Living With Hepatitis - Part Two in This Series

If you've just found out or if you've known for a while that you have Hepatitis C or HCV as it is sometimes referred to; you may be wondering if you should treat it and if so, how. You may understandably have some questions. Some of the main questions I know I had follows. Is there an easier way than the "Standard of Care" that involves taking a injection every 4-5 days? Can I avoid the horrible side effects I've heard about with the treatment? I'm asymptomatic; Should I even treat my Hepatitis C? I will try to answer some of these in this article.

The decision to treat is a personal one. Only you can answer that with your Doctor's input. The "Standard of Care" that most Doctors recommend is the drug called pegylated interferon alpha (Pegasys, PEG-Intron). This drug is often combined with an antiviral drug called ribavirin (Viral). Interferon alpha (Intron A): Interferon is a protein that the body makes naturally in response to viral infections in order to fight the infection. Pegylation describes a chemical process that makes the interferon last longer in the body. The Interferon alpha is the one you take by injection. These two drugs have a lot of side effects that aren't very easy to live with. Especially since you usually take this treatment for at least 24 weeks, and some doctors even recommend it for 48 weeks. Vomiting, diarrhea, and depression are only the tip of the side effects mountain.

It is well-known that pegylated interferon plus ribavirin can induce or exacerbate depressive symptoms that can affect whether you stick with the treatment or decide to discontinue treatment early and ultimately lower treatment outcomes. If you suffer from depression and decide to do the medically "approved" treatment, please make sure you are followed closely for your depression. Even in people without depression at the start of treatment, usually end up needing to take an antidepressant drug.

Here are some of the many reasons for deciding not to treat:

* You are concerned that you might not be able to work.
* You're worried by the potential side effects, particularly depression.
* You are bothered by the fact that the medication is given by self-injection.
* You distrust the pharmaceutical industry and their products.
* You'd rather try natural or alternative medicine.
* You're afraid that treatment will be not be tolerable
* You are scared that the medication will harm, maim or kill.
* You'd rather wait for better HCV medications.
* You are unwilling to go through treatment without better odds of success.
* You feel well and don't want to give that up for a year.
* Your liver has little or no fibrosis and waiting makes sense.

These are all good and okay reasons to not treat at this time. After all, you've probably have had the virus for years and didn't even know it. But there are some things you should do if you decide NOT to treat;

1. Don't drink alcohol.
2. Keep your weight under control.
3. Eat a low fat, high-fiber diet. Include fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
4. Aim for 30 or more minutes of exercise every day. If you're not sure about exercise, a simple place to start is tby walking 5 to 10 minutes a day and gradually increase your walking. Take the stairs instead of the elevators.
5. Protect your liver from other viruses Get your flu vaccines, and the Hepatitis A & B vaccines if you haven't already.
6. Get regular check-ups. Your doctor will want regular labs to know if your viral load (the amount of antibodies in your blood) is going up or staying relatively stable.

If you decide to try to treat with an herbal remedy, you need to do your research. Many herbs are toxic to the liver. There are a lot of claims that this one is better than that one, but for your own safety, get advice from a doctor or professional who specializes in alternative medicine.

Some of the herbal/alternative products that I've researched ( asked an herbalist and others, for the best ones) and have found that they do claim to help to keep the viral load down are:

* Liv-52,
* Milk Thistle and,
* Dandelion root.

But DO NOT take them all at the same time. Try one at a time to see which works best for you