The liver which is located in the right upper quadrant of your abdomen is the largest solid organ in your body. It is protected by the ribs and responsible for many function in your body system. Simply put, you cannot live without your liver.

With that being said, it is important for you to take care of your liver the best way you can. Another thing you also need to know is the early symptoms of liver damage so you can prevent a more advance health issue.

12 Early Symptoms of Liver Damage

When it comes the liver, there are many different kinds of disease that can affect the health of your liver. Each of it has its out signs. Some of those disease are hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. Unfortunately, the early symptoms of liver disease are non-specific and tend to be easily overlooked. If you experience any of the symptoms below, the best option for you is to visit your medical expertise and ask for further examination.

So here are some common early symptoms of liver damage:

1. Disruption in the Stomach

Nausea and nausea can be a symptoms of various disease including food poisoning, migraines, motion sickness, vertigo, early pregnancy and depression. It can also be a sign of kidney problems and also liver damage. People who suffer from early liver damage may feel nauseous continuously. It can happen due to the decrement in liver’s ability to cleanse the body from toxins.

Another two factor that can also cause this condition are ongoing metabolism and changes in digestion. If this condition still remain after a few days and you cannot figure out the reason, then you better go visit your doctor.

2.Feeling Fatigue and Weak Most of the Time

While feeling tired and weak may be caused by lack of sleep and rest, it can also be a sign of liver damage. The damage in your liver will require the body to work harder which also mean you will need to have more rest.

When the function of your liver got disrupted, its ability to remove toxins from your body will decrease and cause the increment of toxins in your bloodstream. So if your fatigue doesn’t go away after you have enough rest, you definitely need to seek medical advice as soon as you can.

3.Loss of Appetite

Damage in the liver will cause a reduction in the bile production. Bile responsible to help fat digestion and when your food isn’t digested properly, it may resulted in loss of appetite and a drop in body weight. If this condition happened for a long time, consult to your doctor to get further examination.

4.Problems with Digestion

Liver plays an important role in digestion process because it produce bile. The bile helps the small intestine to process and absorb nutrients better. Damage in the live can lead to dyspepsia and diarrhea.

Some other digestion problem that may occur when the bile is not produced properly are fatty food intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal bloating, alcohol intolerance, constipation and gallstones.

5.Changes in Color of Your Urine

Normally, when you drink enough water the color of your urine should be bright and more transparent. However, if your urine is still dark in color after your drink enough water, then it may be the early sign of liver damage.

The elevated level of bilirubin in the bloodstream can cause the urine to look brown, amber or orange in color. The amount of bilirubin in the bloodstream may raise because liver is unable to get rid of the bilirubin so it is excreted through the kidneys.

So, though dark color in your urine may also be a result of dehydration, taking B vitamin supplements, side effects of antibiotics, enzyme deficiencies, urinary tract infection, or kidney abnormalities, you better consult to your doctor if the problem remain after some period of time.

6.Alteration in Stool Coloration

Malfunction in the liver will make the amount of bile becomes insufficient and cause alteration in stool coloration. If the color of your stool usually brown, it may turn into clay colored, pale yellow, or gray. If this only happens occasionally, there is nothing you should be worry about. However, if you experience it more than a few times, then you need to consult to your doctor.

7.Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellow coloration to the skin, tongue, fingertips, and eyes as the result of increasing bilirubin in the bloodstream and bodily tissue which normally will be excreted in the bile. This condition cause the skin becomes yellow. Jaundice can also be a sing of problem in the pancreas or gallbladder. If you experience it, you need to consult to your doctor immediately.

8.Changes in the Abdomen

The feeling of pain, cramping, or bloating in the lower part of the abdomen can mean that you have ascites and malfunction in your liver. Ascites is the condition where fluid has built up inside the abdominal cavity. This may happen when there is damage to the liver of liver cirrhosis.

Liver disease may cause high blood pressure in the arteries and veins of the abdomen. Visit your doctor immediately once you notice this symptom.

9.Retention of Fluid

Damage in the liver can lead to retention of fluid, especially in the ankles and feet. This condition is similar to ascites, the difference is the fluid buildup in the outer tissues in the lower extremities. Fluid retention can also be a sign of hormonal imbalance, kidney problems, heart failure, and lymphatic disease.

10.Problems with The Skin

Liver deficiency can cause the skin to be more sensitive, itches, flakes and becomes hypersensitive to touch. You may see some bruises on your skin and notice that your veins become more visible. If the problems with your skin happens because of the liver damage, then you need to identify the problem get proper treatment. Because moisturizing your skin will not help unless the actual issue has treated.

