The word hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The word hepatic refers to the liver and the “itis” means inflammation.

This inflammation damages the liver cells and when liver cells die, they are replaced by scar tissue. If a liver has too much scar tissue and not enough healthy liver cells the condition of cirrhosis is diagnosed. This process of liver cell destruction occurs over years and may be silent with no obvious symptoms. This is a good reason to have regular blood tests for liver function which will show if there is inflammation and liver cell damage occurring.

The word cirrhosis means a scarred liver and it is not able to perform its functions of manufacturing and detoxification. Eventually complete liver failure can occur. If cirrhosis is detected early it can often be reversed because the liver has great regenerative abilities.

When we hear the word hepatitis, we usually think of the viruses that attack the liver especially hepatitis C and B, which wreak havoc worldwide. Thankfully we now have an over 90% cure rate for the hepatitis C virus.

Any factors that can cause prolonged or severe liver inflammation can cause hepatitis, including:

  • Alcohol excess
  • Carbohydrate excess in the diet can cause fat accumulation in the liver leading to liver inflammation
  • Adverse drug reactions
  • Exposure to toxic chemicals and mold in food or in air
  • A build-up of iron in the liver
  • A build-up of copper in the liver
  • Some types of autoimmune disease can attack the liver

Fatty liver is now the most common cause of hepatitis, and this is known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Case History

I have seen many people with all types of hepatitis. Recently I followed up a patient with severe autoimmune hepatitis and fatty liver. She was aged 61 and was very overweight at 301 pounds (137 kilograms) with a large protuberant abdomen. Her liver enzymes were very elevated, and she was extremely fatigued

She had just seen a liver specialist who wanted to give her a full range of vaccinations and start her on the immunosuppressant drug called Imuran.

She was frightened by the prospect of needing a liver transplant and anxious about taking a powerful drug.

She had been told by a dietician who worked with her liver specialist, that she must eat small meals 6 times a day; understandably this had caused her a lot of unwanted weight gain. She had seen me several years ago and I had given her a program of supplements and a gluten free diet, and she had experienced a great improvement in her liver function and lost a lot of weight. However, as is typical, she lost her focus and started eating processed foods such as gluten free bread and sweet biscuits and basically just eating too much carbohydrate. She was addicted to sugar and had a dysfunctional relationship with food.

I explained to this patient that after eating unhealthy food, or too much food, the body releases free radicals that cause inflammation and this is why it is important not to eat too frequently or too much. I have noticed that people who graze all day and night often have weight problems. If you are a diabetic type two you may need to eat 3 small meals a day, and perhaps a few small low carbohydrate snacks. Overweight type two diabetics need to keep their weight down in the healthy range. Berberine has been shown to be helpful for blood sugar control and fatty liver in type two diabetics.

Type one diabetics need to be guided by their diabetic specialist.

If you are not a diabetic, you do not have to eat 3 large meals a day, or any snacks, unless you are hungry. It has been proven that lab rats who are fed 30% less calories, live 30% longer, so this is telling us something.

Many people dig an early grave with their teeth!

Intermittent fasting is very beneficial, as it reduces inflammation in the gut and liver and gives the liver and gut a well-earned rest! One can do a 1-day raw juice fast or a bone broth fast with great benefit.

Fasting increases the number of energy factories (mitochondria) inside our cells. Fasting reduces unhealthy bacteria and fungi in the gut by starving them of the sugar they need to thrive. A build-up of unhealthy bacteria in the gut is common in overweight people with fatty liver because they eat too much carbohydrate.

These bad bacteria and yeasts ferment the sugars in the gut producing alcohol and toxins. The result is a leaky gut and toxins leak back to the liver causing more liver inflammation.

My patient was so desperate to avoid taking the drug Imuran that she would try my suggestions. I thought she had an excellent probability that she could reverse her fatty liver and get back to the healthy state we had achieved together before, but she needed to do exactly what I told her. The alternative was to eat whatever she liked and whenever she wanted and stay obese and exhausted and to take Imuran. But Imuran is no sure cure.

Imuran is also known as Azathioprine and has been associated with several severe forms of toxic damage to the liver that can develop during the first year of starting therapy.

Chronic liver diseases can be induced after 1 to 5 years of starting azathioprine.

The liver injury usually resolves rapidly on stopping the drug, but prolonged stasis of bile has been reported and some cases have been associated with vanishing bile duct syndrome, which can be progressive and eventually fatal. If it was me I would opt for the safer alternative of nutritional medicine.

I recommended the following for my patient –

  • A diet free of sugar, gluten, and processed foods
  • Plenty of good natural protein from eggs, well-cooked fresh meat, poultry, and seafood
  • Plenty of cooked and raw vegetables
  • Fresh fruit especially berries, passion fruit and citrus
  • Intermittent fasting
  • Raw vegetable juices several times a week
  • Livatone Plus, 2 capsules twice daily with food
  • NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) 600mg capsules, 2 capsules twice daily with a whole glass of water in between meals
  • Vitamin C 1000 mg daily
  • Berberine, one capsule twice daily with food

She proved to be a compliant patient and after 6 months she had lost 75 pounds and her liver enzyme levels were normal in a blood test. She should be able to avoid Imuran. I have found that fatty liver condition and autoimmune hepatitis respond very well to nutritional medicine and this approach is generally free of any side effects.

Regular follow up is required to test the liver enzymes and to keep patients focused and motivated.