Jaundice and its Homeopathic Management

Almost all of us are aware of the clinical condition called jaundice and have known or seen someone turn a yellowish tint. Medically known as icterus, it is the yellow discoloration of the skin, sclera of the eyes, nails and mucous membranes that occurs due to excess accumulation of bile pigments in the blood. Generally, it is the liver’s job to metabolize the bile pigments so that they are cleared off from the bloodstream. When this fails to happen due to a long list of conditions hampering liver function, bile pigments begin to increase in concentration in the blood. Once a threshold is reached, clinical manifestations, and therefore skin discoloration, become evident.

Jaundice is merely a clinical condition and not a diagnosis. This means that it is not a disease, but a symptom. There will always be a cause, a pathological process, that would result in jaundice. For the complete treatment of jaundice medicine must aim not only at the bilirubin accumulation but more so on the factor that actually caused the liver dysfunction. The best medicine for jaundice is one that focusses primarily on the pathologic processes causing this condition in a person. Obviously, merely treating jaundice while the disease internally ravages the system is not the ideal course of action. A comprehensive clinical evaluation is needed to figure out the depth of disease and select the medicine for jaundice in adults as well as children. For the treatment of jaundice medicine in homeopathy acts not only to clear up the toxins from the bloodstream but also in countering the very problem that caused icterus in the first place.

One may develop the clinical condition called jaundice from a wide range of causes. As mentioned earlier, the yellowish discoloration occurs due to accumulation of bile pigments in the blood. This happens when excess breakdown of red blood cells takes place, as this process liberates bilirubin. Therefore, any condition causing red cell destruction in large amounts would invariably lead to jaundice. Infections that directly attack the red cells are thus an important cause. The commonest example is malaria. Certain drugs and chemicals may also lead to widespread destruction of red blood cells. In such cases also jaundice is imminent.

Pathologies affecting liver cause jaundice. Acute and chronic liver infections disturb liver function, obviously. Hepatitis may be due to viral causes or due to alcoholic liver disease as well. Cirrhosis is an advanced stage of the disease wherein widespread death of the liver tissue occurs. Jaundice is an important symptom of such liver conditions and ought never to be ignored. Jaundice may also occur in ill-managed pregnancies.

Other disease factors that cause the symptom of jaundice are conditions of the gall bladder, inflammation of bile duct, cholestasis and some rare genetic disorders and syndromes. Cancer of the pancreas is a frequently encountered extreme condition that can manifest as jaundice. Therefore, it is evident that a seemingly simple discoloration of the skin may in fact owe its causation to deep destructive processes. Neglecting the symptom is thus an ill-advised course of action.

Your doctor may advise a range of investigations to establish disease diagnosis. Generally, a doctor prefers to conduct a clinical examination before sending for tests. A number of important points can be noted by the doctor while examining the abdomen. The findings are then corroborated by lab investigations. Blood investigations are routine. Liver function tests are obviously mandatory. Lipid profile helps to gauge the level of dysfunction that may be at play in the body. An ultrasonographic scan gives a competent visualization of the abdominal organs and helps to establish a variety of pathologies, such as gallstones. More specialized tests may be needed in specific cases, for example a liver biopsy or a CT scan.

Neonatal jaundice is a very common condition. It is the development of jaundice in newborn babies. Generally, no particular cause is evident, the condition is mild, and resolves in a short time. Other times it may occur due to severe red cell destruction, at a rate faster than the body's ability to metabolize bilirubin. Certain infections or genetic conditions may also be responsible. Along with jaundice, the baby may show sleepiness, dullness and inability to feed. Frequently, the baby needs to be shifted to neonatal ICU. Treatment sometimes includes phototherapy, wherein the child is exposed to light rays of specific wavelengths that help breakdown the accumulated bilirubin. Homeopathic medicine has a significant role to play in neonatal jaundice. The condition can be managed with appropriately indicated homeopathic remedy.

Jaundice is clearly observable when the threshold values of bilirubin in blood are crossed. Yellow tint appears on the skin, on the sclera of the eyeballs, the nails, and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Bilirubin deposition causes itching all over the body which may be very distressing. The urine turns dark yellow while the stools may become pale or ashy in color. Since jaundice is primarily a liver pathology, various other dyspeptic symptoms may be present. Indigestion, acidity, heartburn, nausea, change in bowel habits, burps and sour taste in mouth may all be present. Together this array of symptoms points clearly towards a liver or a gastric pathology and ought to be systematically investigated for a sound diagnosis.

For jaundice treatment medicine can be supplemented by food items from the household that have a positive impact on the liver. Apples, pears, grapes, citrus fruits, carrots and sugarcane juice can all be considered alternative medicine for jaundice patient. Most fruits are helpful as they contain vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant and promotes liver healing. A good fluid intake is essential as it helps to remove toxins from the body. Green tea is also helpful in this regard. Foods rich in fiber are also conducive to good digestive health. Diet rich in sugar, salt, and red meat should be avoided. It is also essential to cut down on alcohol consumption, as it greatly hampers liver function. Along with a nutritious diet, homeopathy is efficiently able to manage jaundice. Apart from the indicated remedies required to counter the disease process going on in the system, complementary medicines that sooth the metabolic processes and improve liver function are also helpful.

Schwabe India manufactures and distributes Alpha-liv, a liver tonic specially created to tone up the liver processes. This helps in enhancing bilirubin metabolism, clearing out the toxins from the bloodstream and supporting liver function. Homeopathic medicine for jaundice is safe for both children and adults, and even pregnant women. There are no known contra-indications. The dosage is generally kept low enough not to flare up any adverse effects and no harm is known to be caused by homeopathy. For all cases of jaundice medicine in homeopathy can be safely administered with other medicines without suspecting interference.

As is the norm with homeopathy, merely labelling a patient as suffering from jaundice does not help with the treatment process in the least. A thorough evaluation of the person’s case history with particular emphasis on tendencies, constitution, peculiar symptoms and individuality are a prerequisite for proper treatment. Therefore, if you want to know what is the medicine of jaundice in your particular case, a visit to a qualified homeopath is a must. It is wise to get the medicine prescribed by a qualified practitioner so as to receive the best possible care suited to you, and this also significantly cuts down on recovery time.

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