More Hepatitis comments

[Guest guest]

The two letters that Rob wrote on Hepatitis C has brought several

ideas to mind. First I would like to preface my comments with some

definitions. I mentioned 'cure' in regards to Hepatitis C and Rob

said there is no 'curing' of Hepatitis C - so let me give my

definition of cure in regard to HBV and HCV. I consider that the

goal is to lower ALT levels to mid to low normal and to recover

normal to near normal Liver function - studies show that if ALT can

be maintained in midnormal range for six consecutive months then the

disease has been brought under control and one will have regained

their life - I will give a couple of examples below.

 

A stabilized damaged Liver can function almost normally if it is not

radically stressed - in fact in my opinion controlled Liver disease

creates even more healthy individuals than normal non infected

people simply because they keep their Liver coursed and avoid

stagnation - a common problem in the vast majority of people in the

modern age. The virus will always be with us but we can avoid the

devastation that uncontrolled infection causes - at the very least

treating Liver disease to the extent that ALT can be normalized will

completely improve our quality of life. Our bodies have many

dangerous viruses but they do not harm us because our immune systems

have learned to control them. The same thing can happen in HCV if we

can just get it sufficiently under control so as not to constantly

be stressing our immune system. It is not that HCV is not

controllable by our natural immune functions it is that the virus

has overwhelmed those functions through it's chronic nature - which

has damaged the Liver to the extent that it is not able to perform

it's normal functions - including immune regulation - in the case of

infectious and inflammatory processes in the Liver the virus is

hiding and proliferating in an environment where the immune

functions have no chance. This is why the number one objective in

Liver disease is to drain the congestive processes and improve

fluidity and the flowing quality of the Liver fluids - this allows

the immune system (antigens) to at least get to some of these hidden

viruses and reduce their number - this combined with pathogen

suppressing substances and relieving Liver stress - is often enough

to finally get the virus under control - when the Liver is cleared

and the virus suppressed then the Liver can start the process of

solving it's own problems.

 

I believe that in the future HCV will not be seen as a very serious

disease. The key to success is getting an early diagnosis and

starting treatment before extensive damage is done to the Liver then

long years of decline can be avoided. Since the difficulty in

getting control of the virus has mainly to do with the damage that

has already been done to the Liver – avoiding this damage will make

control of the virus much easier. If we can get control of the virus

while the Liver is still functioning well then obviously this

disease will have a completely different prognosis. Later diagnosis

does not preclude healing it just means it is more complicated and

more difficult. I recommend every one who has chronic energy

problems to have a HBV and HCV antibody test to rule out these

infections.

 

The issues are essentially the same in all infectious processes - it

is the body itself that must learn to heal this infection - as long

as there is suppuration then the pathogen has the medium it needs to

proliferate - remove the congestive processes and bring proper

nutrition and elimination to the area and the pathogen laden tissues

will heal themselves.

 

One way that we can look at these Liver diseases is that the

infection has overwhelmed us and we are having trouble regaining our

balance. Encourage the healing process to every extent possible and

if the threshold of resistance is overcome then we can surely have a

healing. HCV is actually not a very aggressive pathogen - many

people have it for 20 to 30 years before being diagnosed - the virus

has been doing harm but very slowly and surreptitiously therefore an

infectious crisis has not occurred. Many people with HCV are only

diagnosed because of a search for the cause of their fatigue,

depression, mental symptoms, etc. Later stage Liver damage is of

course obvious - but this often comes many years into the infectious

process and after the virus has been causing deeper and deeper

layers of damage.

 

Rob is not correct that HCV can not be healed - it can be in the

same way that any viral disease can be - it can come under the

control of the immune functions. I have seen many cases of even

advanced cirrhosis 'cured' meaning that the disease and the damage

done can be ameliorated to the extent that the quality of life is

not effected. The Liver can regain functioning if the causes of the

malfunctioning are reversed. Perhaps Rob has not seen these clinical

results but I have. I have seen many cases 'benefited' to some

extent or another - and a minor percentage 'cured'. The reasons for

many of these differences I will refer too later.

 

Two recently observed cases -

 

A man had a long-standing case of 'CFS' and was confined to his

house. He had no classic symptoms of Liver infection like elevated

bilirubin and or elevated ALT - he had no idea he had HCV until he

got a case of pancreatitis - at that time he had a workup on the

possible causes of this infection and HCV and HBV antibody tests

were given and he was found to be positive for HCV - because of the

long standing fatigue syndrome a biopsy was ordered and early stage

cirrhosis was discovered. He had two courses of the Ayurvedic

therapy Virachan - this is a technique for removing the acid toxins

from the blood and draining the Liver. He took classic herbal

formulas used for Liver diseases. In my opinion the most important

factor in recovery from Liver disease is diet and drink - the second

issue is what Liver stressing substances we might be exposed to.

