Research & Treatment News
February 28, 2008
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As your main environment, make sure that your home serves you best. Six simple feng shui suggestions give people with Hepatitis C some tips for improving the energy flow in their home to benefit their liver's health.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
Living with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) just may be one of the biggest challenges many people will ever face. A condition that has a 50 percent chance of being helped by harsh, side-effect-laden medications, countless individuals managing HCV spend their days trying to prevent their illness from progressing into full-blown, irreversible liver disease.
In addition to keeping their viral load low, strengthening the liver is how individuals with HCV live a long and rewarding life. To accomplish this goal, those affected are continually searching for safe, inexpensive, logical ways for maintaining their overall health – especially their liver’s health. While most people seeking solutions for wellness search for items they can put inside their body, the practice of feng shui may accomplish a similar feat by paying heed to that which surrounds our bodies.
Feng Shui
An ancient Chinese art and science used for over 5,000 years to heal, balance and enrich people’s lives, feng shui is the practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. A complex body of knowledge that reveals how humans are connected to their environment, applying feng shui principles may improve various aspects of one’s life, including a person’s health.
Feng shui practitioners aim to determine what environmental causes may be impeding the optimal flow of energy for different areas of an individual’s life, such as health, wealth, family, relationships, career, friends, fame, children and knowledge. The methods for analyzing a space and the cures used to correct any problems can vary from esoteric modalities used for centuries to technological solutions conceived in modern times. A physical location where feng shui has been used to create balance generally transfers positive feelings, enhanced health and prosperous endeavors to its occupants – regardless of their personal beliefs in these methods.
Health
According to the time-honored traditions of feng shui, there are several general locations in a home or workspace that correspond with a person’s health.
· The Center – The decorations and order kept at the center of a home, also referred to as the heart, can impact a person’s overall physical, mental and spiritual health. Our health is the center of our lives; when struggling with an illness, all of the other parts of life seem out of balance.
· The East – Concentrating on the most eastern area of your office, room, home or garden provides a powerful opportunity to activate a space’s impact on health. When using the ba gua, a feng shui map used to identify different areas, the east is always associated with health.
· The Kitchen – The state of a kitchen is believed to directly correlate with the occupant’s state of health. As the primary detoxifying organ in the body, the liver is most affected by the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Feng Shui Tips to Help Liver Health
While cleaning, decorating and rearranging your home may help improve the degree of your health, it is only suggested as an adjunct to therapies discussed with a physician, not as a replacement.
By creating a healthy and vibrant home environment, you have a safe, peaceful and energetically balanced space where your body can let down its day-long protective shield and focus on regenerating and self-healing. Some simple feng shui tips for improving liver health include:
1. De-clutter – Clearing out clutter and replacing it with a clean, organized space allows energy to flow more freely. This is especially important if one of the health areas of your home (the center, the east or the kitchen) is filled with boxes and other junk. Likewise, make sure your refrigerator is clean and cleared of unused or old items. The center of a home must be clean, clutter-free and open in order to prevent stagnant energy from congesting one’s health.
2. Laughter – Known universally to be the best medicine, laughter is ideal for managing a chronic disease like HCV. Add something that tickles your fancy to the center of your space for holding a light-hearted energy for your health.
3. Mind the bathroom – There are many opportunities to flush good health away in the bathroom. Keep bathroom doors closed, toilet lids down and shower curtains pulled closed to prevent life-giving energy from flowing out of your home.
4. Use plants to detoxify – Improving the quality of your indoor air with plants is a well-known feng shui tactic. Especially for those trying to reduce the toxic load on their liver, most indoor plants remove chemicals from the air. Since only healthy, vibrant plants support a person’s health, be certain that your plants are well-cared for and well-suited to your home’s light and climate. Several specific plants that purify the air include peace lily, Boston fern, English ivy, rubber plant and spider plant.
5. Bring in healing elements – Placing a picture or other representation of a medicinal plant or other item symbolizing healing in the eastern area of your home may improve health. For HCV, some examples include hanging a picture of dandelion or milk thistle (herbs known to improve liver health) in the East on an eastern wall.
