Hepatitis C is a major Public Health threat and of major concern to all Health Care Practitioners because of the prevalence and long term consequences of the disease. It is the most common U.S. blood borne infection, and affects close to four million people. This is approximately four times the number of HIV infected individuals.' From a Chiropractic and Holistic Practitioner's position. Hepatitis C infected individuals are very likely to exist in their patient populations. The Hepatitis C patient typically will present with a variety of functional but not necessarily overt symptoms that span multiple organ systems. The hepatic damage is due to both the cytopathic effect of the virus and the inflammatory changes secondary to immune activation. Accurately recognizing the source of these problems allows referral of the patient for appropriate diagnosis. Informing a positively identified Hepatitis C patient of their options is an important aspect of improving quality of life and increasing clinical success.

Hepatitis C is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the Western World. Chronic Hepatitis C is asymptomatic 95% of the time. It is estimated that more than 30% of patients with chronic Hepatitis C develop cirrhosis. Thus, this liver disease can lead to end-stage liver disease despite the presence of few symptoms and signs of illness.