Modern approaches to the treatment of the liver diseases

Liver is a unique organ. Human beings cannot exist without liver. Therefore, all liver diseases that result in the reduction of liver function are considered to be very dangerous. There are many medications for the treatment of the liver diseases and these medicinal agents are capable to restore various functions of this largest human gland. Only the doctor can treat the liver diseases taking into account the detected clinical and laboratory modifications and with the application of complex treatment.

Liver diseases

The liver affections may develop:
•      In cases of the influences upon the liver cells of foods with toxic impurities, other toxic substances, particularly alcoholic drinks, medicinal drugs, bacteria and viruses. In such cases doctors frequently find changes both in the liver tissues and in the biliary tracts.
•      In liver venous congestion against the background of the cardiovascular diseases, consuming of some plants which are included in food additives and medical teas, especially of the Chinese manufacture.
•      In liver and biliary duct cholestasis, which develops under the influence of viral, alcoholic, medicinal, food, and vegetative factors.
•      In the overdose of vitamins, especially of vitamin A. In this case there is an increased proliferation of connective tissue cells that leads to the stagnation of blood in the liver and the increase of the pressure in the liver vessels;
•      In cases of indirect damaging effect of any toxic factors upon the liver cells, such as the inflammatory and allergic processes in other organs, lack of oxygen, etc.

The main principles of liver treatment

The particularity of the liver diseases consists in the fact that, even if they end in recovery, after this recovery the metabolic disturbances still remain for a long time. These metabolic disorders also require the adequate treatment for the restoration of various aberrations of cellular structure and function of the liver and biliary ducts. Therefore treatment of any liver disease is an extremely difficult problem. The solution to this problem begins with the clinical examination and laboratory testing in order to detect the causes of the liver disease and eliminate them. In acute liver diseases the treatment begins with the elimination of the intoxication. Doctors prescribe droppers with glucose, blood substitutes, and other detoxifying medications. Simultaneously doctors prescribe the medications that normalize the secretory function of the liver and bile outflow. After that the long lasting and multistage process of the restoration of the liver structure and function begins.

Medications used in the liver diseases

The medications used for liver treatment are divided into three groups: liver protecting remedies, cholagogues and cholelitholytic agents.
Liver protecting remedies promote the restoration of the function of the liver cells and thus improve all metabolic processes in the liver, raise its resistance to various toxic influences, accelerate the restorative, functional processes in any kinds of damages. All liver protecting remedies are classified as the preparations of plant and animal origin (essetiale and essetiale forte, carsil, heptral, silimar, hophytol, hepatosan), synthetic medications (for example, zixorin also known as flumecinol) and homeopathic remedies (halstena).
Cholagogues increase the bile secretion (allochol, cholenzyme, cholagol) and its flow by biliary tracts up to exit into the intestines (sulfate of magnesium, berberin bisulphate).
Cholelitholytic agents are medications (chenofalc, ursofalc) that produce dissolution of the gallstones in the biliary ducts and the gallbladder by means of acids contained in these preparations. They are used for the dissolution of the small size cholesterol gallstones.

Folk remedies used for the treatment of the liver diseases

There exist numerous folk remedies for the treatment of liver diseases. Among them is, for example, the decoction of corn stigmata, which is an excellent cholagogue. It is prepared in the following manner: take 10 g of dried up and crushed corn stigmata (as a matter of fact these are the fuzz or filaments, which are located under corn leaves) and add to them one and a half glass of cold water; then boil within 30 minutes on a small fire in the enameled utensils with the closed cover. After that the decoction is cooled, filtered and taken by 1 to 3 tablespoons in each 3-4 hours.

In conclusion one should say that the treatment of the liver diseases is a long-term and difficult process and it must be entrusted to your doctor.