This person follows a very carefully modulated Liver supporting

diet. If we habitually take medicines or recreational substances

that stress the Liver the chances that we will recover our Liver

health is not good. This is also true of food – eating properly is

the best way to heal the Liver – my father has helped many people

recover their health after getting Liver infections of various types

using food only. Without the advantage of a master dietary

therapist to help one then the best types of diet are the kind of

diets that Bob Flaws recommends in his books for Liver disease. I DO

NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY RECOVERY FROM CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE

WITHOUT VERY CAREFUL DIETARY CONTROL!!!!! Herbs alone can help many

recover various levels of Liver functioning – but to recover one's

Liver patency will take more than medicines. It is like any

pathological condition medicines can fight the disease but they can

not fight the bad habits that stress the Liver – recovery from

chronic disease always entails learning to live in such a way as to

not stress the organs that are diseased. If one would recover their

health after contracting serious disease processes then they must

become authorities in the disease process and live according to the

rules that the disease is imposing – not drinking alcohol as an

example is an absolute requirement to recovering health of a damaged

Liver – this means exactly that – NO ALCOHOL NOT EVEN A SMALL GLASS

OF WHITE WINE!!! Also we must control our fat intake – many things

can help us to recover from chronic Liver disease but it will take a

very correct and disciplined position to achieve the things

necessary – I am saying that chronic viral infections can be managed

but only if we do the many things necessary to achieve it. Taking

little steps here and there will not achieve the goals – we must

commit ourselves and work with all of our might to get control of

our lives and our Livers and the virus that has attacked it.

Knowledge is our best friend in this process. The case I am

referring to – returned his ALT from 275 to 36 in three months and

his 3 million count viral load returned to undetectable after about

6 months – he has maintained his ALT level in the normal range for

three years now and his Liver has regenerated to the extent that he

has regained his health and gone back to work in a very stressful

career in the motion picture business – he had been confined mainly

to his bed and couch watching TV with many mental issues including

alienation from his loved ones (his wife left him during his

confinement because his affect was so angry and irrational that he

was impossible to live with) – he is newly married – and has started

two new businesses – and a few months ago started learning handball

which he loves – before he was not able to do any physical exercise

at all. Many people who knew him during his `sick' years do not

even recognize him now. This person has gotten control of himself

and his disease – not easily – with hard work and total commitment –

but he results have been exactly as one would expect from one who

lives a health affirming life as opposed to a self destructive life.

 

Another case with good resolution but not as good the other case. A

woman had had HCV infection for about ten years – she contracted

this disease through intravenous route she believes. She had started

into very severe hypoglycemic episodes – she often had hypoglycemic

attacks several times a day – and had passed out a few times – her

sugar problem was so severe she was afraid to go anywhere – she was

instructed to take small amounts of food including carbs, proteins,

and small amounts of fat every two hours – this helped tremendously –

but her digestion was so poor that she always had many symptoms

from these stagnant digestive processes – she had not been able to

get several of her addictions under control – she was addicted to

sweets (many with sugar distribution problems crave sweets) and she

had a many year marijuana addiction that she could not drop plus she

took aspirin and other analgesics for her chronic joint pains

(caused by the Liver disease) – all of these substances kept her

Liver under stress – this combined with a not very good diet had

kept her from getting benefit from the Chinese patent medicines that

she had been taking for some time – yet after seeing a physician who

prescribed a combination protocol using decocted herbs and

standardized herbal products similar to the formulas that Dr. Zhang

uses – she had relatively good result as all of her symptoms

improved and she got control of her blood sugar – her addictions

became less demanding and she took much fewer substances and this

was helpful – after about 18 months she has stabilized a lot and her

aches and pains are less and she doesn't feel as frightened by what

is happening to her – one of the best things is that her sleeping

patterns have improved. Her ALT has come down somewhat but not

dramatically and her viral load has not reduced. These are exactly

the results one would expect in one who is still stressing her Liver

considerably. She is functioning much better and with fewer symptoms

in general – but gaining control of her sugar problems has made an

amazing difference in the quality of her life – she feels much more

stable and has lost much of her fear and erratic nature. This is not

a cure of HCV using the criteria that I gave before but it is

getting her Liver disease under control and perhaps if she keeps

going on this path she will eventually be able to fully manage her

disease.