11.Pain in the Abdomen

You may feel pain in the right upper quadrant of the rib cage where the liver is located. When the liver is malfunctioning, the affected area may fell painful and tender.

12.Diarrhea, Constipation, or Intestinal Bleeding

The liver plays an important role in the production of the clotting factors. So when the liver damaged, you may suffer from bleeding of intestines which is associated with diarrhea or constipation.

If you experience any of the above symptoms, you need to seek for medical advice immediately. However, please remember that this is not a full list of liver damage symptoms. Some other signs like imbalance sex hormone where men can develop breast, and both men and women suffer from loss of libido may also occur.

Don’t forget to adopt health eating habit since what you eat can greatly affect the health of your liver.

Water retention is an accumulation of excess fluid in the body, making your hands, feet, legs, and ankles swollen. This uncomfortable condition is also known as edema.

The reasons why it happens are not usually serious, but there are severe cases when it can indicate heart failure or kidney disease.

The most common causes of edema are high or low blood pressure, sitting or standing for too long, hormone imbalance, high sodium intake, prescription medications, pregnancy, infection of blood vessels, etc.

Having excess fluid in your body can make you weight more than you really are.

So, by getting rid of the excess fluid you’ll also get leaner.

Luckily, you can reduce water retention by consuming potassium-rich foods with great diuretic properties.

Here are the best foods for reducing water retention.

Top 10 Foods for Water Retention

1. Dandelion

A lot of people suffer from edema due to a diet low in potassium and high in sodium. So, the potassium-rich dandelion is an excellent choice for these people. Sodium makes your body tissues retain water, but, potassium stimulates the release of excess fluid.

The best way to use the diuretic properties of dandelion is in form of tea, as well as concentrated dandelion supplements. Brew a cup of dandelion tea and drink it every day to urinate more often, thus eliminating the excess fluid from your body.

2. Parsley

Parsley tea is another great natural remedy for water retention. According to animal research, parsley has excellent diuretic properties which makes you urinate more often.

Even though more studies are needed to prove its diuretic potential in people, a lot of people praise this herb for its ability to reduce edema.

3. Asparagus

This herb is one of the most popular natural diuretics used for hundreds of years. Asparagus helps treat water retention related to rheumatism and menstrual cycle thanks to the asparagine – amino acid in its content.

Once consumed, asparagus is broken down into sulfur compounds which makes your pee smell odd. These compounds cause frequent urination and help cleanse your body of toxins.

4. Caraway Seeds

The most common medicinal uses of caraway are treating digestive problems and edema. Rat studies showed that caraway increases the amount of urine.

However, the quantity of caraway for reducing edema in humans is not known due to lack of human studies.

Still, you can start using them as a spice to different meals, as well as prepare them as tea. Just don’t forget to have the tea along with the seeds.

5. Horsetail

This herb is a great natural diuretic available as a supplement and in the form of tea. According to one research, the effect of horsetail supplements are almost equal as those of commercial diuretics.

However, long use of these supplements can cause certain side effects. Also, avoid them if you have diabetes or kidney disease.

6. Black and Green Tea

Black and green tea offer excellent diuretic properties. But, when consuming the tea, make sure you have it without sugar or milk. This is because white sugar and dairy can worsen edema.

An interesting fact about black and green tea is that they are most effective for treating edema when not consumed every day.

In contrast, drinking them on a regular basis might make you develop tolerance for their diuretic properties. Therefore, drink them occasionally, on days when you feel extra swollen.

7. Cucumber

This vegetable has high water content, so eating it will make you urinate more often. What’s more, cucumbers contain silicon and sulfur which can improve your kidney function and eliminate excess uric acid from them.

Moreover, they are rich in potassium which helps your body flush out excess water. Cucumbers can reduce symptoms of edema like swelling even when used topically. For example, you can place cool cucumber slices over your puffy eyes to reduce the swelling.

8. Bamboo Shoots

Bamboo shoots are inexpensive and versatile ingredient that add a flavor and texture to your food. According to one research, they are high in potassium, so they help reduce sodium levels and increase the production of urine.

9. Celery

Celery has a high-water content and a fair amount of fiber and potassium. In fact, its unique sodium to potassium balance makes celery an effective natural diuretic, excellent for treating water retention.

10. Bananas

Bananas are rich in potassium –a mineral which increases urine production and reduces sodium levels. Moreover, they contain high levels of vitamin B6 which reduces edema related to premenstrual syndrome.

Conclusion

Add more of these foods to your diet to reduce the swelling in your hands, feet, legs, and ankles. If you know any other food or natural remedy for water retention, feel free to share it in the comments.

Tag: retention

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