Dear Lloyd,

Triumph Over Hepatitis C is not only highly informative, but it is also entertaining and encouraging. Your "voice" is very much like my own in that I am very angry with what passes as "health care" in our culture. It sickens me to think of how many people are suffering and entrusting themselves to high-priced, politically-sanctioned "mechanics" who allow themselves to be blinded by the moneyed gloss of murderously greedy pharmatceutical companies.

Anyway, I'm preaching to the choir. Your book "spoke to me." It's like I'm a younger, female version of you...except I have known about my diagnosis for about as long as I have actually had it - plus I have not had symptoms anywhere near as bad as yours and I hope to prevent them altogether. I have also, fortunately, never taken any prescription medication for the treatment of HCV.

I have had only one blood-test since my diagnosis in 1999. Just got it in March of this year and I'm told that my viral load is "moderately high" and my AST and ALT are "high" (AST = 41, ALT = 54 / "Normal" AST = 0 - 31, "Normal" ALT = 0 - 20). I also totally can't drink anymore, even a glass or two of nice, white wine because I will be hungover (like, you know what I mean) for 2 3 days. Plus I think my Rx antidepressant has joined HCV in an attack upon my hepatic tissue.

The reason I'm elaborating is this: I can't afford to do exactly what you did for 18 months. Hell, I can't afford to do the minimum right now - plus I really want to do the vials of frozen thymus. I love things that I can feel working - moments when I can actually feel really energized and alert do not come often.

I ask you, since it's been 7 years of me going on and off my mini-party-wagon of not by any means extreme alcoholism (I'm no Patty) plus hating doctors already and thus not ever being in a position to take interferons .. plus already being into the holistic thing since childhood (so I have been consuming at least an eighth of the milk thistle you recommend)...do you think that I could kill this stupid viris, perhaps, over a longer period of time when funds could be collected, or maybe I require less of the product due to my fortunate state of not having been through the kind of hell you went through...do you think a month's supply of, say, the 200-dollar-range stuff would work? Or maybe I could just focus on the thymus and liver extracts because I already get the adrenals from Enzymatic Therapy, milk thistle in bulk from Frontier, milk thistle in caps from Eclectic Institute...and other good supplements because I work in the wellness department of a new natural foods store.

I know you're bound by law not to prescribe or make any promise of a "medical" nature...but I'd like your opinion. I also know that you are in an organization that, to run successfully, requires money, thus your advice might be laden with this consideration. However, while I myself am not in a position to be a financial contributor (not right now anyway) to your organization, I will tell you that I am not only employed by the owners of this natural foods store (Tait's Natural Foods), but also I am considered one of two "experts" in this enigmatic department called "wellness" (which includes bulk herbs) and I am frequently called upon to provide consultation for our varied customer base (By the way, upstairs from Tait's there is a fitness center that includes all varieties of holistic therapies so our clientele encompass high-priced practitioners friendly to our position). My point is that if you can help me, I can totally push your organization and your book. I can direct interested customers to your website. And if one is able to obtain any of your products for sale in a retail store, I can present your catalog to my direct superior - and even push special orders of your products through my rapport with the owner himself because he actually really likes and trusts me.

So what do you think I might consider doing with, say, $100-200 a month budget...? I also have a tremendous amount of dental work plus a nice, cute little meningioma (tumor on the meningia) that needs another MRI to make sure it doesn't grow and render me literally speechless.

If you've read even a 1/3 of this ponderously long missive, I thank you. You're probably very busy. I hope you're doing well. You are a huge inspiration.

Thank you,
Janet

:)