By Vaidyavachaspathi N K  Padmanabhan Vaidyar

After Dimitri Iosifovich Ivanovsky,  the Russian biologist who discovered viruses in 1892 , over 300 different varieties of this infectious agent have been detected till date.  One among them, the Hepatits – B virus is found to be active only in human bodies and this one could cause fatal liver disorders.

Unlike other viral infections the symptoms of Hepatitis- B are not visible till the last stage. The HbsAg {Surface antigen] test is the only diagnostic test available to detect the infection. Unfortunately the victims of Hepatitis- B normally do not go for the HbsAg test until they have reached an advanced stage, when the symptoms are explicit. According to health reports hundreds of thousands of such new cases are reported every year.  Most of the victims are found to be in youths.

Primarily there are three diagnostic methods to detect Hepatitis – B infection.

* Medical test for those visiting foreign countries.

*Screening after blood donation

*Medical Checkup during pregnancy

What is Hepatitis?

Only humans are infected by this Virus. There are five different types of Viral hepatitis infection, A,B,C,D & E. A & E are spread through contaminated water and food. B & C through blood and semen. 20% of the people suffering from serious liver ailments have Hepatitis E virus as its cause and Hepatitis D Virus has ability to catalyze the infection from other types and make the patient reach an advanced stage in a short time. About 2 million people die of Hepatitis-B, across the world annually. A patient infected by Hepatitis- B virus will mostly die of liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. In patients, who have weak immune system this virus starts as a carrier and ultimately the patient dies as a victim of Hepatitis –B. If a person has a strong immune system then he can withstand the attack of the virus and live a normal healthy life.

Hepatitis – B infection is seen in two different ways.

*Liver enlargement with jaundice.

*Asymptomatic but infection in blood.

In the first case, being symptomatic, it makes the treatment easier. In the second case since it is asymptomatic, treatment is difficult.

In 1976, Dr. V.S Blumberg received the Nobel Prize for discovering Hepatitis- B virus. In fact, this disease has been prevalent in the world much prior to this discovery. Over  400 million  people across the world are victims of this fatal  disease. Total number of infected people  across the globe is over 2000 million. Hepatitis – B is commonly seen in the third world countries. After China, India has the highest percentage of infected people.

PERCENTAGE PREVALENCE OF HBV WORLD WIDE

0 – 1%	North America, Western Europe, Australia
2 – 5 %	South east Europe, Middle east countries, West Asia, Indian Sub continent, south Central America
5% & above	Africa, Wast Asia Pacific , Asia minor, Caribbean islands.

In the developed countries, number of Hepatitis – B cases are less, but the maximum cases are seen in younger people. At the same time, in the underdeveloped countries, mostly children are the victims. 90% of the infected children are unable to save themselves from the disease. Whereas, with proper treatment, 90% of the infected youths can be saved. In the developed countries the percentage of Hepatitis- B victims are declining.  But in underdeveloped countries, including India,  the number of infected are on the rise.  As per the survey, the present percentage of carriers in India could be  4.5 to 5% of the total population. That means 4.5 to 5 crore Indians are infected by HBV.

One in two cases of chronic liver disease and eight in ten cases of primary liver cancer are due to Hepatitis – B infection. It is recorded that liver disease due to Hepatitis – B infection is considered to be the fourth or fifth important cause of death in an individual’s most productive period of time [15 to 45 years}. Even in a small state like Kerala, the percentage of people infected by HBV is not at all far behind the national level of 5% .

1. 1. How does one get infected by Hepatitis – B virus?

Human is the known reservoir of this virus. It is transmitted through infected blood and other body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretion and wound exudates.

There are 4 major routes of transmission:

• Parenteral / percutaneous : During transfusion of infected blood and through infected needles.
• Horizontal : Between person to person (accidental contact with infected blood and other body fluids)
• Vertical : From infected mother to child at birth
• Sexual : Between sexual partners

Accidental contact with such carriers, who are unaware about the virus they are harboring, can transmit the virus to others.

1. 2. What are the symptoms of Hepatitis – B infection?

The majority of infants and children infected with Hepatitis – B do not show any symptoms of Hepatitis –B infection. In the case of adults, a small number of individuals may not show any symptoms of all. The others initially developed flu like symptoms such as loss of appetite, tiredness, chills, mild fever, headache, body ache, vomiting and internal pain on the side of the location of the liver. Later jaundice or jaundice like symptoms [pale faeces, dark urine, and yellowness in the eye] may develop.

