Jaundice | Symptoms & Treatment of Jaundice | Home Remidies of Jaundice

Jaundice | Symptoms & Treatment of Jaundice | Home Remidies of Jaundice

Jaundice is a condition when the white part of the patient's skin and eyes turn yellow. The amount of bilirubin in the blood increases. It is not a disease in itself, but it is a symptom of a disease or condition that requires immediate medical help.
 

Bilirubin is a yellow colored substance, which is formed by the breakdown of red blood cells present in the blood on the completion of a 120-day cycle. Bilirubin contains billi, which is the digestive fluid produced in the liver and remains in the gall bladder. It helps in absorption of food and excretion of feces. Bilirubin levels in the blood begin to rise rapidly when bilirubin does not form a mixture with billi for any reason or when red blood cells begin to break down in a shorter period than normal. It can cause yellowing in other organs as well.

Jaundice thus becomes the cause of many diseases. Diseases such as malaria, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia accelerate the production of bilirubin, while hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, glandular fever, liver cancer, and even excessive drinking lead to the process of bilirubin. The liver's capacity is affected. Also, other conditions, such as gall stones and pancreatitis, interfere with the process of removing bilirubin from the body.

What are the Symptoms of Jaundice?

The treatment of jaundice itself is quite difficult. But it is very easy to identify its symptoms –

·       As the level of bilirubin increases in the blood, the white part of the skin, nails and eyes begin to become increasingly pale.

·       Like any other liver problem, jaundice also clearly causes liver problems. There is a kind of uncomfortable itching.

·       Often flu-like symptoms develop and the patient begins to develop fever with or without freezing.

·       Nausea, disinterest in eating, loss of appetite.

·       Abdominal pain, sometimes twitching.

·       Weight loss

·       Dark / yellow urination

·       Feeling tired constantly

Some Causes of Jaundice in Adults:

 Hepatitis: Most viral can be short term or chronic. Drugs or autoimmune disorders can cause hepatitis. Over time, it can damage the liver and cause jaundice.

Acute liver inflammation: The liver's ability to conjugate and secrete bilirubin decreases due to inflammation and thus increases bilirubin volume. Swelling occurs due to contaminated water or food items.

Alcohol-related liver disease: If we drink too much over a long period of time — usually 8–10 years — we have damaged our liver. Two diseases, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis in particular, cause liver damage.

Hemolytic anemia: This condition increases the production of bilirubin in the body because large amounts of red blood cells break down.

Gilbert syndrome: In this case the ability of enzymes to process bile excretion is reduced. This is an inherited condition.

Blocked bile ducts: These are thin tubes that carry fluid from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. Sometimes; they are blocked by gallstones, cancer or abnormal liver diseases. If this happens, they cause jaundice.

Pancreatic cancer: It is the 10th most common cancer in males and 9th among females. It can block the bile duct and cause jaundice.

Disease Detection:

A doctor realizes by physical examination of the patient that he may have jaundice. It is identified by the color of the eyes and skin. Even then, the doctor can get such blood tests done for confirmation and seriousness-

·       bilirubin test

·       Full Blood Count (FBC) or Complete Blood Count (CBC)

·       Hepatitis A, B and C tests

Sometimes, if the doctor feels that there are other symptoms of jaundice, such as cirrhosis or cancer in the liver, then it is advisable to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or abdominal ultrasound or CAT scan or liver biopsy.

Jaundice in Newborns:

Jaundice or neonatal jaundice is very common in newborns. Bilirubin is excreted through the placenta during pregnancy. The liver of the child should start doing this job. But many times the liver of children is not able to do this job well immediately after birth. This condition improves as the liver becomes stronger. Many breast-fed infants develop jaundice after the first week. By the way, medical care is necessary to deal with this situation. In most cases this condition is cured without any medical intervention.

What are the Precautions for Jaundice?

The following are the precautions for jaundice:

·       Ensure safe and healthy eating habits.

·       Avoid fatty and oily foods during infection.

·       Drink fluids and water to keep them well hydrated.

·       Eat fruits like carbohydrates, mangoes and papaya which are digestive friendly and do not cause any harm to the liver.

Some preventive measures against jaundice are as follows:

·       Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

·       Get vaccinated for hepatitis.

·       Take medicines to prevent malaria before traveling to high-risk areas.

·       Avoid high-risk behaviors such as intravenous drug use or unprotected sex.

·       Avoid potentially contaminated water / food and maintain good hygiene.

·       Avoid medications that cause hemolysis in susceptible individuals.

·       If experiencing symptoms of jaundice, consult a doctor immediately.

What are the Ways to Treat Jaundice?

Some of the fastest ways to cure jaundice are as follows:

·       Drink at least 8 glasses of water.

·       Consider adding milk to our routine.

·       Substitutes for fruits such as papaya and mango which are high in digestive enzymes.

·       Eat at least 2 and ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits daily.

·       Look for high-fiber foods like oatmeal, berries and almonds.

Home Remedies for Jaundice:

Jaundice is a common liver disorder that can be caused by a number of unusual medical reasons. Jaundice causes symptoms like headache, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, itchy skin and fatigue. The white part of the skin and eyes turn yellow. In this, the stool becomes yellow and urine becomes thick. However, some home remedies can help us a lot. In such a situation, we can overcome jaundice by taking some diet.

Radish Juice and Leaves:
Green leaves of radish are beneficial in jaundice. Not only this, radish juice also has so much strength that it can remove excess bilirubin from blood and liver. In jaundice or hepatitis, the patient must drink 2 to 3 glasses of radish juice a day. Or by grinding its leaves, extract their juice and sieve it.

