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Hepatitis: Bane Of The Baby Boomers
Written by Wellness Club on March 6, 2014 – 10:59 am -By Nurse Mark
Hepatitis C has been much in the news lately, with some articles even going so far as to call it “a new epidemic” affecting millions of “Baby Boomers” – those of us born between 1945 and 1965.
Why have Baby Boomers been hit so hard by this disease? Is it because of drug use, or was it the “sexual revolution” of the ’60′s? Maybe it was environmental toxins or harmful diet or alcohol use? Blood transfusions and medical procedures? Compromised immunity?
Blame has been laid on all of these things and more and the truth is it could be any of these things or it may be none – everyone is different and yet all are the same in that the virus that causes Hep. C can cause devastating damage to the liver and to the quality of life of those infected with it.
Dr. Myatt has been successfully treating Hepatitis C for many years – she does it the old fashioned way, with detailed case study and carefully planned treatment programs. Dietary changes, nutritional optimization, carefully targeted herbal supplements, and other therapies all come together to offer profound results and relief for Dr. Myatt’s patients.
In a recent article titled “Nearly 3 Million Americans Living With Hepatitis C” the conventional Big Pharma website WebMD accurately describes the scope of the problem and the concern that the government’s CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has about the potential for both the suffering and expense that this emerging “epidemic” represents. They also hint at a solution – new drugs. But are drugs the only answer?
Naturopathic and other holistic medical practitioners have long-known that the liver is an amazingly forgiving and resilient organ, able to sustain enormous damage and insults and then heal itself and return to good function when the stress is removed.
The trick is to remove the offending toxin or other stress and to know what things are supportive and healing to the liver, and also what things are not helpful.
Dr. Myatt has shared some of her approaches on her page discussing Hepatitis C, and on another page discusses one of the premier herbs for liver support, Milk Thistle.
Milk thistle (silybum marianum) has been the subject of over 100 clinical trials, primarily exploring it’s role in liver disease. It powerfully protects the liver from the effects of environmental toxins (such as carbon tetrachloride, acetaminophen, iron overload, mushroom poisoning). It is used in Emergency Room medicine in Europe for exposure to liver-toxic agents. Milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant, especially to the liver. It also stimulates liver cell regeneration. It has been proven useful for all types of liver disease, including alcoholic liver sclerosis, hepatitis, protection from environmental toxins, and protection from the liver-toxic effects of many drugs.
So, what about those new drugs that WebMD is talking about? They are not the only ones talking about these drugs; there has been much discussion about them as they are fantastically expensive – as much as $1000 per pill and up to $168,000 for a course of treatment. No wonder the government is worried about this disease!
Even so, when compared to the cost of conventional treatment for the liver damage that Hepatitis C causes, these drugs may be a bargain as they are claiming to provide good “cure” rates and minimal side effects. They will certainly be less expensive than liver transplants and the lifetime of anti-rejection drugs that follow, and can anyone really put a price on the suffering that chronic Hep. C inflicts on it’s victims?
Here at The Wellness Club we are not anti-drug at all – we simply feel that there is a time and a place for everything, and we tend to resort to drugs only when they are absolutely necessary. Gentler, more natural treatments are often all that is needed, and when the “big guns” (drugs) must be brought to bear, natural treatments can work synergistically with pharmaceutical treatments boosting their effectiveness and reducing their side effects.
We will be following these promising new drugs with interest!
And stay tuned as we present more news, updates and information about Hepatitis C in the coming weeks…
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