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Hepatitis C Survival
A Survival Guide for Everyday Life
by Dr. Sandra Cabot
Summary
When one is faced with the prospect of living with the hepatitis C
virus for the rest of their life, it can be devastating on a
psychological level. One of the main reasons for this is that it is
difficult to deal with uncertainty, especially when you feel powerless
to change anything your self.
Well it does not have to be like this because you have the ability
to protect your body from this virus to a very significant degree, even
if the virus remains in your body.
In my experience as a medical doctor, I like to condense things down
to vital strategies and for any chronic illness and/or infection these
are -
- Make it show results within 4 to 6 months
- Make it achievable for busy people
- Keep it simple and basic, as most people are not capable of making
or willing to make huge changes to a diet and/or lifestyle that they
enjoy
- Keep it affordable especially for those on a budget
- Keep it honest with realistic expectations
Nutritional Medicine is your best strategy
Protect & Repair your liver with Nutritional Medicine
Thank God that the liver is able to repair and regenerate itself
because this is what enables many hepatitis C sufferers to completely
turn their life around. Because of this amazing design feature of the
liver, there is always hope.
It is important to understand that the chemotherapy of
Interferon/Ribaviron is designed to eradicate the hepatitis C virus.
This chemotherapy does NOT directly help the liver; in other words it
will NOT improve liver function or promote liver repair. Thus even if
you have used or will use this type of chemotherapy, it is foolish to
disregard the power of nutritional medicine.
Nutritional medicine can effectively improve liver function and stimulate
the regeneration of new healthy liver cells, as well as repairing damaged
liver cells. We have many testimonials from hepatitis C patients who have
achieved this using our simple and easy strategies. This is evidence based
medicine, as there is a huge amount of research that shows that the use
of specific herbs, vitamins, minerals and foods can improve liver function.
Of course you should always seek guidance from a professional Naturopath
or doctor before trying anything, and remember you can always contact
our service via email or telephone.
Vital survival strategies for Hepatitis C sufferers
A 38-year old man with hepatitis C phoned our American office in
Phoenix Arizona during October 2003 and complained to one of our
naturopathic doctors that he found our approach to hepatitis C too
difficult. He was genuinely upset, as he wanted to improve his health
quickly, because he had a very high viral load count and a virulent
genotype. He had the typical dilemma of whether he should take
chemotherapy or not, in view of the awful side effects he was sure to
endure, as well as the slim chances of success he was given because of
the nasty genotype he had. So he wanted to try nutritional medicine
first to see if he could avoid the chemotherapy. However he found the
dietary strategies in the Liver Cleansing diet Book, too strict, rigid
and foreign for his lifestyle and tastes. He also thought that he would
have to take 10 different tablets/supplements to improve his chances of
success, and he was unable to afford the cost of this. No wonder he
felt angry, confused and powerless!
So here is my reply to this relatively young man, who in all
probability faces a lifetime living with the nasty hepatitis C virus.
- You do NOT have to make sweeping or huge changes to your diet and/or
lifestyle - only a few vital changes/additions are required
- You do NOT have to take lots of different expensive supplements or products
- You will see results within 4 to 6 months, which will manifest in
an improvement in well-being and energy. Many of our patients will
achieve a reduction in their liver enzymes within 4 months, which
translates into an improvement in liver function.
The vital strategies which you need to follow are -
1 . Include salads in your diet.
Made with fresh raw vegetables such as tomatoes, shallots, sliced red
onion, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, endives, radicchio, celery, red
radish, avocado, shredded cabbage, carrots and beets and grated
horseradish, ginger etc. You can use a dressing of cold-pressed oil,
apple cider vinegar and/or lemon and lime juice. Try to have a salad 4
to 5 times a week, or ideally every day.
2. Make yourself raw vegetable and fruit juices regularly .
Ideally you should do this everyday, however even if you make raw
juices only two to three times a week, you will see tremendous
benefits. Raw juicing is vital - you will need a juice extracting
machine, which is a worthwhile investment.
A basic juice to improve liver function can be made with equal parts of -
- Apple
- Carrot and/or beet root
- Cabbage of different colors - one week choose a purple-red cabbage and the next week choose a green cabbage.
It is even better to use different combinations of vegetable and
fruit juices and for delicious and powerful healing recipes I recommend
that you get my book titled "Raw Juices can save your Life"
Reduce or avoid the use of -
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Sodas and diet pop
Some people will find that these substances upset their sense of
well-being, whilst in others a small to moderate intake of coffee and/or
alcohol produces no adverse effects. It really is a trial and error thing.
Do not drink more than 2 alcoholic drinks daily and ideally, do not drink
alcohol every day.
Heavy smoking of cigarettes will weaken your immune system compromising its ability to fight the virus.
Things you do NOT have to do
You do not have to -
Become vegetarian and you can enjoy red meats, pork and poultry. It is
advisable to eat only fresh lean good quality meats and poultry. Try not
to consume excess amounts of preserved meats such as pizza meats,
jerky, salami, provolone, sausages, hot dogs or hamburger meats, as
these are often high in unfriendly bacteria.
You do not have to -
Follow the Liver Cleansing Diet unless you want to, as some people will
find it does not suit their tastes and/or lifestyle. You will find more
recipe ideas in my book titled "The Healthy Liver & Bowel Book."
You do not have to -
Become obsessive about using organic foods and/or produce or avoiding
all fast foods. It is important to enjoy life and the stress of trying
to be perfect will weaken the immune system and make you more likely to
blow your new found good habits completely. Many people with hepatitis C
have financial problems and cannot afford to purchase expensive
organic foods and indeed this is not necessary. As long as you purchase
fresh fruits and vegetables and consume these regularly you will
achieve the desired result in improving your liver function and immune
system.
You do not have to -
Purchase an expensive juicer - if you are on a budget, a basic juice extracting machine will do the job very well.
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