Nowadays we see so many fatty liver patients. Fatty liver is common and for most people, cause no signs, symptoms, or complication initially.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs when the liver has trouble breaking down fats, causing fat to build up in the patient’s liver tissue. Fatty liver is graded as grade I, II, and III depending on subjective assessment of fat accumulation in the liver.
In some people with fatty liver, the fat that accumulates can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. The more serious form of fatty liver is sometimes called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis as its most severe form that can progress to liver failure.
Tests to diagnose fatty liver are:
- Blood tests: Liver function tests, including tests of liver enzymes
- Imaging procedures: Ultrasound, Computerized tomography Scan (CT Scan), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Liver tissue testing: The doctor may recommend a procedure to remove a sample of tissue from the liver (liver biopsy). The tissue sample is examined in a laboratory to look for signs of inflammation and scarring.
Symptoms: usually causes no signs and symptoms. When it does, they may include:
- Feeling Fatigued or too weak
- Pain in the upper right abdomen
- The feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen (belly)
- Nausea, loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Yellowish abdomen and legs (edema)
- Mental confusion
Treatment:
There is no standard treatment for fatty liver in the allopathic System of medicine. Instead, doctors typically work to treat the risk factors that contribute to accompanying & complex liver diseases, for instance, if the patient is obese, the doctor may ask to lose weight through diet, exercise, and in some cases medications and surgery. The doctor can also recommend receiving vaccinations against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B to help protect against the viruses that may cause further liver damage.
Homeopathy has lots of opportunities to treat patients with fatty liver. Fatty liver may be the chief complaint of a patient but the homeopath takes into consideration of the whole symptoms of the patient. The patient’s overall symptoms have to be taken and individualized treatment must offer to the patient. Through classical homeopathy, fatty liver can be treated successfully. Multiple medicines at the same time do not help the patient. In Kent Repertory there are 10 remedies. But any medicine out of this list may be selected as per the patient’s overall symptoms.
Along with the treatment the following advice is recommended for the patient:
- Choose a healthy diet: This diet should include healthy plant-based food that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. The patient’s lifestyle should be considered to plan for diet.
- Maintain a healthy weight: If the patient is overweight or obese, reducing the calorie intake each day and getting more exercise will help. If the patient has a healthy weight, he/ she needs to maintain it by having a healthy diet, doing exercise regularly, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- Sound Sleep: Patients with fatty liver or any other lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension must try to sleep 6-7 hours a day. He/she can also take a short nap (15-30 minutes) during the daytime.
- Managing Stress: If the patient has too much mental stress, he/she should learn how to manage it properly.
Risk factors: If the fatty liver is not treated properly then a wide of diseases and medical conditions can increase the risk of fatty liver. These may include:
- High Cholesterol
- High levels of triglycerides in the Blood
- Obesity
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Sleep apnea
- Type – 2 diabetes
- Underactive thyroid or Hypothyroidism
- Underactive pituitary gland or Hypopituitarism
