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Hepatitis C and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 2003 Update
On this page
* Introduction
* Key Points
* What is hepatitis C?
* What does conventional treatment for chronic hepatitis C consist of?
* Why do people use CAM for hepatitis C?
* How commonly do people with hepatitis C use CAM therapies, and what do they use?
* What CAM therapies are discussed in this Research Report?
* What is known from scientific evidence about CAM modalities for hepatitis C?
* What should I do to take care of myself if I have hepatitis C?
* Scientific Research Findings: Selected CAM Treatments for Hepatitis C
* For More Information
* Sources
* Appendix
Introduction
Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus. The disease occurs in acute and chronic forms; symptoms can range from mild (or even no symptoms) to severe. There are conventional medical treatments available for hepatitis C, but some patients also try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).a This Research Report answers some frequently asked questions on hepatitis C and CAM, reviews findings from scientific research on some dietary supplements that have been used as CAM treatments for hepatitis C (milk thistle, licorice root, ginseng, thymus extract, schisandra, and colloidal silver), and suggests sources for further information.
aConventional medicine is medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses. Other terms for conventional medicine include allopathy; Western, mainstream, orthodox, and regular medicine; and biomedicine. Some conventional medical practitioners are also practitioners of CAM. CAM, as defined by NCCAM, is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.
Key Points
* Conventional medical treatment (consisting of a combination drug regimen) for hepatitis C has shown sustained benefit in approximately 55 percent of patients.
* Some of the reasons hepatitis C patients try CAM are that they find conventional drug treatment difficult to tolerate or they do not experience a sustained response to treatment.
* No CAM treatment has yet been proven safe and effective for treating hepatitis C.
* There are many CAM treatments for which benefits for health are claimed. However, it is important to find out what scientific studies have been done on the safety and effectiveness of the CAM treatment in which you are interested. Clinical trialsb are needed of CAM therapies that may show some potential for benefit for hepatitis C, such as milk thistle. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is sponsoring a clinical trial of milk thistle.
* It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any therapy that you are currently using or considering, including any dietary supplements. This is to help ensure a safe and coordinated course of care. source...
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