Posts Tagged: liver diseases

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12
Oct 11

Recognizing Liver Disease Symptoms and Conditions

Liver diseases are among the most dangerous medical conditions. They tend to develop over a long period of time, and sufferers do not even notice when liver disease symtpoms appear. The majority of people do not have any symptoms at all. Others may feel heaviness and discomfort in the liver area. In some cases, the liver gets enlarged, and this condition is known by medical professionals as hepathomegaly.

Among the liver disease symptoms is pain in the right hypochondrium (below the last rib in the liver area). This pain may be permanent or in the form of sudden fits. Constant pain might be a signal of disease processes affecting the Glisson’s capsule (a capsule that covers the liver’s external surface). Such diseases are abscesses, cancers, etc. With intermittent pain – you feel it getting stronger and gradually fading away. This pain signals that there is a disease process taking place in the biliary tracts.

People who suffer from liver diseases have bad breath, bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, heaviness in the stomach after eating, constipation, or diarrhea. One of the reasons why these symptoms occur is insufficient amount of bile entering the intestines. The patient’s eyes may get a yellowish coloration, the urine becomes dark colored, and the stool is light. Some patients also complain from persistent skin itching. This itching may be due to irritation of the skin’s nervous endings, caused by some substances produced by the gall (biliary acids). They are dissolved in the blood and circulate in the blood stream. Some of the liver disease symptoms that patients notice are weakness, headache, bad mood, etc. These symptoms are caused by the toxic substances affecting the nervous system. Overeating damages the gastro-intestinal tract and is an occasional cause for liver diseases. The insufficient intake of proteins and vitamins which is typical for malnourishment is another reason for liver malfunctioning. Liver pathology is also associated with alcoholism, chronic intoxications, and chronic inflammations of the stomach and intestines. Infectious diseases such as infectious hepatitis, syphilis, tuberculosis, dysentery, etc. also damage the liver.

If you experience some liver disease symptoms, you need to consult with a physician. Finding the exact cause for the medical condition is essential. Then, you will have an effective treatment prescribed, a special diet to follow, a regime of physical exercises, and regular post-treatment check-ups and tests. Post-treatment, you may go back to your usual daily activities, but it is essential that you wait until your liver indicators go back to normal. You have to be particularly cautious. Sticking to a special diet and avoiding harmful and toxic substances is important. Full recovery takes a long time, and you have to stick to your prescribed treatment or the disease may become chronic. If some liver functions are affected, the capacity of the organ to neutralize toxins will be affected. The absorption of useful substances is also reduced. The organ’s recovery is a slow process, and some foods have to be included in the diet while the consumption of others limited. It is also recommended to avoid heavy physical exercise.

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21
Sep 11

Liver Problems and Symptoms to Watch for

This is the organ that doesn’t hurt but suffers.
We often hear someone saying that their liver is hurting. Actually – these people are wrong. Pain in the liver area signals problems with the biliary tract and pancreas. The liver itself does not suffer as it has no nervous endings. Therefore, with liver problems, we can only feel heaviness in the right part of the chest. But in most cases, we can’t even know that the liver suffers and hence problems are difficult to spot.

How can we check whether our liver is functioning well?

Here are some warning signs.

To find out if you have liver problems, look at the following symptoms:

·         Bitter taste in the mouth;

·         weakness, feeling tired;

·         red spots on the skin;

·         palms are too smooth;

·         yellow circles around the eyes while the white part is red;

·         recurring headaches and heaviness in the temples.

If these symptoms begin to appear more frequently, you should have a biochemical analysis of the blood. It is a good idea to have an ultrasound as well. In this way, you can see if the structure of your liver is damaged, is there dystrophy, and if you have hepatitis or cirrhosis. This is necessary to prevent a serious failure of the liver because it is very difficult to treat.

FIVE GOLDEN RULES

You should remember that your health depends on your lifestyle and habits. To help your liver function normally, it is important to take good care of it. To this purpose, you can fast or at least avoid eating meat every day.

And are there specific dietary rules?

Rule one: do not overeat!

It is not surprising that yoga practitioners like to say: if you overate, you poisoned yourself. In the spring, the cells of your liver contain surpluses of fat and sugar, preventing its normal functioning.

Rule two: use vegetable oils!

The level of cholesterol is much lower in them, and toxins are easily cleansed from the body.

Rule three: avoid eating fried food!

Don’t stuff yourself with fried meatballs, potatoes, toasts, etc. The substances that form with frying are harmful to your liver.

Rule four: Have dinner before 7 pm.

