Wednesday, June 3, 2009

HEPATITIS / JAUNDICE

Inflammation of liver is called hepatitis.

Symptoms


1) Anorexia (loss of appetite), nausea, vomiting, fatigue, flu like symptoms
2) Dark urine
3) Fever, headache, abdominal discomfort, light stools, diarrhea, myalgia, arthralgia, drowsiness, jaundice, itching

Causative factors


1) Hepatitis A – transmitted primarily via fecal contamination
2) Hepatitis B – transmitted via infected blood or blood products or sexual contacts
3) Hepatitis C – transmitted via blood transfusion
4) Other viruses like hepatitis D, E, G, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, E-Barr virus
5) Alcoholic hepatitis
6) Drug induced hepatitis – paracetamol, drugs used for chemotherapy are hepatotoxic, also some antibiotics are known hepatotoxic

Investigations


1) Normal to low WBC count
2) Elevated alkaline phosphatase
3) Elevated SGOT, SGPT level

Therapeutic consideration


1) Acute viral hepatitis is extremely debilitating and requires bed rest and 2-16 weeks for recovery. Most patients recover completely
2) Diet – fluids, vegetables broths, diluted vegetable juice, high fiber diet, low in saturated fats, simple carbohydrates, animal products
3) Vit-C acts as a protective *
4) Glycyrrhiza glabra also acts as a protector

Ayurveda approach


According to ayurveda, this is a predominantly PITTA disorder and occurs due to all the USHNA guna dravya. But if ayurvedic medicines are taken with a strict diet regime, can cure this problem completely. Therefore, ayurvedic medicines are strongly recommended for this problem.

Contact - Dr. Rahul Saraf at rahsaraf@gmail.com, +919850053462 to discuss your health problem or ayurvedic guidance on the same.


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Contact - Dr. Rahul Saraf at rahsaraf@gmail.com, +919850053462 to discuss your health problem or ayurvedic guidance on the same.