Vitamin C Recommended for Fighting Hepatitis C "Do you have something to help with Hep-C?" asks an HSI member named Amy. Sure do, Amy. Hepatitis C is caused by a virus, which is picked up through contact with contaminated blood or organs. When I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., what his recommendation would be for fighting this virus, he started off with information about a trusted old standby: vitamin C. Dr. Spreen: "Fred Klenner, MD, showed decades ago (along with Robert Cathcart, M.D.) that ultra-high-dose intravenous vitamin C can kill any invader, bacterial or viral. "In more 'doable' dosages (and non-IV), the 2 biggies that I'd be using would be milk thistle extract (silymarin) and NAC (n-acetyl cysteine). Olive leaf extract and grapefruit seed extract (not grape seed) are both anti-bacterial and anti-viral." In Dr. Spreen's opinion hepatitis C patients have nothing to lose by using these supplements because "there are NO drugs effective against hepatitis C (period), and all the above-mentioned supplements are almost devoid of side effects and/or toxicities." In the January 2000 HSI Members Alert we told you about another hepatitis C treatment; an immune system booster called Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC). Made from hybridized Japanese mushrooms, AHCC has been shown to increase the activity of natural killer cells by as much as 300 percent. At the AHCC Research Association's 8th symposium in Sapparo, Japan, a doctor from the Centers for Integrative and Complementary Medicine in New York reported that AHCC had helped hepatitis C patients drop their viral load by as much as 89 percent in as little as four months. And in a Japanese study, 40 hepatitis patients treated with AHCC experienced more energy and appetite, increased platelet counts, and a halt in the progressive development of cirrhosis. In that January 2000 Members Alert we also told you about an AHCC product called ImmPower-AHCC, which is available through the Harmony Company (theharmonyco.com). If you have hepatitis C, talk to your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning a regimen of AHCC or any other dietary supplements. | 
