One of the great health challenges facing
our society is the relatively unknown
epidemic of Hepatitis C. Although it has
been overshadowed by AIDS, it affects
more people (estimates run up to four
times as many people) and can be just
as deadly.
Hepatitis is defined simply as
inflammation of the liver. It is an
inflammation generally associated with
damage or death of liver cells. There are
many varieties of hepatitis, some acute
hepatitis (attacks that eventually heal),
others are chronic (ongoing liver
problems). Seven different viruses
(termed A, B, C, D, E, F and G) have been
identified which cause hepatitis. Types A,
B and C are infectius and the most
widespread, accounting for approximately
90% of all cases.
Hepatitis A, which infects up to 200,000
Americans annually, is a highly
contagious virus that is spread by the
fecal-oral route through close
person-to-person contact, or by ingesting
contaminated food or water. Symptoms
include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite,
nausea, abdominal discomfort, jaundice
and dark urine. Infected individuals can
unknowingly infect others 2 weeks prior to
feeling ill themselves. Up to 22 percent of
adult hepatitis A patients require
hospitalization and approximately 100
people in this country die every year from
the disease.
Hepatitis B is the most common serious
liver infection in the world. The virus is
transmitted through blood and bodily
fluids that contain blood. This can occur
through direct blood-to-blood contact,
unprotected sex, illicit drug use, and from
an infected woman to her newborn during
the delivery process.
It is 100 times more infectious than the
AIDS virus. The World Health
Organization estimates that hepatitis B
infections lead to more than one million
deaths every year. In the United States, 1
out of 20 people have been infected with
HBV (Hepatitis B virus) and each year
200,000 new people will become infected
with it. There are over one million chronic
carriers of HBV of which 1/3 do not know
how they were infected with the disease.
5,000 people die annually from hepatitis
B and its complications.
Infected individuals respond to HBV in
different ways. There are no symptoms at
all in about 50 percent of cases.
Approximately 49 percent of infected
persons will have some symptoms. The
usual signs and symptoms of HBV may
include fever, fatigue, muscle or joint
pain, loss of appetite, nausea and
vomiting. the remaining one percent,
develop a life-threatening acute
inflammation with sudden collapse,
fatigue, jaundice and abdominal swelling.
It develops very suddenly and acutely, and
can be fatal if not treated immediately.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) occurs when
blood or body fluids from an infected
person enters the body of a person who
is not infected. HCV is spread through
sharing needles or "works" when
"shooting" drugs, through needlesticks or
sharps exposures on the job, or from an
infected mother to her baby during birth.
Persons at risk for HCV infection might
also be at risk for infection with hepatitis
B virus (HBV) or HIV.
The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a virus that
can mutate into multiple HCV subtypes.
Some of these subtypes are more virulent
than others. Although chronic infection
develops 75-85% of infected persons,
80% of the cases have no signs or
symptoms. But over time, chronic liver
disease develops about 70% of the time.
It is the leading indication for liver
transplant.
It is estimated by the Centers for Disease
Control, (CDC) that as much as 2% of the
total population of the United States--or
up to 5.5 million people--may be
chronically infected with HCV. It is by far
the leading reason for liver transplants
and is responsible for eight to ten
thousand deaths yearly in the United
States alone. It is estimated that 75% of
people infected develop a chronic
condition.
The symptom picture of HCV varies over
time. Initially the virus may remain
asymptomatic for many years, followed by
vague symptoms like fatigue, depression,
mental confusion and sometimes
low-grade fever and upper abdominal
discomfort. With most people, a
diagnosis is made at this stage, often
following routine blood work. Later, as the
disease progresses, other more serious
signs such as liver enlargement,
cirrhosis and mental decline may occur.
The time from infection to end-stage liver
disease may be as long as 20 or even 30
years. It stands to reason that a healthy
lifestyle with a minimum of toxins and
alcohol may slow this progression.
Conventional treatment of HCV is aimed
at patients who show evidence of
progressive liver disease through a
biopsy generally after these patients
present with symptoms. Current standard
therapy includes alpha-interferons,
sometimes combined with another
anti-viral medicine, ribavirin (Rebetol).
Interferons are proteins that are naturally
occurring in the human body and that
have been shown to have anti-viral,
anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring
properties. However, there are significant
side effects with pharmaceutically
produced interferons, including
debilitating depression. As a result, many
patients treated with alpha-interferons
also are prescribed anti-depressants like
Prozac and Zoloft, usually starting a
month prior to beginning the treatment as
a preventative measure.
In addition, only about 20% of those
treated respond to alpha-interferon
therapy, and that percentage is even
lower in people infected with the more
virulent strains.
Compared to the conventional methods,
complimentary medicine offers a
relatively abundant and effective variety of
treatments. These include - but are not
limited to - acupuncture and chinese
herbs, diet and nutrtion, homeopathy
HEP C - II
The Liver is the largest internal organ in
the human body. Its functions are
amazingly complex, affecting virtually
every metabolic process, either directly or
indirectly. The liver carries out hundreds,
if not thousands, of sophisticated
enzymatic reactions along numerous
metabolic pathways. Due to its effect on
the nutritional state of the body, when liver
function is compromised, other aspects
of health may suffer as a result.
