69 year old male patient, Mr. C. R. (Patient ref. no.: 5796) reported to us after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C since 3 months. His condition was diagnosed on routine investigations as a part of executive health check-up. There was no particular causative factor detected in his case except for a minor operation that he had undergone for the removal of a lump in his right arm in 1977. He had periodically received injections from his local doctor for minor ailments. He had no physical complaints as such except for bleeding gums during sleep. He was also a known hypertensive ad on regular treatment for the same.

He was a vegetarian with a normal appetite and thirst. He would crave for sweets but would avoid the same since his blood sugar would tend to be on the higher side (he was not on any medication for this). He would sweat profusely and was chilly in general (preferring to be in a warm climate). He did not have any problem with bowel and bladder functions or his sleep.

He stayed with his wife; his daughters were married and settled in life. He was a retired man who had given his services to his organisation for 40 years. He was a man with an anxious nature and would get tensed easily. Small delays, mistakes, tiffs, failures, disobedience, etc would cause him much anxiety. He had to shoulder financial and other responsibilities from a very young age and even had to give up his studies for the same. During his office-life he had to face many hurdles, insults, neglection but he took it all as a part of his life. He managed to reach at a good level in official hierarchy but after lot of struggles and he felt he could have gained better things. He was very sincere and honest at his work and was in good reputation at his workplace. He used to feel lonely after the marriage of his daughters and he would keep himself busy in spiritual activities. He would prefer to be in company and hence would like to attend family functions to avoid isolation. He would seldom lose his temper and would take life as it came.

His past history included pneumonia at the age of 12 years and a couple pf minor accidents for which he received treatment. He was not on any kind of medication for his complaints (except anti-hypertensive medication).

The details of his investigations are mentioned below:

27-08-2004 : Hepatitis C antibody test: Reactive for Hepatitis C antibody
17-09-2004 : HCV RNA Qualitative assay (PCR): Detected
11-11-2004 : HCV Quantitative: 1508159 copies/ml
11-11-2004 : HCV Genotyping: Genotype 3
13-10-2004 : MRI Liver: Cirrhotic changes in the liver with evidence of portal hypertension and splenomegaly.

He was prescribed medicines based on his detailed history. Within a month of treatment, he reported to us that his bleeding gums at night were much better than before. His medication was continued uninterrupted for about 9 months and at the end of this period his viral load (HCV RNA quantitative) was rechecked. This time the viral load had come down to 3,70,271 copies/ml as compared to the previous report of 15,08,159 copies/ml. the reports have been tabulated below for your reference. He was very glad about this improvement in his health. His medication was continued further and he was informed that inspite of good recovery, he would require long term medication for his complaints.

This case illustrates for us the fact that Homoeopathy has good scope in the treatment of diseases like Hepatitis C. The progress of the disease can be slowed down and it can be possible to delay the need for interferon therapy or even avoid the same. This patient was declared ‘unsuitable candidate' for Interferon therapy yet he improved significantly with Homoeopathic medication and without having to bear any of the side-effects of Interferon therapy.