6. Feng shui your bedroom – Making sure energy flows gently in the bedroom provides an ideal space for your body to regenerate, replenish and heal itself during sleep. Since metal conducts electricity and enhances electromagnetic fields, reduce or eliminate metal objects from your bedroom. In addition, avoid sleeping under beams or a sloped ceiling or with your feet in line with the door.
As a complex mix of art and science, there are many levels addressed in a feng shui evaluation of a home or business. To maximize the way your living space can support your health, you have the option of studying feng shui or consulting with a feng shui expert. While everyone may not believe that these six tips will improve their HCV outlook, most will recognize an improved feeling of well-being after instituting them. Regardless of your personal beliefs about the ancient Chinese art and science of interior design, thinking about optimal energy flow focuses your attention on the most important thing – liver health preservation.
References:
http://fengshui.about.com, Top 10 Air-Purifying Feng Shui Plants To Improve the Feng Shui of Your Space, Rodika Tchi, About.com, Inc., 2008.
http://fengshui.about.com, Feng Shui for your Health, Know Feng Shui.com, 2008.
http://fengshui.about.com, How To Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, Rodika Tchi, About.com, Inc., 2008.
http://home.ivillage.com, Improve your Health, Karen Rauch Carter, iVillage, 2008.
www.acufinder.com, Feng Shui for Health and Well Being, Melanie Smith, DOM, AP, Acupuncture Magazine, Winter 2007.
www.care2.com, Improve your Health with Feng Shui, Adapted from The Basics of Feng Shui, Phoenix, Perfect Harmony, 2000.
www.dreamsalivemagazine.com, Feng Shui For Your Health And Vitality, Rodika Tchi, MSc, Dreamsalivemagazine.com and Designing Online, Inc., 2008.
Posted by Editors at 1:57 PM --- Printer-friendly version
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Even though there are more reasons than ever for those with chronic Hepatitis C to have a daily glass of grapefruit juice, there is a catch. Unfortunately, there is a long list of medications that can be dangerous when combined with this fruit.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
In the aftermath of recent research from Massachusetts, those with Hepatitis C are likely consuming more grapefruit than ever. By concluding that a compound in grapefruit likely prevents the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) from proliferating, this citrus fruit may accompany antiviral medication prescriptions in the future. However, anyone with a chronic illness considering adding grapefruit or its juice to their shopping list must be aware of the danger it could potentially inflict.
The Research
An investigative team from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine recently announced details about HCV propagation and the role grapefruit may have in hindering it. Apparently, Hepatitis C virus binds to a very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL) before it is secreted from liver cells to re-infect additional liver cells. Otherwise referred to as the bad cholesterol, vLDL functions as the body’s internal transport mechanism for lipids. According to lead author Yaakov Nahmias, Ph.D., “By finding that HCV is secreted from infected cells by latching onto vLDL, we have identified a key pathway in the viral lifecycle.”
Since HCV does not integrate its genetic material into the DNA of infected cells the way HIV does, totally clearing the virus is possible if new cells were not being infected. Therefore, interfering with the transport of HCV out of cells holds a great deal of therapeutic promise.
Scientists found that by blocking vLDL with a compound in grapefruit, Hepatitis C lost its vehicle and thus was stopped from expansion. Grapefruit's bitter taste is caused by the presence of the flavonoid naringin, which is metabolized into naringenin, an antioxidant known to reduce the secretion of vLDL from liver cells. The Massachusetts investigators confirmed that naringenin reduces the secretion of Hepatitis C from infected cells.
Another Grapefruit Advantage
Although focusing on a different component of the grapefruit, previous research supports the hepatic potential of grapefruit. Phytonutrients in grapefruit, called limonoids, inhibit tumor formation by promoting the formation of glutathione-S-transferase, a detoxifying enzyme. This enzyme sparks a reaction in the liver that helps to make toxic compounds more water soluble for excretion from the body.
Since those with chronic Hepatitis C are at a greater risk for developing cancer of the liver, inhibiting tumor formation is especially important. By helping the liver clear out cancer-causing toxins, limonoids’ promotion of detoxification enzymes is a simple way to ward off the development of cancer.
Grapefruit Warning
While just a few of grapefruit’s many health benefits are described above, there is a bittersweet side to this popular fruit. Grapefruit and its juice can be dangerous to people who take certain medications.
