Functions of the Liver

Let us start first with the different functions of the liver. Mainly, it helps in the metabolism of the body. It processes the nutrients and minerals that are extracted from the foods that we eat every day. After processing such nutrients, they are then converted to the needed energy and cell repair of the body. In addition to that, the liver also deals with the toxins that may enter the body through the intestines. This is also true with the drugs that may be taken to the body. Erythrocytes on the other hand are recycled by the liver to be able to be used again for different purpose by breaking them down. Cholesterol metabolism is also regulated by this organ as well as the production of different nutrients necessary for better system working of the body as whole. Lastly, it also acts as a garbage collector or an organ that removes the excess bile in the body. The bile is the byproduct of produced by the red blood cells in the process of recycling. They are actually used in the digestion of fats in the body. When the bile is not regulated to remain in its normal level, serious problem can occur or can be experienced by the body. The eyes, skin and face will look pale when this is produced in excess.

Causes of Liver Damage

Now let us go to the cause of liver damage. Number one on the list is alcoholism. Alcohol contains elements that can damage the nature of the liver. Although the body can tolerate alcohol in moderate taking, this will become dangerous if addiction will occur. That is why those who are alcoholic are indeed prone to liver diseases and illnesses. Hepatitis B and C may also cause the liver to be affected since these illnesses are actually pertaining to the bile production. Primary biliary cirrhosis that is mostly experienced among women may also be the cause of any damage in the liver. Needless to say, a person who lives an unhealthy lifestyle, takes on drugs, is addicted to various vices and eating improper diet can easily destruct his liver. This is actually even more destructive to other organs in the body.

Liver Damage Symptoms

The following are liver damage symptoms that a person should be vigilant with.

• A person whose liver is already damaged will initially always feels tired, over fatigued, falls with nausea and lacks appetite for eating.
• Since a damaged liver is already unable to remove bilirubin from the blood, the white parts of the eyes becomes yellow. This condition is commonly called jaundice.
• The symptoms are also observable in the nails. Instead of a pink color, the nails become whiter and becomes more curved.
• Loss of appetite will then lead to weight loss and anemia.
• Those who are also suffering from liver damage have observed that their stools become paler or become lighter in color.
• Most importantly, this will also cause enlargement of the organ in itself. When suffering from this, one can observe how the lower right part of the ribs of the abdomen becomes larger.
• When the above symptoms become evident, then the breathing pattern of the person can also be affected.
• Advanced stages of liver damage will also lead to vomiting, nose bleeding and presence of blood in the stool.

Are you suffering from liver diseases? Are your common symptoms similar to the Liver cancer symptoms? Well, located towards the right side of the body, just below the ribs, liver is one of the most essential body organs in our system. Liver removes toxins and impurities from the blood as well as helps in digestion. Cancer in the liver may be caused due to the spreading of cancer cells from the other part or organ of the body. Another reason of liver cancer may be the mutation of liver cells themselves. Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular cancer.

Causes of liver cancer

Hepatitis B infection, Hepatitis C infection, liver cirrhosis, too much consumption of alcohol, aflatoxin, drugs, medications and chemicals, diabetes, obesity are all common causes of liver cancer.

Liver cancer symptoms

• Noticeable loss of weight that cannot be explained
• Being ill/sick
• Loss of appetite
• Discomfort or pain in abdomen
• Swollen abdomen
• Feeling bloated after eating even small meal
• High temperature and sweating
• Jaundice, dark colored skin, pale colored feces
• Itching
• Nausea and vomiting

The Liver cancer symptoms which appear in the initial stage are variable. There are no such specific symptoms of liver cancer. And, the symptoms which are observed in early stages can be mistaken for simple worsening of cirrhosis and liver function.

Diagnosis of Liver cancer

The following are the test performed in the initial stage:

Blood test for liver function test, scanning methods like ultrasound scan, CT scan or MRI scan, biopsy, laparoscopy are some of the methods to diagnose liver cancer.

Further tests for liver cancer are performed to know whether it has spread in other parts or not. These further tests include hepatic angiograpy and X-rays. Hepatic angiography aids to see the arteries that supply blood to the liver and check for the tumor if any.  X-ray of lung is also taken because liver cancer can sometimes spread to the lungs.

Treatment for liver cancer

According to stages of liver cancer treatment has to be given. Till now the only proven cure for liver cancer is liver transplantation.

Below given are the therapies for treating liver cancer:

• Chemotherapy which attacks cancer cells
• To freeze and destroy cancer cells – cryosurgery
• Radiation therapy to attack cancer cells
• Surgery to remove the cancer

Other complementary treatments are:

• Massage therapy
• Acupuncture
• Yoga

If surgery is not possible then there are several other options like alcohol injection and radiofrequency thermoablation. Avoid alcohol is the first level of prevention. And other is to prevent the occurrence of Hepatitis B and C.

Secondly, if an individual is suffering for liver cirrhosis timely transplant of liver can prevent from developing it into cancer.

Let us start to know one organ known as “liver”. The liver is the largest gland of the body and it is part of the digestive system. The liver’s functions are the following:

1. It produces substance that breaks down the fats.
2. It is responsible for the conversion of glucose into glycogen.
3. It also produces the urea which is the primary substance of our urine.
4. It makes amino acid which is the proteins’ building blocks.
5. It filters the harmful element from our blood, like alcohol.
6. The liver is also the storage of vitamins and minerals.
7. It maintains the proper level of the glucose in the blood and lastly
8. It produces cholesterol in our body.

