Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Hepatitis C Risk Factors and Transmission

HCV is spread primarily by contact with blood and blood products. Blood transfusions and the use of shared, unsterilized, or poorly sterilized needles and syringes have been the main causes of the spread of HCV in the United States. With the introduction in 1991 of routine blood screening for HCV antibody and improvements in the test in the mid-1992, transfusion-related hepatitis C has virtually disappeared. At present, injection drug use is the most common risk factor for contracting the disease. However, many patients acquire hepatitis C without any known exposure to blood or to drug use.

The major high-risk groups for hepatitis C are:

• People who had blood transfusions before June 1992, when sensitive tests for anti-HCV were introduced for blood screening.

• People who have frequent exposure to blood products. These include patients with hemophilia, solid-organ transplants, chronic renal failure, or cancer requiring chemotherapy.

• Health care workers who suffer needle-stick accidents.

• Injection drug users, including those who used drugs briefly many years ago.

• Infants born to HCV-infected mothers.

Other groups who appear to be at slightly increased risk for hepatitis C:

• People with high-risk sexual behavior, multiple partners, and sexually transmitted diseases.

• People who use cocaine, particularly with intranasal administration, using shared equipment.

Hepatitis Disease

Hepatitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the liver, usually producing swelling and, in many cases, permanent damage to liver tissues. A number of agents can cause hepatitis, including infectious diseases, chemical poisons, drugs and alcohol. Hepatitis C is a contagious viral disease that leads to serious, permanent liver damage, and in many cases, death.

Hepatitis C - Herbs to Avoid

There are many extremely powerful herbs that have been used to treat various Some Herbal Remedies Should Not be Taken Because They Can Trigger Serious Side Effects

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 31, 1998
Chaparral, lobelia, and yohimbe are among herbal remedies that can trigger serious side effects or toxic reactions "and should not be taken," advises the current (September) issue of New Choices: Living Even Better After 50.

However, most herbal remedies are safe and tend to have fewer side effects than their pharmaceutical counterparts, the magazine adds.

Here are the five herbs that, according to New Choices, should not be used:

Chaparral (Larrea tridentata)
Also known as the creosote bush, chapparal is marketed as a tea, tablet, or capsule. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), chaparral has been associated with acute nonviral hepatitis (rapidly developing liver damage), sometimes irreversible.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Available as a tea, tablet, capsule, or tincture, this leafy plant has been linked to obstruction of blood flow from the liver, with potential liver scarring (cirrhosis).

Germander (Teucrium genus)
Germander is a common name for a group of plants contained in medicinal teas, elixirs, capsules, or tablets. It is mixed with other herbs in products to treat obesity. In France, at least 27 cases of acute nonviral hepatitis have been associated with germander products.

Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)
Also known as Indian tobacco, lobelia has been associated with depression of nervous-system function. Doses as low as 50 milligrams (mg) of the dried herb or one milliliter of the tincture can result in respiratory depression, rapid heart rate, and even coma.

Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe)
A number of body-building products contain this tree bark. New Choices reports that the FDA has linked it to kidney failure, seizures, and death.

Alternative Treatment for Managing HCV

One of the best alternative ways to treat HCV is through a proper diet. One such approach is the method of "alkalizing your body."

The Importance of Your Body's pH Balance

Each of us is at war and we don't even know it! The private war we each wage is a daily assault on our body by bacteria, virus, fungus, yeasts, and molds. We have entered what might be referred to as critical mass when it comes to this bacterial warfare onslaught being waged against us by stronger and stronger killer bugs and bad bacteria. Our immune systems are becoming weaker and over-taxed in this war. Even the medical profession's first line of defense
(the antibiotic) is becoming less and less effective against resistant new strains being created daily as the bacteria mutate. Since Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of disease that states germs are the cause of disease, time has proven him correct. But note Dr. Pasteur's dying words: "The germ is nothing, the inner terrain is everything."

The inner terrain referred to in Dr. Pasteur's statement is now being called our biological terrain and comprises our body's digestive tract, lymph system, blood, urinary tract, interstitial and interstitial fluids. Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. Maintaining proper alkalinity is essential for life, health, and vitality. Simply put - an imbalance of alkalinity creates a condition favorable to the growth of bacteria, yeast and other unwanted organisms. All leading biochemists and medical physiologists have recognized pH (or the acid-alkaline balance) as the most important aspect of a balanced and healthy body. They have long known that the maintenance of an alkaline pH in our tissues and cells is critical to cellular health. In contrast, our digestive tract (except for our normally alkaline mouth) has varying degrees of acid by design, and our urinary tract should be slightly acidic for healthy function.

