Table of Contents
hepcBC.bull / Table of contents
[1. Health Minister'sConference on
Compensation on January 29th and 30th in
Vancouver, B.C
2. From the Okanagan
3. Membership and
Subscription Form
4. Canadian Liver Foundation
5. How to Reach Us and Coming
Up/ Subscription
6. Advocacy Announcement Class Action Suits
7. Traceback Procedures
8. Cupid's Corner
9. Squeeky's Corner-
Me, Sex and the Other Guy
10. The How and Why of Optimism
11. Advertising
12. FOUR HCV CLINICAL TRIALS IN BC
13. HepC Q & A on NAC and SAM
14. Comparing Biopsies
15. JIM LODGE STEPS DOWN
16. Book Reviews: Living with Hepatitis
C and Hepatitis C: A
Personal
guide to Good Health
17. How E. Coli Can Affect HCV
Cloning
18. Diet and the Holidays
19. HEP C TREATMENTS
20. Hepatitis C and Alcohol
]
FROM THE OKANAGAN
Editors' note:
Leslie could not contribute to the newsletter this month, due to
an accident to a family member. She did send us the following
news:
The article "Who Should Receive Compensation" in last
month's hepcBC.bull was not written by Leslie. It was submitted
by a HeCSC member from Saskatchewan, who wishes to remain
anonymous.
IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED:
There will be a Health Minister's Conference on Compensation on
January 29th and 30th in Vancouver, B.C. Leslie will be attending
representing transfused patients.
Reminder:- Any change of address, phone number or Postal Code,
please let your phone contact(in Victoria) or your Chapter
Secretary (B.C) know at your earliest. It saves our meagre funds.
Thanks.
HeCSC Victoria Tel. (250) 388-4311
xx204@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
Victoria Chapter HeCSC acknowledges the personal donations, donations in kind and memorial donations received to date, and the following for discounts, donations of services, or equipment: Monk Office Supply. CFAX 1070 Radio, and Apple Canada.
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Please fill out include a check made out to HeCSC - Victoria
Chapter, Send to: Hepatitis C Society of Canada Victoria Chapter
1611 Quadra St. Victoria, BC V8W 2L5 or FAX to: (250) 479-5290
Name: _____________________________
Address: ____________________________
City: _____________ Prov. ___ PC______
Home(___)________Work(___)_________
One Year Subscription $10.00 Member of: Victoria
Chapter__________[] Vancouver Chapter________[] Okanagan
Chapters________[]
"I cannot afford to subscribe at this time, but I would like
to receive the newsletter. I am applying for a
grant.".____[]
"I would like to make a donation so that others may receive
the newsletter without charge"_______[]
(A limited number of newsletters will be available free of charge
at the meetings, as well.) ----------
CANADIAN LIVER FOUNDATION
Spring For Daisies:
Volunteers are needed immediately to sign up for the Spring for
Daisies campaign. We still need people to help in both the public
and corporate portions of the campaign. Volunteer training will
take place on February 21 & 28. Please call the regional
office at (604) 681-4588 for more info. Casino Nights: Volunteers
needed for Jan. 01 and March 09/98. The Casino event will take
place at the Quality Inn, 725 SE Marine Drive, Vancouver.
Different shift options are available and it would be great if we
could have people interested sign up as soon as possible as all
volunteers must be trained prior to the casino date. Interested
individuals can call the regional office at (604) 681-4588.
Living With Liver Disease Programs:
We are taking registration for the Living With Liver Disease
Programs. Vancouver begins Jan. 26 at Vancouver General Hospital
Heather Pavilion, Lecture Hall B (7pm- 9pm) and the Victoria
program will commence Feb. 23 at Victoria General Hospital
Lecture Hall (7pm-9pm). Call (604) 681-4588 or 1-800-856-7266 to
register. These are free sessions and are available to anyone
interested.
Gala Fund-raiser:
The Canadian Liver Foundation is hosting its first annual Gala
Fund-Raising Weekend, featuring Joelle Rabu in Concert on March
28 and 29, 1998 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Saturday,
March 28: An Intimate Concert with Joelle Rabu. 10% of all ticket
sales and sale of CD and tapes will be donated to the CLF.
