Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Find out if you should be screened!

In the last few decades, the percentage of people in the United States who develop liver cancer has increased, although the rate has been relatively stable in recent years. The reason for this increase could be the increase in the number of Americans with viral hepatitis, which is known to cause hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common kind of liver cancer in the United States.

Learn more about liver cancer here.

•  HCC, the most common form of liver cancer, is diagnosed in about 24,100 people each year.  Watch this webcast to learn more about the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer.    http://www.orlive.com/nyp/videos/hepatocellular-carcinoma1

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What we feed Larry - Low Sodium ofcourse!

Well, as I have said, I have been asked many times about my diet, especially since I suffer with Ascites and Hepatic Encephalopathy.
And it just so happens... I have a few tips and suggestions... along with some recipes that I can share.

First thing is first, always talk to your doc or nutritionist about any changes, I do not pretend to be a professional. Automatically your nutritionist will say NO canned, frozen, or packaged food, I find this a little misleading. However, in the grocery store I stick with Dr. Oz's advise, which is to pretty much stick with the outer isles... in the middle of the store is most of your processed and eviiiiiiiiiiiiiiil hidden salty foods. But there are some ok things in there and some necessities too (like all of your seasoning... and let me say if you don't have a spice rack, you better go get one, because salt free is not flavor free (it just makes it a little trickier sometimes) I also do get some canned fruits and vegetables (say whaaaaaaaaaaaat, CANNED veggies) Yes, but I do not get the regular, I do NOT get the "less sodium" I get the "NO SODIUM" green beans, corn, and tomato products) because lets face it... I can't ALWAYS use fresh. Though if you can do it... more power to you!! and to tell you the truth even the no sodium green beans contain 10mg of sodium per serving... and that serving size can get you sometimes, so be careful!
Ok so what do we have so far,

• Stick to the outer isles of the grocery store as much as possible
• Deli meat - get it sliced yourself in the fresh deli section (and get the heart healthy meats) Processed meats and bacon... hot dogs... all are just plain bad! And I have yet to find a soup that is edible for me that is canned... it's like, would you like a little veggies and noodles with your salt water. hehehe.  

• Get yourself as many spices and herbs (Do not get garlic or onion SALT, make sure its powder, also don't get most mixture spices and rubs like Mortons... they contain a lot of sodium. (Oh, and one that still hurts me... pickles... I miss you pickles) but I digress...
• If you are getting something pre-packaged, pay attention to the label (especially the serving size)
• Check to see if the "Heart Healthy" label is an option on anything else you have to buy packaged, but remember above... serving sizes!! Don't be fooled by "less sodium" labels, although some things like your soy sauces, BBQ sauces, and chicken stalk are never going to be low enough, there is still a place for them too in moderation. 

      --Your first few shopping trips are probably going to be long ones... If you are like me, you will look almost angry when reading the labels and looking around for someone to share how ridiculous the amount of salt is in some things are... and you probably have some food in your cupboards that you need to get rid of... well get rid of it! It's the best way to start and some of them can be replaced with low sodium variations.
Now, another biggie is, I love to hit the specialty stores... Mothers, Trader Joes... etc. and I also try to get to my local farmers market on Thursdays (Us Californians are blessed with great local and cheap produce, but there are a few states, including Arizona and Utah... that have something called bountiful baskets - I'd check into that) You can find some awesome stuff, like at our farmers market I find great fruits, veggies, breads, and some great garlic seasoning. I could be a sales person for this stuff, they have it at garlicfestival.com and if you like garlic, you will like these rubs... we use them on everything from a rub on chicken and fish to sprinkling it on homemade baked french fries. YUMMY!! and low low sodium! Oh, and don't forget your Ms Dash. I like there marinades (like the Spicy BBQ one). Another thing, being that I live in a pretty easy to grow area, I have started my own little herb garden... I have things like chives, rosemary, basil, cilantro, chilis, mint, cherry tomatoes... etc. I find it a lot easier to season my fish with fresh rosemary ( I cut some of it up with fresh garlic and a lemon from my neighbors tree, lil bit of butter and as Rachel Ray says "Yumm-O") It helps to have some kitchen gadgets too, like a garlic press (and don't forget, rub your fingers on your sink faucet after cutting garlic and you will get rid of the smell... we use a lot of garlic. hehehe) a hand juicer, a good grater, and at least 1 good set of knifes. It makes it easier... and just funner when you have the right tools.

