Liver Support and Detoxification
Science has elucidated direct relationships between toxins, free-radicals and disease promotion. Preparing for healthy living must include supporting the body's natural detoxification pathways, and supplying plenty of antioxidants to battle any free-radical activity present. This is especially true for those faced with the additional burden to their liver of the Hepatitis virus.
The vast majority of detoxification taking place in the body happens in the liver. The other organ system that is directly involved in detoxification is the digestive system. Therefore, supplements taken to support healthy and abundant detoxification will support liver and digestive health.
The liver's task is to make toxins neutral and water soluble, so that they may be excreted, safely, without further harming the body. The liver protects all of the other organ systems in the body by doing so. But what will protect and support the liver? There are two phases of detoxification in the liver. Both of these phases must have an ample supply of cofactors in order to run to completion. Sometimes, for example, only phase I will run to completion, and phase II will not have the cofactors available to allow it to further process the toxin at hand. This works against us because often phase I of detoxification will make a toxin MORE toxic temporarily, before it relies upon phase II to completely neutralize it and make it water soluble for elimination. Not only are these partially processed toxins damaging to the body, they are damaging to the already struggling hepatitis-infected liver. Further, the operation of the phase I pathway always produces excess free-radicals, therefore, antioxidant support must accompany phase I and phase two support.
What are some of the cofactors and anti-oxidants that support these pathways? Vitamin and Mineral cofactors and antioxidants include: Reduced Glutathione in combination with anthocyans, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin C and E and Selenium, Magnesium, Mangenese, B-Complex, Zinc, and Copper, Folic Acid, and Calcium D-Glucarate (which is different than calcium as we commonly use it). Amino acids known to support these pathways include: Glycine, Glutamine and Taurine. Herbs known to support these pathways include: Diindolylmethane (from cruciferous vegetables), Bioflavenoids, Quercetin, Green Tea, Milk Thistle, Ginkgo and Anthocyans.
There are many scientific studies that show how these substances impact the degenerative disease state. Perhaps the most dramatic are those that demonstrate the ability of these substances to reduce incidence and severity of cancerous changes in the body. Cancerous changes in the liver are an increased risk for hepatitis-infected livers. For example: In a Phase II IRB-approved, multi-center trial involving 30 patients in therapeutic stasis, where they were unable to make any more progress by the conventional treatments currently available, the patients were given 1600mg of Recancostatâ (Reduced Glutathione and Anthocyans in combination) daily as a sole treatment. Preliminary results show increased survival rates, an improvement in quality of life for 26 out of the 30 patients, and 17% of the patients regained weight.
Supporting healthy detoxification and battling free-radicals in the body with antioxidants is a preventative and health-promoting strategy that any of us can take at any time in our lives. Research indicates that quality nutritional supplementation may prevent and treat chronic degenerative disease states. Hepatitis C infected individuals could benefit from supporting optimal liver health. For healthy living with Hepatitis C, and for healthy living.