In youngsters vomiting and pain will be comparatively more in the beginning, but after developing jaundice, they disappear. Their eyes, skin, urine and the skin under the tounge develpops yellowness. In most of the patients, the spleen gets enlarged, the liver shrinks and fluid accumulates in the stomach. Thse symptoms indicates the chronic condition of the disease. Faeces will be either whtish or blackish and there will be itching all over the body. The disease can be detected by testing the blood.

What is HBV carrier?

An HBV  carrier has no symptoms of the disease, but when tested is found to be HbsAg Postive.

4 . Prevention of spreading of Hepatitis

• Check blood used for treatment
• Sterilise all medical instruments like syringes etc.
• Do not have more than one sexual partner
• Take Kamilari,  a medicine manufactured by M/S.NUPAL , COCHIN 20, for viral Hepatis] 2 caps 2 times daily for one month every year , this will ensure prevention.

Who are at high risk?

1.  At high risk due to profession

All medical and para medical personnel such as doctoors, nurses and people working in pathology labs, blood banks, dialysis units and cancer units because therir profession exposes them to the risk of dealing with blood and body fluids of  patients who may be carriers.

1. At high risk due to illness.

1. Patients like thalassemics and haemophilics who receive blood or blood related products.

2. Patients on dialysis

3. At high risk due to sexual or social habits.

1. Heterosexuals with multiple sexual partners,

2. Homosexuals and prostitutes.

3. Peopel who play contact sports

4. People who undergo tattooing

1. Others

1. Infants born to Hepatitis B infected mothers.

2. Family members of Hepatitis B Virus carriers.

1. 5. Treatment :

Hepatitis – B is seen with or without jaundice, the patient can be treated in the normal way as we do for jaundice. In my experience, Drakshadi kwath padavala kadurohinyadi kashayam & Kamilari  [ ‘Kamilari’ , is Clinically proven for viral Hepatitis by trials done at Kashthurba Medical College, Manipal] can cure 80% of the Hepatitis- B patiets completely.

As in the case of treatment of other chronic diseases, as per Ayurvedic treatisem for Hepatitis- B also, there are three stages.

1. Sukha sadhyam : can be easily treated
2. Krichra sadhyam :can be treatd with difficulty
3. Asadhyam : cannot be treated.

Eighty percent falls into sukha sadhyam and the balance 20% is Krichrasadhyam and asadhyam. Hepatitis –B is not a disease that kills suddenly. It takes 15 to 20 years to develop as cirrhosis or cancer and then the patient dies. Advanced [Asadhyam] stage of Hepatitis – B can be compared with Ayurveda’s Kumbha kamila , alasam & lagharakam.

The 20% that falls into Krichyarasadhyam and asadhyam can also be treated effectively with certain additional medicines namely, Hepin, Elates Drops, Abhaya lavanam & Udaramritham kwath ( developed by  Nupal Remedies ) Upto 15% of the 20%  that fall into Kricharasadhyam and asadhyam can be saved. In short , we can effectively treat upto 95% of Hepatitis –B cases.

1. 6. Diet

Proper diet is an absolute must. Timely food and medicienes as per prescription must be striclty followed . Stick to a bland diet., EG: Carrot, tender coconut water, orange, grapes, use rock salt instead of common salt . Oil is to be avoided.

“Marunnillenkilum rogam pathyam kondu shamichidum

Pathyamillenkil marilla nooru nooru aushadhangalal”

Even if you do not take any medication, by proper recommended diet control alone, the disease can be cured. But without proper diet control , if you take hundreds of medicines, the disease will not be cured.

The co-operation of the patient and the synchronicity of his life style according to the treatment, is the most impoertant aspect. Medication with a haphazard life style will not give the desired result. The common belief that Hepatitis-B cannot be cured is not 100% correct. We have ample evidence to prove that Hepatitis –A,B, C & E patients treated from our clinic have been cured and supporting documents to this effect are available with us. IT is not fair to say that there is no cure for Hepatitis –B, as the modern western system has not found a solution. My humble request to all concern both in the western system of medicine and holistic system of medicine is to cooperate and reach the benefits of the centuries of research, done in Ayurveda, worldwide.

(The author is chairman NUPALREMEDIES, Cochin)