|
[back]
[print]
[forward to friend]
|
| The Hepatitis Epidemic |
 |
| By Tony Isaacs |
|
Today, an estimated 5 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C -
and most of them don't know it. That is 1 out of every 50
people.....and some will be people you know. One out of every 10
Veterans is infected, 62% of Vietnam Vets have it. Three people with
Hep C die every day, two of them are Veterans.
Hepatitis C is considered an epidemic and is now killing more
people than Aids/HIV...30,000 a year and it's going to get much worse.
The number of adults seeking liver transplants for hepatitis C
infection will skyrocket in the next 20 years. An estimated 10,000 to
30,000 Americans die from this disease each year. Deaths are estimated
to increase because of the increasing risk of infection, and the
resulting cirrhosis, portal hypertension, thrombocytopenia, bleeding
from varices, and liver cancer. Five years ago, 20% of hepatitis C
patients were candidates for liver transplantation and today the number
has increased to about 50%.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), by the year
2008, the cases of decompensation will increase 279%, liver-related
deaths 223% and the need for liver transplantation 528%. Considering
that we don't have enough organs now and people die on transplant
lists, far too many of those precious lives will be lost. For those
fortunate enough to find a donor, the process costs roughly $300,000
during the first 3 months, and can be painful and incapacitating. Add
to this the thousands of dollars for anti-rejection drugs and the costs
of aftercare more frequent visits to health care facilities. The other
option, debilitating and woefully ineffective chemo, runs into the tens
of thousands of dollars and more and has success rates in the mere
single digits
Hepatitis C is called the dragon, because it sleeps for many years
and one day, suddenly, it wakes up and ends your life (people who got
infected 20-30 years ago may just now find out). The Hepatitis C virus
is very old and very smart.....it doesn't kill quickly like the old HIV
virus or like the Ebola virus. Hepatitis C has chosen to infect the
liver. The ONLY organ capable of regeneration. It simmers for many
years, keeping its host alive. It is so smart it uses our own immune
system against us.
Nobody knows exactly where it came from. During World War II, an
unlicensed yellow fever vaccine was released to immunize our troops who
were going to the South Pacific. To stabilize the vaccine, scientists
used serum from Australian Aboregenese, hoping they were immune to
endemic illnesses and that immunity would then be passed to our troops.
Years later, it was discovered that 50% of the Aboregenese had
Hepatitis B and C. A study done by the Veteran's Administration later
PROVED that over 320,000 of our troops were infected. Thousands of them
fell ill with hepatitis and hospitalized or quarantined in their
barracks. When they came back home, they were encouraged to donate
blood. A monster, with the power to mutate, had just been unleashed.
Hepatitis C is transmitted through blood only. That means blood
transfusions with contaminated blood before 1992 (because blood was not
screened), tatoos, body piercing, needle sticks, IV drugs with
contaminated needles, manicures that made you bleed (instruments are
not sterilized), sharing razors, toothbrushes, anything that could pass
infected blood to your blood. Even doing IV drugs once could have given
you the virus or sharing straws with someone that had nasal sores or
bleeding.
A mutating virus for which there is no vaccine. It has many strains
and substrains. By the time they figure something about it, it's
already mutated into something stronger. 70-75% of people have genotype
1, the strain most difficult to treat. 95% of Veterans who have Hep C
have genotype 1. The success rate with traditional modern medicine
treatment is only about 50% and treatment is a whole year and side
effects from the medications are cruel. For Veterans, success rate is
only 19%....and sadly, even that treatment is approved for only 11.8%
of them.
The Hepatitis C virus causes diabetes (40% of genotype 1 have
diabetes), it affects the brain causing depression, it causes lung
problems, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, Sjogren's, cardiac problems, skin
problems, arthritis, stomach problems, anemia, fatigue, and of course,
cirrhosis. After cirrhosis comes DECOMPENSATION. The liver stops
working, the skin and sclera become yellow, your belly looks like
you're pregnant, you're unable to process protein, you get anemic,
confused, the kidneys stop working and many bleed to death.
Many of the people that are infected already have severe liver
damage and don't know it....and they are going to be looking at herbal
products to treat the symptoms they are having. What many people do not
know is that there are at least three excellent inexpensive supplements
that can be used for hepatitis. First of all, an aqueous extract of the
oleander plant made according to the directions in the book "Cancer's
Natural Enemy" (written by the author of this article) has had
excellent results in treating hepatitis-C (the extract, commonly called
"Oleander Soup", is best known as a remedy for treating cancer).
Secondly, the product Colloidal Silver has been used by a great
many people who testify that it is second to none in treating
hepatitis.
There is also an excellent herbal supplement treatment regimen for
hepatitis that is all natural, inexpensive and extraordinarily
effective. Most people in the United States are not familiar with the
Berkson Clinical Study on Hepatitis-C, a study that was never published
in the United States, despite Dr. Berkson's impressive credentials that
include Rutgers, the Max Planck Institute and the Center for Disease
Control (CDS) in Atlanta.
It has been suggested that the real reason the study has never been
published in the states is due to the fact that liver transplants are
highly profitable for mainstreams medicine, costing over $300,000 in
the first three months alone, plus many thousands of dollars afterwards
for anti-rejection drugs and aftercare.
In Doctor Berksons study, which was 100% effective in a limited
study on advanced hepatitis-C patients who were facing either
transplants or chemo, he used a combination of three commonly available
and inexpensive natural supplements, along with healthy modificatioins
in diet, exercise and lifestyle.
And what are the supplements? Milk thistle (silymarin),
alpha-lipoic acid and selenium - all commonly available and
inexpensive. I have used milk thistle for years, after reading long ago
that it was deemed effective at not only protecting the liver but also
in regenerating damaged livers by the German E Commission (their
equivalent of the FDA). Now I take all three supplements to help offset
a fondness for another natural substance - blue agave (smile).
In treating any disease or illness, it is usually an excellent idea
to cleanse the body of toxins (toxins help promote disease and retard
healing). A liver cleanse is a very good procedure to use to help treat
hepatitis as well as a good one for anyone to use as part of a healthy
anti-disease lifestyle. And, since good health begins in the gut, the
same holds true for cleansing the colon. Liver and colon cleanses are
widely available online and at retail natural health product outlets.
Live long, live healthy, live happy!
(With thanks to Sylvia from the Herbal Musings Forum for the Hepatitis-C background information)
More information about the Berkson Clinical Study can be found at http://www.rose-laurel.com/Berksonstudy.htm
|
|
|
|
About The Author
The author, Tony Isaacs, is a natural health
researcher and author of books and articles about natural health and
alternative remedies including "Cancer's Natural Enemy" and "Collected
Remedies" (http://www.rose-laurel.com)
|
|
|
[back]
[print]
[forward to friend]
|
|
