Hepatitis C – Alternative Therapies That Work  

by Raphael J. d’Angelo, MD  

A number of years ago I ran across an article in a medical journal by Burt Berkson, MD, in which he presented 3 case reports of patients who had Hepatitis C (HCV) induced end stage liver disease awaiting transplants. For one year Dr. Berkson used a triple antioxidant formula with important lifestyle changes and each was able to get off the transplant list and return to work.

Fascinated with the power of such a simple yet successful protocol, I offered it to three of my own HCV patients, two who had completed a conventional protocol and two who had not. In all four cases their outcomes were improved.

Dr. Berkson, from Las Cruces , New Mexico , has never seen anyone cured by conventional therapy. “Viral loads may drop, but they quickly bounce back when treatment is stopped.” We do know that interferon and ribavirin can reduce the viral load, but in less than half the patients with type 2 and 3 is it clinically meaningful. The percentage is far less with type 1. And when it comes to the side effects, treatment is often worse than the disease. It is also a fact that the viral load often has little to do with progression to frank cirrhosis. The person’s own inflammatory response generated by the immune system is the culprit.

The triple antioxidant protocol, which has been studied by the National Institutes of Health and is now being used by many holistic practitioners, is a combination of alpha lipoic acid 300 mg twice a day; selenium 200 mcg twice a day; and silymarin from milk thistle 300 mg a day. This is coupled with a B complex and a good antioxidant nutritional program.

In my own practice I utilize the NIH Berkson protocol along with Coenzyme Q-10, essential oil antivirals, frequency specific microcurrent (www.FSM4U.com), and sometimes IV nutrient therapy. Avoidance of tobacco and alcohol is strongly recommended. Aerobic exercise is important. I follow specific laboratory tests for a periodic look at how the liver is improving. The most important aspect is targeting the treatment to the person.

Like many different types of chronic viral infections, providing the body’s immune system with the proper nutrients while boosting its antiviral response will ultimately result in tissue and organ repair and a return to a person’s best level of functioning.