Amy Karch, RN, MS, of the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester Medical Center, an expert on drug interactions, explains that grapefruit juice is one of the foods most likely to cause problems with medications. The cytochrome P-450 3A4 enzyme breaks down grapefruit juice into useful components for the body, just like it breaks down dozens of medications. Grapefruit juice can block this enzyme, making it easier for medications metabolized by the same pathway to pass rapidly from the digestive system to the bloodstream. The result is blood levels of the drug rising faster and higher than normal. In some cases the abnormally high medication levels can be dangerous.
Consisting of more than 50 medications, interactions with grapefruit juice are well-known among researchers and clearly documented on warning labels. However, people commonly fail to comprehensively read the warning labels about drug-food interactions. In addition, it doesn’t take much grapefruit juice to boost the levels of drugs that are susceptible. A single glass can produce a 47 percent reduction of the intestinal enzyme that regulates absorption. Since the effect of grapefruit juice wears off slowly, a third of its impact is still evident after 24 hours.
While this list is not complete, some of the drugs interacting with grapefruit include:
· Anxiety: Xanax, Buspar, Versed, Halcion
· Depression: Luvox, Zoloft
· Allergies: Allegra
· Abnormal heart rhythm: Cordarone, quinidine
· Heart disease/stroke/blood clots: Coumadin
· Epilepsy: Tegretol
· Cancer: Cyclophosphamide, etoposide, ifosfamide,
tamoxifen, vinblastine, vincristine
· Cough: Dextromethorphan (found in many over-the-counter cold
medicines)
· HIV: Agenerase, Crixivan, Viracept, Norvir, Fortovase
· Prostate enlargement: Proscar
· Heart disease/High blood pressure: Coreg, Cardizem, Plendil, Cardene, Adalat, Procardia, Nimotop, Sular, Covera, Calan, Verelan
· Erectile dysfunction: Viagra, Cialis
· Asthma/Emphysema: Theophylline
· High cholesterol: Lipitor, Lescol, Mevacor, Zocor
· Pain: Alfenta, Duragesic, Actiq, Sufenta
· Infection: Biaxin, Sporanox, erythromycin, troleandomycin
As a person living with a chronic disease, those with HCV may have additional health issues warranting the use of medication. If unsure of a medication’s food interaction data, always contact a pharmacist to be sure.
The new evidence supporting the use of grapefruit in the fight against HCV is exciting, both because it may lead to viral elimination and because it can be done with an all-natural, well-known food source. However, before ordering your next case of grapefruit, make certain you don’t put yourself in jeopardy. If indulging in this sweet, tart member of the citrus family, be certain that any medications you take will not interact with your grapefruit.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org, Very low density lipoprotein, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2008.
www.health.harvard.edu, Grapefruit and medication: A cautionary note, President & Fellows of Harvard College, 2008.
www.peacehealth.org, Grapefruit Juice and Medication, Healthwise, 2008.
www.sciencedaily.com, Grapefruit Compound May Help Combat Hepatitis C Infection, ScienceDaily LLC, 2008.
www.sciencedaily.com, Grapefruit Juice And Medication Can Be A Dangerous Mix, ScienceDaily LLC, 2008.
www.whfoods.com, Grapefruit, The George Mateljan Foundation, 2008.
Posted by Editors at 9:44 AM --- Printer-friendly version
February 26, 2008
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Two big pharmaceutical companies, Schering-Plough and OraSure, have agreed to work together to deliver a rapid, oral Hepatitis C test. In addition to their collaboration within the United States, this new agreement focuses on bringing this technology to additional markets.
AFX News Limited
Schering-Plough, OraSure Tech collaborate on oral hepatitis C test outside U.S.
www.forbes.com
02.11.08, 9:41 AM ET
NEW YORK (Thomson Financial) - Schering-Plough Corp. and OraSure Technologies Inc. Monday agreed to collaborate on the development and promotion of an oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) test outside the U.S.
The test will use OraSure's OraQuick technology platform.
Under the agreement Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ) will reimburse OraSure for certain development costs and will provide payments to OraSure based on the achievement of certain regulatory and commercial milestones in international markets. Schering-Plough will provide promotional support while OraSure will make all sales and retain the rights to market and sell the test in all markets throughout the world.
