Alternative Therapy

This information sheet urges people with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) who want to try alternative treatments to follow these guidelines. Patients are encouraged to: check with their doctor first; see an expert; and beware of false promises. Talk to people who have been to an alternative treatment expert in the past to be sure the expert has a good reputation, licenses, and certificates. False promises, such as certain herbal remedies, supplements, certain vitamins, or "natural" medicines, can be very dangerous for people with HCV because they may hurt the liver.

This information sheet is the fourth in a series of sheets on complementary/alternative (CAM) health care and HIV/AIDS. It considers different types of regulation: licensure, certification, and registration; the type of regulation used with conventional practitioners; and the fact that some conventional practitioners incorporate CAM therapies into their practice. The information sheet suggests some sort of professional code as a beginning for CAM practitioners who are not yet regulated.