Gooseberry (Amla):
Vitamin C is also found in abundance in Amla. The amazing thing is we can eat or dry dried Amla (raw). Apart from this, juice can also be used.

Azadirachta Indica (Neem):
Neem has many anti-viral components, due to which it is useful in the treatment of hepatitis. It is also helpful in destroying the toxins produced in the liver. Mix honey in the juice of its leaves and drink it in the morning.

Lemon:
Stomach is cleaned by drinking lemon juice in water. Drinking it daily on an empty stomach in the morning is appropriate in jaundice. Its avala pineapple is also beneficial. Pineapple keeps the abdominal system clean from the inside.

Bark of Arjuna:
The bark of the Arjuna tree is known to make the heart and urine system good. However, the alkaloids present in it also have the ability to regulate the production of cholesterol in the liver. And this property makes it a valuable medicine against hepatitis.

Turmeric:
In some parts of the country, people have the misconception that, because turmeric is yellow in color, jaundice patients should not consume it. However, it has an amazing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial effect and removal of enlarged liver tubes. Turmeric is one of the most effective measures against hepatitis.

Tomato Juice:
Tomato juice is very beneficial in jaundice. Vitamin C is found in it, due to which it is rich in lycopene (an effective antioxidant). Mix a little salt and pepper in its juice and drink it.

Sunlight:

Phototherapy is one of the most commonly used therapy to treat jaundice in children or newborns.

Sugarcane Juice:

By drinking 1-2 glasses of sugarcane juice daily until our condition improves, it helps strengthen our liver and hence it is a great cure for jaundice.

Essential Oil:
Henna: Apply it topically on the stomach and liver area and massage 12 drops of henna with 30 ml cargo oil and massage it gently. It has detoxifying and hepatoprotective effects.
Lemon oil: It has henna and hepatoprotective effects when mixed in equal proportions and applied in the same area as henna oil.

Goat's Milk:

It has many antibodies against hepatitis and is therefore a very good alternative to cow's milk and should be consumed in the form of 1 cup per day.

Green Grape Juice:

A cup of it consumed daily is believed to absorb yellowness by increasing the functioning of the liver. It can improve serum bilirubin levels and treat jaundice.

Garlic:

If 3-4 cloves of minced garlic are added to the daily diet, it can help to detox our liver, because a substance called allicin can help speed up our recovery from jaundice.

Ginger:

1-2 inch minced ginger when boiled and eaten daily as a drink has antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects that promote liver function.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D supplements and rich foods such as eggs, fish and cheese are beneficial in jaundice.

Yogurt:

A bowl of plain probiotic yogurt, if consumed daily, helps to bring down serum bilirubin levels by increasing our immunity and controlling bacterial colonies in our body.

Barley water:

A spoonful of barley seeds mixed with water and honey when consumed daily has diuretic and antioxidant properties, thus flushing out toxins and even bilirubin.

Tulsi:

Chewing some fresh leaves of Tulsi or grinding them and adding them to your favorite juice has hepatoprotective effect.

Parsley:

Boil 1-2 spoons of parsley in water and consume it with honey thrice daily as a tea, its antioxidant properties help in breaking down the molecules of bilirubin.

Papaya:

Papaya leaves are added to the ground and mixed with honey 2-3 times daily which is a rich source of enzymes like papain and chymopan. These enzymes support our digestive health.

Avoid Fat Rich Diet:
Taking too much calories in the form of fat and alcohol, it accumulates around the liver, which can cause cell damage and disrupt its vital functions. And avoid the intake of fat-rich foods because jaundice increases the levels of jaundice more. Besides, jaundice patients should not eat refined flour, sweets, fried ingredients, more chilli spices, urad dal, khoya, sweets. Therefore, one should stay away from them in jaundice as jaundice is caused due to liver disturbances.

Avoid Intake of Salt & Coffee
It is advisable to stay away from salt to avoid jaundice. Consuming salt on a regular basis increases the damage to liver cells. It reduces the recovery of jaundice. So avoid salt-rich foods like pickles. Apart from this, foods like tea and coffee should be avoided in jaundice. The jaundice patient can turn fast by staying away from caffeine.

Avoid Intake of Meats & Eggs
Although it depends on the root cause of jaundice, it may or may not be beneficial to limit the amount of protein. Lean protein such as turkey, chicken and fish should be avoided. But vegetable proteins such as beans, nuts and tofas ​​should be included. Saturated fat intake should be reduced by keeping lean protein in mind. Apart from this, eggs contain a lot of protein and fat which is very difficult to digest. Since liver plays an important role in protein metabolism, a protein-rich diet in the form of eggs should be avoided.

Vaccination in India

Following the instructions of the World Health Organization, the Government of India has initiated Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccination programs in every part of the country. Hepatitis B vaccine is applied only to newborns. Hepatitis A vaccine is being administered to children as well as adults.

Vaccination Schedule

·       Hepatitis A vaccine

Dose 1- Between 12 and 23 months of age

Dose 2 - 6 to 18 months after the first dose

Additional doses - children and adults at risk of developing it

·       Hepatitis B Vaccine
Dose 1- within 24 hours of birth
Dose 2 - 6 weeks after birth
Dose 3- 10 weeks after birth
Dose 4 - 14 weeks after birth

·       Teens can be vaccinated until they are 18 years old. Especially if they are not engaged at an early age.