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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Hepatitis c awareness: TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA

Hepatitis c awareness: TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA: "TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA"

Hepatitis c awareness: TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA

Hepatitis c awareness: TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA: "TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA"

TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA

TREATMENT OF AIDS IN AYURVEDA

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Video on Hepatitis C Infection

HCV, Hepatitis C, Autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune to hepatitis c, transplantation, liver transplantation, liver cirrhosis, chirossis, hepatitis b, hepatitis a, udiliv, azoran, hepatic resource powder, silyban, pantocid, pentodac, rifagut, hepamerz, dytor, Kesol, liver transplantation in hepatitis c, ferrium xt, bilbirubin, albumin, immunosuppressant, Duphalac, liver failure, hepatic encephalopathy, coma, pain killer, lasix, lacilactone, medication for cirrhosis, medication for HCV

Complete Treatement For Hepatitis C in Ayurveda

HCV, Hepatitis C, Autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune to hepatitis c, transplantation, liver transplantation, liver cirrhosis, chirossis, hepatitis b, hepatitis a, udiliv, azoran, hepatic resource powder, silyban, pantocid, pentodac, rifagut, hepamerz, dytor, Kesol, liver transplantation in hepatitis c, ferrium xt, bilbirubin, albumin, immunosuppressant, Duphalac, liver failure, hepatic encephalopathy, coma, pain killer, lasix, lacilactone, medication for cirrhosis, medication for HCV

Complete Treatement For Hepatitis C in Ayurveda

Ayurveda and the Liver

In Ayurvedic medicine the liver is the seat of ranjaka pitta along with the spleen. The definition of Pitta literally means bile, which is ranjaka pitta. Ranjaka pitta gives color to all the tissues. The Sanskrit word ?ranjaka? means to give color. Ranjaka pitta is responsible for erythrogenesis, the creation of red blood cells in the bone marrow, which are mixed with rasa dhatu, the plasma. Thus, ranjaka pitta is responsible for giving color to the blood.
The function of ranjaka pitta in the liver is the disintegration of hemoglobin, which produces heme and globin. From heme, bile is produced, and that bile is ranjaka pitta. Its' job is to give color to the urine, feces and sweat.
Ranjaka pitta in the stomach is intrinsic factor, which is responsible for production of blood in the bone marrow. Ranjaka pitta in the spleen kills bacteria and parasites as well as produces some white blood cells (rasa dhatu), so its job is more protective.
There is a functional integrity between the liver, stomach, spleen, and bone marrow. If the function of the liver is affected the bone marrow will also be affected. If the function of the stomach is affected, it will affect the liver. In a way, the spleen is to filter the blood and to send unwanted heavy, old red blood cells to the liver; the liver destroys them and separates the hemoglobin from the blood. Then the liver utilizes the hemoglobin that is liberated for the production of bile salts, pigment and enzymes. Therefore, when the spleen is enlarged the liver may also be enlarged and vice versa.
The Sanskrit word for liver is "yakrut". "Ya" means circulation and "krut" means action. Yakrut is an important seat of fire - the seat of anger, hate, envy, and jealousy. These emotions need to be processed and metabolized. These emotions want to come out but, if we suppress them, they accumulate in the tissues and lead to disease. Ayurveda does not separate emotions from the organs. We cannot separate body from mind and mind from consciousness.
Disorders of ranjaka pitta include hepatitis, anemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and mononucleosis. Excessive bile production or a blockage in the flow of bile usually indicates high pitta, which in turn affects the agni or enzyme activities responsible for absorption, digestion and metabolism. Pitta can be aggravated by many factors of diet and lifestyle. These would include alcohol abuse, eating red meat, eating too much spicy or oily, heavy foods, lack of sleep, too much direct exposure to the sun and smoking. When pitta becomes aggravated liver diseases can result such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. Although viral type hepatitis such as hepatitis C is not mentioned in the classic Ayurvedic texts, similar symptoms are described under "kaamala".
Ayurveda describes two basic types of kaamala (hepatitis or jaundice).
1. Shakhasrita is caused by the minimal aggravation of pitta and kapha, and is easily curable.
2. Kumbha kaamala results from very high pitta and is difficult to cure. It can become incurable if not attended to immediately.
Panaki and haleemaka are two other types of hepatitis or jaundice that are explained in Ayurvedic texts. Panaki is late stage kaamala. Haleemaka is an advanced stage of anemia that occurs when both the vata and pitta are out of balance.

