What The Liver Does

1. Acetaminophen ToxicityThe Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that if you are taking the maximum approved daily dosage of acetaminophen – a substance present in a range of common medications such as Tavist Allergy/Sinus/Headache Caplets, Vicks DayQuil Multi-symptom Cold/Flu Relief Liquid, and Tylenol – you could develop early signs of liver damage.

Symptoms of Acetaminophen Toxicity

• Itchy skin
• Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
• Dark urine
• Upper right-sided abdominal tenderness
• Unexplained flu-like symptoms

2. Alcoholic Liver Disease - Symptoms of Alcoholic Liver Disease. Symptoms are usually worse after an episode of heavy drinking, and tend to vary with the severity and progression of the disease. Sometimes symptoms do not present themselves until the disease is relatively advanced.

• Abdominal pain and tenderness
• Ascites (excess fluid between the membranes lining the abdomen and abdominal organs)
• Confusion
• Dry mouth / excessive thirst
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Jaundice
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Weight gain due to ascites

Additional symptoms of liver problems associated with the disease:

• Abnormally dark or light skin
• Agitation
• Altered level of consciousness
• Bloody or dark, black, or tar-like bowel movements
• Breast development in males
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fluctuating moods
• Hallucinations
• Impaired judgment
• Impaired short- or long-term memory
• Light-headedness or fainting
• Paleness
• Rapid heart rate when rising to a standing position
• Redness on feet or hands
• Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
• Vomiting blood or a sludge-like material

3. Primary Liver Cancer - generally remains undetected until it has reached the advanced stages because most people do not exhibit symptoms early on.

By protecting yourself from cirrhosis and hepatitis – the two leading causes of the disease – you can greatly reduce your risk of developing liver cancer.

In 2007, approximately 19,000 new cases of liver cancer – one of the only cancers on the rise in the United States – were diagnosed. This is 1,000 more than in 2006, and a fifty percent increase over ten years ago.

Symptoms of liver problems caused by Primary Liver Cancer

• A yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Abdominal pain, especially in the upper right part of the abdomen
• Abdominal swelling
• An enlarged liver
• General weakness and fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss

4. Liver Cirrhosis - is generally considered to be the 4th stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease, a progressive condition.

The most common cause of liver cirrhosis, chronic alcoholism accounts for approximately forty percent of the 26,000 people who die from the disease.

Cirrhosis is characterized by the replacement of healthy tissue with fibrous tissue, regenerative nodules, and liver scarring. The resulting hardening of the liver interferes with blood circulation, eventually leading to a complete loss of liver function.

Symptoms of Liver Cirrhosis - During the early stages, many people with cirrhosis experience no symptoms. However, as scar tissue replaces healthy cells, and liver function begins to fail, a person may experience a variety of symptoms and complications.

• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites)
• Bleeding from engorged veins in your esophagus or intestines
• Dark, cola-colored urine
• Easy bruising
• Exhaustion
• Fatigue
• Gallstones *
• Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
• Itchy hands and feet
• Lack of appetite
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure
• Loss of interest in sex
• Nausea
• Other system malfunctioning such as impotence, kidney dysfunction and failure, and osteoporosis
• Portal hypertension (an increase in blood pressure in veins that carry blood from the abdominal organs to the liver)
• Sensitivity to medications
• Small, spider-like blood vessels under the skin
• Swelling of legs and feet from retained fluid (edema)
• Hepatic encephalopathy (toxins in the blood or brain – signs include forgetfulness, confusion, trouble concentrating; change in sleeping habits; behavioral, personality, and mood changes; and in advanced cases, delirium and coma) *
• Varix (an abnormally dilated or swollen vein, artery, or lymph vessel)
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice)

5. Liver Cysts - Also known as a hepatic cyst is a common condition, liver cysts are normally benign and pose no problems or health risks.

In some cases, however, liver cysts may grow large enough to cause pain or discomfort in the upper right part of the abdomen, liver enlargement, bile duct infection, or obstruction of the bile ducts, causing the cyst itself to become infected.

In these cases, it is necessary to drain and/or remove the cyst. Liver cysts are only detected by chance during other types of testing.

6. Fatty Liver Disease (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – NAFLD) - or steatosis is generally considered to be the 1st stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease, a progressive condition. The exact cause of NAFLD is unclear.

Simple fatty liver (steatosis) – There are no symptoms.

• NASH (Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) – Inflammation and signs of necrosis begin to appear. Eventually, scar tissue forms as more liver cell injury occurs.
• Cirrhosis – Liver scarring results in a hard liver that is unable to function properly. Cirrhosis can be fatal.

Symptoms of Liver Problems caused by Fatty Liver Disease - You may have NAFLD without any signs or symptoms. If there are symptoms, they are normally vague and non-specific. In the early stages, you may experience fatigue, malaise, or a dull ache in your upper right abdomen.More advanced stage of NAFLD, the symptoms are:

• Bleeding from engorged veins in your esophagus or intestines
• Fatigue
• Fluid in your abdominal cavity
• Itching of your hands and feet, and eventually your entire body
• Lack of appetite
• Liver failure
• Loss of interest in sex
• Mental confusion, such as forgetfulness or trouble concentrating
• Nausea
• Small, red spider veins under your skin, or easy bruising
• Swelling of your legs and feet from retained fluid
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of your skin and eyes and dark, cola-colored urine

7. Liver Fibrosis - is generally considered to be the 3rd stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease which is a progressive condition.

