Overconsumption of alcohol can lead to Alcoholic Liver Disease owing to the build-up of fat in the liver. It leads to scarring and inflammation and ultimately results in liver damage. Hence, the disease can be fatal. Since the liver is responsible for a mammoth range of tasks including storage of energy, filtering of toxins from the blood, making proteins, managing hormones, and regulating blood sugar and cholesterol, the liver damage can be fatal. The liver diseases are complex conditions which can be treated with an ayurvedic approach.
Different Types of Alcoholic Liver Diseases -
Some of the common types of Alcoholic Liver Diseases are:
● Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: In people suffering from this disease, excessive alcohol consumption leads to deposition of fat in the liver.
● Alcoholic Cirrhosis: In this type of liver damage, the liver gets scarred which means that hard and dead tissues replace soft and living tissues. People with this condition are at a high risk of developing liver cancer.
● Alcoholic Hepatitis: Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to inflammation of the liver. This can lead to liver cirrhosis too.
Diagnosis of Alcoholic Liver Disease -
There is no specific test to diagnose Alcoholic Liver Disease. Doctors go through past medical history and prescribe a number of tests to diagnose Alcoholic Liver Disease that includes blood tests, physical examination, ultrasound, etc.
Ayurveda and Liver Disease -
According to Ayurveda, the smooth functioning of the liver depends on the three doshas Pitta dosha, Kapha dosha, and Vata dosha. The imbalance of these three doshas in the body along with the five natural elements (corresponding to the five elements of the earth) lead to malfunctioning of the liver.
Studies About Effect of Ayurveda On Liver -
The effect of Ayurveda on Alcoholic Liver Disease has been studied deeply. Various researches have been carried out to determine the efficacy of this mode of treatment in alleviating the woes of people suffering from Alcoholic Liver Disease.
A study conducted to identify the efficacy of Ayurveda in treating people suffering from hepatic cirrhosis has found that it can be an effective treatment that may postpone the need for liver transplant and may gradually help in enhancing the overall health.
Take Away -
Though there are ways in Ayurveda to treat Alcoholic Liver Disease, it is always advisable to consult an ayurvedic liver specialist before opting for any medicine or remedy.
The liver is the body’s largest internal organ. The size of a football, it lies just under your ribcage, on the right side. Its main job is to filter your blood and pass the detoxified blood to the rest of your body. In doing so, it produces bile and excretes all the toxic wastes from the body. Over time, your liver can become damaged and can lead to long-term (chronic) impairment.
Why does the liver gets damaged?
Chronic liver disease has many causes-
• Hepatitis or any other chronic viral disease
• Alcohol abuse
• Fatty liver
• Autoimmune disorders like autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, etc
• Blocked bile ducts
• Exposure to toxic chemicals
• Repeated episodes of heart failure leading to blood buildup in the liver
• Inherited diseases like high blood galactose level, glycogen storage diseases, cystic fibrosis, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, porphyria, Wilson’s disease and hemochromatosis
What are the symptoms of chronic liver disease?
• Yellowish skin and eyes
• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal swelling
• Accumulation of excess fluid within the abdomen
• Swelling in the legs and ankles
• Itching in skin
• Dark urine colour
• Bloody or pale or tar coloured stool
• Chronic fatigue
• Weakness or fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Easy bruising
• Slow healing of wounds
• Dilated capillaries on the upper chest and arms
• Gynaecomastia (enlargement of breasts in males)
• Increased irritability
• Poor concentration
• Poor memory
Role of homeopathy in treating chronic liver disease:
Homeopathy has a natural holistic approach towards both acute and chronic liver problems. It does not suppress the diseases and its symptoms. The homeopathic medicines attack the root cause of the disease like viral infection, genetics, metabolic changes etc. The relevant homeopathic medicines reduce the symptoms of chronic liver disease like pain in the muscles, diarrhea, fever, jaundice, dark coloured urine, liver enlargement etc.
They have no side-effects on your health. They strengthen your immunity system. They influence your body to initiate its own healing and restorative processes and then completely eradicate the disease. Therefore, they also prevent any future recurrence of the disease.
Homeopathic intervention revives the liver cells and improves your prognosis. If you opt for treatment early in your condition, it helps you prevent severe complexities like liver failure, which is a life-threatening condition, or liver transplant.