November 29, 2009 – Marijuana used for medicinal purposes has a history that dates back all the way until 2737 BC. The issue of Marijuana being used as medicine has been a long debated topic where people have been fighting for both sides and very little has been accomplished. People such as politicians have been fighting to say that marijuana is an illegal drug no matter the benefits. Marijuana offers a remedy to medications and treatments that have extremely painful and long lasting side effects.

Some states have taken action on the matter and voted to decriminalize the use of medicinal marijuana for people with serious illness’ that would benefit from the drug. With this came serious regulations dealing with the distribution, possession, and who can receive the product. Medications with side effects such as loss of appetite and vomiting leave patients with more pain and potentially additional health problems than the disease its self causes. With all of the advantages that Marijuana offers medically, and how enormously effective the drug works with reducing pain, it should be obvious that medicinal marijuana should be legalized for the purpose of treating patients that are unable to deal with their pain.

Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, has a history that dates back to ancient times. The first recorded use of marijuana came in 2737 BC, when Emperor Shen-Nung of China prescribed cannabis to people to help treat illnesses such as constipation, gout, and malaria. Marijuana was used quite frequently in ancient times for uses in medicine, and it is believed that Gautama Buddha survived by eating nothing but cannabis seeds. Medical Marijuana in the United States of America is not a new discovery. In 1850, Marijuana was added into United States Pharmacopeia, a publication that contains legally recognized standards of every aspect of a drug, and was prescribed for numerous medical conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism until 1941 when it was removed from the publication.

During the time period between 1850- 1930, cannabis was beginning to lose its image of a medicine and was starting to be viewed as an intoxicant and was looked down upon. In the mid 1930’s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics started an initiative to depict marijuana as a controlling addicting substance that could possibly lead to addiction.

With the gaining support of the people, along with the encouragement from the press, the federal government passed the marijuana tax act in 1937, which federally prohibited the smoking of marijuana for any purpose. In 1970, the government passed an additional bill known as the controlled substance act, which created five categories based on drugs usefulness. Marijuana was considered as a Schedule 1 drug which said that cannabis had a high potential for abuse, and no medicinal purposes. (Booth)

As states began to legalize medicinal marijuana, conflicts between federal and state laws became evident. Although marijuana was legal in the state of California, patients that were prescribed the drug were being arrested because medicinal marijuana conflicted with both the controlled substance act, and the marijuana tax act, and federal law always overrides state law. Not until the court case of Gonzales v. Raich did users of medical marijuana have protection against being arrested for breaking federal law.

The issue presented to the court asked, is the Controlled Substances Act a constitutional use of the Commerce Clause? The court voted 6-3 in favor of the defendant and stated that, “the Controlled Substances Act is an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’ Commerce Clause authority,” and finally users of medical marijuana were protected under law from being arrested for breaking federal law. (Gonzales v. Raich)

Marijuana is widely known as one of the safest, low risk active substances if used properly. To this day, there have been no recorded deaths due to an overdose, and there are very few dangerous side effects. In addition, there is no evidence to show that marijuana carries a risk of true addiction to the body.(Gottfried) The same cannot be said for other medications that are used to treat diseases such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.

Serious life threatening diseases require extreme amounts of medication on a daily basis that have the potential of causing the body extreme harm and great amounts of pain. For example, when an individual is diagnosed with cancer, one of the only effective treatments for the drug is known as chemotherapy. The drug is delivered to the patient through an IV causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and extreme pain are all side effects of the drug and coping with the pain can put a person through hell. (McMahon) The main chemical in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or TCH, is known to stimulate a person’s appetite when the drug is broken down by the body. Not only does TCH stimulate the body’s appetite, but it also helps alleviate the symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pain that come along with the chemotherapy treatment.

Additionally, marijuana serves as an effective and long lasting treatment for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease when excessive pressure builds up on the eyeball, and almost always leads to loss of vision completely. Treatments for the disease include several different eye drops and oral medications, but with time the body builds an immunity to the drugs and they become ineffective. It has been proven that when smoked; marijuana reduces pressure on the eyeball making cannabis an excellent and long lasting way for glaucoma patients to deal with their pain. (Williams)

Similar to the treatment of cancer, hepatitis C also requires a long term treatment with medications that have very similar side effects to that of chemotherapy. Treatment for hepatitis C requires six months of therapy with the combination of two extremely potent drugs identified as interferon and ribavirin. Side effects of the treatment leave patients with severe fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, loss of appetite and depression. A recent study was conducted with the combined efforts of scientists at the University of California at San Francisco, and the Oakland substance abuse center. Researchers closely monitored the progress of 71 patients who were taking interferon and ribavirin to watch their progress. Out of the 71 patients, 22 of them smoked marijuana on a consistent basis to help ease the pain caused by the treatment. At the end of the six months, 19 of the 22 patients that used marijuana to help manage the effects of the treatment successfully completed the agonizing treatment while only 29 of the 49 people who chose not to use marijuana successfully completed the course. Months after the treatment, researchers went back to follow up and found that 54 percent of the group that were using marijuana during the treatment had no signs of the virus while only 18 percent of the non smokers achieved the same result. Although there was no documented evidence that shows the marijuana acted as a medicine itself to cure the illness, it appears that the people that chose to use marijuana were able to deal with the side effects and complete the treatment that many people are unable to endure. (Weiss)

Today in the United States of America, there are hundreds of laws prohibiting the use, possession, and distribution of marijuana. In the State of New Hampshire, possession of any useable amount is considered a misdemeanor and is punishable by up to one year in jail, and a fine of no more than 2,000 dollars. To this date, there have been 12 states that have decriminalized marijuana strictly for medicinal use. These states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Although medicinal marijuana has been decriminalized in these states, laws have been put into effect to strictly regulate when a person can be prescribed and how much of the drug they will receive. In state of California, you must obtain written permission from a physician stating that you have a disease or illness that would benefit you from the use of marijuana. Under the law, eligible patients or their personal care givers are able to possess up to eight ounces of marijuana and no more than six marijuana plants. Patients are allowed to obtain more than state law allows under special circumstances if a physician decides that their patient would benefit from it. Frequent conditions that allow a physician to prescribe medicinal pot include cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, glaucoma, arthritis, and migraines. (Akhavan)

Medical Marijuana is a largely debated topic that brings serious questions up. There have been thousands of studies conducted over the past century to find out if indeed marijuana has medicinal values. Marijuana has been shown to greatly reduce effects of medications that are given to patients with serious illnesses. Effects such as loss of appetite, nausea, and even depression are quite often side effects of treatments that could decide the fate of an individual’s life. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes leave some people thinking that the drug will be available to anyone who wants to get their hands on it. These views that people seem to have are completely irrational because such regulations have been placed on the drug that it is still almost impossible for people who are suffering to obtain medicinal marijuana legally.

Often times, people become so desperate because they have been suffering for so long, that individuals risk being arrested and take matters into their own hands and search out the drug illegally. People that need medical marijuana didn’t chose to have an illness that they are suffering from, it came upon them and there is nothing that anyone can do to cure it a lot of times. The fact that people are being arrested and punished because they are despite enough to risk going to jail to obtain medicinal marijuana saddens many people. Many states have realized how they are preventing their own citizens from obtaining medication that is only going to help, and have decriminalized the use of medicinal marijuana. With all the evidence that has been presented by world renown scientists that show the positive medical uses of marijuana, you would think that all 50 states would allows their citizens to obtain medical marijuana if they were suffering enough, not just 12. Source.

Fashionably Frigid

I just love that first chill of the season.  It’s that very first chill that makes you break out the winter wear that’s been gathering dust under your bed, or deep in the back of your closet.  Now of course here, that chill really means weather dips to 60 and the clouds cover the sun for a few hours.  That’s something great about Texas, if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes and check again. However, a girl can dream can’t she?

