The Liver Part One:

The Liver Part two:

What is liver disease?

Liver disease is any disturbance of liver function that causes illness. The liver is responsible for many critical functions within the body and should it become diseased or injured, the loss of those functions can cause significant damage to the body. Liver disease is also referred to as hepatic disease.

Liver disease is a broad term that covers all the potential problems that may occur to cause the liver to fail to perform its designated functions. Usually, more than 75% or three quarters of liver tissue needs to be affected before decrease in function occurs.

What are the causes of liver disease?

Alcohol abuse:Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease in North America. Alcohol is directly toxic to liver cells and can cause liver inflammation, referred to as alcoholic hepatitis. In chronic alcohol abuse, fatty accumulation (steatosis) occurs in liver cells causing the cells to malfunction.

Cirrhosis:Cirrhosis is a late-stage liver disease. Scarring of the liver and loss of functioning liver cells cause the liver to fail.

Drug-induced liver disease:Liver cells may become temporarily inflamed or permanently damaged by exposure to medications or drugs. Some medications or drugs require an overdose to cause liver injury while others may cause the damage even when taken in the appropriately prescribed dosage.

Classic symptoms of liver disease include:

* nausea,* vomiting,* right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and* jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin due to elevated bilirubin concentrations in the bloodstream).

Fatigue, weakness and weight loss may also be occur.

However, since there are a variety of liver diseases, the symptoms tend to be specific for that illness until late-stage liver disease and liver failure occurs.

Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:

* a person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. if the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.

* Gilbert’s disease have no symptoms.

* Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body’s waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include:

* Easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors;

* Bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching;

* Gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones; specifically an increase in estradiol;

* Impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;

* Confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it);

* Ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and

* Muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production.

Additionally, there is increased pressure within the cirrhotic liver affecting blood flow through the liver. Increased pressure in the portal vein causes blood flow to the liver to slow and blood vessels to swell. Swollen veins (varices) form around the stomach and esophagus and are at risk for bleeding.

Natural Solutions To Prevent Liver Disease:

Symptoms of liver disease are a sign to take charge of your health. they are telling you your body needs help. Milk thistle is the first herb I would recommend. I recommend it even if you do not have any symptoms. it may help detoxify environmental toxins, death cap mushroom poisoning, alcohol, and is known to regenerate liver tissues.

Additional resources: medicinenet.com/liver_disease/article.htm

Here are some natural solutions for Liver Cleanse: Liver DTX

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