Complementary or alternative therapies are those medical or healthcare practices that may be seen to be outside of conventional Western medicine. Complementary therapies are used in conjunction with conventional medicine. Some therapies are used instead of Western medicine and are referred to as alternative.
Many elements of CAM provide a
holistic response to wellness and can assist in emotional, spiritual and
physical well-being.
Some people with HCV are interested in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) because they found treatment difficult or not appropriate for their situation, or because treatment did not clear the virus. Others explore CAM because it resonates with their culture or experience of disease.
Some examples of CAM are:
Benefits of CAM
Complementary medicine has benefits and drawbacks. Many elements of CAM provide a holistic response to wellness and can assist in emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. They provide options and opportunities for patients to explore new meanings of health. Because Hep C is often a chronic infection, having the ability to make decisions around complementary medicine can give people some sense of control over their infection.
Two herbal supplements popular among people with hepatitis C are milk thistle (silymarin) and licorice root. Milk thistle has purported liver-cleansing properties and may improve liver-function test results in some people. Licorice root may have some activity against Hep C, but more research is needed, especially as licorice root can increase blood pressure. Studies on the effectiveness of these preparations are ongoing; at present, no scientific evidence has clearly proven that these remedies affect the course of liver disease. (Read more in CATIE News.)
Cautions with CAM
People living with Hep C should consider some of the dangers of CAM, especially in regards to the damage that herbal remedies can cause to the liver.
Many people feel that the labels “natural” or “botanical” mean that products are safe, but this is not necessarily true.
The liver is the processing and filtering organ of the body, so anything that enters the body will eventually come in contact with it. Some herbal remedies that are harmful to the liver and should be avoided include:
- wormwood or aemesia
- pine thistle (Atractylis gummifera)
- bush tea
- impila (Callilepis laureola)
- chapparal leaf
- comfrey
- rattlepod or crotalaria
- germander (Teucrium chamaedyrs)
- gordolobo herbal tea
- heliotropium
- jin-bu-huang
- kava (not approved in Canada)
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- kombucha (tea)
- ma-huang (ephedra)
- margosa oil
- mate (Paraguay) tea
- mistletos
- pennyroyal
- sassafras
- golden ragwort (Senecio aureus)
- senna
- skullcap
- symphatum
- valerian root (common in sleep remedies)
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Herbal remedies, vitamins and mineral supplements must be used with care and only with the go-ahead from a doctor.
Many people feel that the labels “natural” or “botanical” mean that products are safe, but this is not necessarily true. Healthcare providers should be involved in the decision to start herbal medicines in order to ensure safe, coordinated care, especially because many herbal remedies are not regulated for consistency or quality. Also, making sure the product has a Drug Identification Number (DIN) means that the preparation or dietary supplement is approved for use in Canada.
Acupuncture can have many health benefits. People with hepatitis C also need to be aware of the risks associated with acupuncture. Because the procedure uses needles to pierce the skin, sharing acupuncture needles can transmit hepatitis C. All acupuncture needles are required to be single-use and disposed of in sharps containers. Patients can check to see if this is the common practice in the acupuncture clinic to ensure that they do not transmit Hep C to others and do not put themselves at risk for other infections. Patients can consider disclosing their Hep C status to the acupuncturist to reinforce the importance of the disposal of used needles. Exploring acupressure, which doesn’t break or pierce the skin, may also be an option.
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