We live and die at the cellular level. All the cells (billions of them) that make up the human body are slightly alkaline, and must maintain alkalinity in order to function and remain healthy and alive. However their cellular activity creates acid and this acid is what gives the cell energy and function. As each alkaline cell performs its task of respiration, it secretes metabolic wastes, and these end products of cellular metabolism are acid in nature. Although these wastes are used for energy and function, they must not be allowed to build up. One example of this is the often painful lactic acid which is created through exercise. The body will go to great lengths to neutralize and detoxify these acids before they act as poisons in and around the cell, ultimately changing the environment of the cell.

Most people and clinical practitioners believe the immune system is the body's first line of defense, but in actuality it is not. It is very important, but more like a very sophisticated clean-up service. We must instead look at the importance of pH balance as the first and major line of defense against sickness and disease and for health and vitality.

If we were to ask "What is killing us?", the answer might be "ACIDOSIS"! It has been demonstrated that an acidic, anaerobic (lacking oxygen) body environment encourages the breeding of fungus, mold, bacteria, and viruses. Let's look at an example. If we were to seal the door to our freezer and then unplug it, come back and open the door in two weeks, what would we find? Mold, bacteria, microscopic bugs. Things will be growing and multiplying. Where did they all come from? They did not sneak in - remember the door was sealed. The answer is . . . "they were always there". It is simply that the environment changed to a more inviting and healthy one for the "critters" to live in. This can be likened to a shift in our biological terrain from a healthy oxygenated, alkaline environment to an unhealthy anaeorbic acidic environment. You see what is healthy for us is unhealthy for the body attackers and what is healthy for them is what is unhealthy for our body.

A state of acidosis is simply the lack of oxygen and available calcium which the body uses to maintain its alkaline balance. Calcium makes up 1.6% of our body weight. It is literally the human glue that holds the body together. Calcium is so biochemically active that it has been likened to an octopus. A calcium ion can hold onto seven other molecules while it grabs onto one molecule of water. No other ion can do this. And it is the right size to easily get in and out of the human cell. As it does this, it takes a chain of nutrients into the cell and then leaves to
get more nutrients.

The biggest problem scientists have found is that over time the human body becomes depleted of calcium. A compound called mono-ortho-calcium phosphate is the chemical buffer for the blood. This buffer maintains the alkaline level (or the lack of acidity) in your blood. Without it you would die. If the acidity level of your blood changes even slightly you die immediately. But in order to supply enough calcium for buffering we must have enough calcium being absorbed from our diet or our body will simply rob the needed calcium from our bones and teeth. The more acidic we become, the harder it is for oxygen to be present, so our biological terrain also becomes more anaerobic. Without adequate oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungus can live and prosper. Then our cells cannot carry on their life-giving functions in a very efficient manner because our biological chemical reactions need oxygen.

Life and death are in the biological terrain and the battle cry here is to reclaim your biological terrain. This is so important that some practitioners working with the inner biological terrain and its implications to the health of our bodies are beginning to say "There are no specific diseases, only specific disease conditions, and there is only one disease. And that one disease is acidosis."

The human body is very intelligent. As we become more and more acidic the body starts to set up defense mechanisms to keep the damaging acid from entering our vital organs. It is known that acid gets stored in fat cells. After all, if the acid does come into contact with an organ the acid has a chance to eat holes in the tissue. This may cause the cells to mutate. The oxygen level drops in this acidic environment and calcium begins to be depleted. So as a defense mechanism, your body may actually make fat to protect you from your overly-acidic self. Those fat cells and cellulite deposits may actually be packing up the acid and trying to keep it a safe distance from your organs. The fat may be saving your vital organs from damage. Many people have found that a return to a healthy inner biological terrain helps them to lose excess fat.

Osteoporosis is very confusing for many people. Most people think they can eliminate it by increasing their consumption of milk and dairy products. But in the countries where the consumption of dairy products is very low the instances of osteoporosis is very rare. Osteoporosis is an acidosis problem. As the body becomes more acidic, to protect against the event of heart attack, stroke, illness, or even cancer, the body attempts to remain healthy. So, it steals calcium from the bones, teeth, and tissue. As bone mass becomes depleted, this is what we call osteoporosis. As we saturate the body with calcium this brings the alkaline pH up and drops the acid levels down.

