The most common of liver disorders, jaundice, leads to a yellowish discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes and the eyes. This occurs due to an increase in bile pigments, particularly bilirubin, in the blood. This occurs due to the obstruction of the bile ducts due to gallstones or inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis virus. This further leads to the discharge of the bile into the intestines where it gets mixed with the blood. Other causes for jaundice are hemolytic anemia and other diseases affecting the liver, such as typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis and yellow fever. The main symptoms of jaundice, apart from the yellowing of the skin and eyes, include extreme exhaustion, fever and a persistent headache which are accompanied by loss pf appetite, constipation and nausea. The patient may also suffer from a dull pain in the area around the liver, sometimes accompanied by an intense itching due to the obstruction of bile in the liver. There are several simple home remedies that help to speed treatment of jaundice.
Diet is of crucial importance in the treatment of jaundice as well as the convalescence stage. In the initial stages of jaundice, you should increase your intake of liquids in the form of boiled water and clear juices such as coconut water, sugar cane juices or other light fresh juices extracted from fruits and vegetables. This not only encourages the natural elimination of the bilirubin from the blood, through the urine and stools, it also keeps the body well hydrated, maintaining a proper electrolyte balance. You should also have soft foods that are easy to digest, such as cereal porridges, gruels, rice, fresh fruit custards and yoghurt. You can have eggs, but remember to cook them properly. The same applied to fish, which can be boiled or steamed properly, instead of frying it. It is important to increase your intake of calories during jaundice to supplement your energy reserves, but you should ensure that these calories do not come from fats, since they are high on cholesterol and not easy to digest. Thus you should avoid food preparations that use excessive oil as well as all fatty meats such as pork, ham and other red meat and poultry with skin. You should also avoid consuming raw vegetables, semi-cooked pulses and fermented foods which are difficult to digest and demand extra work from the liver. You can include cream and butter in your diet as the bilirubin levels in your blood decrease.
answered by G R