Guest guest Posted September 5, 2009 Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 F rom the HepC Advocate > ********************** > " HealthWise: Choosing Not to Treat Hepatitis C > —Lucinda K.Porter, RN > Imagine this scene. Your medical provider recommends treatment for chronic > hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). You've had HCV for 30 years and your liver > is moderately scarred. You have genotype 1 so treatment will likely last for > 48 weeks. You have read about the side effects of the medications and, after > careful consideration, you'd rather take your chances with hepatitis C than > with the treatment. > Regular Healthwise readers probably think I am going to try to persuade this > fictitious patient to reconsider. After all, if I didn't believe in treatment > I would not have tried it once, let alone twice. However, the decision to > undergo treatment is a complicated one, and what worked for me might not work > for others. > So, this month, I am headed in a different direction. I explore the other > path—making the choice to not treat. I recommend ways to support your liver > and general health. This advice applies to nearly everyone, but particularly > those with liver disease. > There are many reasons for rejecting HCV treatment. Here are some: > > You are concerned that you might not be able to work. > You are troubled by the potential side effects, particularly depression. > You are bothered by the fact that the medication is given by self-injection > and concerned it may trigger a relapse from drug recovery. > You distrust the pharmaceutical industry and their products. > You are committed to natural or alternative medicine. > You are afraid that treatment will be unendurable. > You are paralyzed by indecision. > You are scared that the medication will harm, maim or kill. > You favor waiting for better HCV medications. > You are unwilling to go through treatment without better odds of success. > You feel well and don't want to give that up for a year. > Your liver has little or no fibrosis and waiting makes sense. > You think a sharp stick in the eye sounds like a better alternative. > Let's assume you discussed all of this with your medical provider and your > mind is made up. Now what? > First and foremost, minimize stress to your liver. Abstain from alcohol use. > If you aren't willing to quit, limit your drinking to no more than one > standard size drink a day. One standard drink is 12 ounces of regular beer, 8 > to 9 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of table wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80–proof > spirits. If drugs or alcohol are a problem, get help. > Keep your weight under control. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is > quickly becoming a serious health problem in this country. NAFLD is the most > common cause of elevated liver enzymes. Tragically, NAFLD is striking > children as well as adults. Complications from NAFLD include liver cancer and > death. > Fortunately, NAFLD is treatable and potentially reversible. Weight loss is an > effective treatment for NAFLD. Exercise may help. Patients with NAFLD showed > improvement with as little as 60 minutes a week of low-to-moderate intensity > exercise. Patients who exercised but did not lose weight also had significant > improvements in fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, and cholesterol and > triglyceride levels. > Eat a low fat, high-fiber diet. Include fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole > grains. Avoid trans-fatty acids, saturated fats, corn syrup and excess salt. > Eat real food—rather than stuff out of a box. > Practice safe food habits. Avoid raw or undercooked shellfish. Raw or > undercooked oysters and clams may carry Vibrio vulnificus—bacteria that cause > a number of serious clinical conditions. Uncooked shellfish may also harbor > hepatitis A. > Beware of poisonous mushrooms. They contain toxins that can destroy even the > healthiest liver. > Do not eat wild mushrooms unless you are 100% sure of what you consume. > Aim for 30 or more minutes of exercise every day. If you are confused about > exercise, here is a simple place to start. Put on comfortable walking shoes > and sunscreen. Step outside and walk 15 minutes or more. Then turn around. > Make this a daily goal. If 30 minutes is too much, start with something you > can do. A walk to the mailbox is better than no walk. > Protect your liver from other viruses. If you aren't already immune to > hepatitis A and B, get vaccinated. Make sure all immunizations are up to > date, including an annual flu shot. > Get regular check-ups. Your medical provider will recommend how often you > should be seen and what labs and other diagnostic tests need to be performed. > This all depends on the condition of your liver. Blood tests are usually done > every six or twelve months, more frequently if you have cirrhosis. Medical > appointments are usually scheduled annually, more often for patients with > advanced liver disease. If you have cirrhosis, your provider may order an > abdominal ultrasound every 6 months. Liver biopsies are usually recommended > every 3 to 5 years. If you already have cirrhosis, there is no need to biopsy > the liver. > If you use herbs or dietary supplements, learn how to do this safely. Some > herbs are toxic to the liver. Large doses of any supplement are strongly > discouraged. More is not better. Vitamin A in high doses can cause liver > injury. Iron supplementation should only be taken under medical supervision. > Herbs should never be used by people with decompensated cirrhosis. For more > information about dietary supplements, visit www.hcvadvocate.org. > Act responsibly around blood and bodily fluids. This means not infecting > others, and avoiding infections from others. Wash your hands. Practice safer > sex. Cover all cuts or wounds. Do not share personal hygiene instruments, > such as razors, cuticle scissors, nail clippers, toothbrushes or other items > that might be exposed to blood. Properly discard all feminine hygiene > products. Use good judgment