One of the first warning signs of an acidic biological terrain is calcium deposits. A little known fact is that there has never been a scientifically proven association between calcium deposits in the body and nutritional calcium. In fact quite the opposite is found in the results of testing calcium deposits of the body. Calcium deposits come not from dietary calcium but from the
structural calcium of our bones and teeth!

So if calcium deposits are forming, we know our inner biological terrain is too acidic. Our dietary intake of calcium is not keeping up with the calcium buffering needed and we are actively pulling calcium from our bones and teeth. It all works like a little train, from the bones to the fluids and cells, to the blood. As our biological terrain becomes acidic, our pH level drops.
When this happens we start losing calcium out of the blood, the bones, and the tissues. This is a safety mechanism. Now your biological terrain's oxygen level drops leaving you tired and fatigued, allowing fungus, mold, parasites, bad bacteria, and viral infections to flourish and gain a hold throughout the body. It is interesting to note that you often won't have just some of these
invaders. If you have Candida you will likely have bad bacteria, fungus, and parasites because they all flourish in the same terrain.

WHAT ARE THE FIRST THINGS WE CAN DO TO CHANGE ALL THIS?

We must get in there and cleanse the body to get it under control. After it is under control, we have to support the body nutritionally to build new cells. We are in an era of malnutrition because the minerals aren't in the soil and they can't possibly get into our food chain. What we have is lots of food but very little nutrient value in it. I've heard experts comment "if you don't want to take supplements, you haven't got a chance". The quality of the supplements you do decide to take will make all the difference in the world because not all supplements are created equal.

Calcium is the one mineral that can really alkalize your body. It produces the calcium buffering compound Mono-ortho-calcium phosphate which raises your pH (makes your biological terrain more alkaline). There are many ways to keep your body's biological terrain at a healthy alkaline environment.

These include:

• eating alkalanizing foods including lots of green foods and super foods

• limiting our intake of phosphates which bind to calcium and prevent its absorption. Dietary phosphates are commonly found in all carbonated drinks, and in all animal protein.

• adding dietary calcium in the form of supplementation is generally difficult because of our body's inability to absorb and assimilate most forms of commonly available calcium. The best calcium supplement, which is 95% absorbable by the human body is ionic coral calcium.

This all takes time. It is not easy to reverse acidity once we become too acidic. The extreme importance of cellular environment has been mostly overlooked in the past, but has recently been recognized.

Scientists who describe the environment of our cells measure three conditions of certain body fluids - in blood, saliva, and urine:

1.) pH- Acid or Alkaline
2.) Antioxidant power
3.) Electrical conductivity

The report that describes the overall environment of your cells based on those measurements, is called your Biological Terrain. The instrument used to test the body fluids is named the Biological Terrain Analyzer. Scientists have found that when the biological terrain is out of the narrow healthy range, the cells can not perform properly and a person is at a higher risk of contracting a wide spectrum of acute and chronic diseases as well as experiencing physical deterioration and more rapid aging.

During this century, despite many technological advances in our society, we have seen many threatening declines. One of the most obvious and dangerous is the nature of food consumption. Food consumption in our most advanced countries has changed from nutritious raw foods to highly processed foods low in nutritional value. Over 100,000 new chemicals have been introduced to our foods, air, and water. All of these changes have put even greater stresses on our body's innate ability to affect the chemistry of our body fluids, and therefore our Biological Terrain. As a result we see huge increases in the incidence of chronic and life-threatening diseases.

Your logical question at this point is, "How can I adjust and maintain my Biological Terrain in the healthy range?"

One of the best alternative ways to treat HCV is through a proper diet. One such approach is the method of "alkalizing your body."

BENEFITS OF Active H- :

INCREASED pH Pollution, stress and our consumption of highly processed foods tend to create acidic body fluids, a characteristic compatible with certain diseases. All cellular waste, and most internally generated toxins are acidic. Active H- increases the pH of your body fluids like no other alkalizing substance available.

