Grapefruit to Replace Hepatitis C Drugs?

I was reading this article online from What Doctors Don't Tell You and it tickled me into thinking about the research paper I made at University of the Philippines, Open University at Los Baños, Laguna regarding Bitter Gourd as possible cure for a number of communicable diseases such as Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, and cancer.

The article talks about the medicinal properties of grapefruit that is similar to those of the powerful anti-viral drugs which are used for treatments for hepatitis C. The Journal of the American Medical Association pointed out that a typical grapefruit contains flavonoid and naringenin, which have the ability to inhibit the ability of a hepatitis C virus to replicate and thereby continue destroying tissues. These are also the two main ingredients which gives the fruit its bitter taste.

Well, sounds like a nice idea and it really was nice-to-know information. I always believe that people should start going back to basics since some fruits, vegetables, and herbs contain ingredients that have the potential to cure but cannot serve such function if they are not contained in their natural host (that is, the ingredient is not taken from its original source) since most of substances that have substantial medicinal properties have synergystic properties as well, that is, they cannot function well or its effect will not be as effective as when you take it from the original source.

What do you guys think about herbs? How about starting to cure the person's "mind" before curing the person physically as some of the diseases on the planet are more of psycho-somatic in nature or the so-called "its all in the mind" attitude? What do you think?

State Crisis due to Medical Malpractice Issue at Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas

It was such a tragedy as I may say that more than 40,000 patients may have been exposed to have various communicable diseases like Hepatitis B, C, or HIV in an Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas for several of the nurses anesthesiologists there have inadvertently reused the syringes for administering anesthesia so thousands of patients who go there everyday to undergo certain invasive medical procedure.

It was sad to note that a couple of nurses, 5 so far, have volunteered to give up their licenses due to the said negligence and violation of medical ethics among nurses. Healthline.com provides more information about this issue and how to contact the Southern Nevada Health District's hotline for further advise regarding this issue.

R7128 Received Fast-track Status from FDA

The US Food and Drug Administration has given Pharmasset Inc.'s (NASDAQ:VRUS) R7128 a fast-track status in order to make the drug become more available to individuals who are chronically infected with Hepatitis C Virus. CNN has the story.

Vaccine for Hepatitis C is not yet available and just like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C can cause liver damage such as cirrhosis and cancer.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that, "you may be at risk for hepatitis C and should contact your medical care provider for a blood test if you:

* were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C.
* have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago
* received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992
* were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987
* have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis
* have evidence of liver disease (e.g., persistently abnormal ALT levels)

Please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information about Hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C Carrier, Pamela Anderson, Getting Healthier

Indeed Hepatitis C and other subtypes of Hepatitis such as Hepatitis B spares no one; even the celebrities and stars. Pamela Anderson, a Bay Watch star, was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and disclosed in March 2002 that she had the disease and claimed that she contracted the disease from her previous husband Tommy Lee but reported that her body is responding to the hepatitis c treatment she is currently on.

Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease that affects millions of people. To date more than 180 million people are infected with Hepatitis C Virus according to the World Health Organization (WHO) with numbers increasing every year (around 3 to 4 million infected per year) and more than 3 quarters of those currently infected will develop chronic liver disease (chronic hepatitis). Moreover, WHO stated that the disease is " responsible for 50–76% of all liver cancer cases, and two thirds of all liver transplants in the developed world"

Too bad there is no existing vaccine to prevent Hepatitis C infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are different ways by which a person can be infected with hepatitis c virus:

• You ever injected street drugs, as the needles and/or other drug "works" used to prepare or inject the drug(s) may have had someone else's blood that contained HCV on them.
• You received blood, blood products, or solid organs from a donor whose blood contained HCV.
• You were ever on long-term kidney dialysis as you may have unknowingly shared supplies/equipment that had someone else's blood on them.
• You were ever a healthcare worker and had frequent contact with blood on the job, especially accidental needlesticks.
• Your mother had hepatitis C at the time she gave birth to you. During the birth her blood may have gotten into your body.
• You ever had sex with a person infected with HCV.
• You lived with someone who was infected with HCV and shared items such as razors or toothbrushes that might have had his/her blood on them.