Hi @petrix, welcome to the forum! So glad you found us and really glad to hear that you’re doing well and making healthy lifestyle choices. As far as research into canabis and hep b, I am not surprised there’s no human studies looking at it. I know from my own conversations with liver specialists over the years that an occasional “joint” is not harmful; just as an occasional alcoholic drink is not fatal either. But the key is “occasional” and not very much of either substance. Although I’m not a user, I know patients who do and find it a useful way to de-stress on occasion. But of course ideally it would be great if you could find other ways if possible - meditation, walks, poetry, etc. Anything you inhale, eat or drink affects your liver in the long run. But if it’s truly the only “vice” that you have and really only a couple of joints a month, then personally I would be ok with it if I were your doctor! My “vice” is drinking diet coke every - usually one but on hot summer days I sometimes drink two. Terrible to do, but so refreshing. Maybe Thomas or the other researchers on this forum have more scientific rationales to support their advice? Thanks for sharing and hope to hear from others. Always, Joan
Thanks for your time @Joan_Block .
I’m glad I found this beautiful community here.
Sometimes I think that HBV maybe was actually a good thing that happened to me because I became much more careful to my lifestyle and much more informed about the human body.
Now I understand much better my liver and I have a much closer relationship with it.
I encourage all the people on this forum to have a positive mindset , to find activities that they enjoy and let’s be optimistic that in the near future will be available a vaccine/treatment that will completely cure HBV.
Until then, let’s take care of ourselves keeping “our little pleasures” only ocasionally. 
I wish you all the best !
I am facing same problem. I lost about 13kg Nov 2019-July 2020 without any effort and since then I can’t gain any weight. I am a 171cm woman and weighting 57kg, lighter than in my teens. I might gain 2/3kg and then lose them back.
Hi @ecky, sounds like something is going on with your body. Have you seen a doctor? Unexplained weight loss (meaning you’re not trying to lose weight) is something that should be medically checked out. It could be a health issue that can be easily resolved. Or could require more evaluation. But whatever, I would strongly encourage you to see a health care provider and share this history with them. Thanks for posting and keep in touch. We want you to be healthy!! Always, Joan
Hi @Joan_Block ,
Thank you for making time to replay and for your advice.
I mentioned this to my doctor when I suddenly started to lose weight and her answer was that this is not possible (it was 1Kg in a day and then continued to lose but not as drastically).
The one thing is different since I started to lose weight was that I would go the toilet more often than usual, it could be 2/3 times a day.
Now I need to go once or twice a day (especially after I have my morning coffee 
)
Because my problem hasn’t been taken in serious I am discouraged to seek any medical advice for this problem.
Dear @Ecky,
If you don’t feel that your doctor is listening to you and taking your problems seriously, it’s probably time to seek another opinion. You should be able to feel comfortable sharing these things.
Thomas
Hello Ecky,
I would definitely go to another doctor.
Specially if you weigh less than your teens.
Have you tried not drinking coffee, switching to tea maybe?
Try to think of some more symptoms for the doctor. Slight pain in the stomach, what is the texture and consistency of when you go to the toilet, runny, hard to pass, painful, colour?
Wishing you the best and please keep us updated
C…
Dear @ThomasTu and @Caraline ,
I appreciate your help and considering my worry. My doctor recently has been replaced, so I will see what are the options of my new doctor. Also if my weight is stable I think I might wait and see what will happen in autumn as I am starting then the administration of Peginterferon alfa-2a. I’ve heard that people who administrate it lose weight, hopefully it won’t be my case 
.
Ecky
Hi all ,
I just read an article on pubmed.gov which says about a pilot study regarding “Vitamin E as treatment for chronic hepatitis B”.
The article says that HBV-DNA negativization was observed in 53% patients who took vitamin E for a period of 3 months.
For the moment I’m in a situation where my doctor has not recommended me any treatment because the medical results are OK and the condition of the liver is still good (Fibrosis stage is F0 with a fibroscan score of 5.9 kPa).
I live in Romania and here to benefit from state-subsidized treatment you must have at least Fibrosis stage (F1) and HBV DNA > 2000 UI/mL
Even if I have a viremia of 2680 UI/mL my doctor didn’t put me on treatment due to my Fibrosis stage which is < F1 .
So I’m looking for alternative methods to try to fight with this virus and I would like to have an opinion from one of our experts on the forum regarding Vitamin E.