Here are some cookbooks and sites that I like, including this book here to your left. The healthy family meals has everything from breakfast, snack time, to side dishes and desserts. I haven't tried a recipe that my family hasn't liked in this book and most are made pretty quickly.

The American Heart Association has some great cookbooks... some are a little more "adventurous", including recipes with shark and other foods I'm not really used to, nor do I often see in my grocery store. The 2nd Edition Low-Salt Cookbook is one that has some good ones and some weird ones too. They even have a slow cooker low sodium cookbook I might try for those cold nights. They also have a great website. Heart-Healthy Recipes ... it's free and is a good place to start. Larry also has some older posts that talk about how important your diet is... not only for your liver, but for your life (oh ya, I should write this stuff down... it's golden) hehehe... anyways, click on below link to view older posts.


Eating for your Liver (older posts)

And remember,

• Stay below 2,000mg (I stick to around 1500 for the less ascites build-up - but that's my body) 
• Count your sodium in everything... be careful for your juices like Gatorade, and don't foget that even your vitamins are going to contain some sodium. You must count it all.
• Start slow... and don't starve yourself. I happen to be slightly bordering on malnourishment, so getting enough of a calorie intake is hard enough for me, so sticking with pretty much all freshly cooked meals with low or no sodium ingredients is all I need to do to keep below the maximum suggestions) but this does not have to be a "diet", more time-consuming, or tasteless! And it can actually be a little fun and adventurous... Don't forget to get your kiddies in the kitchen too, if you have them, and you can... It really does make it easier for me to get my son to eat something if he helped to prepare it or watched it grow in our garden.
• And don't give up!! This is a lifestyle change that is a major change for some people, it took you (how ever old you are) to become the type of eater you are, it isn't going to be an easy, overnight change... so don't beat yourself up. 
• Now, since that was a lot to take in at one time, why don't you go out and have a nice restaurant meal....(say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat) yup, we do that too on occasion. Just make sure to check the nutrition guide (and a lot of restaurants will actually have the chef come out to help you on what can be made for you.) Ohhh ya baby!!

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Treatments for Liver Diseases Before ESLD

Treatment of Liver Disease

The goal of medicine with regard to the liver is to prevent liver disease and, if it is diagnosed, to stop its progression toward cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is an end-stage disease with a poor prognosis and can require a liver transplant if liver failure occurs. Thus, lifestyle changes that support liver health, especially abstention from alcohol, are the cornerstone of treatment for liver disease. No matter the cause of cirrhosis, alcohol aggravates the condition and should be avoided.
In addition, physicians will attempt to treat the complications of cirrhosis, including portal hypertension and ascites, with various medications. In general, however, the use of medications must be approached with caution in people with liver disease because the liver metabolizes many of these substances. For example, aspirin should be avoided in patients with cirrhosis because of its effects on coagulation and the gastric mucosa (Kasper DL et al 2005). The following conventional medicines are often prescribed to treat cirrhosis or fibrotic liver disease:

• Corticosteroids. These drugs have been shown to reduce the inflammation that characterizes liver disease. While they may be helpful to patients with alcoholic hepatitis and encephalopathy, they are less helpful to patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (Kasper DL et al 2005; Glanze WD 1996; Mathurin P et al 2002).
• Ursodiol. Among people with biliary cirrhosis, this drug replaces lost biliary acids. Side effects are rare. This drug may not halt progression of the disease (Kasper DL et al 2005).

Life Extension Foundation Recommendations

Liver cirrhosis is a life-threatening condition that requires close supervision by a qualified physician. Because the liver metabolizes many nutrients and drugs, it is important that liver patients not add any substances to their regimen without cooperation and close monitoring by a qualified physician. The goal of therapy is threefold:

1. Eliminate the toxins or conditions that cause liver damage. Among patients with alcoholic liver disease, this means the total elimination of alcohol. Cirrhotic patients should also limit exposure to environmental toxins, decrease consumption of omega-6 fatty acids (corn oil especially), and use monounsaturated fats such as olive oil instead.
2. Provide the liver with appropriate nutritional and pharmaceutical support so that it may heal itself.
3. Maintain health sufficient to undergo liver transplantation should other measures fail.