Still rummaging through my findings at Mischief’s Save Your Pennies for the Holidays Sale, I decided a second frosty weather fashion was necessary.  There’s no way I could have possibly blogged every fantastic find there yesterday, so… why not assemble one more?  Just for good measure of course.  I still can’t get over the fantastic detail to Mischief’s knit wear, and this cute little cardigan was just screaming my name the moment I saw it… The dress, also Mischief, is well worth the 200 Lindens I spent for a greedy pack with 6 shades.  Oh! and the socks! Mischief again… FREE for all group members in 13 fabulous colors!  (That’s your cue to RUN down there now!!)  *Linc* recently released these adorable winter long underwear, which used as tights add just the right touch, and they come in nearly any color you might want.  Now, who wasn’t shocked to find  Naughty put new things out?  The days of Naughty Mall may be a memory from the past, but if all their future creations live up to the detail of these adorable moccasins, that mall may be making a comeback!  I crossed paths with this handbag from YourSkin & YourShape, and fell madly in love with it.  I don’t typically carry SLags around, but for this, I make exceptions. Top it off with a new do from fri.day, wrap it in a little belt, and throw some Atelier AM  beads on it.  Voila, I’m ready for  the most fashionable of those frigid days!

What I’m Wearing:

Hair: fri. – Tatum – Cynical Black

Skin: :Curio: :GP: Acorn Frex [Light] Beach-Seahorse 1

Glasses: MIEL GENIUS PEEPERS (LOVE these… so many textures, tape optional, they are wonderful!)

Piercings: MODIFIED! [ATOMIC] Piercings_Bridge Work; [ATOMIC] Piercings_Taunting; Custom Star from Hepatitis C

Candy Cane: *Sanu Interactive Candy-cane Licorice (Random dispenser with MANY colors!)

Jacket: * **MIS** Sweet Shrug Greedy Pack

Dress:* **MIS** Seasons Are Changing – Ebony

Belt: fri. – Wide Waist.Belt (Gray.Scale)

Necklace: .+*AA*+.Layered necklace *black

Bracelet: .+*AA*+.ball braceret *black

Tights: *Linc* Wool Panty Gray Southwest 2

Socks: **MIS** November Group Freebie – Baggy Socks – Charcoal (Woot for FREE!)

Shoes: [N] moccasins – ankle fringe – black

Purse: *YS&YS* – Cala Saona Bag Night

Let me start right here by saying that one of the best things that has ever happened to me, is the fact that I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C about 1 1/2 years ago now. I say that for a couple of reasons. One, is that now I know what has been wrong with me for quite some time now, and that it is not in my head, or a figment of my imagination. It allows me now, to be sick, when I am sick, instead of trying not to be, because I feel guilty.

The other reason, is that since my initial diagnosis, I have put a higher value on life, and the world around me. I think that it is the first time I have seen many things. I look at everything and everyone from a different angle now. For that, I am grateful.

Since I have only made the decision to start blogging about my journey today, for I was not sure if I wanted to lay my life bare for all to see, and for all to know about. My partner tried to deter me, for he is a very private person. He is private to a fault, and I am open and honest to a fault, I suppose. I’ve decided to go ahead with this because it is a way for me to get it out, and I hope to help others go through their journeys with less pain and embarrassment than necessary.

Since it has been a year and a half, the way I’ve decided to do this is to blog whenever the whim strikes me and take you with me on my journey thus far. I have made a lot of notes, and have journaled along the way, so that will help.

Simply put, my initial diagnosis was this, (well, not initial precisely, since it took 7 months from the family doctor’s prognosis to the specialist’s office, and then another 2 months to get all the blood work back) I have HepC, and have had it for over 20 years, with advanced liver disease and cirrhosis.

Being my first blog about this subject, I will leave it here for now, and will get back to you soon.

Please feel free to follow my journey and to invite me on your own.

Thanks for the read and the comments,

Petrabilities

Penyakit Hepatitis adalah penyakit yang disebabkan oleh beberapa jenis virus yang menyerang dan menyebabkan peradangan serta merusak sel-sel organ hati manusia. Hepatitis diketegorikan dalam beberapa golongan, diantaranya hepetitis A,B,C,D,E,F dan G. Di Indonesia penderita penyakit Hepatitis umumnya cenderung lebih banyak mengalami golongan hepatitis B dan hepatitis C. namun disini kita akan membahas pada fokus artikel penyakit Hepatitis A,B dan C.

Hepatitis A adalah golongan penyakit Hepatitis yang ringan dan jarang sekali menyebabkan kematian, Virus hepatitis A (VHA=Virus Hepatitis A) penyebarannya melalui kotoran/tinja penderita yang penularannya melalui makanan dan minuman yang terkomtaminasi, bukan melalui aktivitas sexual atau melalui darah. Sebagai contoh, ikan atau kerang yang berasal dari kawasan air yang dicemari oleh kotoran manusia penderita.

Penyakit Hepatitis A memiliki masa inkubasi 2 sampai 6 minggu sejak penularan terjadi, barulah kemudian penderita menunjukkan beberapa tanda dan gejala terserang penyakit Hepatitis A.

1. Gejala Hepatitis A

Pada minggu pertama, individu yang dijangkiti akan mengalami sakit seperti kuning, keletihan, demam, hilang selera makan, muntah-muntah, pusing dan kencing yang berwarna hitam pekat. Demam yang terjadi adalah demam yang terus menerus, tidak seperti demam yang lainnya yaitu pada demam berdarah, tbc, thypus, dll.

2. Penanganan dan Pengobatan Hepatitis A

Penderita yang menunjukkan gejala hepatitis A seperti minggu pertama munculnya yang disebut penyakit kuning, letih dan sebagainya diatas, diharapkan untuk tidak banyak beraktivitas serta segera mengunjungi fasilitas pelayan kesehatan terdekat untuk mendapatkan pengobatan dari gejala yang timbul seperti paracetamol sebagai penurun demam dan pusing, vitamin untuk meningkatkan daya tahan tubuh dan nafsu makan serta obat-obatan yang mengurangi rasa mual dan muntah.

Sedangkah langkah-langkah yang dapat diambil sebagai usaha pencegahan adalah dengan mencuci tangan dengan teliti, dan suntikan imunisasi dianjurkan bagi seseorang yang berada disekitar penderita.

Hepatitis B merupakan salah satu penyakit menular yang tergolong berbahaya didunia, Penyakit ini disebabkan oleh Virus Hepatitis B (VHB) yang menyerang hati dan menyebabkan peradangan hati akut atau menahun. Seperti hal Hepatitis C, kedua penyakit ini dapat menjadi kronis dan akhirnya menjadi kanker hati. Proses penularan Hepatitis B yaitu melalui pertukaran cairan tubuh atau kontak dengan darah dari orang yang terinfeksi Hepatitis B.

Adapun beberapa hal yang menjadi pola penularan antara lain penularan dari ibu ke bayi saat melahirkan, hubungan seksual, transfusi darah, jarum suntik, maupun penggunaan alat kebersihan diri (sikat gigi, handuk) secara bersama-sama. Hepatitis B dapat menyerang siapa saja, akan tetapi umumnya bagi mereka yang berusia produktif akan lebih beresiko terkena penyakit ini.

1. Gejala Hepatitis B

Secara khusus tanda dan gejala terserangnya hepatitis B yang akut adalah demam, sakit perut dan kuning (terutama pada area mata yang putih/sklera). Namun bagi penderita hepatitis B kronik akan cenderung tidak tampak tanda-tanda tersebut, sehingga penularan kepada orang lain menjadi lebih beresiko.

2. Penanganan dan Pengobatan Hepatitis B

Penderita yang diduga Hepatitis B, untuk kepastian diagnosa yang ditegakkan maka akan dilakukan periksaan darah. Setelah diagnosa ditegakkan sebagai Hepatitis B, maka ada cara pengobatan untuk hepatitis B, yaitu pengobatan telan (oral) dan secara injeksi.

a. Pengobatan oral yang terkenal adalah ;

- Pemberian obat Lamivudine dari kelompok nukleosida analog, yang dikenal dengan nama 3TC. Obat ini digunakan bagi dewasa maupun anak-anak, Pemakaian obat ini cenderung meningkatkan enzyme hati (ALT) untuk itu penderita akan mendapat monitor bersinambungan dari dokter.
- Pemberian obat Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera). Pemberian secara oral akan lebih efektif, tetapi pemberian dengan dosis yang tinggi akan berpengaruh buruk terhadap fungsi ginjal.
- Pemberian obat Baraclude (Entecavir). Obat ini diberikan pada penderita Hepatitis B kronik, efek samping dari pemakaian obat ini adalah sakit kepala, pusing, letih, mual dan terjadi peningkatan enzyme hati. Tingkat keoptimalan dan kestabilan pemberian obat ini belum dikatakan stabil.

b. Pengobatan dengan injeksi/suntikan adalah ;

Pemberian suntikan Microsphere yang mengandung partikel radioaktif pemancar sinar ß yang akan menghancurkan sel kanker hati tanpa merusak jaringan sehat di sekitarnya. Injeksi Alfa Interferon (dengan nama cabang INTRON A, INFERGEN, ROFERON) diberikan secara subcutan dengan skala pemberian 3 kali dalam seminggu selama 12-16 minggu atau lebih. Efek samping pemberian obat ini adalah depresi, terutama pada penderita yang memilki riwayat depresi sebelumnya. Efek lainnya adalah terasa sakit pada otot-otot, cepat letih dan sedikit menimbulkan demam yang hal ini dapat dihilangkan dengan pemberian paracetamol.

