18 Indicators of Liver Problems
Abusing or taking medication for a long time can affect normal liver function. We should drink enough water to cleanse and keep our liver healthy.
The liver is an organ that carries out many different vital functions in our body, such as detoxification, fighting infections, storing vitamins and energy, and separating bile – a substance that promotes digestive activity. It is critical that we take care of this organ, since it eliminates toxins from our systems by cleansing the blood.
Liver problems can arise for several reasons, causing our liver to no longer work efficiently and effectively. The most common causes of liver problems are from excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages or foods that may not be clean, as well as certain diseases.
It is important to remember that the liver can be attacked by internal elements such as the immune system, becoming a target for infections and other health problems. That is why it is fundamental to know the signs that indicate an unhealthy liver, which we would like to share with you below:
18 signs of liver problems
- If you take a lot or too much of a medication, you run the risk of disrupting your liver’s normal functions.
- Taking certain medications for long periods of time can also affect your liver’s health.
- Regularly consuming more than 5 alcoholic beverages a day increases the likelihood of having liver problems.
- A family history of hepatic diseases.
- Taking medication for the heart or diabetes.
- Poor digestion, abdominal pain, or constipation.
- Nausea, especially after eating greasy foods.
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Bad breath or white spots on the tongue.
- Changes in mood, depression, and poor memory – this is due to the fact that poor functioning of the liver doesn’t allow for detoxification and these toxins travel in the blood to the brain, affecting its functioning.
- Fever, skin infections, and asthma.
- High blood pressure.
- Bloating or fluid retention.
- Headaches.
- An unstable blood sugar level.
- Gallbladder diseases and gallstones.
- Excessive body temperature.
- A low tolerance to medications such as antibiotics.
Symptoms of liver problems
- Skin and eyes change to a yellowish color.
- Pain and abdominal swelling.
- Sensitive skin (irritation, itching, inflammation).
- Loss of appetite, nausea, chronic fatigue.
When a person has any of the previously mentioned symptoms, they should visit a physician for an evaluation, and should also refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, seasoned foods, sausage, and fried foods. You should follow the necessary health measures and parameters set by your doctor to prevent any disease from interfering with the normal functioning of your body.
Likewise, people have a greater risk of liver disease if they suffer from conditions such as diabetes, consume excessive amounts of alcohol, work around chemicals in laboratories that deal with blood, viruses, or bacterias; are obese, or have tattoos (from use of unsterilized needles).
Personal health is each individual’s own responsibility which is why it is important to pay attention to your body’s warning signs. You should eat if you are hungry, and likewise, you should not make yourself eat if you are full. Instead, you can provide nutrients and replenish your body through natural juices, fruit, or a glass of water. If you force yourself to eat unnecessarily, you are overworking your liver and could potentially make yourself sick.
You should drink between 8 to 12 glasses of water a day, since it helps the liver with the detoxification process and also helps clean out the kidneys. You should avoid large amounts of sugar, since the liver is responsible for converting it into fat and cholesterol, which affects the healthy functioning of your body.
If you want to have a healthy liver, you should avoid consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners. The body needs a certain amount of sugar in the blood, but this can come from fresh fruits, or natural sweeteners such as stevia.
Lastly, don’t overwork the liver and expose it to infections by eating unclean vegetables covered in chemicals and pesticides.