Digestion is slowed down afterwards and fat accumulates in the liver.

Rule five: Start the morning with breakfast!

If you do not eat in the morning, it is best to skip meals the whole day. This way, you will cleanse your body from toxins. Have fruit juices and water with lemon and honey. Then, you will have a good appetite on the next morning.

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20
Sep 11

Alcoholic Cirrhosis and Hepatitis

Alcoholic cirrhosis is a progressive disease of the liver whereby alcohol damages the liver and blocks metabolism. The amounts of alcohol, which are dangerous to the body, depend on the person, his/ her history of liver diseases, age, genes, sex, etc.

The disease begins slowly and gradually. In the initial stage, common liver disease symptoms are anorexia, bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation. Sometimes, patients feel heaviness or dull pain in the area of the liver. Common complaints are related to the nervous system: fatigue, headache, drowsiness, and dizziness. These symptoms are due to the intoxication of the nervous system because of the liver condition.

 A large percentage of the cirrhosis cases are due to viral hepatitis B, C and D, which cause inflammation o

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3
Sep 11

Knowing Your Liver and Symptoms of Liver Problems

How does the liver of a couch potato-ing food aficionado feel?

Because the liver suffers in silence, you are often unaware of its worsening health condition. This organ has no nervous endings and no pain is felt before the number of damaged liver cells skyrockets. That’s why, it is said that the liver suffers quietly (while your unsuspecting self feasts on Big Philly Cheesesteaks, Spicy Chicken Go Wraps, and Double Quarter Pounders).

What to know about the liver

The liver is the most complex and biggest organ in the human body. It is situated in the right part of the stomach cavity and attached to the diaphragm, stomach wall, stomach, and the intestines. The liver is located behind the last rib bone, with its mass being about 2.5 percent of the body weight.

The liver has a crucial role in metabolism and carries out more than 400 critical tasks in the body. It is also the main organ to cleanse your organism from toxins and other waste. For this reason, when the liver suffers, the whole body is affected.

How to spot signs that the liver suffers

It isn’t enough to watch for pain in the area of the liver because it is not a good indicator. With no nervous endings, even if the liver is ailing, you won’t feel any pain. You may have heard that people with liver dysfunction complain they are in pain. They are wrong. Pain in this area is actually a sign that your bile ducts or pancreas needs medical attention. If the liver is affected, pain is felt in the right side of the chest. However, in the most cases, you won’t even guess that the liver suffers, while many of the medical problems are liver-related.

Many of us don’t even consider the fact that everything we take in the form of food and drinks passes through the liver. Waste is cleansed, with nutrients transformed into beneficial substances. And because the liver does not ‘complain’, we tend to overload it with excessive fat, low quality foods, alcohol, and intake of medications. We think that the liver takes all well, just because we don’t feel pain.

What symptoms hint that the liver isn’t functioning properly?

The symptoms are many: furred tongue, bad breath, bitterness in the mouth, heart-burn after eating, irritated or itching skin, excessive sweating, dark under-eye circles, red eyes, brown skin spots, dilated facial capillaries, etc. Other signs are dark urine, pale feces, light bleeding, enlarged spleen, tingling, pain in the biliary tract of the pancreas, and enlarged gallbladder.

Symptoms related to liver dysfunction are: digestion problems, fluctuating blood sugar level, cravings for sugar, immune and metabolic problems.

If you suffer from hemorrhoids, gall-stones, alcohol and fatty food intolerance, it may be a good idea to have a medical check and some routine tests. Irritability and nausea are other warning signs.

Other symptoms are depression, quick mood swings, anger, concentration difficulties, blurred mind, feeling or ‘burning inside’, and more specifically – in the torso and facial area. Fatigue, low work capacity, migraines and recurring headaches are other signs that the liver needs medical attention.

If these symptoms occur often, it is best to go for a biochemical blood test. Echographic examination is also recommended. The tests will show if the structure of the organ is intact, with its size pointing to a normal or abnormal functioning. You will find out if you’ve got damaged liver cells, characteristic of some diseases that affect the liver. You need to have the tests done so that you avoid possible complications, affecting some functions of the liver. Their treatment is quite difficult. Don’t underestimate alternative methods for diagnostics, such as iris diagnostics, but make sure you are diagnosed by a specialist. He may offer advice on suitable homeopathic and herbal products.

Given that the liver is the organ that cleanses the body, we have to know how to take care of our liver. We have to treat the liver properly, even if we don’t feel its pain. Most of the time, we don’t realize how much stress we put on it. Having a healthy liver helps avoid some serious medical problems – the cells of the whole body function better.