Pathogenesis
Due to the aggravation of pitta by excessive alcohol intake, too much heavy, oily, spicy food, etc. the liver can become diseased. When pitta is out of balance and disease begins in the liver this can result in disease of the blood, muscle tissue, and biliary system. The manifestation of this disease will be ?kaamala' or jaundice.
The symptoms of "kaamala include:
Loss of appetite and taste
Generalized weakness
Yellowish discoloration of the eyes, nails, oral cavity, and urine
Vague body pains
Burning sensation
Weakness in all sensory organs
Once hepatitis is advanced and the immune system is highly comprised emaciation will be present as well. Ayurveda teaches us that hepatitis involves all systems in the body including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and the gastrointestinal system as well as the skin.
Symptoms of hepatitis such as generalized edema ( shotha), excessive thirst (atitrishna), bloody stools (krishna varna mala mutra), vomiting blood (rakta yukta chardi), red eyes (rakta netra), dizziness (bhrama), drowsiness (tandra), total loss of appetite (teevra agni mandya), and hepatic coma (nashta sanjna) indicate that the liver disease is at an incurable stage, and the patient is believed to be terminally ill.
Usually liver disease will present itself with certain signs and symptoms. These may include fatigue, jaundice, loss of appetite, mild fever, joint aches and pains, occasional nausea and or vomiting. Through the pulse you will feel many imbalances including but not limited to prana vata, vyana vata, apana vata, samana vata, sadhaka pitta, pachaka pitta, ranjaka pitta, rasa, rakta and medas dhata. The eyes may appear yellowish and burn which will show up as alochaka pitta in the pulse; the skin may have hives or rashes, which can show up as bhrajaka pitta in the pulse as well. The tongue will have a deep redness indicating the heat of rakta and ranjaka pitta. Palpating the abdomen may reveal a swelling or tenderness in the upper left quadrant where the liver resides. There will be other information available as to the type of lifestyle the person has lived, their constitutioni and physical strength. Out of balance pitta, and poor agni play important roles in the symptoms of hepatitis and other liver disorders. In addition, low ojas is the essence of the immune system. Low ojas makes a person more vulnerable to immune system dysfunction or infections such as hepatitis.
According to Vaidya Ranjeet Nimbalkar, hepatic liver disease is caused by "vimargagamana", which is abnormal flow of constituents in other srotas resulting in abnormal accumulation of that constituent in the srota in which it is abnormally flowing. Also, it causes its defiiciency in its own srotasa. In the case of kaamala there is vimargagamana of raktamala pitta into the raktavaha srota, which should be going to the annavaha srota and excreted trough the purishavaha srota. Due to some abnormality of yakruta it flows into the rakta and then to all of the body. In the case of raktapitta, liquid part of various dhatus because of excessive heat of pitta, drains into rakta increasing its quantity. This is vimargagamana of uadaka of various dhatus in rakta, because of some functional abnormality of yakruta. Rasa and rakta, being liquid dhatus are more prone for vimargagamana. Also rasa and rakta dhatus are responsible for nourishment of all the other dhatus."

