Chances are, your life or the life of someone you know, has been affected by hepatitis.
Hepatitis literally means liver inflammation. This condition can have many causes: autoimmune, drug (Tylenol is a common drug that in excess can cause hepatitis), alcohol, fatty liver and viral induced (such as hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F).
Each type of hepatitis, and each person with hepatitis, needs PERSONALIZED holistic care.
Viral hepatitis is a wold-wide epidemic. One in 10 people have hepatitis B in China. According to the American Liver Foundation, there are over 5 million Americans living with hepatitis C, and most of them don’t know it. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is also incredibly common. It can be a complication of viral hepatitis and/or associated with heart disease and diabetes. Contrary to what you may have heard, Oriental medicine (YES, INCLUDING HERBS) can be incredibly helpful to people afflicted with hepatitis.
I have been told the silliest stories regarding advice that patients have received from their friends and Western health care providers. Sadly, it is commonplace for me to hear reports of patients being told not to take herbal formulas by their hepatologist, gastroenterologist or primary health care provider–none of whom reportedly had any training in the use of herbal medicine. One person told me she wanted to bring her father in for treatment, but his physician told her that her father’s “hepatitis B was too far gone” and that acupuncture “couldn’t help and would likely hurt him.” I felt so badly for this family when I heard this story. The Chinese have employed treatment protocols for viral hepatitis for thousands of years. Given that 10% of the population has hepatitis B (HBV), it is safe to say that there is ample opportunity for practice and research on both ancient and modern Chinese medicine therapies for HBV.
In fact, there is so much that acupuncture and herbal formulas, dietary therapy and nutritional supplementation can do for those afflicted with hepatitis. From reducing liver inflammation and scarring and other extrahepatic symptoms to ameliorating the side effects of Western therapy, Oriental medicine has made a difference in the lives of so many people who struggle with hepatitis.
Now, with that said, I want to stress that people should not indiscriminately take herbal products, regardless of whether or not they have liver disease. It is my strongly held belief that herbal therapy should only be used when prescribed by a QUALIFIED, EDUCATED (in herbal medicine uses, indications, contraindications and interactions) professional. Ideally, all members of a person’s health care team are communicating about treatment recommendations and prescriptions. I always encourage conversation with my patient’s Western health care giver. I’ve found this creates a supportive, healing environment for the patient.
In honor of National Hepatitis Month, I’ve listed the following studies below. Topics covered include: the integration of Eastern and Western medicine, Naturopathic protocols and others examine the reduction of standard Western hepatitis C therapy side effects. Happy reading!
- Interferon plus Chinese herbs are associated with higher sustained virological response than interferon alone in chronic Hepatitis C: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.
Zhao S, Liu E, Wei K, Lu S, Chu Y, Li Y, Wang Y, Huang B, Chen Y, Yang P.
Antiviral Res. 2011 Feb;89(2):156-64. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
PMID: 21167210 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - Hepatitis C; a retrospective study, literature review, and naturopathic protocol.
Milliman WB, Lamson DW, Brignall MS.
Altern Med Rev. 2000 Aug;5(4):355-71. Review.
PMID: 10956381 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - Antifibrogenic therapies in chronic HCV infection.
Shimizu I.
Curr Drug Targets Infect Disord. 2001 Aug;1(2):227-40. Review.
PMID: 12455417 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - The efficacy of herbal medicine (kampo) in reducing the adverse effects of IFN-beta in chronic hepatitis C.
Kainuma M, Hayashi J, Sakai S, Imai K, Mantani N, Kohta K, Mitsuma T, Shimada Y, Kashiwagi S, Terasawa K.
Am J Chin Med. 2002;30(2-3):355-67.
PMID: 12230024 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - The efficacy of a herbal medicine (Mao-to) in combination with intravenous natural interferon-beta for patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1b and high viral load: a pilot study.
Kainuma M, Ogata N, Kogure T, Kohta K, Hattori N, Mitsuma T, Terasawa K.
Phytomedicine. 2002 Jul;9(5):365-72.
PMID: 12222653 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE - Inhibition effect of Chinese herbal medicine on transcription of hepatitis C virus structural gene in vitro.
Dou J, Chen Q, Wang J.
World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Jun 21;11(23):3619-22.
PMID: 15962388 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - Herbal medicine Ninjinyoeito ameliorates ribavirin-induced anemia in chronic hepatitis C: a randomized controlled trial.
Motoo Y, Mouri H, Ohtsubo K, Yamaguchi Y, Watanabe H, Sawabu N.
World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Jul 14;11(26):4013-7.
PMID: 15996025 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] - Orally administered Kampo medicine, Juzen-taiho-to, ameliorates anemia during interferon plus ribavirin therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Sho Y, Fujisaki K, Sakashita H, Yamaguchi K, Tahara K, Kubozono O, Ido A, Tsubouchi H.
J Gastroenterol. 2004 Dec;39(12):1202-4.
PMID: 15622486 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]