Ayurvedic Advice to Treat Fatty liver disease

Nowadays, liver problems are on the rise with each passing day, with fatty liver being the most common issue. This increase in liver-related issues can be associated with sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise, and irregular and unhealthy dietary habits. The liver is a vital organ in the abdomen’s upper right quadrant that has many essential functions that help maintain overall health and metabolic balance, detoxification, protein synthesis, and the production of enzymes necessary for digestion

In Ayurveda, the liver, known as Yakrit, is considered an important organ for maintaining overall health and balance in the body. It is associated with the Pitta dosha, which controls metabolic processes in the body. The word Yakrit is derived from “Ya” and “Krit”, where YA means activity and KRIT means to disintegrate. It denotes the function of the liver

What is Fatty Liver?

Fatty liver disease, also known as hepatic steatosis, is caused by an accumulation of fat in the liver that can cause damage to the liver cells. As per Ayurveda, it is caused by the imbalance of Pitta and Kapha dosha in the body, which control metabolism and digestion. It is considered a Santarpana Janya Vyadhi meaning caused due to excessive consumption with causative factors that disturb Agni (Digestive fire)and thus causing Fatty liver with vitiated Dosha and dhatu (body tissues).

Causes and Risk Factors of Fatty Liver

Consuming excess calories causes fat to build up in the liver when it does not process and break down fats as it is supposed to leading to the accumulation of fat in the liver

1. Obesity, especially central fat
2. Insulin Resistance
3. Metabolic Syndromes like Hypertension, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, Polycystic ovary syndrome,  Hypothyroidism, High cholesterol and triglyceride levels
4. Poor Diet
5. Irregular dietary habits
6. Lack of Physical Activity and Sedentary lifestyle
7. Alcohol Consumption.
8. Family history of fatty liver disease
9. Obstructive sleep apnea

Symptoms of Fatty Liver

Usually Fatty liver doesn’t have any symptoms, if it shows symptoms they would be:-

1.  Fatigue
2. Abdominal discomfort
3. Flatulence
4. Bloating
5. Cramping
6. Loss of appetite
7. Constipation
8. Nausea
9. Vomiting
10. Fever
11. Jaundice (In severe cases)

Types of Fatty Liver

1. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): It is not associated with the consumption of alcohol.
2. Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease:  It is due to excessive alcohol consumption.

Diagnosis of Fatty Liver

1. Health and medical history
2. Physical examination
3. Blood investigations Like Liver Function tests, Complete Blood count
   LFTs help monitor liver health, there are many Liver Enzymes that show the health of the liver if the values of SGOT and SGPT are elevated along with raised bilirubin, and changes in the Albumin level indicate the fatty liver
4. Imaging studies like Ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI—–Changes in the echogenicity of the liver indicate the changes in the liver on radiological examination

Complications of Fatty liver

1. Hepatitis
2. Chronic Liver disease
3. Liver Cirrhosis
4. Liver fibrosis
5. Liver failure
6. Liver Cancer
7. Cardiovascular diseases
8. Kidney diseases

Ayurvedic View of Fatty Liver

The liver is the organ that can regenerate the damaged cells on its own and Ayurvedic treatment will accentuate the action further, ayurveda approaches managing this condition holistically by the use of internal medications, Samshodha (Purificatory therapy), Ahara (Dietary and Lifestyle guidelines) so that body gets rid of toxins and organ is strengthened. The first line of treatment for any disease in ayurveda is avoiding the causative factors and one must avoid the consumption of alcohol, animal proteins, fatty foods, Carbonated drinks, processed food and junk food. Many herbs in nature help the liver cells regenerate and work to their maximum efficacy. Herbs like BhumiAmla (Phyllanthus niruri), Kalmegha (Andrographis paniculata), Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa), Kutki (Picrorhiza kurroa) , Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba), Kumari (Aloe barbadensis) and many more herbs and herbal formulations that help to bring balance between all the doshas and dhatus that are hampered.

Why is Doctor’s Consultation Important?

Consulting an Ayurvedic doctor is always important to assess the medical condition for accurate diagnosis and to examine the extent of the disease condition. Ayurvedic treatment includes assessing the person’s Prakriti (Body constitution) and level of dosha imbalance which requires the attention of an Ayurvedic physician so that he can advise a personalised Ayurvedic treatment plan to the patient dealing with this condition. Ayurvedic treatment of fatty liver includes not just herbal medications but requires attention to dietary and lifestyle changes that an Ayurvedic doctor can guide and he will be guiding you after considering every factor as described by our Acharyas in Ayurvedic diagnosis

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Conclusion

Ayurveda plays a major role in managing and treating liver-related issues, it helps not just by the use of herbal formulations but by guiding dietary and lifestyle changes. Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to the management of any disease and in the case of fatty liver, many herbal formulations help the liver get better and come back to its normalcy.