Langkah-langkah pencegahan agar terhindar dari penyakit Hepatitis B adalah pemberian vaksin terutama pada orang-orang yang beresiko tinggi terkena virus ini, seperti mereka yang berprilaku sex kurang baik (ganti-ganti pasangan/homosexual), pekerja kesehatan (perawat dan dokter) dan mereka yang berada didaerah rentan banyak kasus Hepatitis B.

Penyakit Hepatitis C adalah penyakit hati yang disebabkan oleh virus Hepatitis C (VHC). Proses penularannya melalui kontak darah {transfusi, jarum suntik (terkontaminasi), serangga yang menggiti penderita lalu mengigit orang lain disekitarnya}. Penderita Hepatitis C kadang tidak menampakkan gejala yang jelas, akan tetapi pada penderita Hepatitis C kronik menyebabkan kerusakan/kematian sel-sel hati dan terdeteksi sebagai kanker (cancer) hati. Sejumlah 85% dari kasus, infeksi Hepatitis C menjadi kronis dan secara perlahan merusak hati bertahun-tahun.

1. Gejala Hepatitis C

Penderita Hepatitis C sering kali orang yang menderita Hepatitis C tidak menunjukkan gejala, walaupun infeksi telah terjadi bertahun-tahun lamanya. Namun beberapa gejala yang samar diantaranya adalah ; Lelah, Hilang selera makan, Sakit perut, Urin menjadi gelap dan Kulit atau mata menjadi kuning yang disebut “jaundice” (jarang terjadi). Pada beberapa kasus dapat ditemukan peningkatan enzyme hati pada pemeriksaan urine, namun demikian pada penderita Hepatitis C justru terkadang enzyme hati fluktuasi bahkan normal.

2. Penanganan dan Pengobatan Hepatitis C

Saat ini pengobatan Hepatitis C dilakukan dengan pemberian obat seperti Interferon alfa, Pegylated interferon alfa dan Ribavirin. Adapun tujuan pengobatan dari Hepatitis C adalah menghilangkan virus dari tubuh anda sedini mungkin untuk mencegah perkembangan yang memburuk dan stadium akhir penyakit hati. Pengobatan pada penderita Hepatitis C memerlukan waktu yang cukup lama bahkan pada penderita tertentu hal ini tidak dapat menolong, untuk itu perlu penanganan pada stadium awalnya.
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BAGAI TERSISA KULIT MEMBALUT TULANG . BEGITULAH KONDISI WASKITO DUA TAHUN LALU. SEKADAR MENEGAKKAN TUBUH PUN IA PERLU BANTUAN ORANG LAIN. OLEH KARENA ITU IA LEBIH BANYAK MENGHABISKAN WAKTU DI ATAS PEMBARINGAN. HEPATITIS C AKUT MENGGEROGOTI KESEHATAN PRIA 66 TAHUN ITU. ‘KAMI SEKELUARGA RELA JIKA BAPAK DIPANGGIL TUHAN ,’ UJAR DEWI HANDAYANI, ANAK SULUNG WASKITO.

Napas tersengal-sengal pada malam 25 Juni 2007 itu menjadi awal petaka Waskito. Malam itu Waskito sulit bernapas sehingga keluarga melarikannya ke sebuah rumahsakit di Surakarta, Jawa Tengah.

Hasil diagnosis dokter, Waskito positif paru-paru basah.  Sebelas hari lamanya ia opname di rumahsakit itu sembari mengkonsumsi antibiotik jenis streptomycin. Namun, kondisi ayah 5 anak itu tak kunjung membaik.

Muka pucat, tubuh kerap letih, dan nafsu makan berkurang. Selain itu demam dan batuk menghampiri tubuh Waskito yang kian ringkih. Suami Nuk Sudaryanti itu pun segera dilarikan ke sebuah rumahsakit di Jakarta. Di rumahsakit itulah dokter mendiagnosis hepatitis C. Peningkatan kadar SGOT dan SGPT 20 – 40 kali dari ambang normal menandakan adanya kerusakan hati. Ambang normal SGOT 17 – 20 IU dan SGPT 12 – 17 IU.

Penyakit lama

SGPT (Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase) dan SGOT (Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase) merupakan parameter untuk mengetahui kesehatan hati akibat infeksi virus atau bakteri. Hasil cek laboratorium juga menunjukkan kadar bilirubin mencapai 3,48 mg%. Padahal, kadar normal maksimal 1 mg%. Peningkatan bilirubin menyebabkan urin berwarna kemerahan – seperti teh kental – serta bola mata dan kulit kekuningan.

Sayang, kondisi Waskito yang dirawat di Jakarta tak ada perubahan berarti. Oleh karena itu keluarga memutuskan untuk membawanya pulang ke Surakarta. Nuk Sudaryanti, sang istri, rutin memberikan 7 butir putih telur atas anjuran seorang dokter. Itu untuk memasok kebutuhan albumin bagi tubuh. Kadar albumin penderita hepatitis umumnya rendah.

Namun, upaya itu belum menyembuhkan. Virus hepatitis C masih bercokol di tubuhnya. Virus itu sebenarnya telah lama mendekam di tubuh Waskito. Pada 1983 ia divonis positif hepatitis C. Saat itu Waskito bekerja di pelabuhan sebagai tukang las. Waskito kurang memperhatikan kebersihan makanan yang disantap dan kurang berolahraga.

Virus hepatitis kembali menyerang Waskito pada awal 2007 seperti kisah di atas. Pemilik bengkel motor itu kerap kesemutan di bagian kaki. Jika rasa itu datang, pria kelahiran Surakarta 29 September 1949 itu hanya bisa terduduk. Berat badannya pun turun.

Teripang

Menurut dr Primal Sudjana SpPD-KPTI, spesialis penyakit dalam Rumahsakit Hasan Sadikin Bandung, hepatitis akibat serangan virus. Bila dibiarkan hingga 6 bulan, menyebabkan hepatitis akut. Enam bulan berikutnya, berubah menjadi sirosis atau pengerasan hati. Dalam perkembangannya sirosis berpotensi menjadi kanker hati.

Setelah berbagai jalan penyembuhan ditempuh, Waskito kemudian teringat ekstrak teripang yang teronggok selama 3 bulan di lemari es. Pada Juli 2008 ia mulai mengkonsumsi ekstrak hewan laut filum Echinodermata. Dosisnya 2 sendok makan 2 kali sehari. Ia merasa segar setelah mengkonsumsi ekstrak teripang. Tiga bulan rutin mengkonsumsi teripang, Waskito merasa segar bugar.

Itu dibuktikan dengan hasil pemeriksaan laboratorium yang menyatakan ia negatif hepatitis. Kadar bilirubin Waskito kini 1,1 mg%, kadar SGPT dan SGOT juga kembali normal. Menurut Prof Dr Ridzwan Hashim, peneliti Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia, teripang mengandung 86% protein yang mudah diuraikan menjadi enzim pepsin.

Kandungan protein yang tinggi berperan sebagai immunomodulator alias pembangun sistem kekebalan tubuh. Protein dan 16 asam amino esensial mujarab dalam meregenerasi sel dan memperkuat hati untuk mengeluarkan antibodi. Sifat gamat yang mudah larut dalam air, menurut dr Zen Djaja MD di Malang, membuatnya langsung terserap di hati tanpa mengalami detoksifikasi. Ekstrak teripang membantu memperbaiki fungsi hati. (Faiz Yajri)

sumber: Oleh trubusid_admindb Rabu, Juli 01, 2009

[Author's note:  I originally wrote this Essay in 2003.  After sending it out in an e-mail to a few people, one of them offered to create a website for it.  Now that the matter has finally found its way onto the national stage, I thought now would be a good time to republish it here.  While the substance remains unchanged, I have engaged the author's prerogative of revision.]

