JAUNDICE – causes, symptoms and treatments

Description
Jaundice is characterized by a yellowing of the skin and eyes, due to a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. This buildup occurs when the liver does not remove bilirubin, a waste product, from the blood. Jaundice is a sign of blood or liver disorder. The liver is the largest organ and has many major jobs such as cleaning the blood, removing bacteria, endo-toxins, antibody complexes, metabolizing proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; blood-clotting factors, and making just enough bile. (Bile is essential for the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble or the D, E, and K vitamins and fat.) There are 4 types of jaundice: 1. Hemolytic or Unconjugated jaundice 2. Cholestastatic or Obstructive jaundice 3. Hepatocellular jaundice 4.Idiopathic jaundice All kinds may be present at the same time. But jaundice is also categorized as retention jaundice or regurgitation jaundice. The Gilbert’s syndrome is also another, milder, type of jaundice. Newborn babies often get jaundice, particularly premature babies. Generally, it is not serious and will disappear in a few days without any treatment. However, sometimes there are other factors that cause jaundice in infants. Two of these conditions are known as Rh Incompatibility (antibodies can be caused by a mismatch between the Rh factor in the infant’s blood and the blood of the mother) and ABO Incompatibility. These result in very fast breakdown of red blood cells. Jaundice may also appear in babies with physical defects in the organs that eliminate bilirubin from the body.

Causes
Jaundice is not a disease in itself but rather a secondary condition, an important symptom of some inherent disturbance in the body, and this most likely means that your body has some very serious problems that you should pay attention to immediately.

Some of the conditions that can cause jaundice are:
* Cirrhosis of the liver
* Pernicous anemia
* Hepatitis
* Hemolysis (abnormal destruction of red blood cells).
* Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E
* Malaria
* Tumor
* Gallstones Too much bile pigment (bilirubin) in the body’s tissues and bloodstream causes jaundice.

There are also other causes of jaundice, including:
* the level of red blood cell destruction is too high (hemolytic jaundice);
* a barrier such as gallstones, tumors, or inflammation in the bile duct system (obstructive jaundice);
* defective intake or transport of bile by the hepatic cells;
* liver cells are destroyed by alcohol, or viruses – making them lose the ability to process pigment; this can also be caused by an inadequate oxygen or blood flow to the liver (hepatocellular jaundice).

Retention jaundice is when the pigments are kept in the bloodstream because of a removal problem. Regurgitation jaundice is an abnormal leak of bile back into the bloodstream after it has been removed from the blood by the liver or directly from the bile ducts. Regurgitation jaundice may also cause secondary disorders due to the failure of the bile salts to get to the intestinal tract, which causes bleeding in the intestines. The cause of Idiopathic jaundice is not known yet, but it seems to be caused by a metabolic error in the body which makes it so that the liver cannot chemically transform bile properly, thus making the pigmentation of the liver and the body much darker. The Gilbert’s syndrome, a mild type of jaundice, is hereditary and develops during times of stress. Many drugs can also cause jaundice, including:

* anti-cancer drugs,
* aldomet,
* rifampin,
* steroids,
* oral contraceptives,
* testosterone.

Symptoms of jaundice

• The skin, mucous membranes and the whites of the eyes become discolored, becoming orange, yellow, or even green.
• The lips and nails become quite yellowish.
• Urine may be very dark in color and the stool clay colored.
• Itching, vomiting, and nausea are present Under artificial lighting, jaundice may not be apparent, so it is best to be seen in natural daylight.

Lifestyle symptoms
Do not drink alcohol. Alcohol puts great pressure on the liver, and can worsen the problem. Naturally, if jaundice is a symptom of an underlying disease, such as hepatitis, tumor or gallstones, then the disease itself needs to be treated. The vegetarian lifestyle will help very much, and one should eat as much dietary fiber foods and plants, which are relatively, low in sugar and fat, and as free from pesticides and pollutants as possible. Eat more foods containing fat-soluble vitamins, including:

* alfalfa sprouts
* carrots
* cabbages and other green leafy vegetables
* potatoes
* squash
* avocado.

It may be okay to use bile-sequestering fiber compounds such as pectin, psyllium, oat bran, and guar gum, if higher doses of cholerectics are used.

Fasting diet

1. For 3 days you should drink apple juice, following it with a cup of olive oil and lemon juice.
2. Eat only raw veggies and fruit for one week.
3. Then eat a diet of 75% raw food. for one month. Fresh lemon enemas should be taken during this time.

Juices

The following juices rebuild and cleanse the liver:
* lemon juice and water,
* beet and beet greens,
* dandelion or black radish extract.

Avoid:
* fish (especially raw or undercooked)
* meat
* poultry Raw animal foods pose great risk of infection from bacteria and parasites.

Treatment:
It is best to have a complete blood count, liver function tests, cholesterol tests, liver biopsy, prothrombin time, ultrasound of abdomen, and urine and fecal urobilinogen tests.

SEE:

Chickweed (anti-pruritis) – or Distilled Witch Hazel can be applied topically to reduce itching.

The dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale), milk thistle root (Silybum marianum), – artichoke leaves (Cynara scolymus), and turmeric (Curcuma longa) are the best botanical medicines known for treating liver problems such as jaundice.