Stage : Fibrosis And Cirrhosis
Inside: The fibrosis has wrapped up your liver. Your liver is scarred to the point of cirrhosis. It may even be blocking the big veins in your liver. This can cause other problems like ascites and portal hypertension. If you no longer have hepatitis C, the liver can continue to function with medication and a doctors care.
Outside: Your skin and eyes may be yellow. You may have swelling in your hands, feet, and tummy. It can be a time where your mind has confusion, especially after a meal with high protein. Your body needs a lot of support from medications and good nutrition.
What you can do: Eat the healthiest diet possible with low sodium and clean protein. Follow your doctors orders about what pills and vitamins are safe. Rest when you need to and conserve energy for big jobs.
After that, it is End Stage. Your doctor can run tests to tell you exactly what stage of liver disease you have. I made it to End Stage without even knowing I had the hepatitis C virus. Eating well and following my doctors advice helped me through the whole process. Pay close attention to your bodys signals and report any changes to your doctor. Go ahead and let your liver be center stage. That just means you can let the spotlight shine on it and give it all the healing power it needs with medication, good food, and a healthy lifestyle.
Stage : Its There You May Not Know
Outside: You will probably not even know you have any liver problems.
Inside: Your liver is working hard trying to heal inflammation from the hepatitis C virus. It is coping well and filtering out the toxins in your blood. It can still and regulate your sugar, protein, and fat stores.
What you can do: Eat healthy and avoid drinking alcohol. Try and get on treatment to get rid of the virus.
Use Medication To Protect Your Hairline
If youre starting to develop a receding hairline or other signs of male pattern baldness, you can stop your hair loss from worsening by using medication.
The FDA has approved two medications to treat hair loss in men. The first, finasteride, works by stopping your body from converting testosterone to DHT.
The second, minoxidil, works at the scalp level by moving hair follicles into the growth phase of the hair growth cycle and improving blood circulation.
Science confirms that finasteride and minoxidil work well, especially when theyre used together.
In one study, a team of researchers found that 94.1 percent of men with hair loss who used both medications showed improvements in hair growth over the course of 12 months.
You can find finasteride and minoxidil online, and both hair loss treatments available together in the Hims Hair Power Pack.
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What Helps With Liver Disease And Hair Loss
The exact way of how hair loss occurs with liver disease may be still debatable. But it seems that excess sebum is probably one of the answers. Insufficient enzymes released from the liver, for example co-enzyme A, may cause more fats to be released as sebum through the pores of your scalp.
Actually, sebum is required to moisturize your hair follicles so they theyre not easy to get brittle or dry. Also, it is responsible to help maintain the pH balance of your scalp. But when its produced too much, this could be counterproductive. Too much sebum can impair the normal cycle of your hair growth. This will also drive more dandruff, another common culprit for hair falling out.
If your hair loss is associated with poor function of your liver, improving your liver health is a must. Depending on the severity of your liver problem, a few lifestyle measures may be helpful enough to cope with.
Keep weight off!
In general, being obese has nothing to do with the health of your hair. But extra pounds you gain can cause more extra fats that build up in your liver, increasing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This can harden or scar liver tissues over time, which may eventually cause cirrhosis and liver failure if left untreated.
Your diet can help a lot!
High consumption of refined grains, sugars, dairy products, and fats are bad for your liver health. Also, they could factor into excess sebum in the scalp.
See more what to eat for healthy liver here!
Whats more?
Causes Of Liver Cirrhosis
Two of the most well-known causes of liver cirrhosis are long-term excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis C virus infection. However, there are a number of other conditions that can also lead to liver damage and cirrhosis. In fact, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Australia. A small proportion of patients with fatty liver can also develop cirrhosis. Hepatitis B virus infection is an important cause of cirrhosis worldwide.
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This Hair Loss Fix Is Broken Down Into Three Parts:
Washing your hair and scalp Promoting circulation to your scalp Encouraging thinning hair to thicken
If youre already bald we cant promise this will regrow your hair. But if your hair is thinning this should help thicken it.
If baldness runs in your family or youre worried about going bald, you should start this protocol right away to keep your hair strong and healthy.
This will be helpful for anyone who doesnt want to rub chemicals on their head or take hair loss drugs that can lower your libido. Which should be most of you.
Well start with ways to wash your hair and scalp
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Different Kinds Of Stress Can Cause Hair Loss
If youve been under emotional or physical stress, it may lead to hair loss. Things like a death in the family, major surgery, or a serious illness may cause the body to shut down certain processes like hair production.
Theres around a three-month delay between when a stressful event happens and when you might see hair loss, so you may not pinpoint the trigger right away.
However, if you are experiencing thinner hair, consider different events or situations in your life that may have caused you considerable stress. Hair loss due to stress is generally temporary. Hair may begin growing again after the event has passed and the follicle starts producing again.
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Why Are Antacids Given To People With Low Stomach Acid
The interesting thing is that in the vast majority of cases, people with heartburn and reflux do not make too much stomach acid the acid is just in the wrong location, causing burning and irritation to the esophagus and throat. The esophagus transports food to your stomach after youve swallowed it. There is a valve at the end of the esophagus, controlling the entry of food to the stomach. This valve is known as the esophageal sphincter, cardiac sphincter or gastro-esophageal sphincter .
Once food has entered your stomach and your stomach has secreted some acid, the sphincter tightens, helping to prevent food and acid from traveling in the wrong direction, back up the esophagus. The stomach contents need to be at a sufficiently low pH in order to keep that valve closed tightly. If there is not enough acid in the stomach , the valve becomes more loose and allows acid and stomach contents to travel upwards and cause the symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn. If there is too much bad bacteria in the stomach and intestines, they release gases which travel upwards and compromise the integrity of the eophageal sphincter.
