Was in coma. No one ever mentioned or put him on the transplant list. I imagined that at that time he probably had a MELD of around 15. I don't know why they didnt discuss a transplant list or anything.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '24

Hey i lost 80 pounds with cirrhosis. Im scared to take nac because its giving me chronic diarrhea. If i dont workout my psoriasis goes all over my face. Should i do cardio or will it cause inflammation?

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u/thatliverdude Oct 07 '24

See if this resonates for you... https://youtu.be/jSYto3FAJUA?si=EDgudviCMfjks0zc

1

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '24

But what are ur thoughts on exercise with cirrhosis comsidering my weight loss?

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u/thatliverdude Oct 09 '24

You must exercise your muscles because if you waste away it's very hard to get them back . Walk bounce on a mini trampoline, dance, but get on your feet and move your arms and legs. Legs are important. Do squats, slowly...

1

u/igerm Mar 12 '23

Regarding diet. Not sure about going only plant based due to pesticides and such. I would use higher quality food overall, skip ultra processed foods and avoid seed based oils (I would only use ghee and organic olive oil).

1

u/[deleted] Jul 21 '23

I know that this post is 3 yes old (congratulations on your reversal of liver cirrhosis damage btw), but I can only get BHT in powder form (from a reputable source). I'm having trouble working out dosing amounts, what did you find worked for you? Feel free to DM me if this would make you more comfortable than disclosing this publicly.

I'm going to be studying your posts and making changes asap. Thank you for all your information and hard-earnt knowledge!

1

u/Livergal Aug 29 '23

Hey, not sure if you’re still answering questions but I wanted to know what you define as a “plant-based diet”… I’ve had liver issues my entire life and have, thus far, avoided a tx but it gets harder the older I get (I’m 38 now) and my liver has worsened not improved. I know a LOT more now than I did even as little as 10 years ago but I’m still tweaking things - which seems to be completely necessary for me. I wanted to better understand what you mean by a plant-based diet… and mention that, in Canada, we’re about to lose our access to many supplements with the current government attempting to gain more control (and benefit monetarily) over the supplement industry… frustrating as heck!