A CALL TO ACTION

~ The Most Acceptable Sin In America ~

There are about forty million American citizens who do not have health insurance.  Many more feel as though they are living on borrowed time-such as the single mother in Ohio who has been laid of twice in one year, the mill worker in North Carolina who is slowing watching so many jobs go overseas, and the small business owner in Florida who has to choose between paying taxes or buy health insurance.

And yet, while so many of us hard-working Americans struggle to make ends meet, our government has been spending our hard-earned tax dollars recklessly.

For example, on 19 November 2003, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spent $461,745 on its first annual awards ceremony, including $5,196 for official photographs, $1,500 for three cheese displays, and $1,486 for three balloon arches.

Think about that.  If you paid $5,200 in taxes, you covered the photographer.

And what’s worse, if you do NOT pay your taxes, the government will take everything you own to pay for cheese displays and balloon arches.

To put it another way:  Greed is the most acceptable sin in America.

As taxpayers, it’s time to expect a better return on our investment.

~ To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice ~

More importantly, as Christians, it’s time we did what the Lord requires.  ”And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Justice must overcome injustice; mercy must prevail over greed.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. has said, “Ultimately, a great nation is a compassionate nation.”

And a compassionate nation is certainly NOT a nation where every man is out for himself and his iPod and his HDTV.  Lazarus is still begging at the gates, but the rich man still justifies his luxury, turning a deaf ear to the pleas of the poor and the sick.  Simply because he was more concerned about his wallet than he was about His Word.

So, as Christains, it is time to follow God’s holy commands.  ”I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and the toward the poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11).

Because God has always been compassionate and loving toward the poor and needy, He gave Israel distinct laws to care for those less fortunate.

The Mosaic Law states the Israelistes were to sow their seeds for six years and, in the seventh year, leave the land alone so that “the poor among your people may get food from it” (Exodus 23:10-11).

When harvests were reaped, the edges of the field were to be left alone because God commanded His people to “Leave them for the poor” (Leviticus 19:9-10).

Tithes reaped from harvests were also to be set aside for the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Most significantly, according to Leviticus 25, every fifty years Israel was to celebrate The Year of Jubilee, which consisted of debt cancellation, the liberation of slaves, and the return of all property to the original owners.  As it is written, “Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other.  I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 25:17).  While the Bible never mentions that the decrees concerning The Year of Jubilee were ever carried out, it is clear that God gave His people a path to avoid permanent poverty-even in a fallen world.

And while the basis of wealth has changed since ancient times, God’s holy commands have not.  Redemption is the beginning of our walk with God, not the end.  ”Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).

And the Lord Himself makes a very clear, very sharp distinction.  For in speaking to a backsliding nation, the Lord says of Israel’s ancestors, “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, so all went well.  Is that not what it means to know me?” (Jeremiah 22:16).

If, indeed, we do know God, our course is clear.  For the tide of history has turned, and today we have extraordinairy opportunity to help millions of men, women, and children made in the very Image of God.  And only by acting today can we help millions more tomorrow, our children’s children and their children’s children.

~ Make Some Noise ~

If enough people make enough noise to ensure that health insurance is a right for every American, the government will have no choice but to make God’s command to care for the poor a reality.

Therefore, if you do wish to follow God’s holy command, there are two very simple actions you must take:

1.  Write your congressional representative, your senator, and your president and demand health insurance for every American, in accordance with God’s holy command.

2.  Pass on this Essay to your brothers and sisters in Christ–and anyone else who may, or may not, be interested.

While passing on a link is as easy as clicking a mouse, our mission to fulfill God’s commands will die a quick death if we do not let our elected representatives know how we feel.  (Personally, I shudder to think of Christ’s disappointment if we have so much time for television and twitter and yet cannot write a simple letter.)  Therefore, the letters must be written.

(And, Yes, I have already written mine.)

Of course, I have no doubt that some of you are already thinking, “What about the Canadian health care system?  Or how about England?  That’s a mess!  What about the people who will use universal health insurance to their own advantage?”

Yes, it is true that some of the nations that do have health insurance for their citizens have their share of problems.  If anything, though, those problems give America a chance to learn from the mistakes of other natioins to make an even better system.

Therefore, do not be discouraged.

And, Yes, in a fallen world there will be someone who wants to twist God’s commands-just like the rich man ignored Lazarus-but that should only give us an impetus to see to it that laws are passed to prevent people from taking advantage of the system.

Besides, the many should not suffer for the sins of the few.

And if the church would stand up and be the church, we can make health insurance a reality for every American.

~ Left, Right, Sideways ~

When I spoke with someone about this letter-writing campaign a [six years] ago, he suggested that I join a local group that is working toward the same goal.

For a time, I considered it.  But then I realized that anyone who forms a group on the political Right will only alienate the political Left, in the same way that anyone who forms a group on the political Left will only alientate the political Right.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case when it comes to America’s deep political divisions, God’s commands get lost in the details and the debates because no one ever really listens to anyone–especially the Lord.

Of course, in America, everyone is entitled to his, or her, own opinion.  But if we are The Body of Christ, if we truly want to follow God’s command, we must work together to accomplish the same goal.

We must focus on our common ground.  For we are the children of God called to obey His commands, regardless of just how much our political and personal views have divided us.

We cannot go Left.  We cannot go Right.

We must go Sideways.  Together.

Most of us, surely, will say that abortion should not be included in any plan for universal health coverage.  And a few of us might say that homosexuals should be included because diseases and disabilities do not discriminate.

AIDS doesn’t care about skin color, hepatitis doesn’t care how much money you make, cancer doesn’t care about your marriage, and a heart attack doesn’t care who you voted for in the last election.

If diseases and disabilities do not discriminate, why should we?

(Scary to think that diseases and disabilities have always known some things that the human race has not.)

But everyone–whether they have AIDS, hepatitis, diabetes, cancer, have suffered a heart attack, or are suffering from some other ailments–is loved, equally and unconditionally, by The Most High God Himself.  And there is none higher than The Most High.

This is why a letter-writing campaign has so much potential-each person writes his, and her, own letter so everyone gets to present his, and her, own opinion regarding the specifics.

All we have to agree on is that we must follow God’s holy commands.

Who among you would are to disagree?

“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”  ~Abraham Lincoln

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”  ~Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40)

To read the original Essay:  Click here.

To find and contact your Representative:  Click Here.

To find and contact your Senator:  Click Here.

To contact President Obama:  Click Here.

For more information about President Obama and Health Care:  Click Here.

Más de 3 millones de norteamericanos y 170 millones de personas en todo el mundo están crónicamente infectados con la hepatitis C (VHC). Esto a su vez puede resultar en daño hepático progresivo que conduce a la fibrosis y la cirrosis, la enfermedad en estadio final del hígado, y en carcinoma hepatocelular. El tratamiento con peginterferón y ribavirina durante 24 a 48 semanas conduce a una pérdida sostenida del ARN del VHC en el suero (conocido como una respuesta virológica sostenida) con la resolución de la hepatitis crónica en aproximadamente la mitad de los pacientes. Lamentablemente hay pocas opciones de tratamiento para los pacientes que no tienen una respuesta virológica sostenida. Existen nuevos y potentes inhibidores de la polimerasa del VHC pero ninguno están disponibles actualmente para uso terapéutico.

En la actualidad el enfoque del paciente con hepatitis crónica C que no han tenido una respuesta virológica sostenida al tratamiento inicial ha consistido en utilizar la terapia de mantenimiento a largo plazo con interferón pegilado. Sin embargo, no se ha demostrado con los datos que este enfoque conduce a la mejora en los resultados histológicos y clínicos de la hepatitis C .

Por lo tanto, DiBisceglie (2008) y sus colegas realizaron un gran estudio controlado prospectivo, randomizado, de terapia a largo plazo interferón pegilado en pacientes con hepatitis C avanzada que no habían tenido una respuesta biológica sostenida a un curso previo de tratamiento basado en interferón.

1050 pacientes fueron estratificados de acuerdo a la etapa de la fibrosis, visto en intervalos de 3 meses y con biopsia de hígado en 1,5 y 3,5 años después de la aleatorización. El objetivo primario fue la progresión de la enfermedad hepática (como la muerte, el carcinoma hepatocelular, descompensación hepática) o, para los pacientes con fibrosis en puente en el momento basal, la prueba de un aumento en su puntuación de fibrosis de Ishak dos o más puntos. Estos investigadores asignaron aleatoriamente a los pacientes a recibir peginterferón (517 pacientes) o ningún tratamiento (533 pacientes) durante 3,5 años.

