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  • Improving Health-Related Quality of Life with a Chronic Condition

    Image courtesy of Pexels Do you ever feel like life is kicking you in the butt? Or do you ever feel like life is dragging you down? Though it may be hard preventing negativity from pulling you into a rut when you have a chronic condition, like hepatitis B, being more positive can help lift your spirits. When you do this, you can improve your health-related quality of life! Though there is no set definition for health-related quality of life, the CDC defines it as an individual’s or a group’s perceived physical and mental health over time. Health related quality of life explains how a person’s physical, emotional, mental and social aspects impact their overall life. Health-related quality of life can impact your overall well-being, which the CDC defines as “a positive outcome that is meaningful for people.” Basically, improving health-related quality of life and overall well-being can help people feel that things are going well in their lives. Ultimately, this can help decrease stress and improve how well someone manages a chronic illness. This can be very useful for those of us living with the physical, emotional and social aspects of chronic hepatitis B.. Here are some tips and suggestions on how you can improve your health-related quality of life: Make healthy lifestyle changes. You can develop a healthy lifestyle by starting a healthy diet, an exercise routine, or incorporating daily meditation. If you are don’t know where to start, try to find a workout buddy, join an online support group, or look through the many free apps that are available. There are also YouTube videos that can help you find workout routines and diet plans. And you don’t have to do it all at once – even small changes can make a big difference! Keep a journal. This is a great opportunity to chronicle your progress towards a healthy lifestyle, and keep track of other milestones in your life. “Gratitude journals” are also very popular - you can spend time writing about one

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/improving-health-related-quality-life-chronic-condition/
  • Vlog: "Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World's Children" Screening

    Join Kristine Alarcon, MPH for A Day in the Life of a Public Health Coordinator to learn about some of the activities we at the Hepatitis B Foundation take part in! This episode highlights our special film screening of "Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World's Children." Check out our previous blog post for more information about the event here and our last vlog here.

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/vlog-hilleman-perilous-quest-save-worlds-children-screening/
  • HBV Journal Review - September 2014

    HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
 latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored: New Study Finds HBV Genotype E Responds Poorly to Entecavir HBV Genotypes Help Tell the Human Story of Slavery in the Americas Researchers Find Tenofovir Increases Hip Bone Loss in Older Patients Decline in HBV RNA Indicates Who Loses HBeAg During Antiviral Treatment  Shortened Vaccination Schedule May Get More Drug Users Immunized Primary Care Doctors Rarely Screen Patients for Cirrhosis Tenofovir or Telbivudine Recommended for Pregnant Women with High Viral Loads Access to Healthy Food Vital for HBV Patients, but Many Live in Food "Deserts" Scientists Create Viable Liver Cells in a Lab for HBV Research Nerve Damage Prompts Warning Against Telbivudine-Interferon Combo Treatment HBV Journal Review September 1, 2014 Volume 11, Issue 9 by Christine M. Kukka New Study Finds HBV Genotype E Responds Poorly to Entecavir Experts know some hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains called genotypes respond better to interferon treatment than others, but now scientists are discovering that genotypes respond differently to antiviral treatment too. HBV genotypes are found in different regions of the world and each evolved over centuries to have slightly different molecular make-ups with unique traits. Some carry a higher risk of liver damage and cancer, while other genotypes are less virulent. In a recent study, Italian researchers compared how well patients with genotypes A, D and E fared after three years of treatment with the antiviral entecavir (Baraclude). All of the patients tested negative for the hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg-negative). The scientists measured hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and HBV DNA (viral load) every three months during the first year of

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-september-2014/
  • HBV Journal Review - April 2014

    HBF is pleased to connect our blog readers to Christine Kukka’s monthly HBV Journal Review that she writes for the HBV Advocate. The journal presents the
latest in hepatitis B research, treatment, and prevention from recent academic and medical journals. This month, the following topics are explored: Despite Antiviral Treatment, Liver Cancer Risk Persists Vitamin D Appears to Help Prevent Liver Cancer Dandelions May Be the Next Best Herbal Treatment for Hepatitis B Kidney Problems Are Prevalent with Hepatitis B Even Before Treatment Starts HBV Genotype H Appears to Cause Immediate Chronic Infection in Adults HBV Genotype E Has the Worst Response to Pegylated Interferon Cancer-Causing YMDD Mutations Found Frequently in HBV Genotype C High Iron Levels Found in Patients with Liver Failure Vietnamese-Americans at High Risk of Undiagnosed Hepatitis B and C Entecavir Performance Is Mediocre in Lamivudine-Resistant Patients A Simple Platelet Count Test Could Be Best Indicator of Fibrosis HBV Journal Review April 1, 2014 Volume 11, no 4 by Christine M. Kukka Despite Antiviral Treatment, Liver Cancer Risk Persists Researchers have hoped that treating hepatitis B patients with antivirals would reduce both their viral loads and their liver cancer risk. However, a new study that followed 1,378 treated and 1,014 untreated patients over five years found antivirals did not reduce liver cancer rates as hoped. The study tracked new liver cancer cases among patients infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) (average age 47, 65% male) who had been treated primarily with entecavir (Baraclude) for their high viral loads and liver damage. They compared that group's liver cancer occurrence to those of patients whose "inactive" HBV infection did not require treatment. Among the treated group, 70 patients (6.2%) developed liver cancer during the study period compared to only 11 (1.1%) in the untreated group. Notwithstanding  the ability of antivirals to reduce viral load, a

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-april-2014/
  • Protein Myths and Your Liver

    Liver-friendly diets are a common concern for those with chronic hepatitis B wishing to make healthy lifestyle choices. Protein is essential to all, but there are healthier ways to consume necessary proteins.  Please enjoy this informative blog from the Al D. Rodriguez Liver Foundation - ADRLF, on Protein Myths and Your Liver written by ToniMarie Bacala. We all love need protein – whether it be from animals or plants—protein gives us essential amino acids we need to keep our bodies strong and healthy. But how much do we really understand about protein and its effects on our organs, especially the liver? Is there such as thing as too much protein, even if its from vegetables and grains? Let’s delve into two popular protein myths and how we can ensure our protein intake is safe for our liver. Love meat? Learn more about healthy non-animal meat proteins to protect you liver and keep your body healthy. Protein is made of 20 different amino acids, but only 11 of which can be naturally synthesized by our body. The other types of protein come from the food we eat. Essentially, it’s safe to say that while protein helps in building the cell wall, strengthening muscle tissues and supporting cell functions, our body actually just needs certain types of amino acids. So myth or truth? The best source of protein is animal meat. MYTH Eating red meat requires our digestive system, as well as our liver to do a lot of work processing the heavy bulk of protein. Experts suggest limiting the amount of red meat we eat to at most one serving a day. There are other good sources of proteins like whole grains, green vegetables, nuts, peas and beans. Fruits also contain small amounts of protein. Compared to animal meat, vegetables and beans have phytochemicals, antioxidants and other nutrients. Nuts and beans containing antioxidants help the liver process the food and beverage that we take in, making it a healthier source of protein. Myth or truth? People desiring to build lean

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/protein-myths-and-your-liver/