Liver is an ultimate part of our body which can regenerate on its own. But, do you know that the liver also gets hurt from our various activities? Yes, absolutely correct! The food we eat, the water we drink and crucially the medications we take, directly affect our liver function.
When we ingest anything, it flows through the liver for digestion, there is release of bile acids which break down fatty substances present in our food, medications.
The medications first interact with other enzymes present in the liver for its metabolism, that is known as “first pass metabolism.
The enzymes present in liver are Alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), bilirubin, and albumin.
Even the infection the body fights with, by the attack of parasites and viruses for their replication causes inflammation of liver with its reduced liver function.
Factors causing temporary or permanent liver damage
These include:
- Consumption of alcohol
- Parasitic or liver infection causing Hepatitis A, B, or C due to consumption of contaminated food and water
- Abnormal Immune system, includes autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Abnormal gene inheritance causing hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Cancers like liver cancer, bile cancer, and liver adenoma
- Fat accumulation in the liver
- Medical prescriptions
- Supplements
Have a look at how to clean lungs.
Risk factors
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Tattoos or body piercings
- Unprotected sex
- Exposure to certain chemicals or toxins
- Family history of liver disease
Our liver can heal itself and can overcome damage with the span of time. Major signs include upsurge in whole body energy and improved blood functioning and quality which can be determined through blood tests.
As per reports from one of the studies, around 4.8 million people I.E 1.8% of the crowd is suffering from one or the other kind of liver disease. But, the excellent part is that these can be treated and reversed even with natural remedies.
When our liver or any other body part regenerates or heals, the Symptoms are visible or body. Not only the outside body but also inner signs can be felt in improved liver functioning.
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Here are some of the signs which reveals healing of liver functioning
- Eradication of dark under eyes: The symptom we observe is dark under eyes which gives indication of abnormal liver functioning. Therefore, physicians recommend drinking a lot of water and a healthy diet to reverse this problem. So, when this starts reversing which indicates healing of the liver.
- Improved blood function: This can be detected through lab tests from which it indicates removal of toxins from blood and body once we start working on our body by doing workouts, following a healthy diet, and drinking a lot of water.
- Increased appetite: This is also one of the indications as the liver once starts functioning normally, our digestion is improved and so one does feel bloating or indigestion problems.
- Restored skin color: Not only eyes but skin also gets affected due to abnormal function of liver due to accumulation of toxins. This gets reversed and skin whitens once the liver heals.
- Reduced pain: Pain occurs due to liver inflammation which heals once the liver improves.
- Stabilized weight: Weight increases due to accumulation of liver fatty acids causing reduced metabolism and reduced nutrition consumption through food. Once it starts maintaining weight, the liver takes charge of its work!
- Clear thinking: there occurs a situation called hepatic encephalopathy (HE) which causes disruption of brain function causes brain fog and unclear thinking. It may also be caused due to some medications that are not metabolized by liver and thus causing accumulation of drug converting into toxins so impairing brain function.
- Normal blood tests: Blood tests like ALP, AST, albumin, total protein, cholesterol, GGT, ATP are reduced to normal levels indicating normal functioning of liver.
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Time for the liver to heal?
Depending upon the type of disease or level of severe disease, time taken to heal becomes directly proportional.
Not only has this it also depended upon the measures taken to treat liver problems. Physicians can guide better on time taken for healing by studying the patient case to case.
Why is liver functioning so important?
It functions around more than 500 functions to regulate our body which includes release of certain enzymes, processing of food as well as drug metabolism as mentioned earlier about first pass metabolism.
The functions include:
- Production of bile
- Cholesterol digestion
- Processing haemoglobin
- Storing iron
- Drug metabolism
- Controlling blood clots ie.e prothrombin time
- Protecting immune system
- Removing or fighting against bacterias, viruses, parasites from blood
- Removing bilirubin from blood
Here is fatty liver grade 2.
How to protect the liver against problems?
- Avoid alcohol intake
- Regular workouts
- Avoid cholesterol of trans fat foods
- Control over consumption of OTC medications like painkiller, cough cold treatment, like people did dung COVID-19 pandemic to protect themselves
- Enough intake of water
- Following healthy diet
Consider reading –
- How to improve liver health
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