Ayurvedic Treatment of Hepatitis C

Any diet or lifestyle activity that aggravates pitta can be a contributor to hepatitis. These would include:
1. Alcohol abuse
2. Red meat
3. Spicy, oily, heavy foods
4. Lack of sleep
5. Too much sun exposure
6. Smoking
Treatment would be to balance pitta dosha and should be individually based for each person's imbalances. Herbs, meditation, diet and bodywork would all play an important role in the treatment. Diet should consist of the following:
1. sweet and bitter vegetables
2. sweet, ripe fruits
3. mung dahl, lentils
4. grains - oats, basmati rice, barley
5. dairy - butter, buttermilk, milk, cream
6. spices - coriander (fresh and dried), fennel, cardamom, dill, turmeric
Yoga postures for those strong enough to perform them should include vajraasana, shalabhasana, halasana, padahastasana, savasana, abdomen lift and stomach lift which are helpful in liver disorders. These should be performed early in the morning or evening. Avoid hot showers or baths. Pranayama breathing is effective. Meditation and chanting mantras in a quiet place is important as well. Walks in nature or gazing at the moon are balancing for pitta as well.
The herbs that are important and effective for treating liver disorders are:
Bhumyamalaki
Bhringaraj
Turmeric
Guduchi
Haritaki
Kalmegha
Kutki
Musta
Pippali
Punarnava
Licorice
Panchakarma therapies important for liver ailments and excess pitta would include, poorva karma (pre-purification measures), abhyangai, pinda sveda, virechana (using avipattikara churna or triphala churna) pizzhichil, and yapana bastii (using licorice, guduchi, katuki and manjista with milk and honey).  After panchakarma subjects should follow the diet and lifestyle that will establish the balance of pitta. This would include avoidance of afternoon sleeping, exposure to hot sun, exertion, anxiety, alcohol abuse, smoking and irregular eating habits. Diet should be mainly fresh vegetarian food as outlined above.
Rasayana therapies after panchakarma should include pippali for fever fatigue, inflammation, liver and spleen enlargements. The dose would be 1 tablespoon twice a day. Also ashwagandha, sariva, jiraka, draksha would be given in the form of a churna for fatigue, immune enhancer and rejuvenator and to decrease the viral load. The dose would be 1 tablespoon twice a day. Lastly triphala at night would be given for immunodeficiency and chronic illness. This would be one tablespoon at night with warm water.

Complication in Hepatitic C

Blood Disorders

  • Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia. This is a disorder caused by abnormal proteins in the blood called cryoglobulins (which in this condition are made up of various antibody types) that leads to joint pains, arthritis, enlarged spleen, inflammation of blood vessels in the skin, and nerve and kidney disease.
  • Monoclonal gammopathy (an abnormal level of an immunoglobulin protein in the blood). This seems to be most associated with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2a/c.
  • Lymphoma. This is a type of cancer affecting a certain kind of cell in the immune system known as a lymphocyte. Though rare, studies have shown an association between chronic hepatitis C infection and B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. This seems to be most common in patients with immunocytoma (a low-grade malignancy) previously associated with cryoglobulinemia.

Autoimmune Disorders

  • Thyroid disease. Among other disorders, patients with chronic hepatitis C can have problems with hypothyroidism. This seems to affect women more than men.
  • Sialadenitis. This is inflammation of a salivary gland that, when it's associated with hepatitis C, is very similar to Sjögren's syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins).
  • Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. Called ITP (or ATP) for short, this disorder causes bruising and bleeding under the skin brought on by a decrease in the number of platelets (destroyed by the immune system).

Skin Conditions

  • Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). This skin disorder is characterized by sun sensitivity, fragile skin, blistering and easy bruising. Though it's not clear how HCV is involved, there is a strong association between hepatitis C and the sporadic form of PCT.
  • Leukocytoclastic vasculitis. This is an inflammation of small blood vessels, sometimes in the skin, which often leads to small, dark, round lesions. This condition may also be present with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia.
  • Lichen planus. This skin condition is characterized by flat-topped, purple-colored itchy bumps on the skin or mucous membranes that can coalesce to form larger plaques. This condition is also associated with many liver diseases, particularly advanced liver disease.
  • Necrolytic acral erythema. This condition, first described in Egypt, is rare in the United States. It's an itchy, psoriasis-like skin disease that is completely associated with hepatitis C.

Kidney Disease

Other Associated Complications

In addition to the above diseases, other problems are associated with chronic hepatitis C infection. These include diabetes mellitus, various eye disorders and osteosclerosis (a type of bone thickening disorder usually seen in patients with a history of IV drug abuse or in patients with hepatitis C after blood transfusions).