It is safe to take vitamin E once per day for a period of 3 months ? Or what would be the optimal period to take it ?
Also I would like to ask our experts if they have any information about the following plant which may have antiviral activity :
Chanca Piedra ( Phyllantus Niruri Linn )
Do you think there is any risk if I try to drink a cup of tea/day for a month ? Does anyone know if there are any adverse liver reactions of this plant ?
Thank you.
Hi petrix
Hope you are well.
This is the first time I am interracting with you. I am aware of your worries about being on treatment, taking suppliments,and taking a cup of coffee daily.
I am not a health expert but my input is worthwhile. A cup of coffee has been highly recommended somewhere in this forum and elsewhere so you are safe with it. There is a vitamin E suppliment called livolin which has also been handled extensively in this forum. And Mark you, this forum has remained honest to the fact that suppliments are not clinically tested to prove viability. This make their uptake meet no approval.
Parhaps of importance also is your feeling that your doctor is not doing as he should to cure or heal you. I think this is a feeling for anybody unwell but with no medication. There is that inner feeling that the desease is devouring one freely at it’s own leisure. This definitely is not always the case since the desease might be in a domant stage. My simple advise is always work and consult your doctor. Remember, if anything goes barsack he will be the one to manage you.
All said, there are all indications that you are doing well. That’s why your doctor is not worried.
Kinoti
Dear Petrix,
Thank you for sharing your story and sorry about the situation you find yourself in. Yes, I agree with Kinoti that the doctor is not worried because you are in a good state, but I also understand your worries about not doing the most you can.
The vitamin E study you cite is very small, and I don’t know what the mechanism would be that you would get these results. As such, wouldn’t be using this as justification to start taking Vitamin E. I also have said in previous threads that the certification of the ingredients of supplements (vit E or Chanca Piedra) is not well-regulated, so it is difficult to even be sure about what you are taking when buying these supplements/vitamins.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
Hi everyone ,
I would like to ask for an opinion about raw almonds, sunflower seeds etc.
I know they are rich in nutrients and vitamins but I also read that aflatoxin can be found in them.
Is this a factor why we should eliminate these seeds from our diet?
I used to eat 40-50 grams/day but now I’m a bit scared because there might be aflatoxin in them.
Thank you and sorry if this has been already discussed elsewhere on the forum.
Dear @Petrix,
I’m not sure that these seeds are the ones that you need to worry about. My understanding is that they are mostly associated with peanuts. The NCI has the following advice for avoiding aflatoxin (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins):
You can reduce your aflatoxin exposure by buying only major commercial brands of nuts and nut butters and by discarding nuts that look moldy, discolored, or shriveled.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
I am taking Vitamin D. I try to eat healthy but planning on completely changing my diet now n.
Dear all,
Please see here for a recent publication on the dangers of turmeric: Liver Injury Associated with Turmeric–a Growing Problem: Ten Cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network [DILIN] - ScienceDirect
Some insights into the findings are given here in an explanatory twitter thread: https://twitter.com/theliverdr/status/1582713925669617664
Please stay safe all.
TT
I use turmeric in my cooking. is it dangerous too? With no liver condition as well?
I also use turmeric in my cooking. In the amounts used in cooking (even with black pepper), turmeric is harmless. It is when you’re ingesting large quantities daily that it becomes harmful: the poison is in the dose.
Thomas
Got it. I guess excess of anything is bad anyway.
Regards,
Z
Hello to everyone!
I have just found a research on vitamin D3 level correlation with chronical Hep B and the virus blood levels
This is something that I noted in life. I have two family members with normal liver function (ALT, AST) but high viral load (no treatment received). When they start taking vit D3 for over month viral load goes down from log8 to log5-6
@ThomasTu and other experts it would be great to have massive research on how Vit D can help chronically Hep B infected people and make official recommendations/prescription on how it should be taken. If I can be of any support here as a patient or in my professional capacity (investments/finance) I am keen to help
Hi @OlgaP,
Thanks for the interesting article. There is a relatively small amount of study into vitamin D and HBV levels, but the link seems to be relatively robust. This paper in particular even shows there is seasonal ebbs and flows of HBV DNA levels in patients based on the Vitamin D levels https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hep.26488. However, even though the correlation is there, the effect size isn’t terribly big and seems to only be on HBV DNA levels (which we can suppress with antivirals anyway).
Thomas