September 2000
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Give and Receive Support (No Guest Speaker) -- September 20
Meeting Agenda:
6:30 p.m. (sharp) - Theme Song: I Will Survive
6:35 - 6:45 announcements
6:45 - 8:00 (or earlier) give and receive support
8:00 - 8:30 (or earlier) questions/answers 'til we adjourn

We will share our concerns, strengths and ideas.
Location: SGH Conf. Rm B&C (see "Our Meetings" below right)

Upcoming Guest Speakers:

Sep. 20, SGH Conf. Room B&C, Support Group interaction (no guest speaker)
Oct. 18, SGH Conf. Room B&C, Dr. Pimstone, hepatitis C update
Nov. 15, SCC Classroom 3&4, Support Group interaction (no guest speaker
* More News
Vegetarian Times: September, 2000 In an article headlined the "the hep C generation", they cited The Hepatitis C Help Book by our own Dr. R.Gish, (with M.R.Cohen and K.Doner). The article reported that "...Experts speculate that minorities and the poor have higher rates of HCV
Our Meetings: 3rd Wednesday of every month at one of the following:
(SGH) Sutter General Hospital, 2801 L St., 28th & L -OR-
(SCC) Sutter Cancer Center, 2800 L St (Across from Sutter hospital)
*(Meeting space provided by Sutter/CHS does not necessarily constitute endorsement or sponsorship)
Parking: 2 story structure across from hospital (28th & L Streets)
Contact Us: Phone number: (916) 491-4942
Our Web Site> www.sacmall.net/transplant/hepc.html
Email: dck@innercite.com (include "I Will Survive" in subject line or your message might be delected before being read).

If you want to be included on our mailing/emailing list and you can afford to include a check, make it to Eve Cragen, Treasurer I Will Survive, P.O. Bx 2180, Loomis, CA 95650, for:
$24 if you want the Newsletter by U.S. mail
$15 if you get the Newsletter from the website (if you wish, each month we'll email a link to you)
$ 0 if, right now, you can't afford to pay dues. In which case "I Will Survive" will mail monthly Newsletters to you. Please contribute to the "Donations" Box at the meetings as you are able.
infection because of more prevalent intravenous drug use or, possibly, crowded living conditions...."Yet, hepatitis C hasn't had the same type of political implications as HIV (which) ...emerged in the gay community, and that gave rise to a lot of vocal spokespersons who were able to raise the awareness and bring it to the public's attention. In fact,...the more affluent HCV patients, typically those who contracted the virus when experimenting with intravenous drugs 20 to 30 years ago, usually work hard to keep their diagnosis quiet." Additionally they report that "...Researchers are studying the abilities of some herbal remedies and supplements to boost liver function and reduce HCV symptoms ...including milk thistle ...and ...licorice root...though that is toxic if consumed at levels above 100 mg for more than 6 weeks." "One specific study...is investigating the effectiveness of...milk thistle, licorice root, vitamin E and selenium as well as plant protein sources like soy lecithin and ... alpha lipoic acid. "We don't think that any of these therapies will reduce the viral load of hepatits C, but we're hoping to show that they may support liver function and slow down progression of the disease," Berger says.

The July/August 2000 Hep C Connections reported: 1) that Combo Hepatitis C Therapy Benefits Patients Co-Infected with HIV. 2) the completion of single dose safety trials of the anti-hepatitis C ribozyme, LY466700 by Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI). ..."Ribozymes are the product of Nobel Prize winning science and are synthetically engineered to act as "molecular scissors" capable of cleaving target RNA in a highly specific manner. 3) the Eur Gastroenterol Hepatol 2000 includes an article showing that ..."The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a reliable tool for identifying the risk of depression before and during interferon (IFN) therapy. ...Dr. Roffi et al from University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy ..concludes that...in the absence of a neurologist or psychiatrist, the MMPI is reliable and sensitive enough to screen patients who are at risk of depression while undergoing IFN therapy".
If you have no money or insurance call:
Sacramento Clinical Trials
Schering's Commitment to Care 1-800-521-7157
Infergen's Safety Net Program 1-888-508-8088
Roche's Patient Assistance 1-800-443-6676
Dr. Gish, et al, call: Leslie Davison, (916) 443-0534
Dr. Pimstone UCD Med Center, (916) 734-1557



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