Cause and cure for Jaundice

What is jaundice?

Jaundice is not a disease but rather a sign that can occur in many different diseases. Jaundice is the yellowish staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) that is caused by high levels of the chemical bilirubin in blood. The color of the skin and sclerae vary depending on the level of bilirubin. When the bilirubin level is mildly elevated, they are yellowish. When the bilirubin level is high, they tend to be brown.
What causes jaundice?

Bilirubin comes from red blood cells. When red blood cells get old, they are destroyed. Hemoglobin, the iron-containing chemical in red blood cells that carries oxygen, is released from the destroyed red blood cells after the iron it contains is removed. The chemical that remains in the blood after the iron is removed becomes bilirubin.

The liver has many functions. One of the liver's functions is to produce and secrete bile into the intestines to help digest dietary fat. Another is to remove toxic chemicals or waste products from the blood, and bilirubin is a waste product. The liver removes bilirubin from the blood. After the bilirubin has entered the liver cells, the cells conjugate (attaching other chemicals, primarily glucuronic acid) to the bilirubin, and then secrete the bilirubin/glucuronic acid complex into bile. The complex that is secreted in bile is called conjugated bilirubin. The conjugated bilirubin is eliminated in the feces. (Bilirubin is what gives feces its brown color.) Conjugated bilirubin is distinguished from the bilirubin that is released from the red blood cells and not yet removed from the blood which is termed unconjugated bilirubin.

Jaundice occurs when there is
 1) too much bilirubin being produced for the liver to remove from the blood. (For example, patients with hemolytic anmeia have an abnormally rapid rate of destruction of their red blood cells that releases large amounts of bilirubin into the blood),
2) a defect in the liver that prevents bilirubin from being removed from the blood, converted to bilirubin/glucuronic acid (conjugated) or secreted in bile, or
3) blockage of the bile ducts that decreases the flow of bile and bilirubin from the liver into the intestines. (For example, the bile ducts can be blocked by cancers, gallstones, or inflammation of the bile ducts). The decreased conjugation, secretion, or flow of bile that can result in jaundice is referred to as cholestasis: however, cholestasis does not always result in jaundice.

Jaundice can turn the skin and sclerae yellow. In addition, stool can become light in color, even clay-colored because of the absence of bilirubin that normally gives stool its brown color. The urine may turn dark or brownish in color. This occurs when the bilirubin that is building up in the blood begins to be excreted from the body in the urine. Just as in feces, the bilirubin turns the urine brown.

The itching associated with jaundice and cholestasis can sometimes be so severe that it causes patients to scratch their skin "raw," have trouble sleeping

Possible reasons for the jaundice. For example, heavy use of alcohol suggests alcoholic liver disease, whereas use of illegal, injectable drugs suggests viral hepatitis. Recent initiation of a new drug suggests drug-induced jaundice.

Diagnosis/ Detection

Physical examination

The most important part of the physical examination in a patient who is jaundiced is examination of the abdomen. Masses (tumors) in the abdomen suggest cancer infiltrating the liver (metastatic cancer) as the cause of the jaundice. An enlarged, firm liver suggests cirrhosis. A rock-hard, nodular liver suggests cancer within the liver.

Blood tests

Measurement of bilirubin can be helpful in determining the causes of jaundice. Markedly greater elevations of unconjugated bilirubin relative to elevations of conjugated bilirubin in the blood suggest hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). Marked elevations of liver tests (aspartate amino transferase or AST and alanine amino transferase or ALT) suggest inflammation of the liver (such as viral hepatitis). Elevations of other liver tests, e.g., alkaline phosphatase, suggest diseases or obstruction of the bile ducts.

Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography is a simple, safe, and readily-available test that uses sound waves to examine the organs within the abdomen.

Computerized tomography (CT or CAT scans)

Computerized tomography or CT scans are scans that use x-rays to examine the soft tissues of the abdomen. They are particularly good for identifying tumors in the liver and the pancreas and dilated bile ducts, though they are not as good as ultrasonography for identifying gallstones.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Like CT scans, they are good for identifying tumors and studying bile ducts. MRI scans can be modified to visualize the bile ducts better than CT scans (a procedure referred to as MR cholangiography), and, therefore, are better than CT for identifying the cause and location of bile duct obstruction.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) provides the best means for examining the bile duct. For ERCP an endoscope is swallowed by the patient after he or she has been sedated. The endoscope is a flexible, fiberoptic tube approximately four feet in length with a light and camera on its tip. The tip of the endoscope is passed down the esophagus, through the stomach, and into the duodenum where the main bile duct enters the intestine. A thin tube then is passed through the endoscope and into the bile duct, and the duct is filled with x-ray contrast solution. An x-ray is taken that clearly demonstrates the contrast-filled bile ducts.

Liver biopsy

Biopsy of liver provides a small piece of tissue from the liver for examination under the microscope. The biopsy most commonly is done with a long needle after local injection of the skin of the abdomen overlying the liver with anesthetic. The needle passes through the skin and into the liver, cutting off a small piece of liver tissue. When the needle is withdrawn, the piece of liver comes with it. Liver biopsy is particularly good for diagnosing inflammation of the liver and bile ducts, cirrhosis, cancer, and fatty liver.

Home Remedy For Jaundice

• The patient should rest till acute symptoms subside.
• Water Treatment – Drink lots of water with lemon juice to protect damaged liver cells. A hot immersion bath for 10 minutes at 104 degree Fahrenheit daily eliminates bile pigment through skin and kidneys.
• The patient should be put on a juice fast for a week. After the juice fast, he may adopt an all-fruit diet for a further three to five days, taking three meals a day of fresh Juicy fruits at five-hourly intervals.
• The green leaves of the radish (muli) are also an effective home remedy. Pound the leaves and extract the juice from them. Intake at least one pound of this juice daily.
• Another effective remedy would be to mash a banana and add to it a tablespoon of honey. Have this mixture two times a day.
• In a glass of buttermilk, mix a pinch of black pepper. Intake this for about a week.
• In a cup of boiling water, add 8-10 lemon leaves. Cover it with a lid for about 5 minutes. Now, strain the liquid and drink it. Repeat this for 4-5 days.
• Mix 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder in a glass of hot water. Have this 2 to 3 times a day.
• Take tender papaya leaves and make a paste out of it. Consume ½ tsp of this paste with 1 tsp honey.
• Consuming lots of lime juice is beneficial for a person suffering from jaundice.
• Mix 1/2 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp each of mint juice and lime juice. have this mixture after a span of few hours.
• Have a glass of tomato juice early in the morning. Add some salt and pepper to it, before drinking.
• Squeeze half a lemon in half a cup of beetroot juice. This is an effective remedy for treating jaundice.
• Consuming a glass of carrot juice every day is also beneficial.
• Avoid having oils, fried foods, butter, turmeric, spicy food, pickles , cream and sour products.