The Hepatitis-Cirrhosis Connection Published Article in "The Townsend Letter for Doctor's Patients" HEPATITIS LIVER CIRRHOSIS/HCC
According to the American Liver Foundation, more than 25 million Americans are afflicted with liver and gallbladder disease and more than 43,000 die of liver disease each year. While several factors contribute to liver damage, viral hepatitis is the single most important cause of liver disease in the United States and worldwide. Roughly 200 million people worldwide are infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). 4.9 million of those are in the United States (estimates go as high as 15 million) and 5 million in Western Europe. For every one person infected with the AIDS virus, there are more than four infected with Hepatitis C. There are up to 230,000 new hepatitis C infections in the U.S. every year. Currently, 8,000 to 10,000 deaths each year are a result of HCV. Within the next 10-20 years, chronic hepatitis C is predicted to become a major burden on the health care system as patients with no symptoms progress to end-stage liver disease and develop hepatocellular carcinoma. Predictions in the USA suggest that there will be a 60% increase in the incidence of cirrhosis, a 68% increase in hepatoma incidence, a 528% increase in the need for transplantation, and a 223% increase in liver death rate.
The roles of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in causing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are well documented. The frequency of HCC correlates with chronic HBV infection rates. HCC is a cancer arising from the liver. It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma. HCC is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the majority of patients with HCC will die within one year because of the cancer. The majority of primary liver cancers (over 90 to 95 %) arises from liver cells and is called hepatocellular cancer or carcinoma. In 1990, the World Health Organization estimated that there were about 430,000 new cases of HCC worldwide, and a similar number of patients died resulting from this disease. Moreover, recent data show that the frequency of HCC in the U.S. overall is rising. Is there a way to curb this rise?
A Healthy Liver is Essential!
While there is no cure for hepatitis and no completely effective treatment, the threats resulting from HCC, cirrhosis, and various hepatitis strands may best be combated by supporting the liver with natural supplements.
Extreme Health's Liver Support Formula
This extremely effective combination of ingredients has Double Blind Studies verifying decreases in degenerative liver damage in patients with chronic liver disease (cirrhosis of the liver) in as few as 30 to 90 days. This combination has proven studies for detoxifying the liver, normalizing liver metabolism and preventing further liver damage due to internal and external toxins like alcohol, cigarettes, long term pharmaceutical use, and environmental poisons.
The artichoke bud / sarsaparilla extract utilized in Extreme Health's Liver Support Formula is an entirely unique complex of phytochemicals extracted from the bud of a hybrid artichoke plant (Cynara floridanum) and the root of the sarsaparilla plant (Smilax officinalis). Proprietary extraction process uses a method in which all plant materials are first combined, macerated, and put into a distilled water / ethanol solvent. This allows the plant materials to interact within the solvent resulting in an exceptional, health-providing formulation of polyphenols and flavonoids.
The artichoke has a long folk history in treating many liver diseases. Recent evidence supports this longtime use. The active ingredient in artichoke is cynarin. This compound is found in highest concentrations in the leaves. Cynara extract has demonstrated liver-protecting and regenerating effects, and promotes the outflow of bile from the liver to the gallbladder. This is very important because if the bile is not being transported adequately to the gallbladder, the liver has an increased risk of being damaged.
Again, there is no cure or completely effective treatment for hepatitis, however the risk of hepatitis-related cirrhosis should not be ignored. Extreme Health is proud to offer perhaps the only liver support protocol with Double Blind Studies verifying its ability to decrease cirrhosis-related liver damage.
The Liver's Functions Include
An expanding corpus of scientific studies verifies the healthy liver's prophylactic role in maintaining optimal health. This is precisely due to the liver's role in regulation, synthesis, and secretion of substances key to maintaining a healthy body. The liver's functions include, but are not limited to the following:
- Converts nutrients into energy
- Helps resist infection
- Metabolizes proteins
- Helps regulate blood-sugar levels
- Filtering and removing toxins
- Removing drugs in our system
- Manufacturing and storage of bile
- Removing bacteria from our system
- Regulating fat storage
- Manufacturing protein and nutrients
- Storing iron and essential nutrients
- Manufacturing new body proteins
We easily comprehend why the liver is considered the body's refinery. Accordingly, an overburdened, toxic, or otherwise diseased liver necessarily comprises centrifugal detoxification organs such as the kidneys and gallbladder and can result in extreme pain and even death within 12 to 24 hours! Reciprocally, various diseases and viruses actually engender liver damage; the most dangerous of which is potentially hepatitis.
Complications
- 25,000 Americans die of cirrhosis, the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
- 85% of individuals infected with HCV will develop long-term infection.
- 75% of individuals may develop chronic liver disease.
- 15% of individuals may develop cirrhosis over a long period of time.
Fatty Liver (Steatosis) Steato Hepatitis / Cirrhosis
Fatty liver or steatosis is a common condition where fat has accumulated within liver cells (hepatocytes) without causing any specific symptoms. Recent studies demonstrate that a fatty liver of either alcoholic or non-alcoholic origin can lead to inflammation, cell death, and fibrosis (steatohepatitis), and eventually even cirrhosis.
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