Giving the patient an antacid does control those symptoms, by severely blocking acid production, but it is not addressing the source of the problem.
Lowered Levels Of Zinc And Iron
Heavy drinking can cause lowered levels of zinc and iron, both of which are necessary for healthy hair growth. Low levels of iron can lead to telogen effluvium, a condition in which an unusual amount of hair follicles move from the growing phase to the resting phase of the hair growth cycle, leading to thinning hair. Insufficient zinc levels can weaken the protein structure of your hair, resulting in breakage and hair loss.
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There May Be More To It Than That
Lets take this hypothesis a step further. If the liver deals with hormone inputs and hormones are produced to deal with blood sugar increases, what if we add a third input stress. Lets examine acne sufferers . Certain tribal people in Papua New Guinea who only eat raw unrefined organic food , rarely if ever experience acne. In fact, and correct me if Im wrong, they also tend to have thick shiny hair well into middle age.
The Kitava Study from 1989, which studied tribes in Papua New Guineadiscovered that these societies had no stroke, heart disease, diabetes or hypertension.NaturalNutmeg.com
These tribal people who dont have TV or Internet also have far fewer mental inputs compared with us Westerners less media consumption and less information consumption in 2008 it was estimated that Americans consume approximately 36 gigabytes of information per day through Internet, television and other forms of media! The outcome for the tribal people is most likely less mental stress.
Overall, from 1980 to 2008, the number of bytes we consume has increased 6 percent each year, the researchers said, adding up to a 350 percent increase over 28 years. At this rate, it wont be long before were marveling at the next level of bytes: yottabytes.NY Times
When To Seek Medical Advice
ARLD does not often cause symptoms until it’s reached an advanced stage. If you misuse alcohol, you may have liver damage, even though you have none of the symptoms above.
Read about alcohol misuse .
Contact your GP for advice if you have a history of regular alcohol misuse.
A good way to assess your history and pattern of drinking is to use a short test known as the CAGE test, which consists of 4 questions:
- Have you ever thought you should cut down on your drinking?
- Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?
- Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?
- Have you ever drunk an “eye-opener“, which means: have you ever drunk alcohol first thing in the morning to get over a hangover and steady your nerves?
If you answer “yes” to one or more of the questions above, you may have an alcohol problem and are advised to see your GP.
See your GP as soon as possible if you have symptoms of advanced ARLD.
Page last reviewed: 10 August 2018 Next review due: 10 August 2021
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Alcohol And Nutritional Deficiencies
Just like your skin, nails, muscles and internal tissue, your hair depends on a continuous supply of nutrients, many of which come from your diet.
Countless micro and macronutrients are involved in hair growth, from vitamins A, B12, C, D and E, to minerals such as zinc.
Many of these are found in food and dietary supplements, while some, such as vitamin D, are synthesized in your skin.
While its okay to drink a moderate amount of alcohol, drinking alcohol in excess can reduce the amount of digestive enzymes released by your pancreas.
This may affect your bodys ability to break down and absorb the nutrients in food.
Because of the effects of alcohol consumption on nutrient absorption, many people with alcohol-use disorders have nutritional deficiencies.
Although theres no known link between nutritional deficiency and male pattern baldness, some nutritional deficiencies are known to cause telogen effluvium which is a form of hair shedding that can make your hair lose its normal thickness and scalp coverage.
In addition to its effects on your ability to absorb important nutrients, alcohol can affect the way you eat, causing you to choose unhealthy food over food thats rich in vitamins and minerals.
In a study that formed part of the FinDrink project, a study on alcohol use carried out in Finland, researchers found that male heavy alcohol drinkers had lower intakes of fiber, calcium, iron and other important nutrients than non-drinkers.
Liver Disease And Hair Loss
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Physical Trauma: A Shock To Hair Follicles
When your body is under serious physical stress, the natural cycle of hair growth and resting can be disrupted, resulting in hair loss, often in the form of thinning hair strands may come out in clumps. Any shock to the system, such as being in a severe accident, undergoing surgery, experiencing burns, or becoming very ill, can also shock the hair follicles, resulting in up to 75 percent of your hair falling out, sometimes months after the fact.
Is It Possible To Prevent Fatty Liver Disease
Fatty liver disease is a preventable illness with the institution of a healthy lifestyle including a well balanced diet, weight control, avoidance of excess alcohol consumption, and a regular physical exercise program. This does not guarantee success in disease prevention as some people may still develop the liver disease.
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Hair Loss Due To Dehydration
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it decreases production of the hormone that causes the body to absorb water. This can result in increased urination and, ultimately, dehydration. Chronic dehydration can cause dry, brittle hair and parched skin. Brittle hair is more likely to break off, resulting in thinning hair.
What Causes Low Stomach Acid
Low stomach acid is an incredibly common problem and there are several factors responsible:
- Stress, anxiety and tension are your digestive systems worst enemies. If you eat while in an emotional state, you will not be making enough stomach acid or digestive enzymes.
- Food allergy, intolerance or sensitivity. The irony is that low stomach acid makes you more likely to develop a food allergy, and having a food allergy can inhibit normal acid production. It is very important to identify and remove problematic foods. Gluten and dairy products are a common culprit but there could be others. Our book The Ultimate Detox contains a gluten and dairy free eating plan.
- Mineral deficiencies. Zinc and sodium are required for hydrochloric acid production. Zinc deficiencies are very common, especially among vegetarians. Sodium deficiency is not common it can occur in athletes or people who have experienced diarrhea or vomiting.
- High sugar diets.
- Inflammation of the lining of the stomach, known as gastritis can inhibit acid secretion.
- Food allergy, autoimmune disease and infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori can all result in gastritis.
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