The Top Three Alternative Treatments for Hepatitis C
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The livers of an estimated four to five million Americans are infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although the scientific community has made great strides in understanding and treating HCV, the current standard of treatment only has a 50 percent success rate. That statistic leaves a lot of people fighting this disease on their own – searching for ways to make HCV treatment more effective and to prevent their liver function from deteriorating.
Besides instituting lifestyle changes that prolong liver health, three of the most sought after approaches for helping the liver fend off damage from Hepatitis C fall under the domain of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). There are a seemingly infinite number of CAM choices claiming to aid the liver. However, only a few are consistently reported to improve HCV treatment success, relieve symptoms and stall the progression of liver damage.
According to Paul Martin, MD, FACP, chief of the division of hepatology and professor of medicine at the University of Miami, “Western medicine does not have all the answers. Patients who have been treated in the past [for Hepatitis C] and failed to respond are interested in exploring various therapeutic options.”
Published in The Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology in 2007, researchers interviewed people infected with chronic HCV to determine the most prevalent strategies for managing their liver disease. Accounting for nearly half of interviewed subjects, the researchers concluded that the use of CAM in chronic HCV patients is significant. In nearly every similar type of investigation, milk thistle supplementation is determined to be the most common CAM therapy for Hepatitis C.
In addition to milk thistle, supplementing with N-Acetyl Cysteine and using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rank among the top strategies for defending against the Hepatitis C virus.
1. Milk Thistle – By far the most popular herbal remedy for Hepatitis C, milk thistle also has the most scientific studies to back up its use. Demonstrating high levels of safety with few reported side effects, studies on milk thistle have claimed that it can:
- Reduce liver inflammation
- Exert an antiviral effect against HCV
- Stimulate the growth of liver cells
- Protect against damage to liver cells
- Reduce the severity of HCV treatment side effects
Various clinical trials have shown that milk thistle in the form of silybin phytosome (like Maximum Milk Thistle or UltraThistle) has a higher rate of absorption and, thus, is more effective at protecting the liver.
2. N-Acetyl Cysteine– An amino acid that rapidly metabolizes to glutathione, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is considered to be an extreme antioxidant. Produced in the liver, glutathione is used by virtually every cell of the body to neutralize toxins. It is even administered by physicians during an acetaminophen overdose to prevent the fatal destruction of liver cells. Research from Europe exemplifies why NAC is so valuable to people with Hepatitis C:
- After measuring levels of glutathione in the liver, blood and lymphocytes of patients with chronic HCV, Italian researchers found that the less glutathione present, the more severe their liver disease was.
- By studying people with hepatitis, scientists from Pamplona, Spain suggested that replenishing glutathione levels improves their response to interferon treatment.
3. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – Originating in China over 2000 years ago, TCM is an entire system of healthcare that combines many modalities – like nutrition, acupuncture, heat therapies (such as moxibustion), exercise, massage, meditation and herbal medicine.
Due to its long history of treating liver disorders, many people with HCV turn to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Utilized by trained practitioners, protocols have been developed over the past decade that successfully help HCV-infected people decrease symptoms, normalize or lower liver enzyme levels and slow down the progression of liver disease.
Because of the need for improved solutions, pharmaceutical companies have prioritized Hepatitis C drug research and development. Their commitment to finding a cure for HCV means that therapies with success rates exceeding 50 percent are just around the corner. In the meantime, many with Hepatitis C use complementary and alternative medicine to keep the virus at bay. Between milk thistle, N-Acetyl Cysteine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, many sufferers are able to keep their remaining liver cells as healthy as possible – so that when a cure for Hepatitis C is available, they will be ready and waiting.
