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In
recent months I have been made very much aware of what seems
to me, a large outbreak of people diagnosed with Hepatitis C,
so much so that I wanted to find out more about it. I would like
to share with you what my findings were, as you too may know
of someone with this illness. Hepatitis is an inflammation of
the liver. Hepatitis C was first identified in 1989; approximately
4 million people have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which
is 2% of our nation's population. With all of the recent blood
donations aiding the September 11 tragedy, that number will most
likely increase. At this time there is no cure for Hepatitis
C. I have been asked many times, how do you get hepatitis? It
can be gotten from blood to blood contact, such as body piercing,
tattoos, intravenous drug use, blood transfusions or it can be
passed from mother to child, just to name a few. Because it can
be symptom free for many years it can be passed on to many others
inadvertently. The symptoms can be many, few or none, ranging
from lack of energy, elevated blood pressure, muscle pains, loss
of memory, confusion, skin problems, rashes, spots, anxiety,
irritability, gas, insomnia, abdominal pain, eye sight problems,
sensitivity to heat or cold, dizziness, urinary problems, wounds
that take a long time to heal and weight loss or gain. Many of
these symptoms mimic other conditions and many doctors may not
yet be familiar enough with the Hepatitis symptoms', leaving
suffers undiagnosed for some time. Left untreated, Hepatitis
C could eventually cause chronic liver disease, scarring of the
liver, cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Our liver is the second
largest organ of our body, located just under the right ribcage. It has 2 lobes that work separately of one another each with
its own vein, artery, lymph and bile channels. Our liver is where
nutrients are taken from the foods we have eaten. They are then
converted and stored as fats, proteins, vitamins, and sugars.
It balances the blood sugar into glycogen, which is needed for
energy; it regulates our hormones and produces bile needed for
proper digestion and the balance of cholesterol. The liver also
filters toxins like pollution, radiation, household cleaners,
pesticides & medications from the body. All of the body's blood
is filtered through the liver before it goes back to the heart
and the lungs. It takes the blood from the pancreas, stomach,
intestines and spleen. This blood contains substances and residue
from the foods, medications and toxins that the body has been
subjected to. These substances are then processed as nutrients,
fuel, or waste. The waste that is neutralized by the liver is
transported to the kidneys and intestine for the body to excrete.
Our liver is the only organ in our body that can repair and regenerate
itself.
What can you do for
yourself once you have been diagnosed with Hep. C? The first thing I would
do is research, research, and research! I would look at all of
my options, including drugs and herbs, their side effects and
their success rate. I would look for ways to better my health
through diet, exercise, meditation and life style changes. I
would find a doctor that specializes in this field and gather
as much information as I could about the liver and Hep. C and
I would explore every option for healing putting me in
control of my healing process. It's important to remember that
we are all different so there is no one set cure for us all,
what works for one may not work for another.
In my research of Hep.
C I found are many options of therapy. There is Thymus extract
that helps to boost the immune system's T-cells that are produced
in the thymus gland helping to fight viral infections. There
are protease inhibitors, which keep the Hepatitis C virus from
duplicating itself. There is the option of a liver transplant,
which I found is not really a cure because in many cases the
Hepatitis C will reoccur in the new liver. There is also Interferon
and Robovarin, which attack the virus, but it does not heal the
liver or the other aspects of this disease. Interferon is a natural
antiviral protein in the body that is secreted by specialized
immune fighting cells. These proteins naturally trigger the immune
system's response and "interferes" with the virus's ability to replicate itself.
The pharmaceutical forms of Interferon help the body to build
up its disease fighting abilities so it can kill off the Hep.
C virus. This does not work in all cases; its success rate is
about 40-60%. It also has side effects like fatigue, abdominal
pain, and loss of appetite, jaundice, severe depression and digestive
disorders to name a few. These symptoms may come and go depending
on the strength of the Interferon stress on the person. * Riboviron
is another drug that is now being used; alone it does not affect
the viral levels in the blood, it needs to be used in conjunction
with Interferon. Together they reduce the viral loads in about
60% of people using them. It too has side effects like anemia,
thyroid disorders, depression, heart problems and birth defects.
I found many herbs that
aid in the healing of hepatitis by boosting the immune system
and triggering the body's natural production of Interferon, T-cells,
antiviral cells, antibacterial cells and anti-fungal cells. These
herbs are Ashwaganda, Echinacea, Astragalus, Bupleurum, Dandelion,
Reishi, Turmeric, Licorice, Schizandra, and Elethuro. There are
herbs that help protect, nourish and restore the liver: Ashwaganda,
Astragalus, Bupleurum, Burdock, Dandelion, Licorice, Milk Thistle,
Reishi, Skullcap and Yellowdock. There are herbs that aid in
alleviating specific symptoms like depression: Ashwaganda, Ginseng
Schizandra, pain: Milk Thistle, Reishi, Bupleurum, Skullcap and
inflammation: Ashwaganda, Astragalus, Bupleurum, Burdock, Milk
Thistle, Reishi, just to name a few. Nutrients are also important,
vitamins B, C, E, zinc, selenium, and alpha-lipoic acid are all
important for boosting the body's immune system. These also help
to support the liver, decrease fatigue, boost energy, help wounds
to heal, lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. Diet
also plays an important role in the health of your liver. A diet
low in saturated fat, sugar, white flour, and salt will help
to reduce the labors of the liver. Proper nutrition is very important
to the health of the liver. Eating better quality foods such
as fresh fruits and vegetables and foods that are not processed
(i.e. fast foods and frozen prepared meals) will aid the body's
healing in many ways. Finding a market that has organically grown
foods would be my suggestion and a great benefit to your diet.
It is also important at this time to avoid drugs, alcohol and
cigarettes; these can speed up the illness and cause more damage
to the liver. The
more we learn about how what we put into our bodies and how it
affects us, the better we will be at healing ourselves.
*
Be aware that too much iron could interfere with the proper effectiveness
of Interferon, if there is too much iron in the blood, the liver
cannot clear it out properly causing more damage.
References:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Herbs for Hepatitis C and the Liver
The Hepatitis C Help Book
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