Los niveles de aminotransferasa sérica, ARN del virus de la hepatitis C, y el grado histológico de actividad necroinflamatoria disminuyó significativamente con el tratamiento. Sin embargo, no hubo diferencias significativas entre los grupos en la tasa de ningún resultado primario, es decir, el 34,1% del grupo de tratamiento frente a 33,8% en el grupo de control. El porcentaje de pacientes con al menos un acontecimiento adverso grave fue similar, es decir, el 38,6% en el grupo de tratamiento y el 31,8% en el grupo de control.

Los autores concluyen que la terapia de mantenimiento a largo plazo con peginterferón parece ser ineficaz en la prevención de la progresión de la enfermedad clínica e histológica. Ellos recomiendan que la terapia de mantenimiento a largo plazo con peginterferón no está indicado en pacientes con hepatitis C asociada con fibrosis avanzada, con o sin cirrosis, que no han tenido una respuesta a un curso estándar de peginterferón y ribavirina. Teniendo en cuenta el hecho de que la terapia de mantenimiento es costoso y puede tener graves efectos secundarios físicos y psicológicos, su uso en estos pacientes parece ser ineficaz y posiblemente perjudiciales.

El virus de la hepatitis C (VHC) es la causa infecciosa más frecuente de enfermedad hepática crónica en Europa y los Estados Unidos. La infección con el VHC puede dar lugar a complicaciones potencialmente mortales como la cirrosis y carcinoma hepatocelular. La terapia antiviral puede dar lugar a una respuesta virológica sostenida que se caracteriza por un nivel de ARN del VHC indetectable 24 semanas después del final de la terapia. En los pacientes infectados con el genotipo 1 del VHC, el genotipo más común en todo el mundo, la combinación estándar de peginterferón alfa y ribavirina durante 48 semanas , los resultados de las tasas de respuesta virológica sostenida son del 40 a 50%.

Nuevos enfoques terapéuticos se han centrado en la proteasa de serina 3/4A . Telaprevir es un inhibidor oral de la proteasa del VHC (NS3/4A)reversible y selectivo.

Anteriormente, la monoterapia con telaprevir durante 14 días ha demostrado que induce una disminución promedio de más de 4,4 log 10 unidades en el plasma los niveles de ARN del VHC en pacientes con infección crónica por el VHC con genotipo 1 . En un estudio de 12 pacientes con el genotipo 1 del VHC, telaprevir junto con peginterferón y ribavirina durante 28 días dio lugar a niveles indetectables de ARN del VHC en la final de la terapia.

Recientemente, dos ensayos multicéntricos en fase 2 con telaprevir , realizados en los Estados Unidos y Europa por McHutchison (2009) y Hezode (2009) fueron reportados.

Telaprevir se administró durante 12 semanas en combinación con peginterferón alfa con o sin ribavirina, ya sea por 12 semanas o por un total de 24 o 48 semanas. El grupo control recibió el tratamiento estándar de peginterferón y ribavirina durante 48 semanas. La terapia estándar dio la típica respuesta virológica sostenida del 41 y 46%, respectivamente. Sin embargo, telaprevir dado durante 12 semanas junto con peginterferón y ribavirina durante 24 semanas dio  respuestas que fueron significativamente más altas – es decir, el 61 y el 69 %.

El análisis detallado de estos ensayos indican que la adición de telaprevir al peginterferón y ribavirina ,aumentó las tasas de respuesta virológica sostenida en aproximadamente un 45% a un 65%. Este enfoque permitirá el tratamiento se limite a 24 semanas, evitando así el costo y los efectos secundarios de un tratamiento prolongado.

La razón por la telaprevir fue dado por sólo 12 en lugar de durante 48 semanas, fue debido a efectos secundarios significativos. Telaprevir se asocia con mayores tasas de anemia, náuseas, diarrea, prurito, y, especialmente, erupción. De hecho, las erupciones tienden a ser severas y surgieron 8 semanas después del tratamiento.

Sin embargo, como se señaló en un editorial por Hoofnagle (2009): “Telaprevir parece ser un avance importante en el tratamiento de la hepatitis C, comenzando una nueva era de tratamiento, una era de agentes antivirales desarrollados específicamente para el objetivo de este virus”.

Journal of Viral Hepatitis  2 Nov. 2009  V.16  N.12  p.833-843

D. T. Dieterich 1 , M. Rizzetto 2 and M. P. Manns 3

1 Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA ;   2 Division of Gastro-Hepatology, Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista (Molinette), Torino, Italy ; and   3 Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany

Summary.

Development of therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic hepatitis C who experience virological breakthrough, relapse or nonresponse lag behind those for treatment-naïve patients. The probability of a previously treated patient responding to re-treatment depends on the nature of the previous regimen, the magnitude of the response to previous treatment and the patient’s characteristics. Relapsers have higher sustained virological response rates than nonresponders when re-treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. Re-treatment of nonresponders to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin with the standard 48-week regimen resulted in an approximate 6% sustained response rate in the EPIC-3 program. In the REPEAT trial, the sustained response rate was significantly higher in nonresponders to pegylated interferon alfa-2b (12 kD) plus ribavirin randomized to 72 weeks of peginterferon alfa-2a (40 kD) plus ribavirin, compared with a 48-week regimen (16%vs 8%, P = 0.0006). Based on available data, extended treatment is the best option for these individuals. Undetectable viral RNA at week 12 is an important criterion for re-treatment in the REPEAT and EPIC studies. Maintenance therapy with pegylated interferon is generally ineffective in nonresponders and cannot be recommended. Directly acting antivirals may increase response rates and the burden of adverse events when combined with the standard of care, but will not be available for some years. In conclusion, after careful evaluation of an individual’s benefit–risk ratio, a 72-week regimen is the preferred strategy for optimizing sustained response rates in patients who have not responded to the standard of care, provided that viral RNA is undetectable at week 12 of re-treatment.

abstract

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122670911/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Como quiera que la hepatitis C se desarrolla de forma generalmente asintomática, la mayoría de los casos vienen determinados por análisis sanguíneos realizados en el curso de una donación de sangre, previamente a una operación, o en un control rutinario.

En caso de duda (por ejemplo, si los marcadores hepáticos hacen sospechar una infección por VHC) se lleva a cabo una prueba para determinar la presencia de anticuerpos contra el virus. Sin embargo, la presencia de anticuerpos no es determinante de la enfermedad, sino que sólo indica que se ha estado en contacto con el virus, por lo que en caso de no haber alteración de las enzimas hepáticas, se lleva a cabo la determinación de ARN del virus. Sin embargo, frente a esta opinión es defendido el principio de que la presencia de anticuerpos C implica la presencia del virus C, puesto que éste no es eliminable en etapas de cronicidad. Es una constante el hecho de que la presencia de anticuerpos C es concomitante con la presencia de virus C en los portadores de dicho virus C.

Si existiera la sospecha clínica de que la hepatitis C pudiese haber llegado a ser causa de cirrosis o cáncer de hígado, podría ser necesario efectuar una biopsia hepática diagnóstica, aunque existen pruebas iconográficas (ecografía hepática, tomografía computada, etc.), así como pruebas de laboratorio como es la determinación de alfa-fetoproteína en plasma que podrían orientarnos ante la sospecha de cáncer hepático. La biopsia es una prueba relativamente sencilla. Consiste en extraer una muestra muy pequeña del hígado por medio de una aguja. El tiempo de recuperación es corto, apenas unas horas de inmovilidad en el hospital para prevenir posibles hemorragias. Ese fragmento se estudia para determinar el daño del hígado y otros datos.

La mayoría de las personas no presentan ningún síntoma. Sin embargo, algunas pueden sentirse como si tuvieran un “estado gripal”.

Algunos síntomas son:

* Cansancio
* Náuseas
* Prurito, picor o picazón en todo el cuerpo
* Fiebre
* Pérdida del apetito
* Sensación de dolor en la zona hepática
* Diarrea

Algunas personas presentan

* Oscurecimiento de la orina
* Excrementos de color claro
* Color amarillento de los ojos y la piel (ictericia)

Es aconsejable acudir al médico en caso de tener algunos de estos síntomas o de sospechar padecer Hepatitis C.