The following supplements have been shown to boost liver health and help manage cirrhosis:

• PPC—2 to 4 900-milligram (mg) capsules daily. Each capsule contains phosphatidylcholine 900 mg.
• BCAAs:—L-leucine 1200 mg, L-isoleucine 600 mg, and L-valine 600 mg
• Silymarin (milk thistle extract)—900 mg
• L-glutathione—250 mg, in two divided doses
• SAMe—1200 mg daily, in three divided doses
• Vitamin B complex—1 capsule 3 times daily. Each capsule contains thiamin (B1) 100 mg, riboflavin (B2) 50 mg, niacin 200 mg, vitamin B6 75 mg, folic acid 800 mcg, vitamin B12 1000 mcg, biotin 600 mcg, pantothenic acid 1000 mg, betaine free base 50 mg, choline 45 mg, inositol 250 mg, and para-aminobenzoic acid 100 mg
• Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl)—100 mg
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)—6000 mg daily
• Vitamin E—800 international units (IU) daily
• EPA/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA—fish oil supplement supplying EPA 700 mg and DHA 500 mg, and ideally providing 100 mg of Polyphen-Oil™ Olive Fruit Extract 265 mg along with sesame seed (Sesamum indicum) lignans.
  • PGX fiber—2 capsules with every meal or snack that includes nonfruit carbohydrates. Two capsules contain 1000 mg proprietary blend of Konjac root extract, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, mulberry powdered extract (leaf) 50 mg

Click here for complete article

Click HERE to learn more on Hepatitis and vitamins.... And remember, there is no quick fixes with liver disease, and once cirrhosis is present, the symptoms and restrictions become greater. If you do not stick with your health and diet regiment you can cause avoidable problems. It is not only luck that has kept me from needing Ascites fluid drained from my belly more then once... it is because I fight and because I have learned discipline... Though it is the nature of the disease - sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you try... but it's best to try anyways :)

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Suppressing HCV after a liver transplant

Craig always knows how to brighten my day... Here is some new research on keeping the new liver healthy for us HCV patients! ... I'll definitely be asking about this for Sally.. She shall remain healthy if it's the last thing I do! hehehehe.

Living With Liver Disease

Suppressing HCV After a Liver Transplant

Research Update: Suppressing HCV After a Liver Transplant To help prevent Hepatitis C from destroying their new liver, researchers from Japan devised a way to improve immune response in people with Hepatitis C who undergo a liver transplant. by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac. Receiving a liver transplant may be the last chance at survival for someone whose Hepatitis C has progressed to end-stage liver disease. By removing a severely diseased liver with a healthy one, liver transplants appear to be an opportunity for someone with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) to live a virus-free life. However, nearly all liver transplant recipients become re-infected with Hepatitis C almost immediately following their surgery. In an attempt to prevent HCV from infecting their new liver, clinicians have been scrambling for solutions to this re-infection problem. By stepping outside the box of traditional HCV treatment, researchers from Japan have devised a novel, promising strategy to prevent Hepatitis C from inundating newly transplanted livers. The number one cause of liver transplants in America, HCV has emerged as a premier health problem. Experts estimate that around 200 million people are infected with Hepatitis C worldwide. Usually progressing to a chronic illness, approximately 50 percent of those with HCV can be cured with the current standard of therapy, pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Unfortunately, those who have had this virus for decades and do not respond to HCV therapy are vulnerable to progressive liver damage. If HCV wrecks enough havoc on the liver, liver failure and liver cancer are two potentially devastating outcomes. These are the people whose last resort might be a successful liver transplant. A major challenge facing liver transplant recipients and their physicians is the recurrence of HCV infection. Within the first few days after transplant surgery, it is common for Hepatitis C viral loads to climb back up to the levels before the transplant. In fact, the viral load often exceeds pre-transplantation levels. Experts believe this is due to the suppression of the immune system that results from the immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection of the transplanted liver. Keeping this deficit of the immune response in mind, researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan conducted a trial to test the HCV suppression ability of transplanted immune cells. As published in the November 2009 edition of Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers performed the following sequence of events. They: · Extracted immune cells known as lymphocytes from the donor livers before the transplant · Activated the lymphocytes in vitro · Injected the activated lymphocytes into the patients three days after they had received their liver transplants The researchers found that this ingenious method worked, by keeping HCV levels low in most of the HCV-infected patients who received a liver transplant. Numbering about one trillion in each individual, lymphocytes are small white blood cells that conduct most of the immune system's actions. There are two main categories of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells. · B cells - produce specific antibodies to infectious microorganisms. · T cells - kill infectious microorganisms by destroying the body cells that are infected. In addition, T cells release chemicals called cytokines that initiate the immune response. More research is required to investigate the clinical applicability of injecting lymphocytes to suppress Hepatitis C. However, the authors of this study believe they have developed a novel paradigm for the inhibition of viral replication in HCV-infected liver transplantation recipients. References: http://thyroid.about.com/library/immune/blimm06.htm, Understanding the Immune System, Mary J. Shomon, Retrieved January 7, 2010, about.com, 2010. http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2010/NewsRev-342.html#_Keeping_Hepatitis_C, Keeping Hepatitis C Virus at Bay after a Liver Transplant, Retrieved January 5, 2010, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2010. http://www.jci.org/articles/view/38374, Adoptive immunotherapy with liver allograft-derived lymphocytes induces anti-HCV activity after liver transplantation in humans and humanized mice, Masahiro Ohira, et al, Retrieved January 5, 2010, Journal of Clinical Investigation, November 2009. http://www.medsci.org/v03p0079.htm, Management of HCV Infection and Liver Transplantation,Thomas D. Schiano, Paul Martin, Retrieved January 7, 2010, International Journal of Medical Sciences, April 2006

