South Korea’s Budget Committee of National Assembly recently voted in favor of a proposal indicative of South Korea’s will to end bear farming by investigating its current status and establishing ways to end the practice.

Bear farming is a practice utilized for the animal’s bile, a bitter yellow fluid found in its gallbladder that is popular in Chinese Medicine for ailments ranging from hangovers to liver disease.

Bear farming became popular in the 1980’s as a means to keep up with demand for the expensive commodity, a product fetching thousands of dollars for a single gallbladder.

Milking the bear’s bile, a process that requires a permanent hole to be formed in the bear’s abdomen and gallbladder so the bile can drip freely, is a popular method for extraction.

The bears are often put in what are referred to as ‘crush’ cages, cages that are so small the bear can barely move and thus not attack the farmer. South Korea and China are the only nations where bear farming is legal, Vietnam having made plans to phase out the practice beginning in 2005. regardless, Vietnam still produces bear bile largely for tourist demand.

South Korea outlawed extraction of bile from live bears in 1992, but currently allows bears to be farmed and slaughtered after age 10 as to harvest their gallbladder for bile.

The bears have been reported to be living in neglected undersized cages with a variety of physical and psychological symptoms such as malnourishment, lesions, missing limbs, rocking, pacing, self hugging, banging on bars, chewing on their paws, and other visible signs of distress.

The approved proposal from Korea’s Budget Committee of National Assembly has a budget of 200 million won (approx. US$175,000) to determine the current situations with bear farms and design ways to end the business.

Though animal advocates are celebrating Korea’s progress in ending the practice, China will continue bear farming and milking bile from live bears. China came under scrutiny in August 2011 when reports surfaced of a mother killing her cub and then herself to save them from a life of being farmed for bile.

After hearing her cub howl in fear, the mother reportedly broke out of her cage and, after failed attempts to remove his restraints, hugged her child until it was smothered to death. she then immediately ran head first into a wall, killing herself.

BM

Section: Animals, East Asia, Latest News

DRACUT — Mark Miller will be spending this Christmas being thankful to a stranger who gave him one of life’s greatest gifts — life itself.

Miller, 43, received a liver transplant in February. all he knows about the person whose liver saved his life is that he was a 38-year-old man who died of a brain aneurysm at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. But Miller said he thinks about him every day.

“It’s really the ultimate gift you can give,” said Miller, sitting in the kitchen of his Dracut home, with presents arranged under a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the next room. “It’s Christmastime. what better gift could I have gotten this year?”

Last Christmas, Miller’s health suddenly turned for the worse. He had just been diagnosed in November with liver disease after a quick onset of symptoms. the day after Christmas, he was admitted to the hospital, not knowing what was ahead of him.

After a series of tests, it was determined Miller was a candidate for a liver transplant.

He said his brothers, friends and other members of his family said they were willing to be a live donor, but because of the severity of Miller’s condition, live donation wasn’t an option.

Liver transplant candidates are given a score up to 40 based on three laboratory values that determine where they are listed on the recipient list. a score of 40 means there is about a 90 to 95 percent chance that the patient will die in the next three months, according to Dr. Elizabeth Pomfret, chairwoman of the Department of Transplantation at Lahey Clinic in Burlington.

Miller said his score was 40.

He waited three weeks for a match.

Miller said he would love to meet his donor’s family, but understands that it may be difficult for them to meet him.

“I just want to express my gratitude,” he said. “I think of them often.”

The new England Donor Bank ensures that privacy is kept between the donor family and recipients.

Laura Dempsey, a spokeswoman for the donor bank, said sometimes a recipient will meet their donor’s family, but it’s not common.

“The recipient is so thankful and so happy that they’ve had this second chance at life, sometimes they are eager to thank the donor family,” she said. “But you have to keep in mind the donor family is grieving.”

Giving life-saving gifts

A Westford family, whose 14-year-old daughter’s organs were donated after she died in a car accident, will be honoring their daughter on Jan. 2 in Pasedena, Calif., with other organ donors’ families from around the world.

Donate Life sponsors a float at the Rose Bowl Parade. this year, Katie Enos’ image will be part of the float, along with 71 donors who will be honored from all over the U.S., Canada, Japan and Taiwan.

The image was decorated with earthen materials in a ceremony at Westford Academy earlier this month that included Katie’s family and friends.

Katie was killed in June 2010 when she was hit by a car while crossing Carlisle Street in Westford after leaving a soccer camp.

Six months earlier, after watching a television show about organ donation, Katie had told her parents that she wanted her organs to be donated if she died.

That decision has since not only affected the six people who received Katie’s organs, including a 17-year-old boy who has cystic fibrosis and a woman in her 50s, but Edward Enos said his daughter’s decision has impacted her friends.

He said he’s sure some of Katie’s friends have told their parents that they want to be organ donors, a conversation that many of them probably wouldn’t have had.

“It’s really about awareness, that you can impact a lot of lives when you donate your organs,” Enos said.

Even as a young teenager, Katie knew how important it is to become an organ donor.

“This is something that Katie cared about a lot that when you’re gone there is something more that you can give,” Enos said.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the private, nonprofit organization that manages organ transplants across the country, there are more than 112,000 people in the country awaiting transplants.

