Natural Steps to Liver Health

When I suspected liver malfunction in one of my patients recently, he protested. He assumed that his liver was fine since he didn't drink large amounts of alcohol.

His assumption was a common one. Whenever I mention liver problems, most of my patients think of cirrhosis (associated with excessive alcohol consumption) or hepatitis, a viral disease with particular risk factors. They assume there's not much else to worry about when it comes to liver health. Perhaps it's an assumption you've made yourself.

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But just because you are not at risk for cirrhosis or hepatitis, that doesn't mean you're doing all you should for your liver. The liver performs many vital functions related to digestion, energy production and detoxification. So there's a lot more to liver maintenance than avoiding alcohol.

Control Yourself!

One of the liver's most important jobs is to produce bile, which aids in the digestion of fats. So it's no surprise to learn that overeating is the most common cause of poor liver function. If you've got a healthy liver, the occasional binge at holiday time isn't going to cause significant damage. But habitual overeating, which seems to have become common for many Americans, overworks the liver as it struggles to aid the digestion of all that extra food.

A poor diet in general also plays a role in liver malfunction. Too many of the wrong kinds of fats and carbohydrates, fried foods and too little protein all hinder the liver's ability to repair itself.

If bad habits result in obesity, you may develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The liver cells fill up with fat, and your liver cannot function properly. If there's no inflammation, it's called steatosis. The treatment? Lose weight! If the liver becomes inflamed, the disease is then called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Although it can be treated, and sometimes reversed, NASH may lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure. Obesity, diabetes and an inactive lifestyle all put you at risk for NASH.

Get Rid of the Toxins

But, what if you don't overeat and you don't eat lots of fat? Is your liver in the clear? Not really.

Your liver also filters out toxins--pesticides, food preservatives, chemicals in tap water, and drugs, to name a few. Too many toxins can overwhelm the liver and cause damage.

But if you lessen your exposure to toxins, you'll ease the stress on your liver. Eat mostly organic, whole foods, for example, and drink filtered water. Avoid the use of medicines, and seek out natural remedies when possible. And if you find it difficult to avoid toxins or medications, consider doing both a colon and a liver cleanse.

Food for a Healthy Liver

Whether you want to promote healing or simply to strengthen your liver, begin by evaluating your diet. Use the following guidelines and be ready to make some changes.

Include plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens which are high in vitamin K. (People with liver disease often lack sufficient K.) Artichokes contain a compound called silymarin, which supports and protects the liver. And, according to recent research in Japan, avocado protects the liver from damage. Other fruits containing similar properties include watermelon, kiwi, grapefruit, fig, cherry and papaya.

Eat lots of legumes (beans and peas) and seeds, which contain arginine, an amino acid helpful in detoxification.

Get plenty of fiber to avoid constipation. When your colon doesn't eliminate properly, toxins build up in your body, making your liver work overtime. In addition to raw fruits and vegetables, good sources of fiber include 100% whole grains, nuts, seeds, sweet potatoes, beans and prunes.

Plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet provide further protection for the liver and may prevent liver cancer. Eat more grass-fed beef, walnuts, olive oil, flaxseed and cold-water fish.

Liver Supplements

If you're trying to heal your liver, there are many dietary and herbal supplements that might help. Primrose oil and L-carnitine, for example, help control fatty acids, and garlic aids in detoxification of the liver and blood. Both vitamin B complex and andrographis aid in proper digestion and nutrient absorption as well as overall protection of the liver. Poor liver function caused by drugs or environmental toxins often responds well to grape seed extract and milk thistle, which both promote detoxification. And if you're concerned about liver cancer, try glutathione for protection.

Take Action Now

If you have specific liver problems, or suspect liver disorder, see a physician who can order the necessary tests to confirm disease or malfunction. Ideally, find one who will include dietary and herbal guidelines tailored for your condition, in addition to any necessary medications.

As with most diseases and disorders, prevention is the key. So don't wait until you've got symptoms! And please, don't make the mistake of assuming your liver will be fine just because you don't drink lots of alcohol. Take steps now to keep your liver healthy.

Natural Steps to Liver Health

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS

You Can Stop Drinking Alcohol Too

The effects of taking Alcohol while on medication with even the smallest of amounts can lead to aggravating the condition. There are up to 150 different medicaments which will worsen a health condition when taken under the effects of alcohol. One example is antihistamine, whereby the consumption of alcohol will increase the sedative effect hindering the ability to drive or handle machinery.

If alcohol is consumed while on painkillers such as Tylenol, you could end up damaging your liver. Those of us who tend to self-medicate drugs and take them indiscriminately with alcohol are opening themselves up to a whole range of health problems. You should always consult your doctor about the possibility of drinking alcohol with any prescribed drug.