References:
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsdisease/a/hepatitis_c.htm, Is There a Natural Hepatitis C Cure?, Cathy Wong, Retrieved March 23, 2010, About.com, 2010.
http://www.amfoundation.org/tcm.htm#A%20BRIEF%20HISTORY%20OF%20TCM, Chinese Traditional Medicine, Retrieved March 26, 2010, Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc, 2010.
http://www.docmisha.com/applying/hepatitisc/hepatitisc.htm, Hepatitis C Help, Retrieved March 25, 2010, Misha Cohen, OMD, L.Ac., 2010.
http://www.liversociety.org/html/hepatitis_c_and_complementary_.html, Hepatitis C and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 2003 Update, Retrieved March 25, 2010, National Institutes of Health, 2010.
http://www.liversupport.com/n-acetyl-cysteine-is-a-livers-ally/, N-Acetyl Cysteine is a Liver’s Ally, Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM, Retrieved March 25, 2010, Natural Wellness, 2010.
http://www.pulsus.com/journals/abstract.jsp?jnlKy=2&atlKy=7494&isuKy=737&isArt=t&HCtype=Consumer, Complementary and alternative medicine use by patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus, CP White, Retrieved March 25, 2010, The Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, September 2007.
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/features/hepatitis-c-alternative-treatments?ecd=wnl_hep_031810, Hepatitis C Alternative Treatments, Stephanie Watson, Retrieved March 23, 2010, WebMD, LLC, 2010.
7 Comments
Does this mean there is not successful alternative treatment for Hep C .. just the medical 3 dangerous drugs?
Define “successful”. I have had HVC for over 30 yrs and 2 failed interferon based treatments. I have also been taking milk thistle (sometimes a few other supplements ie: selenium and NAC). My viral load was 5.5 mil the last I knew and enzymes in the high 200’s. Yet, I have never been “sick” a day in my life from HVC. I feel great…every day. The only really serious illness I’ve encountered was due to the pharmaceuticals, (interferon, etc) that almost killed me. And still no “cure”. I’d rather feel good and take alternative treatments.
Oh I’ve been sick…. Really sick.
David Christopher at christopherwebsites, he is a herbalist and made a formula, I gave my friend and she cured Hepatitis C with it, with only 200 capsules, she got a test and the bacteria that cause it was gone. But she is very special, maybe it is needed much more than 200 caps. Get powders of the following and put into capsules.
3 parts marshmallow root, 1 part dandelion root, 1/2 part milk thistle fruit, take two or three ”size 0” capsules, every hour for two weeks. You can also buy a herbal reference book at the School of Natural Healing or at Christopher Publications. The big book has all the formulas and information.
I would just like to add, that ‘rather’ then all the money based meds even natural ones, I would strongly urge people to just do 2 simple things; 1. eat only organic food as much as possible and 2. Lots of hard greens (broccoli, asparagus, artichoke) etc and fresh fruit. I did this for 4 months along with milk thistle and intermittantly alpha lipoic acid and in the next blood test my count on hep c cells in the liver were nearly gone…..went from 9billion cells to almost normal. So it wasnt gone but I can live a whole lot longer waiting for a good med!!! Good luck to you all and hey, just remember, hep c is a blessing, as now you know what its like to be 90, so after your cured if you live a long llfe, you’ll be ready!!! Been there, did that!! haha
(HOW I GOT CURED FROM HEPATITIS B VIRUS)
I was diagnosed of hepatitis b in 2014 and I tried all possible means to get cure but all to no avail until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal doctor from Africa who prepare herbal medicine to cure all kind of diseases including hepatitis b virus, at first i doubted if it was real but decided to give it a try, when i contact this herbal doctor via his email i bought the hepatitis b herbal medicine and received it through DHL within 7 days and used it as prescribed, i tested negative to hepatitis b virus within 3 weeks of usage. Contact this great herbal doctor via his email droyekpenherbalhome@gmail.com or call +2348168257144 Googluck.
(HOW I GOT CURED FROM HEPATITIS B VIRUS)
I was diagnosed of hepatitis b in 2014 and I tried all possible means to get cure but all to no avail until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal doctor from Africa who prepare herbal medicine to cure all kind of diseases including hepatitis b virus, at first i doubted if it was real but decided to give it a try, when i contact this herbal doctor via his email i bought the hepatitis b herbal medicine and received it through DHL within 7 days and used it as prescribed, i tested negative to hepatitis b virus within 3 weeks of usage. Contact this great herbal doctor via his email droyekpenherbalhome@gmail.com or call +2348168257144 Googluck…