Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (wow that’s a mouthful, so let’s shorten it to PBC) is an autoimmune disease of the liver. The immune system attacks the bile ducts and the liver tissues surrounding the bile ducts and this produces persistent inflammation in these tissues, which can result in scarring. If scar tissue builds up the liver can become cirrhotic – this simply means that the liver has a lot of scar tissue. Scar tissue is hard, fibrous and inactive and can distort the physical structure of the liver and as more liver cells die the amount of scar tissue increases.

The good news is that PBC can usually be cured, if you diagnose it early enough, it does not have to be a progressive disease and will not always lead to cirrhosis.

What causes PBC ?

  • Hereditary factors are important – check your family history for other autoimmune diseases.
  • Leaky gut – this is excessive inflammation in your intestines caused by unhealthy bacteria, antibiotics, steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, antacid drugs and food intolerances; it has become very common.
  • Food intolerances – the most common offender being gluten containing foods, such as wheat, barley, rye and oats. You can have a blood test to see if you carry the genes that predispose to gluten intolerance. This test is called a Genotype test and checks your genes to see what your HLA DQ patterns are. Make sure you get the right test, as it is different to the blood test for celiac disease. I recommend that all sufferers of PBC avoid gluten anyway, as it can cause gut and thus liver inflammation, even if you test negative. It takes 12 months to see the full benefit of a gluten free diet, so don’t expect results after only a few months.

Therapies that really make a difference

The conventional treatment of PBC is a drug called Ursodiol and it is a synthetic form of bile salts. Ursodiol can reduce the symptoms of PBC and can reduce some inflammation, but it is generally not a cure and by itself will not usually control PBC adequately.

  • Good health begins in the gut so you need to improve your gut health, which of course means looking at your diet. You need to consume plenty of raw fruits and vegetables and if you can afford it, buy organic, although this is not essential. Raw juices can help and I recommend juices made from citrus fruits, cabbage, carrot, green apple, mint, parsley and ginger. To improve your gut health consume natural antibiotic foods such as garlic, onion and Greek style plain acidophilus yogurt. If you have parasites and unhealthy bacteria in the gut, the formula Intestinal Parasite Cleanse, can help to reduce this problem.
  • To support your immune system to reduce inflammation in the gut and liver I recommend Glutamine Powder and a good selenium supplement. You will need at least 200mcg daily of selenium.
  • A good liver formula to support liver function and detoxification such as Livatone Plus can really make a difference to your liver enzyme levels.
  • Make sure you are not low in vitamin D – have a blood test if you are unsure. You want your vitamin D levels to be at the upper limit of the normal range because vitamin D 3 is a potent anti-inflammatory vitamin and also balances your immune function. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread and you may need around 5000 IU daily or 10,000 units weekly to get your blood vitamin D levels up.

To control PBC and indeed to reverse it completely, you need to adhere to these dietary and supplement recommendations as a way of life. Otherwise like any chronic disease, it will gradually return to attack your body another day.
I have treated many patients with PBC and achieved excellent results, especially in those who were motivated to improve their diet and lifestyle. Yes nutritional medicine is powerful and really works well, all you have to do, is to want to get well. Thankfully more than any other organ in the body, the liver is able to repair and regenerate itself.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.