Antioxidants & Hepatitis C – Can They Really Cure it?

Posted on 30. Jan, 2012 by admin in Health & Medicine

The Cure for Hepatitis C? Over 3.2 million people in the United States have Hepatitis C according to the Centers for Disease Control. This virus passes through blood exposure from person to person. The virus wreaks havoc on the body and can progress to the point where liver function is severely impaired.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is an antioxidant that is in every cell in the human body. Some antioxidants are either water or fat soluble, meaning the body ca n only use them if there is fat or water in the body to help initiate the process. ALA is both water and fat soluble, meaning your cells can use it much more easily than some other antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals in the body and on the skin. Free radicals damage DNA and important cell structures either impairing or killing the cells

How ALA May Cure Hepatitis C

As an exceptionally strong antioxidant, ALA not only neutralizes free radicals but also energizes other antioxidants to continue working to protect the body’s cells Medical researchers speculate that another benefit of ALA is its ability to protect cellular DNA and keep it protected from the hepatitis C virus. This would mean that ALA is providing both an offense and a defense against the virus. Typical treatments combine ALA and other antioxidants to provide another line of defense. While some ALA treatments for Hepatitis C are given orally, the most promising results are from the smaller studies where the ALA mixture is given via intravenous injection.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Aside from a few anecdotal reports of individuals cured by an ALA antioxidant mixture, there is no specific known cure for Hepatitis C recognized by medical science. The cost of the ALA treatment is relatively low, at just $2,000 for a year. This, in comparison to a more traditional treatment like liver transplantation, is like a drop in the bucket. Average cost for liver transplants runs around $300,000, which is 150 times the cost of the promising ALA antioxidant treatment. Even with a liver transplant, 30 percent of patients have the infection spread to the new liver. Liver transplants are covered, at least in part by health insurance. The ALA treatments are not covered because they are considered alternative treatments not approved by mainstream Western medicine. Even with a liver transplant, 30 percent of patients have the infection spread to the new liver. With less risk, significantly less cost and fewer reported side effects, many patients decide to explore ALA as part of their hepatitis C treatment.

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Tags: ala, antioidants, Antioxidants, cures, health, hepatitis, medicine