Carrie Louise Daenell, ND

My practice tends to attract Hepatitis C clients. Why? Because, like many of my clients, they are not so interested in natural therapies, as they are in finding a solution to their health challenge. They have often been to several other doctors. Someone tells them that I was able to guide them to a solution, when solutions seemed in short supply. They begin a treatment protocol that often brings them results they hadn’t dared wish for. Am I a miracle worker? No. I am extensively trained in conventional and natural therapeutics. In my practice, the best of both worlds "talk" to one another. Yes, I know therapeutic nutrition, herbs and homeopathy. However, my extensive education in the medical sciences gives me the tools to apply that knowledge in the exact, in-depth and specific way that yields clinical results.

I am a Naturopathic Physician. I am licensed as a primary care provider with active prescriptive authority in the state of Washington. Many states in the U.S. license such physicians. Colorado, where I reside, does not. Therefore, I practice here as a natural health consultant.

Hepatitis C holds a special place in my heart, because it effects so many people, conventional treatment is so unsatisfying, conventional options are few, and the end result of the disease (untreated, or poorly treated) is a very serious medical condition that shortens lives, and quality of lives.

Conventional options do not include any type of vaccination, because the virus "mutates" constantly, even within the same person, over the course of his or her life. There are two conventionally accepted and used protocols. The first protocol is interferon alpha. Response to this protocol is very disappointing. Only 10-15 percent have a positive sustained response of viral clearance that lasts at least six months. Further, this is a drug, a substance that your Hepatitis C-challenged liver must metabolize. The side effects are very uncomfortable and include nausea, headache, fever, body pain, fatigue, anemia, hair loss, irritability, thyroid, lung and eye problems. That is a hefty price to pay for such small short-term gains. Even worse, the second protocol is the combination of interferon alpha and ribavirin. This protocol has a longer period of viral clearance, and for more people. This combination has a 28-66 percent positive response for at least 48 weeks. The very bad news is that this drug combination costs approximately $2000 per month, and the side effects are described as "universal, significant and possibly serious." I have talked with people that have experienced this very expensive treatment protocol. Their description of the side effects is daunting.

As a naturopathic physician, I look to working with the body, not against it. Believe it or not, one could actually work with a virus, instead of "against" it. Most pharmaceutical agents take a toll on the body, and their benefit must be carefully weighed against their "cost." The liver is the first organ to suffer a prescription medication. When the liver is the organ that is suffering from the virus Hepatitis C, it is difficult for me to want to tax it further. Especially when the benefits of that drug are few. First, there is much to be done from the general perspective of wellness. When a body is strong, its immune system is intact, and its over all state of health runs high; then conversely, the activity of a virus of any sort runs lower. This is basic common sense. We all know that a cold sore is a virus, for example, and the more stress that we endure, the poorer our diets, the less sleep we get, the more often they express themselves. In a strong healthy individual, the cold sore virus may lie dormant for months or even years. Same virus… different immune status. Secondly, there are very specific natural therapies for viruses in general, and the Hepatitis C virus in particular. Finally, studies show that the virus itself is not the only thing that leads to "trouble" for the Hepatitis C patient. It is also the oxidative stress, and the special way that fat accumulates and breaks down in a Hepatitis C infected liver that leads to a poor prognosis for a Hepatitis C patient.

Natural therapies focus on vitamins, mineral, herbs and herbal extracts that have been proven in studies to directly affect Hepatitis C activity, and the oxidative stress and fatty metabolism goes along with Hepatitis C activity. Instead of merely attacking the virus, the body, and the symptoms; natural therapies decrease viral activity, support the body, and treat the disease process at the most causal level. Instead of uncomfortable, serious, or unacceptable side effects, patients experience better health over-all, better liver health, increased energy levels, decreased depression, and a stronger immune system.

