Hepatitis

An increasing number of patients seek alternative therapies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in recent years because of increased awarenss and screening, which resulted in increased diagnosis. The two important things to note about the diagnosis and the disease is to realize that the disease is frequently mild both in symptoms and course and there is not necessarily an urgency to treat especially given the relative poor efficacy of current standard treatment with interferon and ribavirin. The prognostics fact is that although 85% of patients infected will develop chronic disease, 95% of all chronic HCV cases will die of other causes and 85% will never develop cirrhosis [CDC 1998]. The therapy fact is that only 5-20% of those infected will respond to interferon and despite a 50% response rate with combined interferon and ribavirin treatment, only 25% of treated patients will have a sustainable response, defined as no detectable HCV in blood for at least 6 months [Bisceglie 1999, Branch 2000]. Whenever indicated, as in chronic cases which have have relatively benign scans, biopsies, and/or mild elevations in liver function tests, it may be reasonable to try alternative therapies which reduces liver inflammation (thus retarding the cirrhotic processs) as well as symptoms.

 

Traditional Chinese medicine has proven promising in this regard, and until specific anti-viral therapies and/or other cures, or effective treatments are available, this could be explored. At Meridian, we will evaluate a hepatitis case and recommend further conventional diagnostic testing or even standard treatment with interferon and/or ribavirin as needs be, but could recommend alternatives for those who failed standard conventional therapy or who do not want to take such therapy or those who could not tolerate such therapy. We will use alternative treatments such as Chinese herbs, and could suggest use of unconventional remedies such as MTH-68 or ribavirin without interferon, all depending on the patients clinical situation. Although such therapies seldom cures one of the virus, liver function frequently improves and symptoms such as fatigue are usually reduced or abolished. For more information on Traditional Chinese herbal as well as other alternative therapies for hepatitis C, please refer to our Links section, or email Dr. Chang.