All World
Gayatri Pariwar

This article focuses on Hepatitis. This ailment happens due to irregularities in the functioning of liver. Such irregularities occur when innumerable cells of the liver, called Hepatocytes, die due to intake of various kinds of medicines and poisonous substances or due to viral infections. Destruction of Hepatocytes however, does not mean irreparable damage. Liver has the capacity to regenerate all the lost cells, but it can take upto one month to recoup from the ailment completely. This disease can create emotional imbalance and many other ill effects.

About Liver:

Liver is a deep red coloured, dome shaped organ located below the last rib in the top right region of the abdomen. In a healthy adult it weighs between 1.5 to 2 kgs. It has two major partitions and its upper part is sunk beneath the right portion of the stomach. Liver is considered as the biggest organ of the body. It is also regarded as the biggest storehouse of bio-chemicals within the body.

What liver does?

According to doctors, liver is the producer of several important bio-chemicals of the body. It gathers and stores substances needed for maintaining body metabolism as per its requirements, it helps in digesting food, it digests proteins and fats, it transfers bile juices into intestines, and it purifies blood.

According to ancient Indian scriptures on Yoga, and other Tibetan and Chinese texts, malfunctioning of the liver is the main reason behind many ailments. Liver plays a major role in maintaining physical, mental and emotional balance. Chinese doctors believe that strong feelings of hatred lead to creation of bile juice. Emotional imbalance also adversely affects the release of bile. This leads to irregularity in the normal workings of the liver, which then makes the body weak and life miserable. Those suffering from this disease cannot enjoy pleasures of life and may not be able to procreate.

Internal construction of liver:

The cells that constitute the liver are called Hepatocytes. They are millions in number. Each Hepatocyte is capable of carrying out all the activities performed by the liver. Countless such cells are found in rope like formations within the blood vessels of the liver. These vessels carry blood enriched with nutrients and oxygen from the intestines into liver. Hepatocytes absorb both of these. In this process bile juice is produced in the liver that flows through the bile duct. A protein named albumin is also produced in liver which plays a vital role in the functioning of blood. In addition, liver influences the substances responsible for clotting and ensures that unobstructed blood flow is maintained inside the body.

Liver is intimately associated with spleen and kidney also. Spleen filters out dead and broken cells from the blood. Liver then discharges the leftover remains through bile juice. Iron from these remains is absorbed and reused. Amino acids obtained from food are converted by liver into proteins and enzymes which, to a great extent, help in body’s metabolism, maintaining good health and body’s capability to regenerate. All these activities result in conversion of nitrogen into ammonia which is very harmful for the brain. Liver converts this harmful ammonia, into uric acid which is discharged from the kidneys in the form of urine. If ammonia does not get converted into urea, then its excess in blood causes disillusionment. The disillusions experienced by heavy alcohol drinkers are also, to some extent, due to the damage caused to liver.

Signs and symptoms of Hepatitis:

In its initial stages no specific symptoms of Hepatitis can be seen. Usually this ailment gets identified by a loss of appetite and general weakness. After a few days these symptoms change into nausea and vomiting, fever, headache and body ache. In this stage the diseased person feels extreme weakness and his urine becomes thick and yellow/orange in colour. Liver becomes enlarged which results in pain below the ribs on the right, finally leading to jaundice. In jaundice, at first, the white portion of the eye and its mucous membrane turns yellowish. Thereafter the entire skin turns yellowish. Jaundice is an indication that the liver is not able to clean the contaminants from the blood properly. Due to excess of these contaminants all the tissues and cells in the body turn yellowish. The entire body becomes tense and itching develops.

Causes of Hepatitis:

There are many causes of hepatitis, but the main cause is viral infections. These viruses are of two types: Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. Hepatitis A is called infective hepatitis as it can spread through contaminated water, food, or contact with a diseased person. This form is commonly found in schools, colleges and institutions. Hepatitis B is also called viral hepatitis. This virus lives in saliva, blood and other secretions of the body. When it enters blood of an uninfected person, the possibility of infection due to the virus goes up. This form of hepatitis is more dangerous. The second cause of Hepatitis disease is consumption of alcohol, chemicals and medicines. Among the chemicals: intoxicating substances, steroid agents, contraceptive pills and antibiotic medicines are the prominent causes of this ailment. These substances severely affect the body’s immune system.

Management of hepatitis and its treatment:

About 95% people suffering from Hepatitis get cured in 6 weeks, but during this period one has to avoid intake of all poisonous substances. If the disease relapses then liver can stop functioning altogether. This may result in lack of filtering of poisonous substances from the blood which can cause mental imbalance and Hepatic coma. The final result of that is death of the patient.

Initial treatment:

(1) Complete rest, (2) fasting, and (3) intake of simple, light and easily digestible food containing sugar. Acidic fruits like lemon, pineapple, and ripe papaya are very useful in suppressing nausea. Vomiting occurs due to increase in alkaline liquids secreted by liver and glands of the stomach. Acidic substances neutralize these alkaline liquids. Lemon and sugarcane are beneficial in this disease. A lot of water must be drunk. Food items that exert the liver should not be consumed. In this condition, for a minimum of six weeks no ³sanas and pr³ö³y³mas should be performed. Yog-nidr³ can be performed. In case of excessive nausea kunjal can be carried out once or twice. Sweet substances, fruits and glucose should be taken, they protect the liver.

Intermediate treatment

In this stage recommended activities are (1) walking, (2) sun-bathing, (3) kunjal and (4) yog-nidr³.

So long as yellowness persists in urine, a strict control must be maintained in eating and drinking. If there has been fever then after it has subsided, vegetable soup should be taken three to four times a day. Thereafter boiled food should be eaten. Fruits and milk should be necessarily taken. Grains could be taken only later. Heavy food rich in fats and spices should be completely avoided. Only light and easily digestible food should be consumed. Do not take any medicine and carry out only simple activities as per capacity.

Yoga treatment

To completely regain health after Hepatitis disease the following yogic exercises should be carried out –

Âsan – During illness, if muscles and joints have gone stiff then pavan mukt³san part-1 and part-2 are beneficial. Also 3-7 rounds of S¿rya Namask³r exercises can be carried out at sunrise. Pashchimott³n³san, viprºtikaraö mudr³ and shash³nk³san are of great benefit. Âsanas that affect the abdomen like ardha-padmap³dottan³san, yog-mudr³, hal³san, merudand³san etc should be practiced.

Pr³ö³y³m – Bhastrik³, S¿rya-Bhedan and N³di-shodhan Pr³ö³y³ms are very precise and perfect treatments of this disease.

Mudr³ and bandh – P³shini mudr³, yog mudr³, viprºtikaraö mudr³ can be used for treatment. Viprºtikaraö mudr³ can be strengthened slowly and steadily by a regular practice of uddiy³n bandh and agnis³r kriy³.

Shatkarm – after regaining health carry out laghushankh praksh³lan. Kunjal process can be carried out twice a week. Vastra dhouti can also prove beneficial.

Yognidra – Yognidra provides deep relaxation. It steadily helps in the process of regeneration.

All these yogic exercises must be carried out under expert guidance. If all precautions are properly adhered to, then a person diseased with jaundice can regain even better health than before. If these exercises are made a part of daily life, then many other systems of the body get strengthened so well that illnesses do not bother anymore. Yoga opens the blocked flows of pr³öa and diseases get cured. Whenever pr³öic-flows are obstructed diseases begin to grow. Therefore, as per capacity, yogic-processes must be adopted in day-to-day life.