The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (30 page)

Other tests can be used to diagnosis liver disease. These include blood tests, such as:


        
Liver function tests – they are blood tests that check a wide variety of liver enzymes and byproducts

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A complete blood count (cbc) – they look at the type and number of blood cells in the body

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Abdominal x-rays

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Ultrasounds - they to show size of abdominal organs and the presence of masses

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An upper gi study -  they can detect abnormalities in the esophagus caused by liver disease

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Liver scans with radio tagged substances - this test shows changes in the liver structure

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Ercp or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. A thin tube called an endoscope is used to view various structures in and around the liver.

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Abdominal ct scan or abdominal mri - provides more information about the liver structure and function

In some cases, the only way to diagnose certain liver diseases is by a liver biopsy. This procedure involves the removal of a tiny piece of liver tissue for examination under a microscope. Liver biopsies may have to be done frequently to see how the disease is making headway or reacting to treatment.

Treatments


        
Bed rest


        
Drinking extra fluids to prevent
dehydration


        
Avoiding unnecessary medications


        
Avoiding
alcohol


        
Eating a well balanced
diet for liver disease


        
Taking medications that stop nausea

Additional treatment will depend on the type and the extent of disease. Treating
hepatitis B
,
hepatitis C
, and
hepatitis D
may involve the use of medications such as the antiviral medication alpha interferon. Other medications used to treat liver disease may include ribavirin, lamivudine, steroids, and antibiotics.

To treat
Wilson's disease
, the doctors may prescribe trientine or penicillamine. If these medications cannot be tolerated, the person may be asked to take zinc acetate.

Hemochromatosis is treated by removing a pint of blood once or twice a week for several months to a year, depending on the severity of the condition. This will effectively deplete the excess iron.

Vitamin and mineral supplements are given to prevent complications from primary biliary
cirrhosis
. These include
vitamin A
,
vitamin D
,
vitamin E
,
vitamin K
, and
calcium
. Cholestyramine may be given to help relieve itching.

Biliary atresia
may be treated with a procedure called the Kasai surgery, a procedure in which the surgeon replaces the bile ducts with part of the baby's intestine.

Acute fulminant hepatitis can cause life-threatening liver failure. This requires a hospital stay and treatment for the bleeding disorder, encephalopathy, and nutritional problems. Sometimes, the only effective treatment for certain liver diseases is a
liver transplant
.

* * * * *

Lyme’s Disease

Lyme disease started in large numbers of children in Lyme, Connecticut.  Many kids were diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Although children do get arthritis, children in Lyme were developing joint disease at a rate 100 times greater than normal.
Finally, researchers traced the children's symptoms not to arthritis, but to a bacterial infection caused by deer ticks. The infection was named Lyme disease.

Since then, Lyme disease has spread across the United States. Although cases have been reported in almost every state, a significant number of cases remain high in three main areas: the Northeast, upper Midwest and northern California. Lyme disease is also found throughout much of Asia and Europe. Even in common areas, not all deer ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and only a small percentage of people or pets bitten by a deer tick actually become sick.

Most people treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the disease recover completely, a few may have returning or a persistent symptom long after the infection has cleared. If remained untreated Lyme disease can spread throughout your body.  This can lead to arthritis and other serious health problems.

Symptoms

Lyme disease can affect various parts of the body, producing a wide range of signs and symptoms. Not everyone with the disease will have all of the signs and symptoms, and the signs and symptoms of infection in the United States may be different from those in other countries. In general, Lyme disease can cause:


        
Rash:
A small, red bump may appear within a few days to a month at the site of the tick bite.  Many times the rash was reported to start in the groin, belt area or behind the knee. It may be warm to the touch and mildly tender. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash that may be as small as a dime or as large as 12 inches across. It often resembles a bull's-eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center. The rash is called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, affecting about 80 percent of infected people. If you are allergic to tick saliva, redness may develop at the site of a tick bite. The redness usually fades within a week. This is not the same as erythema migrans, which tends to expand and get redder over time.


        
Flu-like symptoms:
A fever, chills, tiredness, aches, and a headache may go along with the rash.


        
Migratory joint pain:
If the infection remains untreated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you are infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.


        
Neurological problems:
Inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and poor muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits also can be symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease.


        
Less common symptoms:
Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.


        
Skin problems:
In Europe, people with advanced Lyme disease may develop skin nodules and patches of thinning skin on their hands, elbows or knees.

Causes

In the United States, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried primarily by deer ticks. The ticks are brown and often no bigger than the head of the pin, which can make them nearly impossible to spot.

Like vampires, ticks thrive on blood, latching onto a host and feeding for four or five days until they are swollen to many times their normal size. During feeding, ticks that carry disease-producing bacteria can transmit the bacteria to a healthy host. Or they may pick up bacteria themselves if the host is infected. In areas where Lyme disease is common, as many as 50 percent of deer ticks may carry Borrelia burgdorferi.

Deer ticks prefer the blood of mice, small birds and deer, but are not averse to dining on humans, cats, dogs and horses. They live in low bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas, waiting for warm-blooded animals to pass by and are most active in the spring, summer and fall.

To contract Lyme disease, an infected deer tick must bite you. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. However, because the bacteria are not transmitted for about 48 hours after the bite, removing the tick as soon as possible can help prevent infection.

Risk factors

Where you live or vacation can affect your chances of getting Lyme disease. So can your profession and the type of outdoor activities you enjoy. The most common risk factors for

Lyme disease
include:


        
Spending time in wooded or grassy areas -
In the United States, deer ticks are most prevalent in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. All have heavily wooded areas where deer ticks thrive. In these regions, children who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk. So are people with outdoor occupations and those who live where mice are common. Deer ticks feed on mice, which are a prime reservoir for Lyme disease bacteria.


        
Having exposed skin -
Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you are in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Do not allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.


        
Not removing ticks promptly or properly -
Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream only if the tick stays attached to your skin for 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is low.  It is about 1 percent.

Diagnosis

Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. Its variable signs and symptoms mimic other conditions, including viral infections, various joint disorders, muscle pain (fibromyalgia) and chronic fatigue syndrome. What's more, the ticks that transmit Lyme disease can spread other, similar diseases at the same time.

If you do not have the characteristic Lyme disease rash, your doctor will ask detailed questions about your medical history and do a physical exam. Lab tests to identify antibodies to the bacteria may be used to help confirm the diagnosis. These tests are most reliable a few weeks after an infection because it takes your body some time to develop antibodies. Even then, however, the tests are not foolproof.
They include:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test -
The test used most often to check for Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. However, because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it is not used as the sole basis for diagnosis.


        
Western blot test -
If the ELISA test is positive, another test — the Western blot — is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi.


        
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) -
This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. It is used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms.

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause:


        
Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee


        
Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy


        
Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory

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Sometimes, heart rhythm irregularities

Late-stage symptoms may include:


        
Memory loss


        
Difficulty concentrating


        
Changes in mood or sleep habits