The agreement builds upon the existing collaboration announced in January 2007 to develop and promote a rapid oral HCV test in the U.S. physicians' office market.
'We believe the global market opportunity for a rapid HCV test is significant and this expansion of our collaboration with Schering-Plough should help drive the adoption of this important product around the world,' OraSure said.
OraSure is a Bethlehem, Pa.-based company that specializes in oral fluid specimen collection devices and diagnostic products. Its stock closed Friday at $7.61.
Shares of Schering-Plough, a Kenilworth, N.J.-based advanced drug therapy company, closed Friday at $19.77.
Melinda Peer
mp/pc
Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
Posted by Editors at 9:55 AM --- Printer-friendly version
February 18, 2008
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Massachusetts researchers have found that a compound in grapefruit blocks the Hepatitis C virus from infecting additional cells. Since the Hepatitis C virus depends on cholesterol metabolism to proliferate, future trials may prove that lipid-lowering drugs or supplements, such as that found in grapefruit, may inhibit the virus.
Grapefruit compound may help fight hepatitis C infection
www.tamilstar.com
Feb 14, 2008, 05:21
A compound naturally occurring in grapefruit and other citrus fruits may help get rid of hepatitis C virus, according to a study published in an upcoming issue of the journal Hematology.
The study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Engineering in Medicine showed naringerin, a flavonoid found in grapefruit, blocks the secretion of hepatitis C virus from infected cells.
Hepatitis C virus needs to latch onto a very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL, a so-called bad cholesterol) to pass on the infection to other cells in the liver.
The effect was observed in cultured cell lines.
"These results suggest that lipid-lowering drugs, as well as supplements, such as naringenin, may be combined with traditional antiviral therapies to reduce or even eliminate HCV from infected patients," said Yaakov Nahmias, PhD, of the MGH-CEM, the paper's lead author.
"Identifying the route by which HCV is released from cells introduces a new therapeutic target," said Martin Yarmush, MD, PhD, director of the MGH-CEM and the paper's senior author.
"That pathway's dependence on cholesterol metabolism could allow us to interfere with viral propagation to other cells and tissues, using tools already developed for atherosclerosis treatment."
Early studies showed hepatitis C virus needs vLDL to maintain its infection and naringenin can reduce secretion of vLDL from liver cells. The current study was meant to examine whether the compound might also lower HCV secretion from infected cells.
Hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of chronic viral liver disease in the United States that infects about 3 percent of the world population.
Eighty percent of persons with hepatitis C have no signs or symptoms but common symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and nausea. Often it transmits from one person to another through contact of blood.
The current antiviral medications can treat 50 percent of cases, but 70 percent are expected to develop chronic infection, leading to cirrhosis or liver cancer in the end.
The researcher said naringerin or other lipid-lowering drugs could be used with other antiviral medications to treat hepatitis C infection if the effect is confirmed in human trials.
Posted by Editors at 1:45 PM --- Printer-friendly version
February 12, 2008
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Experts in the field agree that STAT-C drugs combined with pegylated interferon and possibly ribavirin are the future for treating Hepatitis C. Learn more about STAT-C, as well as the three factors limiting interferon treatment.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
A new era of medical technology is currently emerging for Hepatitis C treatment. The development of specifically targeted antiviral therapy for Hepatitis C (STAT-C) is rapidly advancing and will revolutionize the way this virus is treated.
Today’s standard treatments are based on interferon, a medication that works by modifying the immune system response. However, by targeting the Hepatitis C virus, STAT-C uses a more direct approach than interferon-based therapies.
Although several therapeutic regimens have been developed to treat Hepatitis C, they all focus on interferon. The current standard of care for the treatment of Hepatitis C is combination therapy with pegylated interferon-alfa and ribavirin. While this combination regimen boasts an 80 percent success rate for those infected with Hepatitis C genotype 2, only about 40 percent undertaking this therapy achieve success with genotype 1, the most common Hepatitis C subtype in North America. Hepatitis C treatment programs centered on interferon are limited by three primary factors:
1. Side Effects – Enduring interferon treatment is a challenge; approximately 50 percent of patients are forced to reduce the dosage or stop treatment prematurely due to the severity of side effects.