Author: CNL Created: 5/8/2010 Views: 5 Ref #:47409

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Larry's NorCal Peeps show your support!!

DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS-SAN JOSE,CA-US TRANSPLANT GAMES-LAUGH FOR LIFE! TEAM NORCAL FUNDRAISER

Date:	Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Time:	6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:	The Improv San Jose
Street:	62 S. second street
City/Town:	San Jose, CA

Do you love to laugh and celebrate life? I thought you might. This is a Team NorCal fundraiser that will allow us to do just that. It is easy and has little work involved but lots of laughter! Please help in supporting and promoting this awesome event.

A night of comedy and dinner at The Improv San Jose
http://www.improv2.com/sanjose.html

Comedians:

The comedians for the night are not confirmed at this time but the request was made that they all be known for the "medical comedy", the person I'm working to get to be our headliner, Sandi Selvi ( www.sandiselvi.com ), is an Adult Stem Cell Transplant recipient due to her fight against MS.

What Team NorCal Gets:

Team NorCal will get $12.00 per ticket sold.
*100 tickets must be sold a minimum of 2 weeks before the event for the show to go on! So buy your tickets now!
**300 tickets maximum available for sale.
If we sell all 300 tickets we can bring in $3,600 for Team NorCal.
I know together we can do that!

Direct your friends, family and co-workers to come out for a night of fun and direct them to buy tickets online through The Improv at: http://www.improv2.com/sanjose.html
click on the calendar…click on July 13th…Laugh for Life! National Kidney Foundation Fundraiser.

Or this link will take you directly to the page to buy tickets:
http://www.symfonee.com/Improv/sanjose/home/Index.aspx
Click on the calendar tab and then go to July 13.
Or you may buy tickets by calling The Improv directly at: 408-280-7475

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1 in 8 people carry a copy of the mutated gene for Hemochromoatosis

Hereditary Hemochromatosis

 Key Facts

• 1 in every 200 people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are suffering with this iron overloading deficiency

• Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation on a gene that regulates iron absorption

• Kids who test positive rarely have any symptoms because iron takes years to accumulate.

1. Patients who do have symptoms may experience:

• muscle aches and joint pain, primarily in the fingers, knees, hips, and ankles; one of the earliest symptoms is arthritis of the knuckles of the first and second fingers
• chronic fatigue
• depression, disorientation, or memory problems
• stomach swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or nausea
• loss of body hair, other than that on the scalp
• premature menopause
• gray or bronze skin similar to a suntan
• heart problems
• diabetes
• enlarged liver
• increased susceptibility to bacterial infections

• The damage from hereditary hemochromatosis is completely preventable if the condition is diagnosed and treated early.

• most individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis are treated by regularly drawing blood, a process called phlebotomy that's similar to making a blood donation.

•  Complications of untreated iron overload include: diabetes, arthritis, depression, impotence, hypogonadism (deficient production of sex hormones by the testicle or ovary), gallbladder disease, cirrhosis (disease and scarring of the liver), heart attack, cancer, and failure of other organs.

1. Who should be tested?

• The College of American Pathologists recommends transferrin saturation testing on all adults at age 20, and every 5 years thereafter for anyone who has a family history of the condition.
• The American Hemochromatosis Society proposes genetic screening for newborns to potentially benefit both the child and the rest of the family.
• All children have routine iron testing at age 4 and that those who have a genetic risk, but remain symptom-free, be tested every 5 years on a lifetime basis.