1.) INCREASED ANTIOXIDANT POWER - Free radicals are compounds which have lost an electron and which tend to steal electrons from healthy cells, which can cause malignancy, loss of energy, accelerated aging, and other diseases. Damaging free radicals are created by normal activities, but also from contamination of our food, air and water. An antioxidant is a compound that gives up an electron to a free radical, making it harmless. Vitamin C gives up an electron, and becomes a weaker free radical. It then steals an electron from Beta Carotene which becomes a weaker free radical and steals fromVitamin E. Active H-, with its extra electron, is the only antioxidant in the world that does not itself become a damaging free radical.

2.) ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY - Water without minerals will not conduct electricity. Messages from cells to other cells are vital to their functions, but will not be transmitted if minerals are inadequate in the body fluids between and inside the cells. Because our soils and the vegetables we eat are often depleted of trace minerals, our body fluids tend to be low in the minerals necessary to transmit vital messages. This can lead to frequent fatigue, poor mental function, and other diseases. Active H- increases the electrical conductivity between your cells to promote better overall health.

You'll have to ask yourself, "is pH balance a luxury or a necessity?" When we get the body alkaline it can function correctly and utilize all nutrients better. The most important thing that you can do for your body is reclaim your ineer terrain. Once you do, the parasites, fungus, mold, yeast, and bad bacteria should begin departing because they cannot exist in a healthy alkaline environment. Our private war against the daily assaults of stronger and deadlier organisms and our fight to stay alkaline will not end with a magic cure. Good health requires getting the proper nutrition on a daily basis.

— Darrell L. Wolfe

Herbals for Managing HCV

There are many extremely powerful herbs that have been used to treat various symptoms of hepatitis for centuries. Some of them are very effective, especially with clear cut problems like jaundice. However, the application of herbs to their more subtle symptoms of HCV may require the knowledge of an experienced herbalist.

Herbs can be used to treat specific symptoms or problems that may be related to or caused by hepatitis C. Or herbs may be used to target the underlying condition of chronic viral hepatitis. If you choose Western herbal medicine as your primary means of treatment it is very important that you consult an experienced herbalist who can help you develop a treatment strategy. Some
symptoms may be cleared quickly, while others may require ongoing treatment.

There are some herbs that have a general appeal to HCV+ people because they contain substances that have anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood-purifying, interferon stimulating and immune boosting qualities. Some have properties that are more specific to HCV related symptoms.

Nutritionists, "Natural Medicine" practitioners and many medical doctors, prescribe herbal remedies for many liver disorders, including hepatitis C. The following list is a compilation of Western herbs that are repeatedly found in publications or resources specifically about Hepatitis C and related symptoms.

There a wide variety of herbs and plants that are used for improving liver conditions:

* Alfalfa
* Aloe Vera (aloeaceae)
* Artichoke (Cynara scolymus)
* Artemisia (Common Wormwood, Green Ginger)
* Asparagus
* Astralagus (Huang Chi, atralagus membranaceus)
* Bai Zhu
* Baical Skullcap (Huang Qin, Radix scutellariae baicalensis)
* Barberry (Pipperidge Bush, Berberis vulgaris)
* Barley Leaf
* Black Cohash (Black Snake Root, Bugbane, Cimicufaga racemosa)
* Black Root (Leptandra Virginica)
* Blessed Thistle (Holy Thistle,Cnicus benedictus)
* Bloodroot
* Boldo
* Boneset
* Bupleurum (Chai Hu, Thorough Wax, Buplerum chinense, umbeliferae)
* Burdock Root (Lappa, Fox's clote, Beggar's Buttons, Arctium lappa)
* Cai Hu
* Californian Buckthorn (Sacred Bark, Chittem Bark, Cascara sagrada, Rhamnus purshiane, Rhamnaceae)
* Cats Claw (Unicaria tomentosa)
* Celandine, Greater (Garden Celandine, Chelidonium majus, Papaveraceae)
* Cen Phi
* Chaparral (Larrea tridentata, Zygophyllaceae)
* Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, Compositae)
* Dang Gui
* Dang Shen
* Desmodium (Desmodium ascendens;Papillonaceae)
* Echinacea (Snakeroot, Purple Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea)
* Elder Flowers (Sambucus nigra, S. canadensis; Caprifoliaceae)
* Euphorbia (Phyllanthus;Euphorbiaceae subspecies amara and niruri)
* Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum; Leguminosae)
* Fringe Tree Root Bark (Cortex Radicus chionanthi; Chionanthus virginicus)
* Gan Cao
* Garlic
* Gentian Root (Yellow Gentian; Gentiana lutea; Gentianaceae)
* Ginger Root
* Gingko Leaf (Ginko Nut, Maidenhair Tree, Gingko Biloba; Gingkoaceae)
* Ginseng, American ( Five Fingers; Panax quinquefolium; Araliaceae)
* Ginseng, Siberian (Touch-Me-Not, Devil's Bush; Eleutherococcus senticosus, Araliaceae)
* Globe Artichoke
* Golden Seal (Puccoon Root, Yellowroot; Hydrastis canadensis; Ranunculaceae)
* Grape Seed Extract
* Green Tea
* Huang Qui
* Licorice (Gan T'sao;Glycyrrhiza glabra; Leguminosae)
* Milk-Vetch Root
* Milk Thistle/Silymarin
* Olive Leaf Extract
* Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia aquifolium, M. repens; Berberidaceae)
* Pau D'Arco (Tabebuia, Ipe Roxo; Tabebuia avellanedae; Bignoniaceae)
* Peony Root (Shao Yao; Paeonia lactiflora; Ranunculaceae)
* Phyllanthus Urinaria
* Psyllium Seeds (Plantago ovata, P. psyllium; Plantaginaceae)
* Red Root
* Reishi Mushroom
* Sarsaparilla (Sarsaparilla officinalis, Smilax officinalis; Liliaceae)
* Schisandra
* Sheng Giang
* Shiitake Mushroom
* Siberian Ginseng
* Silymarin/Milk Thistle
* Slippery Elm Bark (Red Elm; Ulmus rubra; Ulmaceae)
* St. John's Wort (Hypercium perforatum; Hypericaceae)
* St. Mary's Thistle
* Suma (Para Toda, Brazilian Ginseng,Pfaffia Paniculata; Amaranthaceae)
* Wild Oregon Grape
* Wild Yam (Colicroot, Rheumatism Root; Dioscorea villosa; Dioscoreaceae)
* Yellow Dock (Curly Dock; Rumex crispus; Polygonaceae)

Safety Issues & Self-Prescribing

Skill and experience are needed to prescribe herbs correctly. Herbs can have unpredictable effects, especially when taken in combination. It is therefore not a good idea to go out and buy a selection of herbs listed in our reports and just use them randomly.

If you have hepatitis C (or any health condition) it is particularly important to be aware of the power of herbs and the possibility of undesirable side effects. People with HCV may be more vulnerable to such side effects. It is recommended that you consult a qualified herbalist.

Some people with clear cut medical conditions that do not have access to an herbalist may choose to try single-herb treatment. It is strongly suggested that you use only one herb at a time if you are self-prescribing. If you encounter any problems stop taking the herb immediately and get some medical advice.

Hepatitis C

Nearly 4 million Americans are estimated to be infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). That is more than 3 times those with HIV/AIDS, more than 5 times those with Parkinson's disease, and more than 10 times those with multiple sclerosis. Many people with HCV do not know that they have the virus. This is unfortunate, because HCV can seriously and silently damage the liver. Often, there are no symptoms until the late stages of the disease. These days, many people are diagnosed after a routine blood test reveals that their liver enzymes are elevated, and further tests show that the virus is in their blood. If you know you have HCV, you can get the treatment you need that may help you overcome the virus and reduce the damage to your liver. Hepatitis C is not an easy disease to treat. A single course of interferon, or interferon plus ribavirin, may not work in getting rid of the virus. Sometimes, another course of a different interferon may be necessary to help eliminate the virus and reduce the damage to your liver.

There are approximately 400 million people infected with the Hepatitis C Virus worldwide. An estimated 75% to 85% are chronic and have symptoms. Hepatitis C is one of the most important causes of liver disease; and, sadly enough has become the most common reason for liver transplants in the United States. You may be one of the 5 million people in the United States who suffers from HCV.

An estimated 20% of those develop cirrhosis, liver cancer, or end-stage liver disease. The good news is this disease progresses very slowly. This leaves us with time to decide on the best treatments available. We are here to help you find the answers, and search out your options. Our Website has a collection of the latest medical news and clinical information on this disease including reports from recent conferences, news articles, Web searches, and links to other related sources on the Web.