Ten years ago, working in a Sydney drug and alcohol rehabilitation unit, acupuncturist Christine Berle became convinced that acupuncture treatments were having a positive effect on the health of residents suffering hepatitis C.

Today, as a Master's student in the UTS College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Faculty of Science, she is undertaking a scientifically rigorous clinical trial to test what she saw ten years ago.

The trial – the first of its kind in Australia – will evaluate whether acupuncture treatment has an effect on the health outcomes of people who have contracted the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

More than 240,000 people in Australia are estimated to be infected by HCV and there are about 16,000 new infections per year.

While some are not affected by it, 75 per cent will have progressive ill health and many will suffer liver damage. Hepatitis C is the most common reason for liver transplant in Australia.

Berle said what she had seen among the residents of the rehabilitation centre had long warranted authentication.

"Residents with hepatitis C who were having ear acupuncture as part of their treatment program began reporting improvements in their liver function tests after about three months of regular acupuncture," Berle said.

"Their blood test results were showing decreased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. ALTs are a measure of liver damage – increased ALTs can reflect damage to major liver cells known as hepatocytes, while a decrease in these levels indicates the opposite."

For the clinical trial treatment is being offered to 30 HCV positive volunteers at the UTS Acupuncture Clinic in the city and at Berle's Guildford clinic. It involves 12 weeks of acupuncture with a series of blood tests before and after the treatment period. Co-investigator is hepatologist Dr Jacob George from Westmead Hospital.

For details about eligibility for participation in the project contact Christine Berle on (02) 9632 8989 or by email at Christine.A.Berle@student.uts.edu.au.

The study is being undertaken under the supervision of Christopher Zaslawski of the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Dr Deirdre Cobbin of the Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences.