Much to my dismay, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C on June 6, 2004 and the test results indicated my liver enzymes were extremely high. Hep C is a deceiving virus, as I still felt great and had lots of energy while exercising daily.

My older sister had been diagnosed with the same ailment several years back and was told by her American doctor that there was nothing she could do about it. She has an enlarged liver, a small cyst, and her viral count is in the millions. I was told there had been several medical advances since my sister's prognosis and remained hopeful.

My local GP recommended that I see a specialist and I made an appointment with a well-known gastroenterologist. He reviewed my test results and did an ultrasound scan that revealed no major tissue damage. He recommended a liver biopsy and took tests to determine the genotype. I declined the biopsy but found out I had genotype 2. The doctor suggested that the type 2 genotype was easier to treat with the new pegylated Interferon and that they had a 60% success rate at ridding the body of the Hep C virus.

Before making a decision about traditional drug therapy I started to research my condition via the Internet. Many sites posted testimonials from patients using pegged Interferon and described how sick it had made them. Some websites suggested the number of successful treatments was much less than that described by the drug companies; the cost for the treatment was very high being in the tens of thousands of dollars per year. In New Zealand treatment for my genotype is not subsidised by the government system so we would have had to sustain the cost ourselves. I got the impression that Interferon left one feeling similar to patients undergoing chemotherapy. I knew I didn't want to feel that way and didn't want that course of treatment if I could find any other alternative.

I continued to research nutritional and herbal solutions. I found stories about herbs and diets that seemed to lower the liver enzymes; this felt like the way to go for me. I started on some milk thistle and cut out all alcohol consumption in late June.

Then a miracle happened! My husband happened to run across "The Liver Cleansing Diet" by Dr. Sandra Cabot at the airport bookstore. He was excited and called me from the airport to tell me about the book. I had to wait 3 long days until he returned. I read the book from cover to cover and it felt so right for me. This was the answer to my prayers. I learned about the power of the liver and its healing capabilities. I began my liver cleanse on the 2nd of July 2004.

The book was always by my side, I followed the diet exactly, I never cheated, and I felt my life depended on staying the course. Luckily I am self-employed and I could devote the time to buy the right food and prepare the wonderful recipes from the book. I pulled out our old juicer (hidden in the pantry for many years) and started making fresh juices from beetroot, ginger, carrot, parsley etc, all faithfully mixed with Livatone Plus powder. I followed the 12 steps in the Liver cleansing Diet book, felt great, and as a bonus, I lost 9 kilograms (20 pounds) in weight. I even managed to get into the Levis I wore during high school! On 27 August 2004 I completed another liver enzyme test and my levels had dropped as much as 60%.

I was really surprised and very, very happy with the results. I shared it with all my family and friends. I then went out and celebrated my achievement with some wine and a fatty dinner.I wanted to continue on for another two months and get my levels down to normal. However, I did not fully commit to maintaining the program for the next two months. I felt I had done so well, that I was on a roll and thought I could bend the rules. That was my big mistake. I ate things with aspartame and nutra sweet when I had sweet cravings. I would pour a glass of wine with friends instead of soda water with lime. I started drinking 3 coffees a day. The little voice in my head said, "Your results were so great, it is ok". I still managed to stay off red meat, dairy products and all the bad fats. These were my results as 4 November 2004.

When I saw these results I was devastated and I wanted to cry. I called Dr Cabot's Health Advisory Service for support and I was assured I just needed to get back on track and follow the guidelines that I had followed the first 2 months.

I am happy to say I have recommitted, I am excited and back on track. I have a target to get my liver enzymes normalised over the next eight weeks. I will keep you posted.
To Dr. Sandra Cabot and staff,Thanks so much for providing me with loving support, quality products, and the liver cleansing diet book. I feel like your input has saved my life and will allow me to see my future grandchildren.

Kind Regards,

Pat Ann Church