Approximately 4 million Americans have hepatitis C. Sadly, most of them have been told by their doctor that even with treatments designed to hold the virus at bay, they’ll eventually require a liver transplant. But this dire outlook is just not accurate as far as I’m concerned. Here’s why.
Conventional medicine’s marginally effective drugs
Conventional physicians usually treat hepatitis C with two drugs: injections of interferon, an immune booster, and ribavirin, an oral antiviral. This duo makes for a rough treatment course.
Interferon causes substantial problems that include, but are not limited to:
- Flu-like symptoms
- Insomnia
- Thinning hair
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fatigue
- Psychiatric problems, i.e. anxiety, depression, and intense irritability
Ribavirin has serious side effects as well, including hemolytic anemia, which is marked by the destruction of red blood cells and increased risk of heart attack. It has also been linked with headaches, shortness of breath and cough.
Side effects notwithstanding, interferon isn’t all that effective over the long term. The main goal of treating hepatitis C is to retard the progression of serious problems such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), cancer and liver failure.
However, research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine casts doubt on interferon’s prolonged use for the management of this disease. The Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis, or HALT-C, trial followed more than 1,000 patients for three and a half years and found that those who were treated with interferon fared no better in terms of disease progression than those who were not treated.
Though adding ribavirin to interferon does increase response rates – halting disease progression in approximately 40 to 50 percent of patients – it still leaves at least half of those afflicted to ultimately face liver failure, transplant or death.
A safe, natural treatment that works
Fortunately, there is hope for people with hepatitis C – not with a pharmaceutical approach, but with an extremely effective natural protocol.
More than 25 years ago, my friend and colleague, Burton Berkson, M.D., developed a treatment for hepatitis C and other liver disorders. Dubbed “triple therapy,” it features three nutritional supplements: alpha lipoic acid, silymarin and selenium. All three of these are powerful antioxidants, but each of them has additional unique benefits for the liver.
- Alpha lipoic acid boosts levels of glutathione, a detoxifying antioxidant that is particularly protective of the liver.
- Silymarin, an herbal extract derived from milk thistle, also increases glutathione levels, plus it curbs inflammation and rejuvenates the liver by stimulating the production of new hepatic cells.
- Selenium, a trace mineral, slows the replication of the hepatitis C virus – I like to think of it as “viral birth control.”
Together, these supplements thwart the attack on the liver and put the brakes on disease progression. The daily doses are 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid, 900 mg of silymarin (milk thistle extract) and 400 mcg selenium, taken in divided doses. Look for them in your health food store.
Predictable benefits of triple therapy
Dr. Berkson found that when patients with hepatitis C followed this protocol, their viral counts improved, they felt better and they could resume their normal activities. Best of all, they were able to avoid liver transplants. I’ve also had success using this therapy with my own patients. A case in point:
Just six weeks after starting on triple therapy, one patient’s liver enzymes stabilized, and two of three fell into the normal range. Her viral load dropped from 6,830,000 to 1,120,000 – an amazing five-fold reduction! She was delighted with the dramatic changes in her lab work, as well as her newfound health and wellbeing.
To maintain these improvements, I told her she would need to use triple therapy indefinitely, and she felt that taking a few supplements each day was a pretty good trade-off.
The choice is yours
The question arises: Are hepatitis C patients better off taking two powerful prescription drugs that have damaging side effects and little hope of stopping the progression of liver damage – or would they be best treated with safe, nontoxic alpha lipoic acid, silymarin and selenium? As Dr. Berkson’s published results and patient success stories show, triple therapy is obviously the best choice.
However, whether you’re given any options at all depends on whom you turn to for treatment. For decades, physicians specializing in the treatment of hepatitis C have turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to this effective and inexpensive natural approach. They are like disciplined band members playing music composed and directed by Big Pharma.
I predict that this closed-minded approach to hepatitis C will contribute to an inevitable tidal wave of liver failure, transplants and death from this disease.
In Closing
Hepatitis C can lie dormant for years, slowly damaging the liver all the while, before becoming symptomatic. So I recommend you get screened for this disease if you have a history of elevated liver enzymes, have ever used IV drugs, have unprotected sex, have had a blood transfusion or organ transplant prior to 1992 or have had long-term kidney dialysis or treatment with blood products made before 1987. Early detection and treatment are your best bet.
