Hepatitis is an inflammatory disease that attacks the liver.
In most people, hepatitis is caused by a virus, but there are others who get hepatitis from a substance that they have consumed, like contaminated food or water. In some people, the hepatitis is caused by an auto-immune reaction where their immune system mistakenly attacks the liver.
In people with auto-immune hepatitis, certain immune cells mistakenly attack the normal liver cells and cause them to malfunction. Over time, this leads to inflammation, damage to liver cells, liver failure, cirrhosis (severe scarring), infection, and sometimes death if untreated.
Auto-immune hepatitis is not life-threatening, but it can be quite painful and cause other health problems, such as liver cancer. If left untreated, it can lead to liver cancer.
Many people have auto-immune hepatitis because of a compromised immune system, which means that the body’s cells are not able to fight off infections and other diseases. When this happens, the body’s defenses are unable to deal with the infection, leading to inflammation in the liver. The inflammation, damage, or dysfunction that occurs causes the liver to become inflamed and to over produce the chemicals necessary to help it heal. When this happens, the immune system will attack the liver and the immune cells that help fight infection will attack the cells.
To treat hepatitis with auto-immunity, doctors first need to identify the underlying cause of the immune system’s attack on the liver. After that, a drug is usually prescribed to fight off the infection. Unfortunately, many drugs that work for treating infection also cause inflammation in the liver, causing further harm to the body. For instance, azathioprine, atovaquone, lofepramine, quinacrine, or terbinafine can all cause liver damage if used for very long periods of time. Therefore, it is important to avoid prolonged use of any of these drugs to treat hepatitis.
Some people with chronic hepatitis can get relief from some types of medications that can reduce the inflammation in the liver. These include aspirin, tetracycline, colchicine, and diflucan.
In cases where your immune system’s ability to fight off infection is not compromised, you can treat hepatitis with anti-fungal medications, such as tetracycline or Erythromycin, or even with immunosuppressive agents such as prednisone. If your immune system has been weakened, you might be able to get remission with vitamin D supplements. It may take several weeks before your body’s defenses return to normal, so you’ll have to make sure to keep track of your treatment. If your body is not responding well to an anti-fungal medication, you might want to speak to a doctor about getting more aggressive treatment.
Because the immune system is responsible for fighting off infection, it’s important to prevent the virus from causing any further damage to the liver. Therefore, you should avoid alcohol, smoke, take certain prescription medications or have a healthy diet. It is also very important that you drink plenty of water and keep your liver hydrated.
A variety of other treatments are available that are specifically intended to fight off the virus, either through natural means, or through antibiotics. However, these may not be effective in every case. It is essential to consult a doctor when trying to determine which treatment is best for you.
Natural cures have long been recognized to be highly effective. While the best cure for Hepatitis is still unknown, some people with chronic hepatitis have reported results after following specific natural methods for over ten years.
One of these methods involves making certain dietary changes, such as eliminating caffeine and sugar from the diet, and increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that you eat. Others recommend avoiding foods that are high in saturated fat and reducing the amount of processed foods, such as cookies and junk food.
There are also a number of herbal remedies that are known to help control or even cure hepatitis. Many times, people with hepatitis can be cured with homeopathic remedies. If your doctor recommends one of these treatments, talk to your pharmacist to find out if they will help. The herbal formulas that have been known to treat Hepatitis have been found to be as effective as some prescription treatments, if not better.