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Alcohol addiction can create both legal and social problems and especially for the heavier drinkers. It could lead to disputes in the work place, on the domestic front, possibly with your closest of friends and even with complete strangers. Alcoholics tend to oversleep due to hangovers resulting in arriving late for work or sometimes not even getting there at all. Their work effectiveness is greatly reduced leading to a possible job loss.

Pregnant women who consume alcohol are risking their baby's' health as they may contract a whole number of congenital defects. Alcoholic mothers' children are prone to both behavioral problems and learning difficulties. They might even suffer from fatal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which can produce critical mental and physical conditions.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to serious long-term health problems such as liver or heart disease and some types of cancer. These conditions are not immediately noticeable but will come to light after a long time of consuming alcohol. Women are actually more likely to suffer from alcohol related diseases even by drinking less than men.

Millions of people round the world suffer from serious liver complaints such as hepatitis or inflammation due to alcoholic drinks which can in certain cases through complication lead to death. On average around 15% of heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic cirrhosis or scarring of liver hepatitis C virus-HCV-infection who may then require a liver transplant. Alcoholism can also lead to getting hepatitis C virus-HCV-infection resulting in a higher chance of contracting cancer of the liver.

Heavy alcohol consumption can also have a serious impact on the nervous system by depressing the central nervous system. Having initially stimulated the mind, alcohol will turn to causing sedation with continual consumption. Alcohol can also diminish the immunity system and will also produce changes in our logical way of thinking, emotional behavior and judgment. It can also lead to speech difficulties and problems with muscle coordination. All this and more could lead to an alcoholic eventually falling into a coma.

Alcohol consumption is a serious risk for diabetics; as alcohol prevents glucose being released from the liver, increasing the risk of getting hypoglycaemia which caused by a low blood sugar count. This can be life threatening when combined with the intake of insulin, used in regulating the blood sugar level.

The pancreas is also at high risk from alcohol consumption as it produces insulin for regulating the blood sugar level. The alcohol can also effect the production of very important hormones used in controlling the metabolism. The pancreas also produces very important enzymes vital for the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates. Long term drinking will cause pancreatitis and an acute pancreatitis can cause severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss which could be fatal. So quit drinking alcohol now.

You Can Stop Drinking Alcohol Too

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Children of Alcoholic Parents

For children of alcoholics, alcoholism can bring shame and confusion. It is not uncommon for the children of alcoholics to feel as though they are responsible for their parents' drinking problem. Some children may even think that the reason why their parent is drinking is because of the issues that they may have contributed. Teens who believe they are part of the issue may move out of the house or work harder to address the problem. The alcoholic parent may aggravate this blame situation by saying things like "You drive me crazy," or "I won't take this anymore." What any child needs to understand is that irrespective of what they believe about alcoholism, their parent's alcoholism is not their fault regardless of what may suggest otherwise.

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Not many people realize that alcoholism is a disease. More often than not, people assume that all an alcoholic has to do is to quit drinking. But this is usually much easier said than done. The world health organization (WHO), (ACP)the American College of Physicians and the (AMA) American Medical Association recognizes that alcoholism is a physiological disease. For the alcoholic, there is a physical craving to drink and, as the disease progresses, the body develops a physical dependency to it. Without professional assistance, an alcoholic will continue to drink and continue to become more addicted over time.

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Alcoholism in the family causes considerable damage. Although each case is unique, alcoholism destroys familial relationships and creates an environment that is chaotic and unstable. Some alcoholic parents emotionally or physically abuse their children while others neglect their children by denying them counseling and nurturing. Most alcoholics behave impulsively. Children are often faced with trying to appease their parent's moods. They may feel as though it's their job to "parent" their parents. One minute they may be avoiding an argument and the next they may find themselves consoling a parent who promises that things will be okay. Even though each family is unique, children with an alcoholic parent often feel lonely, depressed, unloved and burdened by secrecy.

When dealing with alcoholism in the family, it's important to get into action. Doing nothing will only further enable the alcoholic. Fleeing, hiding, or pretending that they really isn't a problem is not a solution.

One way to get into action is to reach out for help. Talking with friends, relatives or counselors may be the first step. If you are a child of an alcoholic, you might want to discuss the problem with a mature adult such as a school counselor, coach or teacher. There are groups such as ALONON and ALATEEN which can provide added support and information. It's important to recognize that you are not betraying your parent by seeking help. You can continue to be supportive of your parent while trying to improve things for both yourself and your entire family.

Children of Alcoholic Parents

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Hepatitis C - New Treatment Option?

