Natural Treatment for Hepatitis C: How to Use Nutritional Supplements and Herbal Remedies

Hepatitis C is a chronic viral infection of the liver with the Hepatitis C Virus. It is spread through sexual or blood contact. Though there may be a mild acute illness which generally passes unnoticed, people with "Hep C" will often not notice that they are infected for months or even years after the initial infection meanwhile liver damage has continued to progress. According to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse, approximately 4.1 million Americans have Hepatitis C.

The Pitfalls of Traditional Treatment

Traditional medical treatment of Hepatitis C is harsh, unpleasant, expensive and painful. Traditional treatment will generally take months or years and includes a strong antiviral medication such as Ribavirin along with an immune activator such as injections of Alpha Interferon (Intron-A or Pegintron) administered 3 times weekly.

The side effects of Ribavirin include hemolytic anemia, suppression of bone marrow function, depression, suicidal ideation, pulmonary dysfunction, pancreatitis, and diabetes. The side effects of Interferon include: hair loss, chronic fatigue, insomnia, headache, joint and muscle aches, depression and extreme loss of appetite leading to significant weight loss and induction of a flu-like state for 24 to 36 hours after the injection meaning that the patient will feel like they have a severe case of the flu for at least 3 days each week. Many Interferon users will have to supplement their diet with Ensure or other nutritional beverages because they cannot force themselves to eat and lose weight and muscle mass. In short, traditional treatment is extremely unpleasant and not entirely effective.

Traditional treatment is very expensive and many insurance policies will not cover or only provide partial coverage leaving the patient unable to pay the balance. Other patients simply cannot tolerate the side effects and will choose to go untreated. Untreated Hepatitis C can progress to cirrhosis, fatty liver, liver failure and death. Untreated Hepatitis C patients also have a much higher incidence of development of Liver Cancer which is quite often fatal.

The Way to Achieve Wellness Using Natural Supplementation

According to, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by James and Phyllis Balch, a natural method of treatment involves a daily dose of natural supplements including herbs and amino acids which are protective and healing to the liver. Dietary restrictions and additional supplements are recommended for initial treatment and may be may be discontinued after symptoms resolve.

Many patients find that natural treatment will return their liver enzymes to normal or near normal levels without traditional medical treatment. There are few adverse effects to these therapies. One thing is certain however, a traditional physician will most likely not sanction this therapy (or any other natural treatment). In addition, insurance will not cover the supplements but the results are often worth the investment, both in savings over traditional medical costs and increased quality and length of life allowing the patient to return to normal activities including work.

Absolutely Necessary Supplements

• Milk Thistle Extract (Silymarin) 200-400mg three times daily aids in healing and rebuilding the liver and has been shown to cure liver cancer in rats
• Glutathione 500mg twice daily - liver protectant to avoid additional damage while repair is conducted
• N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 500mg daily - immune enhancer, eliminates free radicals, helps the body neutralize and eliminate heavy metals and other toxins by chelation, should be taken with Vitamin C
• Vitamin C - eliminates free radicals, aids in removal of chelated metals and toxins
• L-Methionine 500mg twice daily - detoxifies liver, prevents breakdown of glutathione
• Coenzyme Q 60mg daily - eliminates free radicals, enhances immune function and tissue oxygenation

Additional Recommendations for the first few weeks

• Free Form Amino Acid Complex - supplies necessary protein in immediately usable components to take strain off the liver while repair is conducted
• Raw Liver Extract or Dessicated Liver - promotes liver function by providing liver tissue constituents through diet to help rebuild liver
• Essential Fatty Acids from sources such as Fish, Omega 3 type supplements, primrose oil, shark liver oil - combats inflammation of the liver and lowers serum cholesterol which can be damaging to liver
• Lecithin - protects liver and mobilizes fat - aiding in preventing fatty liver
• Multivitamin complex
• B Complex (do not take more than 100mg niacin - B3 daily) - essential for liver functioning
• Calcium and Magnesium - essential for blood clotting factors which may be depleted in liver disease
• Maitake, shiitake, reishi mushrooms - antiviral effect
• Green and Black teas may decrease bilirubin levels - lowering jaundice effect

It is also recommended that the patient should eat a raw vegetable and fruit diet when possible, consume no alcohol, avoid fats, sugar, highly processed foods, raw fish and shellfish, and animal protein (especially red meats). After the first weeks of treatment, the patient will likely feel significantly better and modifications can be made such as decreasing essential supplements to once daily, eliminating additionally recommended supplements and slowly adding other foods back into the diet.

As with any treatment, traditional or natural, there are no guarantees and the patient will likely have to be on some supplementation forever, particularly Milk-thistle, Glutathione, NAC, and L-Methionine. However this method of treatment may essentially cure patients who were severely debilitated by either the disease or the treatment or both. Many patients will see improvement of liver function to near normal levels with a significant improvement in quality and extension of life with continued therapy.

sources:

National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse, Chronic Hepatitis C: Current Disease Management

Balch, James; Balch, Phylliis: Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3^rd Ed.