Some recommendations from the Life Extension Foundation
Green Tea
Milk Thistle
Licorice
Selenium
Vitamin C
Melatonin
Folic Acid
Vitamin B12
Infection with the hepatitis C virus occurs from blood transfusions, needle sharing, working in a medical environment, and sexual contact. Often, the infected individual dows not know how he or whe acquired this potentially lethal virus that has a high affinity for liver cells.
Hepatitis C used to be called non A/ non B hepatitis and was not considered a significant health risk. The growing awareness of this new viral epidemic has resulted in more research being conducted on Hepatitis C than on any other cause of liver disease.
Hepatitis viruses have been shown to induce liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and primary liver cancer via free-radical attacks on liver cells. The enxuing liver dysfunction causes havoc throughout the body. Antioxidant supplements, in addition to antiviral therapies, are used by innovative physicians to protect against the liver destroying free radicals generated by the hepatitis C virus.
The standard treatment for Hepatitis C is Interferon combined with Ribaviron, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. It might be a good idea for those taking ribavirin to also take at least 500 mcg of Melatonin at night in addition to the daily intake of folic acid (800-1600 mcg daily) and vitamin B12 (1000-3000mcg daily).
High doses of green tea and garlic, as well as chelation therapy is recommended to reduce serum and liver iron levels to a minimum. Iron promotes hepatitis virus-induced liver injury, and thus does not allow successful treatment with interferon. Verify that liver iron levels have been reduced before starting interferon therapy.
Liver protecting nutrients should be taken and immune-boosting therapies such as 200 mg of milk thistle extract twice a day; 500 mg of licorice extract three times a day; 2,000 mg a day of garlic; 800 micrograms a day of selenium; 1,200 my a day of N-acetylcysteine, and vitamin C ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 mg a day.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 may protect against ribavirin-induced anemia, which occurs in 10 percent of hepatitis C patients being treated with ribavirin. If anemia does develop using ribavirin, discontinue ribavirin until blood cell counts return to normal. Then resume ribavirin therapy.
For hepatitis C patients who fail the above regimen, the intake of 30 grams a day of whey protein concentrate could boost liver glutathione levels to help protect liver cells against hepatitis C induced free radical liver damage.
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