If you have a family history of hereditary hemochromatosis and are concerned about your child, talk to your doctor about screening tests.

The long version...

The Liver Centre


Kidshealth - Hemochomatosis in kids

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. The condition gets its name from "hemo" for blood and "chroma" for color, referring to the characteristic bronze skin tone that iron overload can cause. Someone with hereditary hemochromatosis who has never taken an iron supplement could find out in later years that iron overload is causing serious health problems.
Iron is a trace mineral that plays a vital role in the body. Every red blood cell contains iron in its hemoglobin, the pigment that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. We get iron from our diet, and normally the body absorbs approximately 10% of the iron found in foods. People with hemochromatosis absorb double that amount.
Once absorbed, the excess iron doesn't leave the body. Instead, it's stored in synovium (joints) and major organs such as the liver, heart, brain, pancreas, and lungs. Over many years, iron accumulates to toxic levels that can damage or even destroy an organ. The iron overload can cause many health problems, most frequently a form of diabetes that's often resistant to insulin treatment. Because of this, hereditary hemochromatosis is sometimes called "bronze diabetes."
Some people with the disease develop symptoms by age 20, although signs of the condition usually appear between ages 40 and 60, when iron in the body has reached damaging levels. Women are less likely to develop symptoms of iron buildup than men, probably due to normal iron loss during menstruation.
However, hereditary hemochromatosis should not be considered a disease of older people or men. Iron buildup is often present and silently causing problems long before symptoms occur — in men, women, adolescents, and in rare cases, children.

Causes of Hereditary Hemochromatosis

Although many people have never heard of the condition, hereditary hemochromatosis actually isn't rare at all. The condition affects as many as 1 in every 200 people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation on a gene that regulates iron absorption — 1 in every 8 to 10 people in the United States carries a single copy of this defective gene, called HFE. Carriers don't necessarily have the condition themselves, but can pass the mutated gene on to their children.

Hereditary hemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive condition, which means that in order to get it, a child must inherit two mutated HFE genes — one from each parent. If a child inherits just one mutated HFE gene, the normal gene essentially balances out the defective HFE gene.
Even with two mutated genes, not everyone becomes ill. Although a majority of those with two mutated genes will eventually develop some type of iron overload, far fewer of these people will absorb enough iron to develop serious problems.
In some cases, inheriting only one mutated gene may still eventually lead to iron overload, possibly affecting the heart, according to the Iron Disorders Institute. In these people, the iron overload may be triggered by a precipitating factor, such as hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) or alcohol abuse. Individuals with one mutated gene who become ill may also have mutations in other genes, yet to be discovered, that increase iron absorption.

Signs and Symptoms

Some people who test positive for hereditary hemochromatosis remain symptom-free for life. Kids who test positive rarely have any symptoms because iron takes years to accumulate.
Patients who do have symptoms may experience:

• muscle aches and joint pain, primarily in the fingers, knees, hips, and ankles; one of the earliest symptoms is arthritis of the knuckles of the first and second fingers
• chronic fatigue
• depression, disorientation, or memory problems
• stomach swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or nausea
• loss of body hair, other than that on the scalp
• premature menopause
• gray or bronze skin similar to a suntan
• heart problems
• diabetes
• enlarged liver
• increased susceptibility to bacterial infections

With such a wide range of possible symptoms, the disease can be extremely difficult to diagnose. As symptoms progress, it's frequently misdiagnosed as chronic hepatitis, other forms of diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, iron deficiency, gallbladder illness, menstrual problems, thyroid conditions, or polycythemia (an increase in the number of red blood cells).
It's important to understand that someone with hereditary hemochromatosis can have some symptoms without having all of them (i.e., heart problems without skin color changes, diabetes, or liver problems).

Diagnosis and Screening

Luckily, the damage from hereditary hemochromatosis is completely preventable if the condition is diagnosed and treated early. Doctors may use several blood tests to measure the amount of iron in the blood and diagnose iron overload:

• Serum ferritin measures the blood level of the protein that stores iron many places in the body.
• Serum iron measures iron concentrations in the blood.
• Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) measures the amount of iron that can be carried in the blood.
• With these results, a transferrin saturation percentage (transferrin is a protein that carries iron in the blood) is calculated by dividing the TIBC into the serum iron. An elevated transferrin saturation percentage or serum ferritin level points to iron overload.

