The Caring Ambassadors Program uses a unique approach in our work to address the elimination of viral hepatitis and specifically hepatitis C.
Our three main methods to combat hepatitis C are to Empower patients and providers to increase their knowledge of hepatitis C to improve access a cure; to Educate systems and communities on how to integrate viral hepatitis services into existing programming; and to Advocate on behalf of patients and communities to create sound policy, funding and messaging. We are honored to serve the community to help eliminate the largest infectious disease outbreak of our time; we promise to be BOLD in our approach to creating paths to health and making hepatitis C history.
The time is now. 71 million people worldwide are living with chronic Hepatitis C right now. It is the largest chronic infectious disease outbreak of our time…and it’s curable. Talk to your doctor about treatment for your Hepatitis C, and don’t take no for an answer.
CDC recommends testing all adult patients for hepatitis C.
Get Tested.
Get Cured.
MY CHOICES© is a tool to help you recognize and act upon what you can control in your health care journey to achieve optimal healing, regardless of the illness you face. It contains elements of a guide book, health planner, journal, and activity book to help orient you to and plan for the journey ahead.
Weekly News Update.
Caring Ambassadors Program provides 3 weekly news updates covering Lung Cancer News, Hepatitis C News, and My Choices© Update. Receive them delivered weekly to your inbox.
Weekly News Update
Hepatitis C News
Week Ending August 8, 2022
Exclusive: NHS to use AI to identify people at higher risk of hepatitis C
“The NHS is to use artificial intelligence to detect, screen and treat people at risk of hepatitis C under plans to eradicate the disease by 2030.”
Endocrine Disorders To Liver Damage: The Effects of Hepatitis C on Your Body
“Chronic hepatitis C is a long-lasting infection. If not treated timely then it can lead to serious health problems related to other organs, including liver damage, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Besides the liver involvement, hepatitis C also affects other organs which are considered extra-hepatic manifestations of hepatitis C.”
Dr. Rosado: Hepatitis C is curable, but half of patients don’t know they have the virus
“Within the framework of World Hepatitis C Day, medical officials gathered to discuss the challenges and achievements of the community to the attention of hundreds of Puerto Ricans who suffer from the condition, especially for the Journal of Medicine and Public Health.”
Nurse-led community testing ‘key’ to eliminating global hepatitis C threat
“The study, led by Dr Christopher Byrne and Professor John Dillon at the University of Dundee, suggested that having nurses test and treat patients for hepatitis C when they receive methadone treatment could be the key to eliminating the disease by the next decade.”
How to Identify and Treat a Hepatitis Rash
“Hepatitis C disease is an infection and inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus.1 The virus is transmitted from person to person through the blood, and people typically get the virus by sharing needles.1”
New Low-cost Device Rapidly, Accurately Detects Hepatitis C Infection
“Hepatitis C affects more than 354 million people worldwide. About 75 to 85 percent of people who have it get a long-term infection referred to as chronic Hepatitis C. Left untreated, it could lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure. Each year, an estimated 1 million people die from this disease.”
My Choices© Update
Week Ending August 8, 2022
12 Healthy Foods That Are High in Iron
“Iron is a mineral that serves several important functions, its main one being to carry oxygen throughout your body as a part of red blood cells”
What Coffee Does to Your Brain
“The health benefits of coffee are a hotly debated topic these days. Some people talk about it being perfectly healthy, while others say there are health consequences to look out for.”
How many minutes of exercise per week is associated with better health and lower mortality
“A new study found a lower risk of death in adults who engage in long-duration physical activity of between 150 and 600 minutes per week. The results were published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.”
Adhering to a Healthy Diet After a Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis May Boost Survival
“Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head or neck were 93% less likely to die of any cause during the first 3 years after diagnosis if they ate a healthy diet high in nutrients found to deter chronic disease, according to results published by Vieytes et al in Frontiers in Nutrition.”
Does B12 give you energy?
“Does B12 give you energy? B12 may be one of many B vitamins, but it is an important little powerhouse of a vitamin that is important for many of our bodily functions.”
Orthodox vs Alternative Medicine: Which Is the Villain?
“Recently, there has been heightened suspicion regarding orthodox medicine as people are taking more interest in alternative medicine. The consensus is that orthodox drugs are artificial chemicals that are harmful to the human body.”
All About Green Tea: Why It’s Good for You and the Risk of Drinking Too Much
“Water is the most-consumed beverage in the world, but occupying the No. 2 spot is tea, research shows. More than 159 million Americans enjoy this brewed beverage every day, according to the Tea Association of the USA (PDF), and no wonder: Tea can be enjoyed hot or cold, and comes in different varieties for different tastes.”
Can MS Go Into Remission?
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks healthy cells in the protective myelin covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.1 It is a lifelong disease that can lead to disability. Relapsing-remitting MS is a type of MS that includes phases of flare-ups followed by periods of remission.2”
Q and A: 10 nutrition myths debunked
“Among the sea of information about nutrition is a tide of inaccuracies. It can seem challenging to know what is good for you.”