Hepatitis C is a disease that has been associated with a number of myths and some hard facts. While Hepatitis C patients fear getting treated because they have heard all sorts of horrific stories associated with HCV treatment, the question is: 'Can a Hepatitis C patient afford to stay away from the treatment and what will be the consequences if he or she decides to get treated?'. Also, what is the new treatment option, which was discovered in 2009, and since it is herbal, anyone can quickly apply it at home?

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Hepatitis C patients who are confused if they should proceed with Hepatitis C treatment or not should consider if delaying will do them any good. The answer is an emphatic 'No!'. By using the new herbal treatment, anyone can get rid of the infection, quickly and without any side effects, without even going to a doctor.

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Delay in treatment exposes patients infected with Hepatitis C virus to two dangerous liver diseases namely, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Although, it is in common knowledge that Hepatitis C is a liver disease but almost no details of the seriousness of the disease are in knowledge of those who are infected or are susceptible to getting infected with HCV.

Fibrosis is a liver condition in which scar tissue is formed on a person's liver. As a HCV infected patient suffers from inflammation of liver because of the virus, this can result in fibrosis if this inflammation continues for a long period. Formation of scars on our skin is a common phenomenon as often scars appear on our body as a result of injury. Although, scar tissue is protective in nature, it is not a perfect alternative to healthy skin as it has limited functions. The hepatitis c new treatment, avoids the fibrosis from forming, and cures the disease quickly.

Fibrosis is broadly split in two types, namely, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis. While the later type is caused purely due to genetic complications, under the former type, that is, pulmonary fibrosis, patient's lung undergoes overgrowth and hardening of scars. In many studies HCV infected patients have been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis which is a variation of this disease. Generally, patients suffering from pulmonary fibrosis display symptoms such as loss of appetite, fast weight loss, chronic dry cough, fatigue and discomfort in chest. Pulmonary fibrosis patients are generally expected to survive for up to 6 years after diagnosis

Hepatitis C - New Treatment Option?

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How Can Hepatitis C Be Trasmitted?

Hepatitis C is a disease that inflames the liver and can cause a lot of damage to it. It can eventually lead to liver cancer if nothing is done to treat it.
Once you get infected with the hepatitis C virus you enter a waiting period of approximately 6 months. In this time the virus infection shows no signs and symptoms, so in most cases it's only discovered during a routine test. 20% of the people infected eliminate the virus from their bodies in these, first 6 months, but in 80% of the cases, it remains there and after the time passes it starts to "work". In the first 6 months, the disease is called acute hepatitis C. If you got the virus and you're lucky, the doctor discovers it while it's in the acute phase, and it can easily be treated. But, in the majority of cases it becomes active and acute hepatitis C turns into the dangerous chronic hepatitis C.

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Chronic hepatitis C is hard to cure, and it can cause life threatening complications. Most of the patients with hepatitis C can't be cured, and their condition gets worse and worse as time passes. Chronic hepatitis C treatment can't cure it, it can only make it progress slower and reduce the pain and damage that it does to the liver.

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So the best thing to do is to stay away from the hepatitis C virus. You should learn how hepatitis C is transmitted from one person to another and try to avoid getting infected with it. Knowing the symptoms well so you can consult a doctor as soon as you see any of them appear is also a good thing to do.

Hepatitis C can easily be transmitted by blood to blood contact. Most people get it by sharing the same needle in injections, but because you also get HIV this way, doctors try to prevent this as much as possible, so the number of infections caused by needle sharing is decreasing. Those who inject themselves drugs and use the same syringe on many people are at an enormous risk of getting hepatitis C, HIV, and many other infections. Hepatitis C transmission happens a lot among drug users and in prisons.

A large number of people get hepatitis C from tattooing. The needle used when doing a tattoo can pierce through the skin and cause a small bleeding incision. The same needle is then used on the next customer, and if one of the clients has hepatitis C and gets stung by the tattoo needle, anyone else who will get stung will get it.

The third cause of hepatitis C infections is sex. Many engage in unprotected sexual encounters with strangers, and if your partner has hepatitis C then you will get infected with it too. Although mass media is trying to promote the use of condoms and people are told what the risks of not using them are, still many realize that they have been infected after a sexual encounter with a stranger.

Other methods of hepatitis C transmission can be sharing the same razor when shaving, or brushing teeth with the same toothbrush. Toothbrushes can cause the gums to bleed, and so blood is shared.

Try to remember these basic facts about hepatitis C transmission, and you will be able to avoid getting infected with it. Also remember that chronic hepatitis C can only be totally cured in few cases before doing something foolish.

How Can Hepatitis C Be Trasmitted?