Tickets- $20.00/$18 seniors and students. Sunday, March 29: CLF
Gala Fund-Raising Evening with Joelle Rabu - includes reception
and silent auction. Tickets - $75.00/person Tickets available at
all ticketmaster locations or by dialing (604) 280- 4444 or
Canadian Liver Foundation #545-1130 West Pender Street Vancouver,
BC V6E 4A4 Tel: (604) 681-4588 Fax: (604) 681-6067 Toll Free:
1-800-856-7266
COMING UP:
Victoria Chapter Meetings: Last Wednesday of each month 1 - 3 PM,
and again at 7-9 PM, St. John the Divine Church Lounge,1611
Quadra St. (Entrance through the rear, marked Annex) NEXT
MEETING: Jan. 28.
Penticton Chapter Meetings: Third Thursday of every month, 7-9
PM, Penticton Health Unit - Board rooms. NEXT MEETING: Jan.15
Kelowna Chapter Meetings: Last Saturday of every month, 1-3 PM,
Rose Avenue Education Room in Kelowna General Hospital. NEXT
MEETING: Jan. 31
Nanaimo Chapter Meetings: Second Thursday of every month, 7 PM,
Health Unit-Central Vancouver Island, 1665 Grant St. NEXT
MEETING: Jan. 8. Vancouver CLF Support Group: Vancouver General
Hospital's Heather Pavillion, Lecture Hall B. Facilitator: Yvonne
Kwok, a nurse specializing in hepatitis. Next Meeting: Thurs.,
Jan. 8, 7:30-9:30 PM Contact Herb for more info: 241-7766 or
email
Sunshine Coast Support Group- Meetings: First Thursday of each
month, 7:30 PM, Coast Garibaldi Health Unit in Gibsons. NEXT
MEETING: NOTE: Jan. 8. Contact Carol for more information:
886-4298 or email her at Carol
HOW TO REACH US:
CO-EDITORS
Joan Diemecke
TEL:(250) 479-5290 pdiemecke@compuserve.com
Darlene Morrow
FAX:(604) 987- 7396 hepcbc@sprint.ca
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/5670
VICTORIA CHAPTER OFFICE: xx204@freenet.victoria.bc.ca TEL:(250)
388-4311
PENTICTON CHAPTER: LESLIE GIBBENHUCK TEL:(250)490-9054
bchepc@bc.sympatico.ca
KELOWNA CHAPTER: ELAINE RISELY TEL:(250)768-3573
eriseley@bcinternet.com
CASTLEGAR/GRAND FORKS/TRAIL: ROBIN TOMLIN TEL:(250) 365-6137
NALA PAQU CHAPTERS: RIA KLOMP TEL:(250) 248-6072 (Parksville) TED
KILLOUG TEL:(250) 752-1718 gjones@qb.island.net (G. Joneson)
(Qualicum Beach)
HELEN HUBBART TEL:(250) 245-8759
(Ladysmith/Nanaimo)
DISCLAIMER: HeCSS cannot endorse any physician, product or
treatment. Any guests invited to our group to speak, do so to add
to our information only. What they say should not necessarily be
considered medical advice, unless they are medical doctors. The
information you receive may help you make an informed decision.
Please consult with your health practitioner before considering
any therapy or therapy protocol. The opinions expressed in this
newsletter are not necessarily those of the organization.
The deadline for any contributions of hepc.bull is the 22nd of
each month. Please contact: Joan Diemecke at Tel/FAX
(250)479-5290 or Darlene Morrow at FAX (604) 987-7396 1203
Plateau Drive, North Vancouver, BC, V7P 2J3
email:
The editors reserve the right to edit and cut articles in the
interest of space.
ADVERTISING: The deadline for placing
advertisements in the hepcBC.bull is the 15th of each month.
