Jaundice
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Jaundice (also called icterus) is a disease. People with jaundice have a problem disposing of dead red blood cells properly. The disease is common in newly born babies. It usually starts the second day after birth. It makes the skin become yellow.
Jaundice can also be caused by other diseases, like Malaria, Hepatitis, or gallstones.
Jaundice is the most common of all liver disorders. The yellow colour of the skin and mucous membranes happens because of an increase in the bile pigment, bilirubin, in the blood.
The bile, made by the liver, is a vital digestive fluid needed for proper nutrition. It also stops decaying changes in food. If the bile is stopped from entering the intestines there is an increase in gases and other products. Normally, the production of bile and its flow is constant.
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[change] Types of Jaundice
There are three types of jaundice:
- haemolytic jaundice - caused by destruction of red blood cells. This causes increased bilirubin formation and anaemia
- obstructive jaundice - caused by a blockage in the pathway where bilirubin is made in the liver cells and where bile goes into the duodenum
- hepatocellular jaundice - caused by damage to liver cells. The damage could be from a viral infection or toxic drugs.
Yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes happens in all types of jaundice.
[change] Symptoms
The symptoms of jaundice are:
- extreme weakness
- headache
- fever
- loss of appetite
- tiredness
- severe constipation
- nausea
- yellow coloration of the eyes, tongue, skin and urine.
- dull pain in the liver region.
- Obstructive jaundice may also cause intense itching.
[change] Causes
Jaundice is a sign of that the liver is not working. It may be caused by a blockage of the bile ducts which release bile salts and pigment into the intestines. The bile then gets mixed with blood and this gives a yellow colour to the skin. The blockage of the bile ducts could be caused by:
- gallstones
- inflammation (swelling) of the liver, called hepatitis. This is caused by a virus. The virus can spread and may lead to epidemics caused by:
- overcrowding
- dirty surroundings
- insanitary conditions
- contamination of food and water.
Other causes of jaundice are pernicious anaemia and diseases affecting the liver such as typhoid, malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis.
[change] Dietary Treatment
The simple form of jaundice can be cured quickly by diet and exercises. Recovery will be slow in serious cases which have been caused by a blockage or pressure in the bile ducts. The patient should rest until the acute symptoms of the disease subside.
The patient should be put on a juice diet for a week. The juice of oranges, lemons, grapes, pears, carrots, beets and sugarcane can be used. A hot water enema should be given every day during this period to make sure the bowel empties completely. This stops decomposed, poisonous material going into the blood stream. The juice diet may be continued till the acute symptoms subside.
After the juice diet, the patient may start an all-fruit diet for further three to five days. The patient should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, oranges, and pineapples, but no bananas.
Afterward a simple diet may be started on the following lines :
Getting up : A glass of warm water with juice of half a lemon.
Breakfast : One fresh juicy fruit such as apple, pear, mango, papaya, or some grapes, or berries. One cup wheat dalia or one slice of whole meal bread with a little butter.
Mid-morning : Orange or pear juice.
Lunch : Raw vegetable salad, two small chapatis of whole wheat flour, a steamed leafy vegetable such as spinach, methi saag or carrot and a glass of buttermilk.
Mid-afternoon : Coconut water or apple juice.
Dinner : One cup strained vegetable soup, two chapatis of whole meal, baked potato, and one other leafy vegetable like methi, spinach, etc.
Before bed : A glass of hot skimmed milk with honey if desired.
All fats like ghee, butter, cream and oils must not be eaten for at least two weeks. After that a little butter and olive oil may be used in the diet. A light carbohydrate diet, without fats, best obtained from vegetables and fruits should be eaten.
The patient should take plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit juices. Dandelion leaves, radishes with leaves, endive should be added to the daily raw vegetable salad. Raw apples and pears are especially helpful. Barley water, drunk several times during the day, is considered good for jaundice. One cup of barley should be boiled in six pints of water and simmered for three hours.
Digestive upsets must be avoided. No food that will ferment or decay in the lower intestines, like pulses and legumes, should be included in the diet. Drinking a lot of water with lemon juice will protect the damaged liver cells.
A person with jaundice can get better quite easily with the above diet and build up his sick liver until it works normally once again. A repeat of liver trouble can be stopped with:
- reasonable care in the diet and life style,
- regular, moderate exercise
- frequent exposure to sunshine and fresh air
- enough rest.
Research has shown that the liver has an excellent ability to fix itself provided all essential nutrients are eaten. Diets high in complete proteins, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B, particularly Choline which helps digest fats, and Vitamin E can help the liver recover. It is essential to keep the diet for a long time to prevent a repeat of the trouble.
