Thanks Mari,
Sorry for the delay in responding. I try and answer the posts here as quickly as possible, and love every one of them. It's around 12:00pm here, and I finally have time to respond fully. So:
Do you take Milk thistle until liver enzymes return to normal or stay on a "maintenence" dose once the levels are better.
This is the general idea. I tend to coach my clients to take milk thistle until the liver enzyme levels are normal (I'm a big stand for third party blood testing just so you know that the Tx is working). From there, I tend to recommend a spring time and fall cleanse to help keep the toxic load off of the liver. Some people go 3 months on, 3 months off. It really depends on the body and the blood work. Your own body will be different than another, so seeing your doctor regularly can help keep you informed.
ps. Will levels continue to drop if having a glass of wine or two at the same time as taking the milk thistle supplement.
Alcohol actually helps bring the milk thistle into the blood stream (like a tablespoon, more than that starts to put a strain on the liver). In Chinese medicine wine is considered "hot" as far as alcohol is concerned, and not my first choice if you have elevated liver enzyme levels. Again, talk to your physician, and monitor your levels often if elevated liver enzymes are an issue for you.
Have another question. Regarding Dandelion root: on another forum it stated it was high in iron, Is it safe to say that the milk thistle will counteract high levels of iron?
Dandelion leaves are high in iron (which is a good thing if you are a women), but we use Dandelion root. It has a different action in the body, more to help cool the liver in an oriental medical sense. As far as I know, Milk Thistle has no effect on iron in solution.
I hope that that answers your questions for you. Let me know if I missed anything or answered incompletely in any way.