when getting tattoos or body piercings. > Strive for the best health possible. If you smoke, try to quit. If you don't > floss your teeth, make this a daily goal. Wear your seat belts. Look for > every opportunity for improvement. If you hear yourself groaning about this, > consider an attitude adjustment. We don't have to improve our health—we can > take chances. Alternatively, we can take our future into our own hands and > start feeling better now. > Keep abreast of medical news. Science is making giant leaps. The Hepatitis C > Support Project provides the latest news on liver disease. You can subscribe > to regular updates or go to www.hcvadvocate.org. At this website, there is an > extensive list of HCV and other liver-related drugs that are in various stages > of development. > Finally, think about others. Although you cannot donate blood to a blood > bank, you may donate your organs and tissues after death. To register, visit > www.donatelife.net The Harvard Brain Bank would love your brain. > www.brainbank.mclean.org 1-800-BRAIN BANK (1-800-272-4622) Consider giving > this ultimate gift. " > > ************ > " Blueberries, Asparagus and HCV > —C.D. Mazoff, PhD > Being a lover of blueberries and asparagus, the recent news articles about > research done on blueberries and HCV and asparagus and liver toxicity not only > got my interest but also perked up my appetite! > I'll eat as many blueberries as I can when they are in season – in smoothies, > with ice cream, on my morning granola or cornflakes, or whatever. I always > knew that blueberries were good antioxidants, but I didn't know that an > extract from the leaves has been shown to be a powerful agent against HCV. > Findings published in a recent article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, > by Masahiko Takeshita et al. of the University of Miyazaki " suggest that > proanthocyanidin isolated from blueberry leaves may have potential usefulness > as an anti-HCV compound by inhibiting viral replication, " thus slowing or > stopping disease progression.1 > The researchers screened nearly 300 different agricultural products for > potential compounds that suppress HCV replication and found one in the leaves > of blueberries. The researchers purified the compound and identified it as > proanthocyanidin, a polyphenol similar to the beneficial chemicals found in > grapes. Okay, I eat grapes too. Double yum. > Apparently the blueberry extract found to be most effective comes from a type > of blueberry found in the South eastern USA: Rabbit eye blueberries (Vaccinium > ashei). > A quick look on the internet showed me that Rabbit eye blueberries have been > used in Food research for some time, but they are not the type used in > blueberry extracts found in most health food stores – I checked. Hmmmm??? > I did find this, however: " The common blueberry is an abundant source of > several potent antioxidants, particularly Anthocyanin and related compounds. > Clinical studies have shown that Anthocyanin neutralizes free radicals which > are specific to age-related mental clarity and memory capacity. This > particular family of antioxidants has also been proven effective in fighting > the free radicals responsible for macular degeneration and other age-related > eye disorders. A 2001 study at Tufts University rated blueberries as the most > potent antioxidant of over 60 foods tested (Tufts University. Researching a > Blueberry/Brain Power Connection. TuftsUniversity Health and Nutrition Letter, > March 2001, Vol. 19. Number 1) " .2 > Further investigation showed me that what blueberries do is lower cholesterol > and other lipids, like triglycerides. > In fact research done at Saga University in Japan and published in 2008, > showed that Vaccinium ashei had a startling efficacy in lowering hepatic > lipids in rats.3 > But nowhere could I find out where to get this extract, or how the extract is > made, or if eating more blueberries would produce a similar effect. Bummer. > Asparagus > Just when I thought things couldn't get better, along comes this news item > about an article on Asparagus published in the Journal of Food Science saying > that " an extract from asparagus may increase the function of enzymes in the > liver and boost the metabolism of alcohol. " The researchers from Korea > concluded that " the leaves of A. officinalis, which are normally discarded, > have the potential for use in therapy designed to protect the liver from > various harmful insults. " Sadly, again, no extract recipe. > Asparagus has long been used as an herbal medicine in Asia thanks to its > anticancer effects. It also has antifungal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic > properties, and its health properties probably result from its high levels of > folate and potassium, and Vitamin C. Green asparagus contains approximately > six times the levels of Vitamin C than citrus fruits. > (http://food-facts.suite101.com) > Okay…but where do I find this stuff, and how do I make sure that it's what it > says it is, and how much do I take, and what are the side effects if any. All > this worry is making me hungry. > I've got an idea. While I'm waiting for more information, I think I'll make > myself some grilled wild salmon with blueberry sauce, have lots of asparagus > on the side, and worry about it tomorrow. Because the way it seems to me is > that lowering serum lipids and boosting glucose tolerance is the best thing I > can do for my liver in the meantime, and that I can control my health for now > with my diet. > Notes: > 1 " Proanthocyanidin from Blueberry Leaves Suppresses Expression of Subgenomic > Hepatitis C Virus RNA, " J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 284, Issue 32, 21165-21176, > August 7, 2009 > 2www.blueberryextract.com > 3Effect of Vaccinium ashei reade Leaves on Lipid Metabolism in Otsuka > Long- Tokushima Fatty Rats. Koji NAGAO1, et al. Saga University. > Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry Vol. 72 (2008) , No. 6 > pp.1619-1622. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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