 

I have seen people healed from Liver infections since my childhood

so do not see Liver disease the way some do as a disease that

medicine has no control over. It simply is not true. Serious Liver

diseases can be affected by herbs and diet very successfully. If one

is under treatment and not getting results look for a different

approach.

 

Many think HCV is a new disease - it of course is not - it is an

ancient disease described in the literature for thousands of years.

In ancient times all Liver diseases were simply seen as variations

of the same disease - it is only in very modern times that we have

been able to distinguish between the various types of hepatitis

virus. The differences in the symptom pictures were clearly

described and the different types of treatments used for

each 'stage' or 'form' were developed. Countries like India and

China have vast experience with this disease. Many herbal therapies

and other protocols have been developed over the centuries all help

to greater or lesser degrees but living in a way as to take all

exogenous and endogenous stress from the Liver is the most powerful

healing tool now and in the past – regardless what the disease is

named.

 

Rob listed the many types of TCM patterns that determine treatment

in classical TCM therapeutics – it is not necessary to know all of

these patterns to treat this disease we simply have to understand

the basics and start from there. One of the physicians Rob quoted

listed some of the basics – I had previously mentioned some of these

factors. Course the Liver and Gallbladder (removing the excess heat

and dampness) – improve circulation – take stress from the Liver

from outside substances in food and chemicals – suppress the

pathogens – build the blood – support the Kidneys - rebuild the

Liver functions. If these are achieved then perhaps the Liver will

be able to do the rest on it's own. TCM is not the only system that

can `cure' Liver disease and the TCM patterns are only one way to

look at the issues – very few western physicians are qualified to

treat disease from the classic perspective of identifying the

patterns – so for the inexperienced practitioner and the person

working on their own disease they will perhaps never understand the

TCM practice of medicine to the extent necessary to reverse disease

process. This is why I do not relate to these highly technical

patterns because it isn't the way I look at disease I look at

disease like a Naturopath – trying to understand the process of

disease and healing in very simple ordinary terms because this is

more relevant to most people. Many can give long analysis of TCM

terminology but can not heal disease while others who know little

about the technical practice of medicine get excellent results using

simple common sense. One of the biggest problems is that when using

powerful medicinal herbs it will be necessary to know exactly what

one is doing to avoid complications and side-effects. In my own case

since I have been trained in several medical disciplines ancient and

modern – I have developed my own way of looking that is a synthesis

of several viewpoints. I always look for what works over theory. I

look for therapeutic concepts that are applicable to the vast number

of cases without complications and sideeffects and that put control

of the disease in the patients hands – the doctor is not always

right and is certainly not going to be there holding the hand of the

patient through the long process of recovery – so a hundred percent

doctor based protocol will probably not work. Example in Dr. Zhang's

protocol it is not even necessary to meet with him to take the herbs

to benefit – because his protocols are universally designed to be

taken by anyone with Liver disease regardless of the individual

patterns. This is always the best approach in any disease process.

In Dr. Zhang's protocol the main variable is Licorice which is

prescribed according to whether the patient has the tendency to high

blood pressure or not – otherwise the herbs can be taken by anyone

with chronic Liver disease. This is the practice of `Superior'

herbal medicine – the one I always recommend over dangerous

potentially harmful medicines. The important fact is that the use of

dangerous medicines are in no way essential to recovery from

disease – they are one technique only – and a technique best left to

the real authorities in technical practice of TCM – this is not

something that can be

picked up in one's spare time – it takes deep training – in my

observation only a small percentage of western herbologists and

acupuncturists are truly qualified to heal disease – I have written

here several times on this issue - but as was said do not wait to

become an expert in TCM herbology before attacking your disease – it

is not necessary. Remember even in China there are many approaches

to healing disease – the TCM of conventional textbooks is only one

way – many take the same facts of the disease process and approach

it in different ways. Understand what is involved in the

pathological process and learn to alter these processes toward more

normal functioning -–diet and control of ingestion of Liver

stressing substances is the first and most essential step – take

medicines which are universally recognized to clear the Liver and

support it's functions – improve microcirulation and thin the

fluids – support Stomach/Spleen and Kidneys – suppress the

pathogens – this is a sure a steady way to deal with a very

challenging disease from the perspective of both healer and

patient. For the practitioner this disease can be very challenging

since so many of the factors are dependent on the ability of the

patient to protect and support the damaged Liver so it can restore

itself – this is not easy for many with severe malfunctions arising

from this disease process – but dedication and patience have payed

off for many.

[Guest guest]

Hello everybody,

 

I,m suffering from spondylitis. If any body know the acupressure point for

that pls help.

 

thanking you

 

regards,

Biju

 

 

 

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