Debbie Green is calling for recipes and tasters for a second cookbook to support the Greenview Hepatitis C Fund, a nonprofit. The Fund raises money for Hepatitis C research at the University of Michigan.

As avid writers and chefs, I thought I’d share this with you. 

The cookbook will focus on special diets (think: allergies, glutton free, low carb., etc.) I look forward to contributing some corn syrup-free recipes for dishes that are impossible to order in a restaurant without being saturated in it. The first two that come to mind are pecan pie and meatloaf, but I’m sure I’ll think of more.

When you are thinking of recipes to share, keep in mind that Debbie prefers recipes that are easy to prepare and don’t have too many hard to find or unusual ingredients. Also, she prefers things that are made from scratch. 

To submit your recipes, send them in a Word document or regular email to Debbie(at)hepcfund(dot)org or mail to:

Debbie Green

2773 Holyoke Lane

Ann Arbor, MI 48103 

Be sure to include and check:

1. correct measurements (T=tablespoon, t= teaspoon, c=cup)

2. oven temp.

3. cooking time

4. nutrition info if available

5. clear and precise instructions

6. ethnicity of dish

7. if this dish is for a special diet (gluten-free, vegetarian, allergy, etc.)

8. any suggestions for accompanying dishes

9. your name and contact info

10. any comments you wish (Try to keep comments to 4 lines, unless it’s a really good story!)

Through the Fund, Debbie has raised a total of $30,000 so far. One of her best fund raisers is her first cookbook, Cooking Around the World, which sold over 1,000 copies. (This cookbook, along with a few free recipes, is available from her website.) Help make this next cookbook just as, if not more, successful!

While in school, we had a class that became two classes combined.  A research study design class and a clinical implementation class.  In the research class – we picked an illness or disorder that was treated in the hospital and designed a research study that could be done in the hospital setting.  The clinical practice class was a class in which we had to contact the head of a department at a hospital and discuss integrating acupuncture treatment in their particular department of their hospital.  The combination became this:  take this research study and pitch it to the head of the hospital department that pertained to our area of research.  I picked Hepatitis C.  It’s not really a hospital-based illness until it gets to cirrhosis and liver transplant or cancer.  However, entire departments of hospitals are devoted to Liver diseases, so – I was given the green light.  Mind you – these research studies were presented to the hospitals as theoretical and we were to get feedback as to why they would or wouldn’t work and what could we do to make them work.  They were class projects only.  This class was an inevitability that was dreaded by all of us.  The research study design was difficult and how would we ever find an indulgent hospital head to take the time to speak to us?  I did both – and I was shocked.  Out of my entire class I was one of two that WENT to a hospital and additionally spoke to a live person that I didn’t already know.  Lots of us had phone interviews, and some of us were well acquainted with many doctors.  I got the benefit of neither based on the illness I picked.  I obtained the audience of the head of adult liver transplants at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.  I was incredibly lucky.  Dr. Thomas Schiano is a very patient man, and very interested in his patients’ health.  He concluded our discussion by letting me know that he was already aware that his patients were getting acupuncture and herbal treatment – whether they were disclosing this information or not.  My research study would have been expensive if included in his clinic at the hospital – as patients come in monthly for medication refills or blood work, rather than weekly or more than that.  I knew I was going to get those answers, but I had to go through with it.  What was most upsetting for me was – when it was over I had no follow-up.  I was so intent on creating a presentation for THE HEAD OF ADULT LIVER TRANSPLANTS AT MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL that I completely failed to think about what to do when I was done talking.  That’s life.

So now what.  I am still very intent on pursuing this illness in treatment.  It’s an area of interest that I can’t ignore. The Colorado State professional acupuncture association had a conference on 10/24 & 25 in which Misha Cohen L.Ac. presented on endometriosis and hpv cancers and their treatment with acupuncture and chinese herbs.  It was her treatment and research of Hepatitis C, and her book “The Hepatitis C Help Book”, that convinced me that I should pursue it as a research study subject in school.  It was fantastic to see her and I asked about the HepC certification course that she teaches in California.  So I will be doing that early next year I suppose.

As for now – I volunteer with the HepC Connection here in Denver.  It keeps me studying and updated on treatments and funding for treating this illness in this country.  I’m enjoying it.  On November 12th, they are having a fund raising event that includes a silent auction – and I have donated an initial intake and treatment.  There are a lot of items to bid on – from jewelry (Swear Jar!) to Nuggets tickets to Skiing passes.  I’m including a link to the website – the fundraiser is an RSVP event, so if you are interested, contact the organization!

[...] Se demostró que el FR-91 (Renoven/Bio Bac) es condroprotector, disminuye el dolor y la inflamación y aumenta la movilidad de la articulación de una manera notable en la osteoartritis. Así mismo se constató que es inmunomodulador e inmunoestimulante aumentando notablemente el número de linfocitos CD4 y CD8 y disminuyendo la carga viral en pacientes afectos de SIDA. Y por si todo fuera poco, quedó claro también al darse a mujeres con cáncer de mama que es anti-tumoral, anti-metastásico y citotóxico selectivo (es decir, sólo ataca a la célula tumoral sin afectar a la sana) [...]

Para leer el artículo completo y otros muchos sobre este maravilloso medicamento siga el siguiente enlace:

http://www.dsalud.com/biobac.htm

La hepatitis B no aumenta el riesgo de cáncer de páncreas y sólo la edad es un factor que contribuye a la enfermedad, según un estudio del Hospital Henry Ford en Detroit que se ha hecho público durante la reunión anual de la Asociación Americana para el Estudio de las Enfermedades del Hígado que se celebra en Boston (Estados Unidos).

Los resultados contradicen un estudio previo de 2008 que sugería un vínculo entre el cáncer pancreático y la infección previa por hepatitis B. La hepatitis B es una inflamación del hígado causada por una infección viral.

Los autores del trabajo, dirigido por Jeffrey Tang, examinaron a más de 74.000 pacientes que pasaron por una prueba de hepatitis B entre 1995 y 2008. En el análisis global sólo la edad se desveló como un predictor significativo del cáncer pancreático.

“Examinamos la incidencia del cáncer pancreático entre los pacientes infectados por hepatitis B durante un periodo superior a 13 años y descubrimos que no podíamos confirmar un mayor riesgo para aquellos con una exposición previa a la hepatitis B, como un estudio previo había sugerido”, afirma Tang.

Según precisa el investigador, cuando se tuvieron en cuenta otros factores como edad, raza, sexo, VIH y diabetes, sólo la mayor edad y la presencia de diabetes mostraron ser factores significativos mientras que la exposición previa a la hepatitis B no constituyó una variable importante.

Fuente: EuropaPress. http://www.europapress.es/salud/noticia-hepatitis-no-aumenta-riesgo-cancer-pancreas-20091031151338.html

Patients with high coffee intake had a lower risk of disease progression

 Patients of chronic Hepatitis C, who drink three or more cups of coffee daily, have a 53 percent lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers, says a new study.

The study, led by Neal Freedman of National Cancer Institute (NCI), found that patients with hepatitis C related cirrhosis who did not respond to treatment benefited from increased coffee intake. No effect on liver was observed in patients who drank black or green tea.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects approximately 2.2 percent of the world’s population, including three million Americans. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites HCV as the leading cause of liver transplantation in US, accounting for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths, annually.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that three to four million people contract HCV each year with 70 percent becoming chronic cases that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

This study included 766 participants enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial who had hepatitis C-related cirrhosis and failed to respond to standard treatment of the anti-viral drugs peginterferon and ribavirin, according to an NCI release.

Participants were seen every three months during the 3.8-year study period to assess clinical outcomes. Liver biopsies were also taken at 1.5 and 3.5 five years to determine the progression of liver disease.

“Results from our study suggest that patients with high coffee intake had a lower risk of disease progression,” said Freedman.

These findings will appear in the November issue of Hepatology.

A friend of mind gave me the following Hepatitis C story and I think it is worth sharing since the debate on health care is in full bloom these days.  She prefers to remain anonymous to protect her identity and that of the subject of the story.  This is valuable information for boomers who spent any of their youth living life a bit on the edge.  And the moral of the story could be expanded to consider the ramifications of genetic testing to see if you carry a gene for breast cancer, Alzheimer’s or any number of other diseases. Is the possibility of a disease enough to leave people unable to get insurance coverage?