Rates are as follows:
Newsletter Ads:
$10 for 1/6th page, per issue $100 for 1/6th page, 12 issues (in
advance) $20 for 1/3rd page, per issue (vertical or horizontal)
$200 for 1/6th page, 12 issues (in advance) whole page: $60 per
issue $600 for 12 issues 1/2 page: $30 per issue $300 for 12
issues
ADVOCACY ANNOUNCEMENT
CLASS ACTION SUITS: BRITISH COLUMBIA
Camp Church and Associates Sharon Matthews / Kim Graham 4th
Floor, Randall Building Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1Z5 1-800-689-2322
Grant Kovacs Norell Bruce Lemer Grosvenor Building 930-1040 West
Georgia Street Vancouver, BC, V6E 4H1 Phone: 604.609.6699 Fax:
604.6096688
Before August 1, 1986 Klein Lyons David A Klein 805 West
Broadway, Suite 500 Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1K1 (604)874-7171
(604)874-7180 (FAX)
also: Dempster, Dermody, Riley and Buntain William Dermody 4
Hughson Street South, 2nd Floor Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z1 (905)
572- 6688
The toll free number to get you in touch with the Hepatitis C
Counsel is 1-(800)-229-LEAD (5323). It may not be working yet so
please be patient.
TRACEBACK PROCEDURES:
This information is for anyone who has received blood
transfusions in Canada, if they wish to find out if their donors
were Hep C positive.
TRACEBACK INQUIRIES
Contact: Dr. Lisa Jeppesen, Dr. P Doyle,or Glenda The Canadian
Red Cross Society 4750 Oak Street Vancouver, BC, V6H 2N9
1-888-332-5663 (local 207)
CUPID'S CORNER
This column is a response to requests for a personal classified
section in our news bulletin. Here is how it works: To place an
ad: Write it up! Max. 50 words. Deadline is the 15th of each
month and the ad will run for two months. We'd like a $10
donation, if you can afford it. Send checks payable to HeCSC
Victoria Chapter, and mail to R. Hicks, Box 263-453 Head St.,
Victoria, BC V9A 5S1. Give us you name, tel. no., and address.
To respond to an ad: Place your written response in a separate,
sealed envelope with nothing on it but the number from the top
left corner of the ad to which you are responding. Put that
envelope inside a second one, along with your check for a
donation of $2, if you can afford it. Mail to the same address as
above.
Disclaimer: R. Hicks and/or HeCSC cannot be held responsible for
any interaction between parties brought about by this column.
Ad No. 5
SWM 7/7/47. Employed. Healthy. 5’8 1/2”, 170 lbs.
Considered attractive. Spiritual. Dreamworker. Tai Chi.
Mindful/Awareness-Meditation. Vegetarian. Seven years sober and
celibate. No assets. Poor but happy! Trained caregiver. I do not
expect you to be like me. Be yourself. Reach out. Seeking
Soulmate/Lover.
THE WHY AND HOW OF BEING AN OPTIMIST
Let's look at the dictionary definition of the word optimism.
"Optimism: The inclination to take a hopeful view; the
tendency to think that all will be for the best; the doctrine
that this world is the best of all possible worlds; sanguine
temperament."
"Sanguine: Cheerful, hopeful, confident, always anticipating
the best."
We can only be an optimist if we want to. We are not going to
change our outlook on life by searching for it externally. We
have to want to change our attitude towards life and then find a
way to actually do it. That's why using drugs or alcohol or
engaging in other types of self-indulgent behaviour will
ultimately not effect a permanent positive change in our lives.
Let's ask ourselves some basic questions: Is the glass half full
or half empty? Is the day partly sunny or partly cloudy? Our
answer will go a long way in determining whether or not we're a
basic optimist or a raging pessimist.
There is absolutely no question that how and what we think has a
profound effect on our health. I'm not a psychologist or a
medical expert, so I cannot explain all the chemical reactions
that occur when we use positive or negative phrases to describe
an object or situation. If we see the glass as half full, the
implication is positive, and we cannot help but derive benefit
from viewing the glass of water this way. Now this example may
sound simplistic, but sometimes the simplest examples are, quite
simply, the best. The power of the mind is underestimated in
these times of virtually complete dependence on technology. We
need to have more confidence in our own thinking, especially
those of us who suffer from a chronic illness such as hepatitis
C. We need all the help we can get, and who better to turn to for
help but our own selves, and our own minds. Let's tell ourselves
every day that this is just a little bug and we're not going to
let some little bug ruin our lives, even though we feel tired and
achy and cranky all the time.
We need to look for the positive in everything that happens, and,
by doing so, we will go a long way towards lessening the impact
of this terrible disease. We need to use words like love, not
hate, and learn how to live in love. We need to develop a
spiritual outlook on life even if it just means practising some
basic commandments and not specifically any religion. If we
smile, there's a good chance the world will smile back at us, and
this can only be a good thing. Many of us find some kind of
perverted satisfaction out of railing against the world in all
its decadence. Watching the news and reading the newspapers keeps
us informed, but at best gives us only a skewed worldview and at
worst, keeps us in a state of...well...dis- ease.