2. Efficacy – Interferon’s effectiveness is limited; of those who are able to complete treatment at full dosage, approximately only 50 percent achieve sustained virologic response (SVR), otherwise known as an undetectable viral load.
3. Duration – The amount of time in treatment is long; duration times typically range from six months to one year.
Concerns about the efficacy and tolerability of standard peginterferon/ribavirin therapy suggest there is a significant medical need for improved therapies for Hepatitis C. As supported thus far by clinical trial results, the hope for STAT-C is to improve on the three factors limiting interferon treatment: improvement in viral elimination, higher patient tolerability and shorter treatment duration.
Instead of stimulating the body’s natural immune response to the virus, STAT-C directly attacks the Hepatitis C virus. Similar to some of the drugs used to treat HIV, these new medications thwart the enzymes needed for the virus to reproduce.
Resistance
Drug resistance is one of the larger obstacles STAT-C must contend with. Similar to HIV therapy, the antiviral agents composing STAT-C possibilities are limited by being prone to drug resistance. When the virus alters itself to avoid extinction, drug resistance renders the drug useless and makes the new strain even harder to eliminate. However, researchers have found that Hepatitis C resistance may be delayed or prevented by using combinations of potent antiviral drugs without cross-resistance profiles and optimizing patient adherence to therapy.
The Contenders
In terms of possible new anti-virals in the pipeline, the medications thus far are targeting two enzymes required for Hepatitis C reproduction: serine protease and polymerase. Known as Hepatitis C protease and polymerase inhibitors, the early clinical data on this class of drugs is encouraging despite issues of toxicity and virus resistance. Inhibiting these two enzymes has emerged as preferred contenders in the realization of STAT-C.
· Protease Inhibitors – Examples of protease inhibitors currently being developed and tested include SCH503034, VX-950 (Telaprevir), VX500, R7227, ITMN-191, ACH-1095 and TMC435350. While a few of these have been abandoned or altered due to their potential toxicity, the clinical promise of protease inhibitors is enormous. Especially when combined with pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin, most studies recruiting this triple combination demonstrate superiority in rapid Hepatitis C viral load decline.
· Polymerase Inhibitors – Examples of polymerase inhibitors currently being developed and tested include GS9190, GSK625433, R7128, R1626, VCH-759, MK-0608, IDX-184, A-837093, and AG-021541. While some reports on these agents to date have revealed drug resistance and gastrointestinal side effects, the bottom line is polymerase inhibitors have the potential to dramatically drop viral load in a short period of time. As their evaluation continues, an increasing number of researchers are combining polymerase inhibitors with pegylated interferon alfa-2a for greater efficacy.
It is important to remember that many investigational agents never make it out of the development pipeline, either due to suboptimal efficacy or poor safety. However, incorporating the approaches of enzyme inhibition with immune therapy may provide a cure for a substantial percentage of people with Hepatitis C. Experts in the field agree that STAT-C drugs combined with pegylated interferon and possibly ribavirin are the future for treating Hepatitis C.
We can expect that therapy for Hepatitis C will become more complicated, similar to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) used to fight HIV infection. Also like HAART, physicians and researchers must be cautious working with STAT-C, as the virus may become more sophisticated and resist the medications used. Although STAT-C is not a single-pill cure-all, its ability to reduce viral load in a relatively short period of time will revolutionize how Hepatitis C is treated.
References:
http://hcvdrugs.com, Hepatitis C New Drug Pipeline, hcvdrugs.com, 2008.
Sulkowski, MS, Specific targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C, Current Gastroenterology Reports, March 2007.
www.hcvadvocate.org, AASLD: Investigational Antiviral Therapies for Hepatitis C, Liz Highleyman, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2007.
www.hcvadvocate.org, Hepatitis C Treatments in Current Clinical Development, Alan Franciscus, January 2008.
www.medscape.com, Specifically Targeted Antiviral Therapy (STAT-C) for Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C, Zobair M. Younossi, MD, MPH, FACP, FACG, Medscape, 2007.
www.projectsinknowledge.com, Revolutionizing the Way We Treat HCV: Stat-C, Ira M. Jacobson, MD, John G. McHutchison, MD, FRACP, Jean-Michel Pawlotsky, MD, PhD, Charles M. Rice, PhD, Projects In Knowledge, Inc., 2007.
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