Tips For A Healthy Liver

Having a healthy liver is absolutely vital to your overall health. The liver is one of the most important organ in our body. It is estimated to have over 500 functions. Besides being a key player in the digestive system, it fights off infection, neutralizes and gets rid of toxins in the blood, regulates sex hormones and nutrient supply.

All you drink or eat, including medicine, is processed by it. This makes taking care of your liver essential to being healthy.

Taking care of your liver goes beyond avoiding alcohol, it is about having a having a healthy lifestyle that includes nutrients you drink or eat.

Keeping your liver healthy not only helps you prevent liver diseases, it also reduces your risk of developing heart diseases and diabetes.

Below are some tips to keep your liver healthy:

Herbs and supplements
Be careful with herbs and dietary supplements, Some of them are responsible for liver damage. This alternative forms of medicine should not be taken without consulting a Doctor.
Most herbal concoctions make claims of curing several disease, some of them are responsible for liver damages and failure.

Watch out for some drugs
Some drugs also result in liver damage when abused. Cholesterol drugs and painkillers with acetaminophen can become dangerous when abused.
Acetaminophen is found in several prescription drugs like flu medicine and painkillers.

People who suffer painful conditions like arthritis and women suffering menstrual cramps are especially warned against the practice of abusing painkillers like paracetamol.

Abuse ranges from over dosage, not consulting a doctor before taking drugs (this prevents drugs that interact) and taking drugs with alcohol. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist about diagnosis and treatment.
READ ALSO: Viral Hepatitis Symptoms and treatment

Smoking and toxins
Most chronic liver diseases are primarily caused by alcohol or viruses. Smoking and inhaling toxins are factors that can aggravate the amount of liver damage. Avoid touching or breathing in toxins. Some insecticides, aerosol products, and cleaning agents damage the liver.

Binge drinking alcohol
Alcohol affects one’s health in many ways and has been linked to health conditions such as liver diseases (alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis for example), hypertension and heart disease from high blood lipids (fats).

Don’t drink a lot of alcohol. It can damage liver cells and lead to the swelling or scarring that becomes cirrhosis, which can be deadly.
Drinking less alcohol can help prevent liver problems. If you have a drinking problem, consult a doctor about quitting.

Viral infections
Virus and parasites can infect the liver, the resulting inflammation reduces liver function. The viruses that cause liver damage can be spread through contaminated food or water and semen or blood.

Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C are the most common types of liver infection.
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