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Liver Disease Stages

The liver is one of the largest organs in the human body and is essential to the proper functioning of the body. The liver synthesizes proteins, bile, acids, and cholesterol. It maintains a balance of many nutrients and chemicals like glucose, fat, cholesterol, vitamins, and hormones and aids in the excretion of many waste products such as bilirubin, cholesterol, poison, and drugs. Liver disease is thus a serious condition that can be cured if it is cared for in the early stages. There are four stages for any malfunction of liver: inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer.

Inflammation

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The liver can get inflamed due to certain conditions, use of alcohol and certain chemicals. The conditions that can cause liver inflammation are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Autoimmune Hepatitis, and Wilson's disease. Extensive alcohol use also causes inflammation of the liver. Some drugs and industrial pollutants may affect the liver. Inflammation is characterized by redness, swelling, heat and possible pain in the liver.

Fibrosis

The second stage of liver disease is fibrosis or scar tissues. After the liver has been inflamed for a long period, connective tissues of the liver accumulate. At this stage the liver functions slowly degrade.

Cirrhosis

The third stage of liver disease is called cirrhosis. When liver has been damaged due to inflammation and fibrosis, it does not function properly. Accumulation of scar tissues blocks blood flow through the liver, preventing it from functioning normally. Some of the symptoms of end stage cirrhosis are edema, bruising and bleeding, jaundice, gallstones, and an increase of toxins in the blood, enlarged blood vessels, and diabetes.

Cancer

If liver disease is not treated in the earlier three stages, cancer may develop. Liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma, affects approximately 4% of patients with cirrhosis. A liver transplant is one of the options for treating liver cancer.

Liver Disease Stages

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Hepatitis ABC

It's important to know your Hepatitis ABC risk. Hepatitis AB or C is another silent but deadly killer. May 19th marked world Hepatitis day. That's right, Hepatitis has its own "world day"! There are millions of individuals infected with Hepatitis. Public awareness is one of the most important factors in fighting the disease. President Obama spoke on world hepatitis day. He stated that "Millions of Americans are infected by viral Hepatitis, and too many do not know that they are infected". With a disease that millions are affected by there is certainly little knowledge amongst average person.

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Hepatitis A is a liver infection that ultimately affects an individuals liver function. Individuals typically contract Hepatitis A through contaminated food or drink. An individual may also contract the disease by being in contact with a person who already has the disease. Though serious, if the case is mild enough an individual could recover with no treatment. Hand washing and general good hygiene is the best way to avoid Hepatitis A. However, vaccines are available for individuals who have more severe cases. Symptoms of Hepatitis A include fatigue, nausea, fever, itching, muscle pain and jaundice as well as abdominal pain.

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Hepatitis B, has some similarities to Hepatitis A as they both affect liver function. Most adults who contract Hepatitis B stand a good chance of full recovery. However, infants and children are more likely to experience more difficulties with the disease. There is no cure for Hepatitis B but there is a vaccine that can prevent it. Symptoms include abdominal pain, dark urine, weakness, loss of appetite and jaundice. Common ways to contract the disease include sexual contact (which includes an infected partners saliva entering your body), needle sharing and infected pregnant women have been known to pass the disease on to their child during childbirth. Some complications include: Liver inflammation, which can lead to liver scarring. Liver scarring can affect the liver's ability to function, Liver cancer and Kidney problems, which may ultimately lead to kidney failure.

Hepatitis C, is similar to both A and C in that it attacks the liver. Hepatitis C is considered the most serious of all. It could lead to chronic liver disease and is one of the most common reasons individuals need liver transplants. Symptoms include fever, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and nausea. An individual may contract Hepatitis C by blood transfusions (generally this issue was prior to 1992 before there were viable test to detect contaminated blood), needle sharing and sexual contact (although considered rare).

It is important to note that treatment is not always necessary. Although a physician should determine it, slight liver abnormalities may not require treatment (though it is likely that an individual be required to routinely follow up to monitor liver function). However, if an individual must receive treatment it may include antiviral medications intended to expel the virus from the individual's body. Several medications over a period of several weeks could help an individual to gain control. However, the physician may determine that another round of medication is necessary.

Finally, individuals who experience any pf the previously mentioned symptoms should seek the advice of a physician immediately. Early detection is key when it comes to most diseases but especially Hepatitis A, B or C. Hepatitis that is able to linger with no diagnosis or treatment may lead to liver transplants or even death. It is impossible for the average individual to determine whether he or she has Hepatitis A, B or C. However, upon noticing changes in an individuals body that include a combination of weakness, fever, muscle and joint pain, tenderness in the liver region, itching and/or jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes) an individual should contact his or her physician and inform him of the symptoms. Individuals should always research his or her symptoms and should never be afraid to address their concerns immediately. As with all disease, early detection is key to recovery and maintenance.

Stay tuned and stay informed!

Hepatitis ABC

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