On average, 18 people in the U.S. die each day while awaiting a life-saving transplant, according to the network.

In new England, 4,500 people are waiting for an organ transplant, according to the new England Organ Bank.

Last year in new England, there were 817 transplants from 273 donors, according to the new England Organ Bank.

Thirty-six percent of registered drivers in Massachusetts are registered organ donors, according to organ bank.

Pomfret said education and awareness about organ donation is required so that people have conversations with their loved ones and make their wishes known.

Miller said he doesn’t know if his donor was a registered organ donor or his family made that decision for him, but he said he’ll be forever grateful for the gift he received.

“I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world,” he said.

Symptoms of liver trouble usually don’t appear until a liver problem has reached the point where your liver has suffered a certain amount of damage. Sometimes, function of this important organ may even be compromised before any liver trouble symptoms are obvious. in many cases, liver function tests will reveal symptoms of liver trouble before outward signs make their presence known. this is another reason you should have an annual physical that includes liver blood tests.

Since many people never get an annual physical or liver function tests, it’s especially important to become familiar with signs of liver trouble so you can recognize, as soon as possible, that you may have a liver disease or disorder.

Perhaps the clearest sign of liver trouble is pain in the liver area, which is usually considered to be the right side of your upper abdomen.

* Unexplained coughing on a regular basis without any symptoms of a cold or the flu.

* A persistent or chronic &#116&#105&#114edness.

* Vomiting, fever, and an occasional sens&#101&#32&#111f nauseousness.

* You may experience unusually fr&#101&#113&#117ent headaches.

* You’ll notice irregular bowel habits, especial&#108&#121&#32constipation and diarrhea.

* Unexpected weight loss and lack of inter&#101&#115&#116 in food are typical signs of liver trouble.

* Pai&#110&#102&#117l joints and muscles.

* Sore throat and a runny n&#111&#115&#101.

Liver trouble symptoms often include unusual sen&#115&#105&#116ivities to bright light and various odors. Some sm&#101&#108&#108s may be extremely disagreeable.

When significant &#108&#105&#118er damage has occurred, symptoms often include uri&#110&#101&#32that is darker-than-normal, stools that are lighte&#114&#32&#116han normal, and jaundice. Jaundice is a liver trou&#98&#108&#101 symptom that is characterized by a yellowish tint&#32&#116&#104at appears in the skin and whites of the eyes..

H&#101&#109&#111chromatosis is another of the more serious liver t&#114&#111&#117ble symptoms. this disorder causes an excessive bu&#105&#108&#100 up of iron in the liver. Symptoms of hemochromato&#115&#105&#115 include

* more blood sugar than before,

* feelin&#103&#32&#117nusually tired,

* impotence in men and a lack of i&#110&#116&#101rest in intimacy in women,

* women may menstruate&#32&#108&#101ss frequently,

* abnormal liver function test resu&#108&#116&#115,

* hypothyroidism, which is often called low thyr&#111&#105&#100 or underactive thyroid,

* pain in the abdominal &#114&#101&#103ion,

* arthritic pain, soreness and discomfort in&#32&#116&#104e hands and fingers.

Symptoms of liver trouble ar&#101&#32&#115erious and should not be taken lightly. your liver&#32&#105&#115 one of the most important organs in your body bec&#97&#117&#115e it controls much of your metabolism and plays a &#98&#105&#103 part in your overall health and quality of life. &#87&#104&#101n liver trouble occurs due to damage, disease or d&#105&#115&#111rder, it can have profound impact on your everyday&#32&#108&#105fe by disrupting your metabolism in a big way.

I&#102&#32&#121ou begin to suffer from pain in the liver area or &#101&#120&#112erience any of the other signs of liver trouble me&#110&#116&#105oned in this article, talk to your physician as so&#111&#110&#32as you can. You undoubtedly know that the earlier &#97&#32&#104ealth problem is diagnosed, the better your odds o&#102&#32&#103etting the treatment you need to cure it. it is ce&#114&#116&#97inly true with symptoms of liver trouble.

Would yo&#117&#32&#108ike more information on symptoms of liver trouble?&#32&#67&#108ick on liver trouble symptoms.

Neal Kennedy is a &#102&#111&#114mer TV and radio reporter with a special interest &#105&#110&#32medical topics. You can read more of his articles &#97&#98&#111ut liver diseases at Liver Problems.

Can anyone tell me what the symptoms of liver damage or liver disease are?

nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diahrea, bloody vomit or poo. skin/eyes turn yellow. confusion, more bleeding, coma, death.

Well, that depends what type of liver disease you mean, but here are typical symptoms-

jaundice
cholestasis
liver enlargement
portal hypertension
ascites
liver encephalopathy
liver failure

Failure of the liver can lead to yellow shade in your skin.

Jaundice (yellwoing of skin) is probably the most common. Also a high unconjugated bilirubin count in your blood tests is an early sign.

At advanced stages, you will have abdominal pain, blood in urine, black blood in stools, and high blood pressure. certain foods will also cause pain, such as fatty foods, etc.