Finally, meditation will help to turn that negative inner
monologue down to a dull roar and bring peace to a restless mind,
and there can't be a more optimistic endeavour than striving for
a peaceful mind.
In previous newsletters I have attempted to show examples of what
being an optimist means to me, so I'm not going to repeat myself
here. I would, however, like to say in closing that there have
been times when I've felt absolutely the furthest from being an
optimist, but I've never given up. Almost, but never quite I
always remember that it is the journey towards understanding that
counts, and not the destination.
FOUR HCV CLINICAL TRIALS IN BC
1. Interferon and Ribavirin Combination Therapy: Non-responders
or relapsers to interferon alone are being studied in a
combination therapy trial using 3 million units of interferon
injected three times a week (which the patient pays for) and
1000-1200 mg of ribavirin orally twice a day (which is paid for
by the drug company.) THIS STUDY WILL BE CLOSING SOON.
2. Amantadine Therapy in Combination with Interferon in
non-responders or relapsers. This trial is looking at amantadine
in the treatment of HCV. THIS IS AN OPEN STUDY.
3. PEG Interferon Trial: Pegylated (PEG) Interferon is a long
acting interferon that only requires a once a week injection.
Patients are randomly assigned to one of two therapies:
a) PEG interferon injection once a week OR
b) induction of Interferon at a high dose for one month followed
by the standard dose of 3 million units three times a week for
the duration of the trial. This trial is for a period of one year
and the cost of the drug is paid for by the drug company and is
OPEN to naive patients only (not previously treated with
interferon ).
4. Low Dose Maintenance Schedule with Interferon: This trial will
begin sometime in the new year and will look at low dosage
maintenance therapy of interferon.
by Blair Thomson, DN , CMT, and Mishel Rees, MH, WT, RM, B.Div. Both are Integrative Therapists using nutritional,herbal and body work therapies. They are co-owner/operators of Quantum Life Energy Natural Farmacy & Clinic.
Email:
blairt
Question: Can protein powder be used instead of NAC (N-Acetyl
Cysteine) and SAM (S-Adenylose Methionine), both of which are
very expensive?
Answer: No. If you just want to provide the body with the raw
materials of the various amino acids, sure, protein powder is
fine as would be any other protein food. However for a
therapeutic dose of any individual amino acid it would be
impossible to get enough from a protein powder. Aside from
cysteine, NAC production in the body requires several nutrient
cofactors including B vitamins. Also NAC and SAM are both altered
amino acids neither of which are found in protein powders etc but
have to be produced in the body by the raw materials.
There is some information regarding NAC which I would like to
share with Hep C readers:
In the July/ August 1996 American Journal of Natural Medicine,
Michael T. Murray, N.D., cites research which questions the
efficacy and possibly the safety of using NAC to increase
glutathione levels as it may actually increase oxidative damage.
This actually happened in test results with six healthy
volunteers at a dosage of 1.2 grams per day.
In research comparing NAC with vitamin C to increase glutathione
levels, vitamin C was shown to be more effective & far
cheaper than NAC. Dr. Murray notes, “Measurements of
glutathione (GSH) levels indicated that 3 grams of vitamin C per
day increased white blood cell GSH four-fold and plasma (blood)
GSH levels eight fold. NAC increased white blood cell 3.5-fold
and plasma two to five-fold. Based on these results, it was
decided that vitamin C would be given for one year at the 3 g per
day dosage. At the end of a year glutathione levels remained
elevated, the hematocrit increased from a baseline 25.4% to
32.6%, and the number of immature red blood cells (reticulocyte
count) decreased from 11% to 4%. The results indicated that
vitamin C decreased cellular damage in patients with hereditary
glutathione deficiency and is more effective and less expensive
than NAC.”
“Vitamin C works along with antioxidant enzymes such as
glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase.
Vitamin C is also responsible for regenerating oxidized vitamin E
in the body, thus potentiating the antioxidant benefits of
vitamin E. When we compare the ‘super antioxidants’ to
vitamin C in terms of cost to benefit, vitamin C comes out far
superior.”