| Hepatitis C |
Hepatitis C, a liver disease caused by a virus, is usually chronic (long-lasting), with symptoms ranging from mild (or even none) to severe. Conventional medical treatments are available for hepatitis C; however, some people also try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, especially herbal supplements like Turmeric and Ginger.
- No CAM treatment has yet been proven effective for treating hepatitis C or
its complications. However some believe that Turmeric and Ginger may aid in the
treatment of Hepatitis and reduce the side effects of Modern Hepatitis
medication and treatments.
- It is important not to replace conventional medical
therapy for hepatitis C with an unproven CAM therapy.
- Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative
practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your
health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
Hepatitis C, a communicable (contagious) disease of the liver, is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The term "hepatitis" means inflammation of the liver; HCV is one of several viruses in the hepatitis family. If the liver becomes inflamed, it cannot function properly and remove harmful material from the blood or convert food into energy.
Hepatitis C is transmitted primarily through contact with infected blood. It is not spread through sneezing, coughing, food or water, or casual contact. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C; the only way to prevent it is to avoid exposure.
People who are newly infected have what is called acute hepatitis C. Most people with acute hepatitis C develop chronic hepatitis C, which can injure the liver over time. Many people with hepatitis C show no symptoms for many years; others experience mild or more serious symptoms.
People with more serious hepatitis C may need medication—interferon, alone or combined with ribavirin. However, not everyone with hepatitis C responds to drug therapy, and the drugs have side effects that can be difficult to tolerate.
A number of herbal products claim to be beneficial for the liver, and hepatitis C patients who do not respond to conventional drug therapy, cannot tolerate its side effects, or simply want to support their body's fight against the disease may try these products. For example, a survey of 1,145 participants in the HALT-C (Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis) trial, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that 23 percent were using herbal products at the time of enrollment. Although participants reported using many different herbal products, silymarin (milk thistle) was by far the most common.