Hello, my sister had blood tests done and found she had an underactive thiroid, they also found liver damage!?

Question

The doctor said her liver was that of a heavy drinker!! She only has the odd glass of wine?
Could this be because she took 'Black Cohosh', which is a chinese remedy for the menopause?

Answer 1

the people above me have some pretty good answers, however, i would like to point out that your sister may just have "fatty liver".
when the liver is diseased it can cause a thyroid or endocrine disorder.
a person with fatty liver does not mean that person drinks. the term for fatty liver is "NASH".

Your sister if taking "black coshish" would cause the liver to become diseased as well. herbs are not the answer as they can be dangerous and cause issues by themselves, or aggrivate an underlying issue that was already present.

A glass of red wine here and there certainly would not cause this type of issue, however, with those who have liver disease to begin with, can cause damage much faster. The comination of black coshish and red wine even more.

I would have your sister test for antibodies for hepatitis c. this liver disease is well known to cause issues but misdiagnosed often because of all the side effects (or bi-directional diseases) associated with liver disease are often diagnosed as individual diseases.

good luck.

p.s. it is imperritive your sister halt the black coshish and alcohol, eliminate red meats, foods and vitamins containing iron, cut down on sodium and ALL forms of sugar-including artificial-until they can figure out what might be causing her cirrhosis.

Answer 2

Liver damage from the use of Black Cohosh IS known. But, it's rare and when it occurs it seems that the damage is extensive. So you either will not have any damage or you will get LOTS of liver damage.

I took this in the past, but I only took small amounts because of the caution warning about liver damage.

Also, note that liver damage can occur from other sources besides Black Cohosh and alcohol abuse. I was prescribed many different medicines during the past five years or so, and recently had my liver tested. It seems that my liver has now become pre-serotic too. I don't drink heavily either. I only took the pills that doctors prescribed.

Be careful. Sometimes doctors don't expect you to suffer from the side effects of the medicines they are prescribing to you & they don't check on whether you're suffering from adverse reactions to your prescriptions.

In any case, since I stopped taking the medications, my liver is starting to feel better. Recently I began taking a spoonful of Cod Liver Oil every day. This is having a real effect on my well-being, and I am starting to believe this oil is accelerating the healing of my liver too.

Perhaps your sister should try Cod Liver Oil too. It is an old time health elixir that has fallen out of use mostly due to its horrible taste.

I can verify the Cod Liver Oil does taste horrible, but it makes me feel great!

Answer 3

Unfortunately Black Cohosh causes liver damage and can be quite dangerous. If the damage has not progressed too far her liver might recover. She should not drink or take most prescription drugs to give a chance of recovery.

Answer 4

Did your sister gain weight from the underactive thyroid? Often the extra weight results in elevated liver enzymes. YOur sister may want to check for insulin resistance as well. I have an underactive thyoid, insulin resistance and a mild case of fatty liver. I got my thyroid straight first, then I got on Metformin ER for the insulin resistance. The Metformin ER, along with a supplement milk thistle brought my liver enzymes into the normal range.

About the Black cohosh, I doubt it caused the liver problems, but I wouldn't take it for menopause symptoms. What I would take is an USP grade progesterone cream. I use this cream for perimenopause and it helps to balance the thyroid too.

Answer 5

there is evidence to suggest black cohosh may cause liver damage. However underactive thyroid can also send liver results all over the place.

The liver is the only organ able to regenerate itself and should repair most of the damage done by itself.

Answer 6

i too have a bit of liver trouble and like your sister they said it was like a heavy drinker, but i knew it wasn't i had to stay off drink completely for a month then have another test it was just the same. more tests shown it was something to do with an Enzyme. This was a few years ago I still have tests ever year, but i don't drink a lot

Answer 7

no liver damage is commen from drinking it dont matter how much you drink livers take up to a year to heal try vitiman b and vitiman b compound for 5 months will work

Answer 8

i had this at 21 and i had gall stones and ended up having it removed i was not a heavy drinker either,ask the doctors to check this out as can be really painfull,i wouldnt of thought the black stuff would mess up the liver.i still suffer now when i drink it feels i have been kicked in my back loads of times im sick bile when i eat currys etc i have what feels like bad intergestion and had this even worse before gall bladder was removed.does your sister have any of these???

Answer 9

you should have asked the Dr that one=some people do however get liver disease without being a drinker=her under active thyroid will make her skinny=if Dr put her on pills for that ,she will gain a bit of weight