Several gene mutations can cause hemochromatosis. A genetic test is available for the most common type of hemochromatosis, which accounts for about 85% of cases in the United States. However, only some of those who test positive will actually develop serious illness. The other 15% of individuals with symptomatic hemochromatosis will have mutations not in the HFE gene, but in other genes, which may be unknown or for which gene testing isn't routinely available.
Therefore, in cases in which high transferrin saturation and high serum ferritin are found but gene testing doesn't confirm hemochromatosis, a liver biopsy may be needed to determine whether symptomatic hemochromatosis exists or is likely to develop.
Also, the doctor may recommend a DNA test to confirm hereditary hemochromatosis when a spouse or first-degree relative (parent, child, or sibling) has been diagnosed with the disease.
Given the prevalence of the condition, some specialists suggest screening to detect hereditary hemochromatosis before it causes problems. The following approaches to screening have been suggested:

• The College of American Pathologists recommends transferrin saturation testing on all adults at age 20, and every 5 years thereafter for anyone who has a family history of the condition.
• The American Hemochromatosis Society proposes genetic screening for newborns to potentially benefit both the child and the rest of the family.
• All children have routine iron testing at age 4 and that those who have a genetic risk, but remain symptom-free, be tested every 5 years on a lifetime basis.

If you have a family history of hereditary hemochromatosis and are concerned about your child, talk to your doctor about screening tests.

Treatment

Besides specific treatment for complications of the condition — such as insulin for diabetes — most individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis are treated by regularly drawing blood, a process called phlebotomy that's similar to making a blood donation.
Initially, blood may be drawn once or twice weekly during the "de-ironing" phase until the level of iron in the body has dropped to normal. In many cases, it requires 2 or 3 years of periodic phlebotomy to reach the desired level.
After the de-ironing phase, when the serum ferritin level has fallen into the normal range, the patient usually remains on a maintenance schedule of three to four phlebotomy sessions a year. Doctors check ferritin levels annually to monitor iron accumulation. For most people, this treatment will continue for life.

Complications

When detected and treated early, any and all symptoms of hereditary hemochromatosis can be prevented, and the person can live a normal life. If left untreated, however, hereditary hemochromatosis can lead to damaging or even fatal iron overload.
Complications of untreated iron overload include: diabetes, arthritis, depression, impotence, hypogonadism (deficient production of sex hormones by the testicle or ovary), gallbladder disease, cirrhosis (disease and scarring of the liver), heart attack, cancer, and failure of other organs.

Caring for Your Child

Treatment for kids typically isn't as aggressive as for adults, and implementing some minor dietary changes can help slow iron accumulation.
Talk to your doctor about taking preventive measures to delay or reduce iron overload. You might:

• Limit red meat in your child's diet. Iron-rich vegetables are fine because the body doesn't absorb iron from plant sources very well.
• Include moderate amounts of black, green, or oolong tea in your child's diet. The tannin from tea helps minimize iron absorption (herbal tea doesn't contain tannin).
• Avoid breakfast cereals, breads, and snacks that are enriched with iron.
• Ensure your child is immunized against hepatitis A and B.
• Limit vitamin C supplements to less than 100 milligrams per day, because vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
• Use a children's multivitamin that doesn't contain iron.
• Avoid raw shellfish, which occasionally can be contaminated with bacteria that might be harmful to someone with an iron overload.

These simple steps can help ensure that your child will remain free of symptoms of the disease.
Reviewed by: Christopher Frantz, MD, and Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: March 2007

Note: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2010 The Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.
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An amazing day for Donate Life

It was a magical day. Team Larry's first walk, and we didn't know quite what to expect.
Every single person there was just glowing, so proud to be there! Each story made you smile and cry at the same time. Me and Larry were very tired to say the least, but we did it all the way to the finish line (shhhh, we did the 1K) but we still did it!! I was so proud of my friends and family that were there to support us. They knew how important this is to us! We have to spread the word guys... life - Live it then Give it!!

Even my husband was amazed at the magnitude of people at CSUF.

Every single beautiful gesture from the lighting to the "flame of Life" to the release of doves and even a release of a balloon for each person who became a donor in 2009... was amazing!

Larry and me got special recognition with a special number to wear and green beads!  I even got to take a picture with the USC Transplant staff... these are the ones that are going to be taking care of me and "Sally" in just a few months!!

 We got big plans for 2011 though... big plans, no excuses next year! you better be there!!

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