You will see that the function of the liver is very important in our body that’s why it must be taken care of. Here are the tips on how you can take care of your liver.

Keep a healthy and balance diet

Take time to watch what you eat. Make sure that you are taking fruits and vegetables in your daily meal. Food that is rich in protein is also good for the liver such as meat, nuts and eggs. There are some foods that can detoxify the liver and they are the garlic, onions, broccoli and mushrooms.

Don’t eat fatty and oily foods, as well as dairy and frozen products. They are bad for your liver because it is difficult for the liver to process.

Avoid too much caffeine

More than 3 cups of caffeine each day is too much and unhealthy. Drink tea, coffee and soda in a reasonable amount if you can’t avoid it.

Drink lots of water

Drinking water is the safe, effective and cheap way to detoxify and clean your liver. Lemon juice and orange juice are also healthy for your liver.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise regularly and avoid unhealthy habits such as smoking and excessive drinking.

Practice safe sex

One of the liver diseases is hepatitis and it can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, so be safe and use condom to protect yourself. Do not share personal things with other people as well.

Regular Check-up

Always visit your doctor and have yourself immune from hepatitis by vaccination. It’s better to detect early if you have liver problem to be treated immediately.

The common liver disease that you will get when you abuse your body is hepatitis and it is contagious disease. To avoid being infected by this disease, follow the above tips.

Some of the symptoms that are not definite or exact are loss of appetite, indistinguishable pain in abdomen, feeling of weakness and fatigue. While the specific or definite symptoms of liver disease are when the patient easily getting bruise and experience itching, this is because of the blood clotting production is decreasing due to ill liver. The patient will also have noticeable jaundice or yellowing of skin and this is because of bilirubin accumulation in the blood.

When the patient experiencing gastro-intestinal bleeding, sensitivity to bacterial infections, kidney failure, coma or mental confusion, fluid accumulation in abdomen “ascites” and in legs “edema”, he is having a severe liver problem with cirrhosis.

Be careful in taking medicines because drugs can also cause liver diseases. All types of drugs though can cure but it also have its side effect and this can be one. It can injure the liver directly or indirectly. The liver can get intoxicated and the following is its three types.

Drug Allergy

It is uncommon to cause liver disease but it can. When the liver is injured it gets sore due to the immune cells and antibodies that attack the drugs.

Dose-dependent toxicity

Overdose can cause liver disease. Acetaminophen is another example of dose-dependent toxicity.

Idiosyncratic toxicity

Our liver has a lot of use that’s why if we did not take care of it may lead to disease. Liver damage may not easily diagnose early because its symptoms are similar to the other diseases. Another important thing to know about liver disease is that it doesn’t have a distinct symptom.

You wouldn’t easily recognize when you have liver disease when these symptoms strike. It is very important to have a check up if your family has history of liver problems. Some symptom are if the white part of your eye is yellow or if you vomit and there is a brown color substance then maybe you have liver disease. If you think your liver is damaged a blood test is the best way to find out.

Before you can get liver disease, you have to know how to take care by knowing what causes it. Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease. Drinking too much alcohol could lead to liver malfunction that cause inflammation. Alcohol is very toxic to our health especially to our liver.

Common liver disease symptoms are:

• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Digestive problem
• Bad breath
• Reaction to the smell of chemicals like perfume, gas or air cleaning products
• Skin disease like psoriasis, acne, eczema and other skin rashes
• White part of the eye becomes yellow
• Yellowish skin

If you think you are experiencing these symptoms then you need to see a doctor for a test. Proper and early medication can help us get rid of liver disease.

It is also the body’s detoxifier because it converted the toxic product into less toxic like ammonia that get be obtained by protein digestion; it can be converted into urea and then sends to the kidney to be removed via urine. The medicine, alcohol and everything we take into our body is being processed by the liver.

Because of the fact that everything goes into the liver, there is no surprise why the liver is easily get damaged, especially when a person is consuming too much alcohol and the liver is having a hard time processing it. When a person continues to live an unhealthy lifestyle, the probable disease that he can obtain is cirrhosis, haemochromatosis, hepatitis A to C, fatty liver disease and worst is liver cancer.

Surgery is one of the treatments that we can do when the liver is damage. It is removing the part of the liver that is being damage to make you feel better. It is interesting to know that liver has the ability to regenerate itself too, so even if the portion is cut out, it will still come back to normal. This is a great news to every patient who is suffering a liver disease but there are ways that a patient should do in order to generate a new healthy liver. These are the ways.

Start eating dandelion. It is a plant that you can buy or you can grow in your backyard. Pick the leaves, wash it and mixed in your salad. This plant has been used to successfully treat the patient with liver disease like liver insufficiency and hepatitis.

Other ways to speed up your liver’s recovery are through healing crystals, homeopathic medicine, essential oils, magnet therapy, reflexology, acupressure and acupuncture. You can also use other healing herbs at the same time to restore your liver speedily.

It is very fortunate to know that a patient can use several ways to improve his liver and not limited to medicine. It is important to take care of the liver because when it is not functioning well, the other glands and organs are affected and slows their functions too.