Just like any other organ in your body, your liver health is important. Right?
The liver does many important jobs for us. From removing the toxins from our blood to the production of red blood cells in your body, there are many important functions of the liver we know about.
Liver Health – Why is it Important?
The liver is an important organ in your body that plays many different functions. However, there can be many problems related to your liver function that you might not know about. These problems can occur in anyone. From newborns to older ones, many people suffer from liver troubles. We all know jaundice is a common liver problem.
Other than this problems like hepatitis and liver cirrhosis are also very common. Normally, liver function tests are used for the diagnosis of such problems. I remember one of my colleagues went for lft which revealed that he was suffering from hepatitis B. Lft test price in Pakistan was not very high which makes it a quite affordable measure for optimal liver function but still people here suffer from liver diseases to a greater extent.
There are many common signs and symptoms of liver problems that we need to know about. Before the problem gets severe, knowing about these signs can help us to prevent complications. Here is all you need to know about the signs and symptoms of liver function.
- The changes in skin and eyes texture (yellowish appearance of eyes)
- Swelling in your legs and ankle area
- Itchiness on skin
- Pain in the abdomen and swelling in the area
- Chronic fatigue
- Experiencing nausea or vomit
- Changes in urine colour
- Stool changes
Keeping an eye on these signs and being aware of your medical and family history of liver diseases can help you to prevent the onset of the liver.
Tips to Keep Your Liver Healthy
All these liver problems can affect anyone without any exception. However, if you take the right measures you can prevent these liver problems effectively. Wondering what you can do to keep your well-performing organ healthy? Here are some of the best tips that you can follow.
1- Have a healthy weight
Your body weight affects your health in many ways. Right?
Having excessive body weight is not only bad for your bones and affects the functioning of your heart. Your body weight also affects the way your liver functions just like your other body organs. When there is an increase in the visceral fats in your body, your liver remains no exception to this. The deposition of fat on your liver can be harmful.
Fat deposition in the liver causes fatty liver diseases. Fatty liver is a common health problem for anyone that can lead to other liver problems in future if left untreated. So, if you want to keep your liver healthy, make sure to keep your body weight in a normal range. The only way to prevent these problems is to keep the fat off from your liver which is possible through weight loss.
There are many ways which you can go for to control your body weight. Don’t go for a crash diet and choose some sustainable options for you. You can begin with any diet of your choice and can add other activities to your routine as well. However, no matter what activity you are going for, try to be consistent with it. Make sure to consult your physician while choosing any weight loss method.
2- Have a healthy diet
There are many benefits of eating a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet is also good for the liver as revealed by the best gastroenterologist in Lahore who my colleague was visiting for his treatment. So, yes there are many options we come across when we look for foods that can promote our liver health. Some of these foods include:
- Tea or coffee
- Berries
- Grapes
- Beetroot juice
- Green veggies
- Dry fruits and nuts
- Raw fruits and veggies
So, eating all these foods can help you to protect your liver health to a greater extent.
3- Workout regularly
We all know how important workout is for your health. Right?
No matter if you are trying to lose weight or looking to keep your chances of diseases away, workout is a must. This even goes for your liver health too.
Alongside many known benefits of working out regularly it also promotes your liver health. Not only does it keep your body weight controlled but it is effective for the metabolism in your body. An efficient metabolism helps the removal of toxins from your body helping your liver with its routine activity. So, yes working out regularly can also help you to possess a healthy liver.
There are many different kinds of workout that you can go for. From running, swimming, cycling to strength and resistance training, all of these activities can help you. So, find what works best for you and add it to your everyday routine. Just try to be consistent with whatever you are doing to reap all the benefits.
4- Avoid the use of medication
WeTaking a lot of medications can affect your liver health. These medications belonging to different classes can impact our health in many ways. These medicines especially when we don’t look for their impact can take a toll on our liver health. These medicines can be even damaging for your liver health.
So, if you want to keep your liver healthy, try to avoid the unnecessary intake of medicines. Don’t try to self-administer yourself for medication or don’t choose based on someone else’s experience as everyone’s body acts differently. If necessary, try to consult your doctor before you begin any medication. This is especially important for children as the extent of liver damage due to medication is more common in babies.
5- Be careful with blood transfusion
There are different kinds of liver health problems. Sometimes, the organisms that can be causing you liver problems can opt for a different route to enter your body. This can be a blood transfusion. As we already know that fluid transmission is a common thing that can transmit disease causing organisms to our body.
The good thing is that this transmission is quite preventable with little care. This depends upon the choice of a good healthcare facility that monitors the conditions really well .
If you are supposed to go for a blood transfusion, try to choose a setup where you are not afraid of contamination through the needles. Sometimes liver infections come from the exposure of organisms through blood transfusion or via the inappropriate use of needles. So, make sure to be careful with it and don’t overlook the redflags while you are choosing blood transfusion service.
6- Get vaccinated
There are different types of liver diseases and we have available vaccines against many of these. So, make sure to get yourself vaccinated to prevent the onset of these health problems.
Bottom Line!
You can follow all these tips to keep your liver healthy. However, it is equally important to keep an eye on the warning signs of these diseases. Especially if you have been previously exposed to these infectious organisms. Also, make sure to follow the instructions regarding medications and toxin exposure.