Uncovering the links between diet, gut health and immunity
“A preclinical study from the University of Sydney has found a high-protein diet can change the microbiota of the gut, triggering an immune response. Researchers say the study takes us a step closer to understanding the way diet impacts gut health and immunity.”
Hey, Health Coach: Should I Force Myself To Exercise When I Don’t Want To?
“You want to appreciate your body the way it is, but you also want to take care of your health. Sometimes the latter requires pushing yourself to get stronger—which can be uncomfortable, boring, frustrating or any number of other unpleasant feelings.”
Highly Processed Foods Linked to Accelerated Cognitive Decline
“Too many daily calories from highly processed foods like lunch meats, frozen dinners, and packaged cookies may speed up cognitive decline, a new study suggests.”
What to Know About Acupuncture for High Blood Pressure
“If you live with high blood pressure, a healthcare team might recommend addressing your symptoms with lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication. But acupuncture, a healing technique rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), may also benefit you as part of your treatment plan.”
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Hepatitis Awareness Month
hep·a·ti·tis
noun
a disease characterized by inflammation of the liver.
Hepatitis C kills more Americans than HIV. Hepatitis C is a fully curable and preventation virus that causes liver inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer if left untreated. 2.4 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus. About 1 million of those Americans have no idea. About 45% of those infected with the virus have no idea they are slowly dying.
Newsweek, April 22, 2002
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not a new problem. The virus was identified in 1989, and the first interferon treatment was released in 1991, and direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) targeting HCV began in 2011. DAAs allow people to be cured of HCV with less side effects and less time that the first treatments. There is a cure. No one else needs to die.
Congress has refused to fund the elimination of the hepatitis C virus for deacdes. Congress has allocated only 10% of the needed money to eliminate hepatitis and save millions of Americans. Hepatitis will not wait, why is Congress?
Call Congress today and tell them to fund hepatitis elimination after years of inaction. 202-224-3121
Get Tested. Get Cured.
National Nutrition Month
We have all heard it before,
“You are what you eat.”
Nourishing your body through any journey is essential. According to the CDC, fewer than 1 in 10 American adults and adolescents eat enough fruit and vegetables. An unhealthy diet can lead to increased chances of some cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Many illnesses can affect the way the body is able to process nutrients. Even some treatments have side effects that influence the bodies ability to use the fuel foods provide. Fueling your body correctly can actually help treatments be more effective.
Knowing the current dietary guidelines can help you make healthier decisions on your journey.
It’s not only about how much you eat, but what you eat plays a significant role in your wellness. There are many ways that you can approach improving your diet. You can learn more about nutrition and how to make changes in the Nutrition section of in MY CHOICES: A Planner of Healing.
“No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.”
— Maimonides
Learning new habits is never an easy feat. Michael Pollan, a respected journalist, writer and professor offers a simple and effective recommendation,
“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Sounds easy enough, right? We put together a list of his 7 rules for eating well to help you create your new eating habits. Great for hanging on the fridge for a daily reminder.
Cancer Prevention Month
DID YOU KNOW?!
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- The liver is a complex organ that is involved in over 500 body functions!
- A human body cannot survive more than 24 hours without a liver.
- The liver helps detoxify blood, creating vital substances like proteins, and processing nearly every class of nutrient.
Your liver and cancer
Hepatitis C is the most common blood born viral infection in the US. An estimated 325 million people have viral hepatitis, globally. In left untreated, hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.
There is a cure for hepatitis C, and it is detected by a simple blood test. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with hepatitis C?
Conversations with health care professionals can be intimidating. Keeping track of what you need to ask and the answers to your questions can be overwhelming. Hep C Discussion Point was created to aid in this part of the process. This completely free and confidential tool is built for starting and continuing conversations about treating hepatitis C.
For additional information about promoting overall health, check out MY CHOICES: A Planner for Healing©
Get Tested. Get Cured
Hepatitis C, or hepatitis C virus (HCV) should not be a mystery. Hepatitis C is the most common, chronic blood-borne viral infection in the United States. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The liver acts as a filter for blood, processes nutrients and fights infections. It is an important organ to help your body maintain wellness. You can learn more about hepatitis C symptoms here.
To see if there has been been exposed to HCV, there is a simple blood test. There are many ways that one could have been exposed to HCV. Learn about hepatitis C transmission here.
Unlike many chronic viruses, hepatitis C is curable with antiviral treatment.
Challenge yourself in 2022 to know your HCV status.
Get Tested. Get Cured.
Talk to your doctor about hepatitis C. We understand that starting that conversation can be hard.
Click here to visit Hep C Discussion Point, a tool designed to help you choose topics to discuss with your health care team.
Join the World Hepatitis Day Movement!
We can’t wait for the pandemic to end to get hepatitis elimination back on track!
CDC Releases 2019 Hepatitis Numbers – We are on the wrong road to elimination!
Today, CDC published online the 2019 Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Report for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. This report now includes demographic characteristics of persons with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, and US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions.
