1. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a disease characterized by inflammatory destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. PBC eventually leads to cirrhosis of the liver. The cause of PBC is unknown, but because of the presence of autoantibodies, it is generally thought to be an autoimmune disease. Other etiologies, such as infectious agents, have not been completely excluded. PBC has a worldwide prevalence of approximately 5/100,000 and an annual incidence of approximately 6/1,000,000. The prevalence and incidence appear to be similar in different regions of the world. About 90% of patients with PBC are women. Most commonly, the disease is diagnosed in patients between the ages of 40 and 60 years.

2. Most patients with PBC present with pruritus (itching). After pruritus, jaundice (yellow skin caused by bilirubin retention) is the most common presenting symptom. Several patients also present with complaints related to chronic portal hypertension (increased blood pressure in the veins that go to the liver that can lead to symptoms such as bleeding in the esophagus or fluid retention in the abdomen). Some patients are discovered to have PBC during workup of another illness. Since the widespread use of routine serum biochemical analysis, many patients present for evaluation of an elevated serum alkaline phosphatase activity that was detected on laboratory examination. Patients with PBC have abnormalities in several blood tests.

In essentially all patients, the serum alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activities are markedly elevated (these are enzymes present in the bile ducts). Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities are usually moderately elevated (these are enzymes made by hepatocytes, the predominant liver cell type).

My suggestions : Low protein diet. This may be moot, since most people with PBC are blood group A, so what I am really saying is follow the type A diet. Fat soluable vitamins. Fat absorption becomes compromised with PBC, so adequate supplementation with vitamins A, E, K and D is important. Liver-specific antioxidants. Milk Thistle, the Ayurvedic herb Eclipta alba, Lipoic acid, can help minimize free-radical damage to the bile ducts. Vitamin C and bioflavanoids. The water soluable antioxidants can help matian the elasticity of the veins, which are often de-natured by the excessive high portal pressure due to the congestion of the liver. PBC is a progressive disease, but with good diet and rational supplementation you can control it effectively -hopefully until better allopathic treatment is available.

Varicose veins show a dramatic increase in the levels of mucopolysaccharides, which act to denature collagen, thereby destabilizing the vein. This is due to the increase in uronic acids and of lysosomal enzymes (beta-glycuronidase beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase and arysulfatase). The herb Centella asiatica has also been extensively studied for varicose veins. Its effects seem to be through the inhibition of mucopolysaccharide synthesis by inhibiting these enzymes.

In one published trial, the results provided indirect confirmation of regulatory effects of Centella asiatica on metabolism in the connective tissue of the vascular wall. Another demonstrated increased collagen synthesis. Procyanidolic oligomers, typically derived from grape seed extracts, have also shown dramatic effects in healing varicose veins.

One study examining venous perfusion (blood flow) showed significant improvement when this medication were administered. Another study showed the herb Ginkgo biloba to have preventive effects effects when taken for varicose veins.

Although GERD is often dealt with by medicines which decrease stomach acid, acid is only part of the problem here. Many factors can result in GERD symptoms, including hiatal hernia, food choices, large meals, poor combinations of food, decreased gastrin (a hormone that stimulates stomach secretions and also is thought to help keep the lower esophageal spincter (LES) at the top of the stomach tightly closed), decreased stomach acid in rsponse to food, candida overgrowth, etc...

Since your husband is blood type A, it is likely several things within his control will reduce his symptoms.

1) Follow the appropriate blood type diet

2) Avoid coffee, chocolate and black tea (especially near big meals)

3) Eat smaller size meals!!! The stomach initiates the digestive process by a combination of digestive secretions and by muscular contractions which act to mix food with the digestive secretions.
If an individual has lower levels of digestive secretions this could result in a longer stay in the stomach for the food, more mixing, and so more possibility of reflux.

4) Pay attention to food combining!!! A meal with a piece of fish and some vegetables is easier to digest than a steak and potato.

5) Avoid sugars and sweets. (it has been my observation that these can be problematic for people with GERD.

6) Consider using a few drops (between 5-15) of Gentian (Gentiana lutea) in a glass of water 30 minutes before meals.

A study has shown that blood type A takes about 45 minutes to produce peak gastrin levels (O's take about 15 minutes). Gentian, a bitter, has been shown to increase gastrin. By taking this bitter 30 minutes before eating, your digestive secretions will be better prepared to digest your meal and your LES should function better. An interesting note, is that digestive bitters evolved as cultural traditions in several European countries. This is one tradition that many A's would benefit from by adding to their dietary regimen.

It is a form of botanical support for individuals experiencing chronic build-up of nasal, pharyngeal, or stomach catarrh.

Specific indications: Collinsonia has traditionally been employed for passive venous engorgement and relaxation: Sense of constriction, with irritation and pain in the orifices of the body. Its effect,whether on the rectum, pharynx, or other vascular area, is to overcome unduecongestion with the accompanying irritation, pain and fullness, and bring abouta natural action. Collinsonia seems to act both as a tonic and antispasmodic, the first use being frequently exemplified. It shows its power as an antispasmodic in the painful constrictions and spasms of the sphincter accompanying hemorrhoids, fistulas, ulcers, fissures, etc.The two great uses to which it has been put in the past, are chronic pharyngitis and laryngitis--minister's sore throat--and hemorrhoids. Though best suited to types A and AB, Collinsonia is safe for all blood types

It is not uncommon for those just starting the diet to experience rapid and dramatic weight loss, followed by a "quiescent" period where the weight loss slows down or stops completely. This is due to the fact that each individual can have several "setpoints" where the metabolic machinery (either for genetic or metabolic reasons) remains locked at a particular ratio of weight to body fat. Much of this is the result of the capacity of the body's insulin metabolism.

As I wrote in ER4YT, food lectins have been shown to compete with insulin on the body's fat cells. Insulin inactivates the enzyme triglyceride lipase, which is normally used to convert stored fat triglycerides into both glycerol and fatty acids; these are then released, converted to carbohydrate and burnt off. Normally, there is a balance between the effects of insulin (which stores fat) and the enzyme adenylate cyclase (which activates the fat cell to burn fat). When the system is properly balanced, everything works fine; principally because insulin has a "half-life" and is under "feedback control."

In other words, after insulin has accomplished its job, a feedback message is sent to the brain which tells the pancreas to cut off insulin production. With no new insulin being produced, the circulating insulin gradually dwindles and the cycle starts again. Food lectins, including those lectins from wheat and corn, have been shown to bind to the fat cell's insulin receptor and inactivate triglyceride lipase. Unlike insulin, however, these lectins do not have any feedback control, and can bind irreversibly to the insulin receptor. In this situation the fat cell is permanently paralyzed, capable of only storing fat, but not releasing it. This explains why some people gain weight on a high carbohydrate diet: It is not the calories in the food, or the percentages of fat, protein and carbohydrate that are causing the weight gain (after all, most carbohydrates are low-calorie) but rather the lectins in the food itself acting to mimic the effects of naturally occurring hormones.