The liver also provides the body's primary
way of dealing with pollution and toxins. In
its programmed efforts to rid the body of
man-made toxins, the liver can
paradoxically generate toxins that
damage its own tissue. Considering that
in our daily lives we deal increasingly with
man-made environmental toxins such as
pesticides, auto exhaust, pollution,
pharmaceuticals and the like, it should
not be entirely surprising that liver
disorders are pandemic.
One of the most serious and widespread
liver diseases is Hepatitis C (HCV). This
is a viral condition transmitted through the
blood or body fluids of an infected person
to a person who is not infected. It is
spread through sharing needles, through
needlesticks or sharps exposures on the
job, or from an infected mother to her
baby during birth.
Current conventional treatment is mostly
commonly focuses on alpha-interferons,
sometimes combined with another
anti-viral medicine, ribavirin (Rebetol).
Interferons are proteins that are naturally
occurring in the human body and that
have been shown to have anti-viral,
anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring
properties.
But interferon treatment often has
significant side effects, including
debilitating depression. As a result, many
patients treated with alpha-interferons
also are given anti-depressants that such
Prozac and Zoloft.
In addition, only about 20% of those
treated respond to alpha-interferon
therapy, and that percentage is even
lower in people infected with the more
virulent strains. Also, the possibility of
developing a vaccine for HCV has been
hampered by the propensity of the virus to
alter its amino acid pattern over time in
infected individuals.
Alternative medicine offers an abundant
array of therapies for person with HCV.
These non-toxic treatments include
acupuncture and oriental herbs,
homeopathic treatment, western
botanical medicine, nutritional
supplements and diet. Although a review
of all these modalities is beyond the
scope of this article, there is a common
objective to them. That is, the goal is not
to kill off the virus per se, but to stimulate
the body’s capacity to protect itself
through increased immune function,
allowing it to self correct and throw off the
viral burden.
The following is a sample of but a few of
the better known remedies often used for
HCV therapy:
One of the most commonly used
treatments for reversing liver damage in
general, and for HCV in particular is the
botancial medicine Silybum marianum,
commonly known as “milk thistle”.
The common milk thistle contains some
of the most potent liver-protective
substances known, collectively referred to
as silymarin. Silybin is the most
significant active ingredient in silymarin.
In human studies, silymarin has
demonstrated positive effects in treating
liver diseases of various kinds, including
chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fatty infiltration
of the liver and inflammation of the bile
duct.
Silymarin's effect in preventing liver
destruction and enhancing liver function
is due to its ability to inhibit free radicals.
These compounds are produced by the
transfer of oxygen to a polyunsaturated
fatty acid, a reaction which requires the
enzyme lipoxygenase. Silymarin inhibits
this enzyme, limiting the formation of
these damaging compounds.
One of the more interesting effects of
silymarin is that it has also been shown
to promote liver protein synthesis. The
result is an increase in the production of
new liver cells to replace damaged ones.
Thus, milk thistle serves both repair and
preventative functions for the liver.
Another highly regard remedy is Olive
Leaf extract. This was originally
discovered by a viral specialist who
recognized its anti-viral properties. It took
26 years of research to overcome
problems extracting the active ingredients
and to develop a commercially suitable,
potent broad-spectrum anti-infective
agent.
Lentinula edodes (LEM) is an extract from
the myce-lium of shiitake mushrooms.
The well-known herbalist Christopher
Hobbs studied and used LEM as a
medicinal treatment. Its central ingredient
is lentinan, a specific type of complex
carbohydrate called a beta-glucan
polysaccharide, known to have healing
properties. It has the ability to induce the
body to produce its own interferon, which
may explain LEM's usefulness in treating
hepatitis C.
In Japan many patents have been issued
from 1972 to 1993 for products made
from shiitake. These include treatments
for asthma, hypertension, cancer, ulcers,
acceleration of bone healing, immune
regulation, antibiotics, a clotting
mechanism and high cholesterol.
Studies from this time period also include
treatments that are anti-diabetic,
anti-parasitic and anti-fungal, as well as a
means of protecting the body from
radiation. The HCV viral strain known as
type 1B, found in Japan, is the most
dangerous form of the virus, and LEM
mushroom extract is at the core of the
Japanese treatment.
The nutritional supplement phosphatidyl
choline (PC) is a universal building block
for cell membranes. Most liver
metabolism occurs on the cell
membranes (which occupy about 33,000
square meters in the human body). Over
20 years of clinical trials indicate that PC
protects the liver against damage from
alcoholism, pharmaceuticals, toxic
pollution and viruses, most of which
cause damage to cell membranes.
Finally, it is important to note that
although the various remedies listed
above are some of the most commonly
used natural medicines, none of them in
and of themselves should be considered
a magic bullet. They are highly effective
tools as part of an overall, integrated
treatment strategy created by an
experienced healthcare pracititioner,
which, in turn, is based on individual
assessments of the patients health
status.
Information in this article is based, in part,
on “Overcoming Hepatitis C” by Joseph
Odom, O.M.D., L.AC. and Steven Finkbine,
L.AC.