I knew a wild 15-year-old teen who fancied herself a hippy. A bit precocious in 1971, she ran with the big boys and girls and did most of what was being done at that time . . . marijuana, psychedelics, IV drugs, etc. At a regular annual checkup her gynecologist looked at her yellowed eyes and informed her she had hepatitis. She had not even noticed her jaundiced condition, nor had she felt ill. Back then Hep A and Hep B were the typical forms of hepatitis so the doctor gave her a prescription and in two weeks she was all better. However, many of her friends also had the same condition. Odd coincidence?

As the girl grew into womanhood she became responsible, reliable, ambitious and gave up all her wayward activities.  She got her undergraduate degree and then two masters degrees and successfully held well-respected managerial jobs in the business world.

Over the years during each visit to the doctor she always checked the box on the health survey that said she once had hepatitis.  Not one doctor ever questioned her about it until she was well into her 40s.  Finally one diligent physician asked what form of hepatitis she had when she was 15. She didn’t know. The doctor who discovered it back then never told her.  He treated it  and no symptoms had ever occurred again. So the new doctor asked, how did you get it? The woman answered truthfully that it may have been from IV drug use since many of her friends with whom she had shared needles also had gotten the condition.

The well-intentioned doctor, all up in arms, declared the woman must be tested. He feared it could be Hep C, which was undiscovered until 1992. Little did she know what repercussions would occur when the test came back positive for Hep C. People could contract it through transfusions prior to 1992, since blood was not being screened for the disease before then. Many people got very sick, but many did not and never showed symptoms.

 The disease is not sexually transmitted except perhaps by anal sex when blood exposure can occur. The woman gave birth to and raised a child who does not have Hep C. She has been married and had unprotected sex with her husband who has not contracted the disease. When reading the literature and information on the Internet regarding the disease it is presented as a dramatic malady with no cure.

 Now this woman is trying to get individual health insurance since like so many in the recent past, she lost her job. Hep C is treated by insurance companies like other pervasive and incurable diseases such as HIV, Parkinson’s, Leukemia, and many others. After trying to get insurance with several companies she was turned down flat. No exclusions, no higher than usual premiums, just one big NO.

The woman’s COBRA is about to run out and state law requires and guarantees they provide continued coverage. Yay! So she thought. The premium quoted to her for continuation coverage from COBRA through CIGNA (I am sure they are not the only insurance company that does this) is $6,432 per month. YES, that is $6,432 per MONTH for hospital coverage with a surgical maximum of $9,000. No office visits, no prescriptions, no preventive care is included in the policy. The lifetime limit under this policy is $250,000. What a joke!

However, there is good news. Since this woman is a resident of Colorado there is a high risk pool available where the woman can get individual coverage for a very decent policy that covers preventive check ups and has a lifetime maximum of $2 million. She will pay, at her current age of 53, $450 per month. There is a $3,000 annual deductible and some percentage co-pays. See CoverColorado.org for more information. Other states may have similar programs available.

It is time for the moral of this story. If you are a former or current IV drug user, participate in risky sex practices, received a blood transfusion before 1992 or even have old tattoos from before the parlors were regulated you are in a high risk group for Hep C.  If you were diagnosed with “hepatitis” before 1992 but have no current symptoms DO NOT get it confirmed by your physician.

The subject of this story has not received any treatment for and has never been sick from Hepatitis C, but she is paying dearly now to get insurance coverage for something she never even had symptoms for. If you find you have it and are afraid you will give it to others, don’t be. Enjoy a lifestyle without shared IV needles and engage in sex practices that do not endanger your loved one. Transfusions are now screened and tattoo parlors are regulated.

Natalie Cole was featured in the November/December AARP magazine. She had kidney failure (unrelated to Hep C) but the doctor worked up a Hep C diagnosis from some blood work. She got it when she was 23 and had never had any symptoms or any clue she had it. Having Hep C is not the end of the world . . . unless you are trying to get health insurance with a Hep C pre-existing condition.

Broad and Informative

Sunless Tanning: Best Fake Tanning Lotions and Sprays -WebMD

More Doctors Need to Learn to Spot Skin Cancers -US News and World Report

Healthy Skin Makes for the Best Tan -Trans World News

Three Cetaphil(R) Products Earn Good Housekeeping Seal -Reuters

For Those Who Wants More Details…

Rheumatoid Arthritis Biologics Increase Risk of Skin Cancer -MedPage Today

Aggressive Microdermabrasion Induces Wound-Healing Response in Aging Skin -Eurekalert

Hepatitis C Associated Skin Conditions -Corrections

Emollient Foam Demonstrates Significant Reduction in Propionibacterium in Study Presented at Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference -Reuters

Recent Tanning Bed Use: A Risk Factor for Melanoma -Archives of Dermatology

European J of Clinical Microbiol & Inf Dis  Oct.2009  V.28  N.10  p.1267-1269

M. Silano1 , U. Volta2, O. Vincentini1, M. De Vincenzi1 and For the Italian Registry of the Complications of Celiac Disease1, 2

(1)  Division of Food Science, Human Nutrition and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Roma, 00161, Italy

(2)  Department of Internal Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy

abstract

http://www.springerlink.com/content/224777w27264j25l/

I haven’t been feeling good lately. I lost my mojo a little bit so everything I’ve had in my inventory that’s new has been festering and waiting for the perfect day to come out. Today was that day. There are so many good releases that’s out on the grid that goes with the old things in my inventory that it was a blast to put outfits together (or POTing as Shane likes to call it) and bring you some new interesting looks. But before I get into anything, I want to announce that TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE NAIVE GIRL CONTEST. SEE HERE FOR DETAILS. That’s how you kill two birds with one stone. I hope you guys will enjoy the looks myself, Shane, and our friend Sephia Ellison has put together for you today, and if you’d like to exchange blog links with us, just comment! We love to see your work too!

Hair: Maitreya Milla
Necklace: ::LEO-NT:: <3 BED of ROSES
Leggings: !Nayar – Sheer (low cut) Leggings [Dark]
Shoes: Maitreya Gold – IXkin Golden Duo
Jacket: "NINIKO" Cotton jacket *NEW*
Dress: *Linc* Petite Taupe *NEW*

Pants: Milk Motion – My Boyfriend Jeans
Sandals: Surf Couture Freedom Flops
Tank: Friday – Layering Tank – V *NEW*
Tee: Friday – Longsleeve Layering Tee *NEW*
Hair: JE*REPUBLIC Antoinette *NEW*

Skirt: Niniko Simple Skirt (Freebee)
Coat: AOHARU – Simple Trench Coat
Socks: Miel – Lo Socks Expresso
Hoodie/Hair: Friday – Henley Hoodie / Tabs (hair)
Shoes: Maitreya Neyya – Toe-cap Grey *NEW*

Then this is the part where I found company and I said to them, “hello company, want to take a picture with me?” Shane and I were both sneakily looking at Sephia’s jacket and were pleased we didn’t have to right click, inspect her. I found something I’ve never worn before ever and I was all, “WHAT!!!!!!!!!!” because this jacket is cute, ready for fall, and I don’t remember buying it. Don’t you love when that happens? It’s like Christmas in your inventory when you find things you don’t remember buying. And after five hours of trying to take three pictures with my company, this is what we came up with!

ON SEPHIA:
Jacket: +grasp+/Fur trim hooded jacket/Olive/womens
Boots: Maitreya Female Desert Boots – Mud
Tank top: *Muism* [Union Jack Tank Top]_Chill
Jeans: :EmJay:: Ripped Jeans – Super Dark
Scarf: Maitreya Long Scarf * Sangria
Bracelet: (NS) Hand Rosary
Belt: { Kari } – Dead Sailor belt
Bow: The Golden Fleece – Chamomile
Hair: fri. – Rashelle – Thoughtful Brown

ON SHANE:
Hair: : Defectiva: Grease Trap BRN
Shirt: (NS) Collar Plaid
Pants: INDI Hunter Pants black
Shoes: UBU PornStar Lo-Tops
Pen: ~Scribble~ Jelly Pen

Hair: Truth – Peaches
Necklace: Hepatitis C – Starry Necklace
Jacket: DP Yum Yum Tweed Jacket
Heels: *Kookie* Power Puff
Skin: Atomic – Baily *VIP GROUP GIFT*
Shirt: Surf Couture – Kettle Corn Cardigan *NEW*
Pants: Ducknipple – Barks
Belt: Maitreya – Coin Belt

Debido a que los primeros síntomas pueden aparecer hasta 15 años después del contagio, se calcula que sólo 20 por ciento de los casos son diagnosticados

Personas que recibieron transfusión de sangre antes de 1993, que tiene piercing, tatuajes o son usuarias de drogas inyectables, deben realizarse la prueba correspondiente

Más de un millón de mexicanos y alrededor de 170 millones de personas en el mundo son portadores de hepatitis C, virus que se transmite por sangre contaminada, la cual es una de las causas más frecuentes de enfermedad hepática crónica, desarrollo de cirrosis y cáncer de hígado, padecimientos que ocupan una de tres primeras causas de muerte en el país.