Medication for Hepatitis C

Test For Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) test is a blood test that looks for the genetic material (RNA) of the virus that causes hepatitis or for the proteins (antibodies) the body makes against HCV. These proteins will be present in your blood if you have a hepatitis C infection now or have had one in the past. It is important to identify the type of hepatitis virus causing the infection, to prevent its spread and start the proper treatment.
HCV is spread through infected blood.
  • Anti-HCV antibody tests look for antibodies to HCV in the blood, indicating an HCV infection has occurred. This test cannot tell the difference between an acute or long-term infection. The enzyme immunoassay (EIA) may be the first test done to detect anti-HCV antibodies.
  • HCV RIBA is an additional test that detects antibodies to HCV. This test can tell whether a positive result was caused by an actual HCV infection or whether the result was a false-positive. This test may be done to double-check a positive EIA test result.
  • HCV genetic material (RNA) testing uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify an active hepatitis C infection. The RNA can be found in a person's blood within 1 to 2 weeks after exposure to the virus. HCV RNA testing may be done to double-check a positive result on an HCV antibody test, measure the level of virus in the blood (called viral load), or show how well a person with HCV is responding to treatment.
    • HCV quantitative test (also called viral load) is often used before and during treatment to find out how long treatment needs to be given and to check how well treatment is working.
    • HCV viral genotyping is used to find out which genotype of the HCV virus is present. HCV has 6 genotypes, and some are easier to treat than others.
There is no vaccine available to prevent hepatitis 

Test results to detect, diagnose, and monitor HCV include:
Anti-HCV HCV RIBA HCV RNA, Qualitative HCV Infection
Negative No infection or, rarely, insufficient antibody
Positive Negative No infection; likely a false positive
Positive Need to do Negative Likely no infection, past infection, or HCV viral load low
Positive Positive Negative Past infection or HCV viral load low
Positive or Weak or Indeterminate Not done or Positive Positive Current infection
Indeterminate or Positive Indeterminate Negative No infection, past infection, or HCV viral load low

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Kidney Function Test (KFT) Report for HCV Positive Patient

LFT for HCV Positive Patient

Most important component of KFT or Kidney Function test is urea and creatine. The range of value in which these varies is  (10 to 50) and (0.4 to 1.1) respectively. Renal failure is one of the complication in liver deseases so, KFT have to be periodically monitored.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Liver Function Test (LFT) Report or Liver Profile test for HCV Positive Patient (diagnosed with HCV a month ago)

 

  • Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or aspartate aminotransferaseASAT/AAT/AspAT) ( is a enzyme associated with liver parenchymal cells. It is raised in acute liver damage. It is also present in red blood cell and cardiac muscles, skeletal muscle, and kidney and brain tissue, and may be elevated due to damage to those sources as well. Reference range of SGOT for male is 8 - 40 IU/L and the range for female is 6 - 34 IU/L 
  • SGPT: Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart are damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or with heart attack. Range of SGPT is less than 31.00. 
  • GGPT is a liver function test to how well your liver is functioning low is good High is bad 17-37 is within normal ranges. High means your liver enzimes are too concentrated. It is a test that is done if the Alkaline Phosphatase is abnormal. Alkaline Phosphatase can come from Liver, Bone and other sources. Whereas GGTP is more specific to the liver. If your Alk Phos is abnormal and GGTP is normal, then there is a reasonable chance that abnormal Alk Phos was not coming from the liver.   
  • Alkaline phosphatase: An enzyme made in the liver, bone, and the placenta and normally present in high concentrations in growing bone and in bile. Alkaline phosphatase is released into the blood during injury and during such normal activities as bone growth and pregnancy. It is measured in a routine blood test.Reference range is 95 - 240 U/L. 
  • Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment found in bile, a fluid produced by the liver. Bilirubin is excreted in bile and urine, and elevated levels may indicate certain diseases. It is responsible for the yellow color of bruises, urine, and the yellow discoloration in jaundice. Reference range for direct bilirubin is less than 1.00, it is less than 0.3 for direct bilirubin and 0.7 for indirect bilirubin. 
  • Serum total protein, also called plasma total protein or total protein, is a biochemical test for measuring the total amount of protein in bloodplasma or serum. Protein in the plasma is made up of albumin and globulin. The globulin in turn is made up of α1, α2, β, and γ globulins. Its range is 6.60 to 8.70. 
  • Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A serum albumin test measures the amount of this protein in the clear liquid portion of the blood. Reference range is 3.4 to 4.8.  
  • The albumin/globulin ratio is the calculation of serum albumin compare to serum globulin level to determine whether there is an overproduction or underproduction of gamma-globulin. A low A/G ratio may be due to overproduction of gamma-globulin (monoclonal/polyclonal gammopathy,  multiple myeloma or autoimmune diseases etc.) or due to low albumin (low production as  in cirrhosis or excessive loss as in  nephrotic syndrome or protein losing enteropathy etc.).In contrast, if the A/G ratio is high then one should look for diseases with low gamma-globulin production such as agammaglobuminemia. Reference range is 0.90 - 2.00.

