Jaundice

This section explains the various ways of treating jaundice. Read through to find out the causes, symptoms and cures for Jaundice.

The most common liver disorder is jaundice. Here the skin and mucus membranes become discolored and take on the yellowish hue. This yellow colour is due to the presence of the excess of a bile pigment called bilirubin in the blood. Liver produces bile, which is necessary for proper digestion and ensures good nutrition. It has a favourable influence on the general digestive processes. It prevents the decaying of food. If the bile cannot enter the intestines, the gases and other toxic products are produced. But your body ensures that the bile and its flow is constant.

Jaundice occurs in 3 forms. Haemolyptic jaundice is due to the excessive destruction of red blood cells, thus causing increased formation of bilirubin and anaemia. Obstruction jaundice occurs when the pathway between the site of conjugation of bilirubin in the liver cells and the entry of bile in the duodenum is blocked. Hepatocellular jaundice results from the damage o the liver cells either by viral infection or by toxic drugs. Yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes is the marked symptom of all the 3 types of jaundice. Usually, old people tend to suffer more from obstructive jaundice which is the most common problem associated with hepatobiliary diseases.

Symptoms of Jaundice :

• Extreme weakness
• Headache
• Fever
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Undue fatigue
• Severe constipation
• Yellow colouration of the eyes, tongue, skin and urine
• Intense itching in obstructive jaundice

Causes of Jaundice:

• Malfunctioning of liver due to the obstruction of the bile ducts, which are responsible for discharging bile salts and pigment into the intestine. This bile is then mixed with the blood and thus gives the skin the yellow hue.
• Gall-stones in old age can pass into the common duct and cause the jaundice
• Hepatitis which is the inflammation of the liver, caused by a virus. It can spread, leading to epidemics due to overcrowding, dirty surroundings, insanitary conditions and contamination of the food and water.
• Pernicious anaemia
• Diseases affecting the liver like thyroid, malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis
• Acute cholecystitis

Jaundice Treatment:

Proper diet and exercise is the simplest form of jaundice therapy. But if your condition is serious, your recovery will also be slow. These cases can be caused by obstruction or pressure in the bile ducts. Take rest till the symptoms subside. Go on a juice fast for about 5 days. Juices of orange, lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, beet and sugarcane are very helpful. Take hot water enema daily to ensure the regularity in the bowel movements, which eliminates the wastes and prevents the absorption of the decomposed, poisonous matter into the blood stream. Continue with the juice fast till the acute symptoms subside.

Once the juice fast is over, go on a fruit-only diet for the next 3 – 5 days. Eat 3 meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits like apples, pears, grapes, oranges and pineapple. Then follow the diet mentioned below:

• On awakening: A glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon added.
• Breakfast: A juicy fruit like apple, pear, papaya, grapes, berries and mango, a cup of wheat dalia or a slice of whole meal bread.
• Mid-morning: Orange or pear juice
• Lunch: Raw vegetable salad, 2 small chappatis of whole wheat flour, a steamed leafy vegetable like spinach, methi saag or carrot and a glass of butter-milk.
• Mid-afternoon: Coconut water or apple juice
• Dinner: A cup of strained vegetable soup, 2 chappatis of whole meals, baked potato and a leafy vegetable like methi or spinach
• Before going to bed: A glass of hot skimmed milk with honey if you want.

Avoid all fats like ghee, butter, cream and oils for 2 weeks at least. Then include minimum amount of butter and olive oil. Take a light carbohydrate diet without fats, which you can get from vegetables and fruits. Drink plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit juices. Add dandelion leaves, radishes with leaves and endive to the raw vegetable salad. Raw apples and pears are extremely helpful. Drink barley water many times a day as it is a good remedy for jaundice. You can get this by boiling a cup of barley in 3 liters of water and simmered for 3 hours.

Avoid any kind of digestive disturbances. Do not eat any food like pulses or legumes that has the capacity to ferment or putrefy the lower intestines. Drink a lot of water with lemon juice to protect the liver cells.

The juice of bitter luffa is very effective in the treatment of jaundice. You can get it by pounding and squeezing through the cloth. Keep the juice on the palm of the hand and draw up through the nostrils. The yellow fluid will start coming out of the nose with great force. Once this toxic matter is eliminated, you will feel relieved. But take care because it is a strong medicine and may cause some side-effects like giddiness, migraine and fever some times for short period if you have delicate nature. Hence avoid it if you are allergic to it. If you cannot get the juice, you can substitute it by 2 or 3 drops of fluid obtained by soaking its crusts overnight in water. This will have the same effect.

Green leaves of radish is another valuable remedy in the treatment of jaundice. Pound the leaves and extract their juices through the cloth. Take half a liter daily, after straining it through a clean piece of muslin cloth. It will induce a healthy appetite and cause proper cleaning of bowels, thus decreasing the problem gradually. In many cases, this treatment can cure the problem completely.

Tomato juice is an excellent remedy in the treatment of this disease. Take the fresh tomato juice, mix it with a pinch of salt and pepper early in the morning.

The leaves of snake gourd are very useful in the treatment of jaundice. Take an infusion of these leaves in the doses of 30 – 60 ml thrice daily. But mix the coriander seeds before taking the infusion.

By following the above routine religiously, you can easily overcome the problem very easily and safely. Your liver will regain its lost vitality and will start functioning normally. Take reasonable care in your diet and lifestyle to prevent the recurrence of the liver problem. Go for moderate exercise, expose yourself to sunshine, fresh air and take adequate rest.

Liver has an excellent capability to regenerate itself, provided you give it the required nourishment. Ensure that your diet is high in complete proteins, vitamin C, B vitamins especially choline and vitamin E. All these nutrients will hasten he regeneration of liver. You should continue to take precautions in your diet even after recovery.