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1. Avoid taking unnecessary medications (Too many chemicals can harm your
liver).
2. Don't mix medicines without the advice of a doctor. (You could create
something poisonous that could damage your liver badly)
3. Street drugs cause serious damage and scar your liver permanently.
4.Don't drown your liver in beer, liquor or wine. (If you drink alcohol,
have two or fewer drinks per day) .
5. Never mix alcohol with other drugs & medications.
6. Be careful when using aerosol cleaners. Your liver has to detoxify what
you breathe in, so when you go on a cleaning binge, make sure the room is
well ventilated, or wear a mask.
7. Bug sprays, paint sprays and all those other chemical sprays you use can
harm your liver too. Be careful what you breathe.
8. Watch what gets on your skin! (Those insecticides you put on trees and
shrubs to kill bugs can get to your liver right through your skin and
destroy some cells.) Remember, they're serious chemicals.
Hepatitis B & C - contagious viral ifections that cause chronic liver
disease
9. Use caution and common sense regarding intimate contact (Hepatitis
viruses live in body fluids, including blood and seminal fluid).
10. The hepatitis B virus also lives in saliva and, unlike the AIDS virus,
can be transmitted through this fluid with relative ease.
If you were stuck with a needle used by a person with AIDS, you'd have a
one in 2,000 chance of picking up the AIDS virus. But if that person had
hepatitis B, your chances of picking up the virus increase to one in four!
11. Hepatitis C, spread primarily through direct blood contact, can be
transmitted through contaminated needles used in tattooing, body piercing,
or IV drug injection.
12. Many infected people do not have symptoms until liver damage occurs,
sometimes many years later.
13. Teach your children what a syringe looks like and tell them to leave it
alone.
14. Never, ever, touch a discarded syringe or needle.
If you test positive for hepatitis B or C...
15. Consult your doctor. He or she will determine whether you have liver
disease and if you need referral to a specialist.
16. If you have hepatitis B, have your family tested. Those who have never
contracted hepatitis B should be vaccinated.
17. Ask your doctor to screen for liver cancer in order detect tumors while
they are still small and treatable.
18. If you are a pregnant, hepatitis B-infected mother, you can pass the
infection to your infants around the time of birth. More than 90% of this
form of transmission can be prevented by vaccination of the baby.
Eat for health
Since everything we eat must pass through the liver, special attention to
nutrition and diet can help keep your liver healthy. Here are some tips on
eating for health healthy liver, healthy you!
19. Eat a well balanced, nutritionally adequate diet. if you enjoy foods
from each of the four food groups, you will probably obtain the nutrients
you need.
20. Cut down on the amount of deep-fried and fatty foods you and your family
consume. Doctors believe that the risk of gallbladder disorders (including
gallstones, a liver-related disease) can be reduced by avoiding high-fat and
cholesterol foods.
21. Minimize your consumption of smoked, cured and salted foods. Taste your
food before adding salt! Or try alternative seasonings in your cooking such
as lemon juice, onion, vinegar, garlic, pepper, mustard, cloves, sage or
thyme.
MEAT, FISH, POULTRY & ALTERNATIVES PROVIDE:
protein, vitamin A, iron, vitamin B12, niacin, fiber, thiamin
BREADS AND CEREALS PROVIDE:
carbohydrates, niacin, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, fiber
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PROVIDE:
vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, folacin
MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS PROVIDE:
calcium, riboflavin, niacin, folacin, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D
22. Increase your intake of high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals. A high-fiber diet is
especially helpful in keeping your liver healthy.
23. Rich desserts, snacks and drinks are high in calories because of the
amount of sweetening (and often fat) they contain. Why not munch on some
fruit instead?
24. Keep your weight close to ideal. Medical researchers have established a
direct correlation between obesity and the development of gallbladder
disorders.
25. If you are dieting to lose weight, make sure that you are still getting
all the vitamins and minerals your body - and your liver - need to function
properly
26. A regular exercise routine, two or three days a week, will help keep
your liver healthy, too.
27. TROUBLE SIGNS: Here are some signs of liver trouble. If you
experience any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor:
Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes.
Abdominal swelling or severe abdominal pain.
Prolonged itching of the skin.
Very dark urine or pale stools-, or the passage of
bloody or tar-like stools.
Chronic fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite.
28. What to do if you have liver disease: Follow your doctor's advice
on food, exercise and other lifestyle guidelines. Learn about liver disease
and understand how your diet helps you. Learn what and how much you can eat
and drink.
AND FINALLY...
29. See your doctor for a check-up on a regular basis. Remember, prevention
is always the best medicine.
30. Take care of yourself in everything you do. Be a healthy "live"r - keep
a healthy liver. |