Natural therapies for Hepatitis C may include:

Anti-oxidants – Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in the liver leads to the cellular biological changes that result in fibrinogenesis, and eventually to life-threatening cirrhosis of the liver. Studies have shown anti-oxidant therapy to decrease hospital stays, improve response to therapeutic drugs, and stop fibrinogenesis in people with hepatitis of various causes Anti-oxidants are: Vitamin A, C, E, alpha lipoic acid, co Q10, grape seed extract, milk thistle, N-acetyl cystein, selenium and zinc, among others.

Silymarin or milk thistle – Anyone interested in natural therapies, and currently taking protease inhibitors is probably also taking milk thistle. Milk thistle protects liver cells from toxic chemicals and free radical damage. It also prevents the inflammation that leads to the fibrotic changes in the liver that become cirrhosis, and actually promotes the body’s production of new liver cells. In the presence of Hepatitis C, this powerful plant has been shown to decrease liver enzyme levels and further decrease the lipid peroxidation that is so destructive to liver cells.

Glycyrrhiza or licorice root – Licorice root is known to stimulate the immune system, decrease inflammation and as a generic, and hepatitis-specific anti-viral. It supports over-stressed adrenal glands, and increases energy and over-all sense of well-being. It will prevent the lipid peroxidation that that leads to liver disease in the presence of the Hepatitis C virus. Specifically with the Hepatitis C virus, IV glycyrrhizin, an active constituent in licorice root, in combination with cysteine and glycine was shown to significantly improve liver biopsies in a relatively short period of time. When taken orally, glycyrrhizin changes into glycyrrhetinic acid. This form is less effective, however both forms demonstrate the ability to protect liver cells.

Uncaria gambir – This plant contains in important class of flavenoids called "catechins." Catechins have been shown in studies to protect liver cells. Catechins demonstrate anti-oxidant effects that prevent the lipid peroxidation that damages liver cells, and leads to the liver diseases associated with the Hepatitis C virus. Further, they are shown in studies to lower liver enzyme levels in various types of hepatitis. Liver biopsies show improvement in studies using catechins.

Beta-sitosterol – This substance may be found in plants such as saw palmetto, milk thistle, ginkgo, and especially wild yam. They have the unique ability to stimulate an immune response against a pathogen, such as a virus, while inhibiting the inflammation that would accompany such an immune response. In the presence of the Hepatitis C virus, this becomes very important. Inflammation in the liver cells, where the virus lives, leads to fibrotic changes and cirrhosis. Beta-sitosterols are able to mount a response against the virus, while preserving the environment, protecting it from the damages of the inflammation that would other wise have resulted from such response. In many situations where the immune system was called upon to respond, the inflammation that it causes would not pose a problem. Hepatatis C infection of the liver cells is unique, in that the very response that kills that virus is also the response that leads to the liver diseases that threaten the well being of the person living with the virus. Therefore you must be careful when fighting this virus, not to cause inflammation. Beta-sitosterols are able to assist in this manner.

Dietary changes – Consider that the Hepatitis C infected liver will suffer dramatically from any toxin that it must encounter. Further, the liver is the organ designed to break down and process toxins. Therefore, any substance encountered by the body that is not a direct nutrient, must be processed by the liver. The Hepatitis C infected liver will move more quickly in the direction of cirrhosis and cancer when forced to process chemicals, colorings, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, drugs, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco products, hydrogenated oils such as those found in margarine, and rancid oils such as those present in fried foods. The most success diet to follow would be one of whole, organic and natural foods, with plenty of clean water.

Nutritional and herbal therapies can run approximately $100 to $200 per month, depending on your over all state of health, treatment goals, and whether it is an initial protocol or a maintenance protocol. This is 5-10 percent of the cost of the "treatment of choice" of the conventional medical providers. It is "good" for you, and you feel infinitely better. Natural therapies treat at a causal level, and improve the overall wellness of the person taking them. I believe that life extension and quality of life improvement for those faced with the challenge of Hepatitis C lies within that person’s access to quality natural care.