Esta cifra podría ser apenas el 20 por ciento del total de personas infectadas por el virus, ya que desde que se aloja en el organismo y aparecen los primeros síntomas como cansancio, pérdida de apetito, hinchazón en piernas y abdomen o hemorragia en nariz y encías, pueden transcurrir entre diez y quince años.

La doctora Margarita Dehesa Violante, jefa del Servicio de Gastroenterología del Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional (CMN) Siglo XXI del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) recomendó también que las personas que recibieron transfusión de sangre antes de 1993, que tienen tatuajes, piercing o se han inyectado algún tipo de droga, acudan al médico para practicarles la prueba de sangre correspondiente conocida como de Elisa, a fin de detectar la posible presencia del virus.

Sobre el riesgo que representa la transfusión de sangre, explicó que antes de ese año no existía prueba para detectar la presencia de hepatitis C en la sangre lo cual hace de esos grupo poblacionales posibles portadores del virus y que, pese al tiempo transcurrido, no hayan manifestado síntoma alguno.

La especialista destacó que, en población adulta, la cirrosis pasó de ser la quinta causa de muerte a la tercera, y que hasta el 60 por ciento de los casos de defunción por esta causa se deben al virus.

Dehesa Violante destacó también la importancia del problema de la hepatitis en la salud pública, ya que de acuerdo con los registros sanitarios, por cada individuo portador del Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) hay cuatro cuatro personas con hepatitis C.

Enfatizó que, desafortunadamente, lo común es que el diagnóstico de hepatitis C se realice de manera fortuita, es decir, cuando el portador pretende donar sangre y es rechazado al ser detectada la presencia del virus o porque a causa de algún padecimiento o intervención quirúrgica, se realizan los estudios de laboratorio y se descubre que es portador.

El Hospital de Especialidades del CMN Siglo XXI cuenta con la Clínica de Hepatitis, que atiende, en promedio, a 15 pacientes al día y que ya aglutina a más de dos mil derechohabientes que reciben tratamiento para remitir el virus o sus secuelas, así como orientación y grupos de apoyo.

La doctora Dehesa Violante dijo que es de vital importancia realizar el diagnóstico de hepatitis antes de que el virus cause daño irreversible en hígado, como cirrosis o cáncer y con ello, los especialistas del IMSS puedan brindar el tratamiento correspondiente que se basa en la aplicación de antivirales durante un año.

Explicó que en el caso de los pacientes jóvenes sin problemas de obesidad o sobre peso y que no ingieren bebidas alcohólicas, el tratamiento ofrece una sobrevida de 80 por ciento.

El 16 de octubre se llevará a cabo el XI Curso de Pacientes y Familiares “Pacientes con Hepatitis C”, que comenzará a las 16:30 horas y en el que especialistas del IMSS del Servicio de Gastroenterología hablarán de diversos temas como impacto del diagnósticos, tipos de tratamiento, futuro de la hepatitis C, entre otros; la entrada es gratuita y se invita a las personas interesadas en el tema, al Salón Fiestas del Hotel María Isabel Sheraton, Reforma.

También se efectuará el XVIII Curso Anual de Gastroenterología, Mitos y Realidades en Endoscopía, Gastroenterología y Hepatología “Mensajes para la práctica Clínica”, dirigido a la comunidad médica en general, se llevará a cabo del 7 al 9 de octubre del 2009 en el Auditorio Dr Bernardo Sepúlveda Gutiérrez del Hospital de Especialidades. La entrada es gratuita y los informes e inscripciones se proporcionan en el 5627 6900 extensiones 21565 y 22144.

Fuente: IMSS. Comunicados 2009 no. 283. Más de un millón de mexicanos portadores del virus de Hepatitis C…

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A needle exchange program in Puerto Rico is testing a vending machine that provides drug users with clean syringes after-hours to fight the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.

Dr. Jose Vargas Vidot is the founder of Community Initiative, the U.S. island territory’s only needle-exchange group. He says a single machine will make clean syringes available at night outside the group’s office in Hato Rey.

Vargas said Tuesday that drug counseling offices that distribute syringes are open only during daylight hours.

The vending machine program targets young addicts reluctant to seek help.

Drug users can get syringes, cookers, cotton filters, gauze and sterile water to prepare drugs for injection by inserting a special card.

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Chagas disease is caused by a parasite transmitted through the bite of an insect. It is endemic to Latin America and most commonly afflicts the poor living in rural villages. Due to the high prevalence of infected individuals, blood transfusion is now the second leading cause of transmission in places like Brazil. Estimates vary, but there are probably 10 million people who are carriers of this disease, and approximately 30 percent of infected individuals will develop heart failure (cardiomyopathy) and die prematurely as a result of their infection.

BIO Ventures for Global Health is committed to bringing the tools of biotechnology and the expertise of the biotech industry—which have created dramatic improvements in the treatment of chronic diseases such as autoimmunity, heart disease, HIV, and cancer—to bear on the problem of neglected diseases such as Chagas disease. So an important question is: how can the global health community marshal the resources necessary for serious, innovative drug and diagnostics research and development (R&D) to address this health scourge? One mechanism is to create appropriately sized incentives to make it feasible for companies to invest in global health; the quid pro quo for this financial support is that companies must agree to principles allowing the poorest populations of the world to access these novel medicines at low or no profit. But incentives don’t have to be the sole solution.

In listening to the speakers at last week’s UCLA symposium “Chagas Disease in the Americas: Improving Access and Tools for Patient Diagnosis and Treatment,” I was struck by similarities between Chagas disease and a viral infection common in the U.S., hepatitis C virus (HCV). It turns out that there are about 3 million Americans who are infected with HCV, comparable to the 3 million people infected with Chagas in Brazil and Mexico combined. Like Chagas, HCV is a silent infection that causes long term damage to a major organ only after several decades. HCV is a leading cause of liver failure and liver cancer worldwide, while Chagas causes heart failure. Like the treatments for Chagas, the currently licensed therapy for HCV is difficult to tolerate (it’s described as feeling like having the flu for 48 weeks!) and, in the case of patients with genotype I virus (the major type in the U.S.), only about 50% effective.

Yet the parallels between Chagas and HCV only go so far. Less than $1 million was spent in 2008 on developing new medicines to treat Chagas. This is a paltry sum when one considers that it costs $300 to $800 million to develop a novel drug! But it reflects the reality that patients who have Chagas are among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and have little voice politically or economically. While Chagas is an orphan, there is a monumental effort by pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop novel therapies for HCV: one recent assessment noted that there are more than 40 novel drugs being tested at various stages of clinical trials! These therapies promise to transform this potentially deadly viral infection into one that can be cured with pharmaceutical intervention.

So why this dichotomy between Chagas and HCV? The main difference is that drug development companies can identify a robust market for HCV therapy. The market is currently well over $2 billion in the U.S. and Europe, and it stands to grow substantially upon approval of the next generation of drugs. In contrast, medicines for Chagas are sold at essentially no profit and the market is not an inducement to innovation. But one under-recognized fact regarding Chagas is that about 300,000 people in the U.S. are actively infected with perhaps another 60,000 infected individuals in Europe. These are mostly Latino immigrants who are now living outside their native countries. It stands to reason that these individuals, in the absence of a safe and effective therapy, will become a significant economic and medical burden if their disease goes untreated and they develop heart disease at some point in the future. So there may actually be a compelling financial–as well as humanitarian–reason to engage in drug discovery to create safer and more effective treatments to cure Chagas disease. While the market opportunity alone may not be sufficient to induce significant R&D investment, BVGH hopes that a combination of incentives and the recognition of a real commercial opportunity in the U.S. and Europe may lead more companies to take steps to invest in Chagas disease drug discovery.

–David Cook is the Vice President of Business Development at BIO Ventures for Global Health.