I think you first will tend to be a yellowy color..jaundice…then other problems will start…the whites of your eyes become yellowy…it isn't a good thing…

Pain on the right side of your stomach or chest–sharp pain, or even crampy pains. Yellow in your eyeballs, yellowish tint on the skin, with tiredness and feeling lousy.

If you have drank a lot of alcohol, taken a lot of cholesterol medication, taken a great amount of tylenol (over a period of time) you are at a greater risk for liver damage. Some other meds can also damage the liver–but the three I've mentioned are the most common.

Symptoms of serious liver damage include jaundice (yellowing of skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. other, less specific symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, unusual tiredness, weakness, stomach pain, and loss of appetite.
cirrhosis symptoms:
Fluid buildup in the legs (edema) and the abdomen (ascites).
Fatigue.
Yellowing of the skin (jaundice).
Itching (pruritus).
Profuse nosebleeds (epistaxis).
Redness of the palms.
Small red spots and tiny lines on the skin called spider angiomas.
Bleeding from enlarged veins (varices) in the digestive tract.
Bruising easily.
Weight loss and muscle wasting.
Abdominal pain.
Frequent infections.
Confusion.

more:
Pain
Enlarged liver
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes)

there are many types of liver disease including:
Alagille Syndrome, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Biliary Atresia, Chronic Hepatitis, Cancer of the Liver,
Cirrhosis, Liver Cysts, Fatty Liver, Galactosemia, Gilbert's Syndrome, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Hepatitis a, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Reye's Syndrome, Sarcoidosis, Tyrosinemia, TypeI Glycogen Storage Disease, Wilson's Disease, NonAlchoholic SteatoHepatitis, Porphyria, Hemochromatosis.
you can actually be sick for a long time before you know that you have liver disease thereby making the damage quite extensive by the time you are diagnosed.
but diagnosis is so easy, most tests are done with a simple blood test, unless there is a reason to go more extensive and get a liver biopsy. take care of your liver~it is a very important organ and very hard to cure.

agrees with breezy and take lot of milk thistle and liver detox tea helps as well.I have darn biopsy tuesday.just hangv in there and try all you can

So i have been doing some research and some people said that it could be something with the liver. could it be something with my liver? I mean i have no pain in my stomach region, i eat healthy, and exercise. The whites of my eyes are normal white.. so why would i have weird yellow skin around my mouth? is there anyway to tell if it is because of my liver?

Could be something to do with your liver but I don't think so,it could be a difficult to remove food dye from something you have eaten.

dont try diagnose this one yourself it is best to visit your dr

im sure if it was liver related it would affect more parts and since your eyes are still clear this may not be the case of liver disease
how long has it been yellow around your mouth
do you feel well in yourself
any possible infection around your mouth?
drink plenty of water and see your dr
best wishes

You may want to be checked for Fatty Liver condition, especially if you are somewhat overweight or drink alcohol. Liver problems do not always have symptoms that you can feel. in fact, it is usually only detected by a blood test performed for unrelated issues. in other words, most cases of fatty liver go undiagnosed unless laboratory (blood) tests show an elevation of liver enzymes, usually from a routine physical or if being tested for something else. Hope this helps

Here are a few websites that explains more:

My little brother who is roughly 22 is in college now and called me to get my advice cause he'd been experiencing light abdominal pain. Now I know he drinks a lot cause he's honest with me and that's a good thing. From what he tells me he drinks enough to get him drunk 4-5 nights out of the week. He's not a big guy (5'-7" and about 180) but enough to get him drunk would be about six or seven beers and maybe a shot or two. the thing is he's been doing this for about 3 months now (beginning of school year to now.) He says he hasn't noticed any yellowing of the skin,eyes or any other pain, just a slight discomfort in his abdomen and lower chest. I guess what I'm asking is is liver disease something that develops over a longer period of time or could it develop in a couple months? I've already told him that the main thing is to prevent the development of poor habits which will cause him to behave this way beyond his college years, but I just wanna gauge his risk factor at present.

Have him get a blood test that measures liver enzymes. There are cases of death caused by 3 drinks a day plus Tylenol. Rare, but it depends on the person. anyone who is taking strong meds for arthritis and such is monitored for elevated liver enzymes and all medication is stopped if the levels increase. you really do not want to wait till your skin turns yellow and permanent damage has occurred. He also needs to find a different form of entertainment.

Different people react differently to alcohol. I had friends at college who caused themselves severe liver problems from getting drunk everynight, even though they were very young and tough. I also had friends who got drunk everynight for 30 or 40 years, with no visible problems, then suddenly dropped dead. only a thorough medical check up will tell if your brother has already damaged his liver. if he hasn't yet, he will one day, so whatever, it is best if he stops drinking to excess as soon as possible because the demon booze will get him one day if he doesn't

What kind of genetic liver disease can cause abnormal bleeding and bruises? Especially in infants?

How many years of heavy alcohol consumption can someone expect liver disease and what symptoms are a warning sign ??

Jaundice
Ascites
Bloating
Enzyme levels in blood test out of correct range
You can damage your liver after 2 days of drinking (of course the above signs wouldn't show) or it can take 20 years to show.