It is characterized by the formation of fibroids or fibrous tissue, regenerative nodules, and liver scarring, which impede blood circulation, and lead to progressive loss of liver function and is commonly caused by alcoholism and hepatitis C, cirrhosis is a degenerative disease of the liver.

Symptoms of Liver Problems caused by Liver Fibrosis

• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites)
• Bleeding from engorged veins in the esophagus or intestines
• Dark, cola-colored urine
• Easy bruising
• Exhaustion
• Fatigue
• Itchy hands and feet
• Lack of appetite
• Loss of interest in sex
• Nausea
• Small, spider-like blood vessels under the skin
• Swelling of legs and feet from retained fluid (edema)
• Tenderness and enlargement of the liver
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice)

8. Hepatitis – is an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is not one, but many diseases – Hepatitis A through E – in which the liver becomes inflamed, and its cells are damaged as a result of inflammatory chemicals being produced and released in the liver.

Symptoms of Liver Problems caused by HepatitisThe symptoms of various hepatitis forms are similar, the most noticeable being jaundice. As the viral infection spreads throughout the liver, the organ becomes enlarged, often causing abdominal pain.

Chronic hepatitis B infection increases a person’s chance of developing liver cancer by one hundred times.

• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Diarrhea
• Enlarged liver
• Fatigue
• Fever
• General achiness
• Headache
• Jaundice
• Joint aches
• Loss of appetite
• Malaise
• Mild fever
• Vomiting two to three times per day, during the first five days.

9. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) - is inflammation of the bile ducts of the liver. Sclerosing is inflammation that leads to the extensive formation of fibrous and scar tissue.

In primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), the bile ducts inside and outside the liver have become inflamed and scarred.

Symptoms of Liver Problems cause by PSC - because PSC progresses slowly, the disease can be present for many years before symptoms appear. The predominant symptoms are:

• Bile duct infection (can cause chills and fever)
• Fatigue
• Intense itching
• Malabsorption (especially of fat) leading to decreased levels of the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.
• Severe jaundice (causing yellowing of the eyes and/or skin)
• Signs of cirrhosis
• Steatorrhea (a build-up of fat in stool, and loose, greasy, foul bowel movements)

10. Jaundice- is not a disease, but rather a symptom that can occur as a result of a variety of diseases. It appears as a yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by the abnormal buildup of bilirubin in the blood.

An orange-yellow pigment, bilirubin is part of bile; it forms in the liver as a byproduct of old blood cells. When there are too many red blood cells dying for the liver to cope with, yellow pigment builds up in the body resulting in jaundice.

The presence of jaundice is an indicator that a person is suffering from one of a variety of diseases including:

• Acetaminophen toxicity
• Alcoholic liver disease (alcoholic cirrhosis)
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Biliary stricture (an abnormal narrowing of the biliary duct)
• Bilirubin processing disorders present at birth (Crigler-Najjar, Dubin-Johnson, Gilbert's, or Rotor's syndromes)
• Blocked bile ducts (caused by gallstones, infection, or tumors)
• Chronic active hepatitis
• Drug-induced cholestasis (bile pools in the gallbladder as a result of certain drugs)
• Drug-induced hepatitis
• Fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Hemolytic anemia
• Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the pressure in the abdomen during pregnancy)
• Ischemic hepatocellular jaundice (jaundice caused by inadequate oxygen or blood flow to the liver)
• Pancreatic cancer
• Primary biliary cirrhosis or sclerosing cholangitis
• Primary liver cancer
• Malaria
• Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E)

You can find more information concerning symptoms of liver problems Symptoms Of Liver Problems

If you can pinpoint the symptoms of liver problems you’ve been experiencing, the next step is to educate yourself about the possibilities in terms of determining potential diseases.

It’s important to remember that nobody knows your body better than you do.

An exploration of the various diseases will help you to decide whether or not you wish to pursue further testing. Educating yourself is doubly crucial because the more you know, the more time your health care provider will be able to extend to you.

Now it's time to make an appointment to see your doctor where testing will help to determine what the underlying issue is.

Find out about how the doctor makes his prognosis for liver cancer, read liver cancer prognosis.

My Recommendation: click on the banner at Herb Pharm for natural herbal products for cleansing. Before deducing that you have a specific illness caused by symptoms of liver problems, go and get a thorough medical check-up. Cleansing your liver will also help.

Read what is good for liver cleansing. Many of the symptoms I mentioned are also the cause of other illnesses.

Then, these stored toxins get circulated throughout your body by your blood which contributes to chronic diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, fibromyalgia and general inflammation of the body.

You can buy a natural liver tonic for your liver at Herb Pharm called Healthy Liver Tonic.

When I experienced several of the above symptoms, here is what I did:
checked with my spiritual guides, went to see my reflexologist, and after her recommendation, took L.G.-W to cleanse my liver, then I followed a maintenance program that started with an intestinal cleanse.

Once you start this maintenance program, you will want to do it regularly. I recommend doing a liver cleanse yearly. It is a learning process to maintain a healthy body, but the results make it worth while.

By following a regular body maintenance program along with spiritual, mental and emotional health, you are on the road to leading a healthy and long life.

For counseling in releasing pent up emotions that could be damaging your health and especially your liver, you can reach me at online spiritual counseling.

Return to internal cleansing from this symptoms of liver problems page

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