    Friday, September 24, 2010

    what is HEP C

    Hepatitis C is a liver disease. Liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes significant morbidity and mortality among patients with endstage renal disease (ESRD) treated with hemodialysis (HD). Prevalence of anti-HCV antibody among HD patients is consistently higher than in general population indicating increased risk of acquiring HCV infection among HD patients. The hepatitis C virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact. Most people have few, if any symptoms after the initial infection, yet the virus persists in the liver in about 85% of those infected. Persistent infection can be treated with medication, pegiterferon and ribavirin being the standard-of-care therapy. Fifty-one percent are cured overall. Those who develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may require a liver tranplant, and the virus universally recurs after transplantation.

    Until 1989 medical science was unaware that it even existed. There was no name for it and people that had it and actually had symptoms, either went undiagnosed or the liver problems were labeled as other diseases. Before the disease was identified doctors were seeing patients with a form of hepatitis that was labeled ?non A or non B? hepatitis. Once they discovered that it was a different and unique form of hepatitis, they named it hepatitis C. It has been called the silent killer. Doctors quickly realized that this ?new? form of hepatitis was particularly deadly because patients often had little or no symptoms other than flu like aches and pains, fatigue and occasionally, elevated liver enzymes (ALT and AST) until their liver failed due to cirrhosis or cancer. Although this was particularly troubling, they soon realized that because the disease had only recently been discovered, that infected people had unknowingly been donating blood and that the disease had been transmitted through blood transfusions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that over the coming decade the death toll from hepatitis C will triple, surpassing that of AIDS. Four times as many Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus as with HIV.

    You could get hepatitis C from
    • being born to a mother with hepatitis C
    • having sex with an infected person
    • being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
    • getting an accidental needle stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
    • using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush
    • sharing drug needles with an infected person

    You cannot get hepatitis C from
    • shaking hands with an infected person
    • hugging an infected person
    • sitting next to an infected person
     

    What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?

    Most people have no symptoms until the virus causes liver damage, which can take 10 or more years to happen. Others have one or more of the following symptoms:
    • yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice
    • a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding to stop
    • swollen stomach or ankles
    • easy bruising
    • tiredness
    • upset stomach
    • fever
    • loss of appetite
    • diarrhea
    • light-colored stools
    • dark yellow urine

    What is chronic hepatitis C?

    Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get rid of the hepatitis C virus. Although some people clear the virus from their bodies in a few months, most hepatitis C infections become chronic. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can cause scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis; liver cancer; and liver failure.
    Symptoms of cirrhosis include

    How is hepatitis C diagnosed?

    Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests, which can also show if you have chronic hepatitis C or another type of hepatitis. Your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy if chronic hepatitis C is suspected. A liver biopsy is a test for liver damage. The doctor uses a needle to remove a tiny piece of liver, which is then looked at with a microscope.