Are you experiencing yellowish skin and eyeballs? If so then you might have a condition known as jaundice. This condition can affect up to 80% of premature babies. Even though this is a relatively common condition among children, adults can also experience jaundice. There are also different forms to know about including painless jaundice. If you get this variety you might be wondering how serious it is. It’s critical to know facts including symptoms, causes, and treatments. For example, some possible causes include liver disease, hepatitis, and breast milk.
Jaundice often results from a buildup of a substance known as “bilirubin.” The problem is based on the body being unable to get rid of it, which results in the yellow skin. The condition is treated based on the root cause. For example, hepatitis-caused jaundice will be treated differently than pancreatic cancer-caused jaundice. Knowing the root cause is important because you can then deal with that particular health condition in certain ways. This is an important step to deal with the symptoms better. Since this condition is related to livers it’s also important to maintain a healthy liver. This includes steps like eating healthy and exercising regularly. They can provide big benefits.
What Exactly Is Jaundice?
Let’s start with the basics. It’s often linked to yellow eyeballs and skin. When the body isn’t processing a chemical compound known as “bilirubin” correctly it might cause liver problems. This is a waste material that says in a person’s bloodstream after the chemical iron gets removed.
The substance connects with other chemicals after it gets to the liver. In normal situations, bile leaves the body when bilirubin gets into it. However, when the body has too much bilirubin it then starts leaking into tissues surrounding it, which is known as a certain condition. The result is yellow skin/eyes.
A particular disorder usually causes jaundice. The result is either the liver can’t ditch the substance or the body produces more than it needs. However, both situations cause bilirubin to get added to the body’s tissues.
There are various conditions that might result in jaundice. They include:
Sometimes the bile duct gets inflamed or blocked. When that happens, it affects the body’s bile secretion and getting rid of bilirubin. This results in the skin/eye condition. When the bile duct gets blocked it stops the liver from getting rid of bilirubin, which results in the famous skin/eye coloring.
One common cause is liver inflammation (acute). It can affect how well the liver can get rid of bilirubin, which causes it to build up.
There are various other causes of this condition. It’s important to be aware of them. This can help to determine whether or not you’re at risk of experiencing the condition. It doesn’t mean you definitely will but it’s more likely.
If you think you have jaundice, it’s important to get it checked out. The test results can help to give you peace of mind. That, in turn, can make it easier to start dealing with the condition so you prevent it from getting worse.
What Is Painless Jaundice?
Jaundice is treated based on the root cause instead of the symptoms. The main reason is some symptoms are the same for different health conditions. So it’s critical to know about them.
For example, if you have anemia-related jaundice then it can be treated by increasing how much iron is within the blood. This can be done by eating high-iron foods like meat and leafy greens. Another option is to take supplements. However, it’s always better to get nutrients from real food instead of dietary supplements.
Sometimes certain medications cause painless jaundice. When that’s the case your doctor might prescribe a similar yet different medication. This can help to prevent various unwanted side-effects from the medicines. The main goal is to provide relief for the symptoms. They can include options as basic as eating healthy food.
Meanwhile, if you’ve gotten jaundice from hepatitis then you should be taking medications including anti-viral ones. This can help to get rid of the virus that’s causing the condition.
You might be wondering if pain-free jaundice is serious. Keep in mind that just because the condition is painless doesn’t mean that it isn’t serious. For example, there’s “obstructive” jaundice that can be painless.
A patient can be diagnosed with pain-free jaundice that includes obstructive jaundice. Some diagnosis options include CT scans and others that can pick up symptoms that are signs of different conditions. It involves the bile system getting blocked. This can cause bile buildup within the bloodstream.
After bile gets in the bloodstream it then gets taken to the different body parts that need it. Bilirubin building in the body can cause symptoms like yellowish skin/eyeballs. This is a serious condition that isn’t treated due to infection.
When the bile system experiences blockages this can result from various causes. The most common one involves gallstones building up in the bile duct. Another common cause is pancreatic cancer.
Top Jaundice Foods to Limit/Ditch
1. White Sugar
It’s found in various foods on the market including sodas, candy, baked goods, etc. There’s no nutritional value in sugar and it can cause fat buildup within the liver. There are better options like fresh fruit, and sugar alcohols and stevia if you’re doing low-carb baking.
2. Saturated Fats
These are mod difficult for the body to process compared to unsaturated fats. This mostly refers to meat-based saturated fat. You can also get high amounts in foods like coconut and olive oil. However, these are healthier sources and are also loaded with healthy fats like omega-3s.
3. Sodium
You should also minimize pre-packaged and canned foods since they’re often loaded with sodium. The easiest way to reduce your salt intake is to avoid adding table salt to your food. Another good option is to prepare most of your meals. When you make home-cooked meals you can control all the ingredients including table salt.
4. Red Meat
There’s a lot of debate today about whether or not red meat is healthy. In general, it’s better to go with white meat like chicken and fish. Various studies show that eating more of these foods over options like pork and beef can help to reduce the risk of various health issues.
If you’re going to eat some red meat make sure to go with quality products. They include organic meat and grass-fed beef. This will help to limit the health issues caused by animals injected with hormones and antibiotics, for example.
5. Alcohol
This is closely linked to liver cirrhosis and liver disease in general. If you already have damage to the vital organ then it’s a good idea to avoid alcohol 100%. Meanwhile, if you’re going to drink alcohol from time to time make sure to limit it to one glass of red wine, for example. This can provide you with some possible benefits while treating painless jaundice.
