Related articles
What is it?
Your liver works hard. Very hard. So any illness of the liver has far-reaching impact on your health. Hepatitis is the most common liver disease and there are several kinds of the illness, ranging in severity. But whatever the severity, it's not a virus you ever want to entertain in your body. Apart from the serious and sometimes fatal damage it causes to the liver, it makes you severely ill. Some types of hepatitis hit you like a freight-train and pass relatively quickly, making you ill for only a few weeks. Others last forever once you've contracted the diseases, but its effects are mild. And there are the strains that stick like limpets, causing terrible illness and serious liver damage.
What are the effects?
The liver is the largest organ in the body, occupying the entire upper right quadrant of the abdomen. It performs over 500 vital functions, including processing nutrients from food, manufacturing bile to digest fat and zapping all the toxic substances we pour into our bodies. Hepatitis causes inflammation to the liver cells which in turn leads to damage or even destruction of those cells. Enough damage to a liver, and a layer of scar tissue develops over the organ, resulting in what is called cirrhosis. In these cases the liver can seriously malfunction or fail. With all the things a liver does for a body, damage to this organ is something you want to avoid.
The most common types of hepatitis
Hepatitis A This is highly infectious and is usually spread via contaminated food or water. It's not generally as serious as the other types and recovery happens within a few months. Hepatitis B Known as serum hepatitis and is spread via direct blood contact and sexual contact. It's more severe than A and more likely to progress to chronic stages. Hepatitis C Similar to B, and is spread through the blood and through infected needles. It requires aggressive, long-term therapy.
Who is it most likely to hit?
Most forms of hepatitis are viral infections, which means you pick them up from someone or somewhere. That means anyone can get it. But boozers and drug addicts are a little more susceptible.
What are the symptoms
Typical symptoms in the active stages of all types of hepatitis include:
1. Anorexia
2. Fatigue
3. Nausea
4. Vomiting
5. Diarrhea
6. Fever
7. Weight Loss
8. Abdominal discomfort
Doctor's notes
Hepatitis is generally treated using antibiotics, but drug treatment can't cure it and is not effective against the virus. There are also limitations on restoring your liver to its former healthy self. The best bet is a nutritional programme that involves making changes to your eating habits and using supplements.
Diet
Sick livers intensely dislike:
1. Alcohol
2. Caffeine
3. Drugs
4. Aspirin
5. Sugar
6. Margarine and butler
7. Fried foods
Lifestyle
Things that fortify your liver are Milk Thistle, liquorice, Dandelion and artichoke. Patients with viral hepatitis must abstain from sex. Not that you're going to want a bit on the side while you're yellow, bilious and sicker than you've ever been in your life.