FOREVER LIVING PRODUCTS Liver Disease(Hepatic Disease)

FOREVER LIVING PRODUCTS Liver Disease(Hepatic Disease)

What is liver disease?

Liver disease is any disturbance of liver function that causes illness. The liver is responsible for many critical functions within the body and should it become diseased or injured, the loss of those functions can cause significant damage to the body. Liver disease is also referred to as hepatic disease.
Liver disease is a broad term that covers all the potential problems cause the liver to fail to perform its designated functions. Usually, more than 75% or three quarters of liver tissue needs to be affected before decrease in function occurs.
The liver is the largest solid organ in the body; and is also considered a gland because among its many functions, it makes and secretes bile. The liver is located in the upper right portion of the abdomen protected by the rib cage. It has two main lobes that are made up of tiny lobules. The liver cells have two different sources of blood supply. The hepatic artery supplies oxygen rich blood that is pumped from the heart, while the portal vein supplies nutrients from the intestine and the spleen.
Normally, veins return blood from the body to the heart, but the portal vein allows chemicals from the digestive tract to enter the liver for "detoxification" and filtering prior to entering the general circulation. The portal vein also efficiently delivers the chemicals and proteins that liver cells need to produce the proteins, cholesterol, and glycogen required for normal body activities.
As part of its function, the liver makes bile, a fluid that contains among other substances, water, chemicals, and bile acids (made from stored cholesterol in the liver). Bile is stored in the gallbladder and when food enters the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), bile is secreted into the duodenum, to aid in the digestion of food.

Picture of the Liver

The liver is the only organ in the body that can easily replace damaged cells, but if enough cells are lost, the liver may not be able to meet the needs of the body.
The liver can be considered a factory; and among its many functions include the following:

• production of bile that is required in the digestion of food, in particular fats;
• storing of the extra glucose or sugar in the body into stored glycogen in liver cells; and then converting it back into glucose when the the body needs it for energy;
• production of blood clotting factors;
• production of amino acids (the building blocks for making proteins), including those used to help fight infection;
• the processing and storage of iron necessary for red blood cell production;
• manufacture of cholesterol and other chemicals required for fat transport;
• conversion of waste products of body metabolism into urea that is excreted in the urine; and
• metabolizating medications into their active ingredient in the body.

Cirrhosis is a term that describes permanent scarring of the liver. In cirrhosis, the normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue that cannot perform any liver function.
Acute liver failure may or may not be reversible, meaning that on occasion, there is a treatable cause and the liver may be able to recover and resume its normal functions.

What are the causes of liver disease?

The liver can be damaged in a variety of ways.

• Cells can become inflamed (such as in hepatitis: hepar=liver + itis=inflammation).
• Bile flow can be obstructed (such as in cholestasis: chole=bile + stasis=standing).
• Cholesterol or triglycerides can accumulate (such as in steatosis; steat=fat + osis=accumulation).
• Blood flow to the liver may be compromised.
• Liver tissue can be damaged by chemicals and minerals, or infiltrated by abnormal cells.

Alcohol abuse

Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease in North America. Alcohol is directly toxic to liver cells and can cause liver inflammation, referred to as alcoholic hepatitis. In chronic alcohol abuse, fat accumulation

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a late-stage of liver disease. Scarring of the liver and loss of functioning liver cells cause the liver to fail.

Drug-induced liver disease

Liver cells may become temporarily inflamed or permanently damaged by exposure to medications or drugs. Some medications or drugs require an overdose to cause liver injury while others may cause the damage even when taken in the appropriately prescribed dosage.
Taking excess amounts of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol) can cause liver failure. This is the reason that warning labels exist on many over-the-counter medications that contain acetaminophen and why prescription narcotic-acetaminophen combination medications (for example, Vicodin, Lortab, Norco, Tylenol #3) limit the numbers of tablets to be taken in a day. For patients with underlying liver disease or those who abuse alcohol, that daily limit is lower and acetaminophen may be contra-indicated in those individuals.
Statin medications are commonly prescribed to control elevated blood levels of cholesterol. Even when taken in the appropriately prescribed dose, liver inflammation may occur. This inflammation can be detected by blood tests that measure liver enzymes. Stopping the medication usually results in return of the liver function to normal.
Niacin is another medication used to control elevated blood levels of cholesterol, but liver inflammation for this medication is related to the dose taken. Similarly, patients with underlying liver disease may be at higher risk of developing liver disease due to medications such as niacin. Recent studies have found that niacin may not be as effective as previously thought in controlling high cholesterol. Patients who take niacin may want to see their health care professional to determine if other treatment options may be appropriate.
There are numerous other medications that may cause liver inflammation, most of which will resolve when the medication is stopped. These include antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin, Macrobid), amoxicillin and clavulanic acid(Augmentin, Augmentin XR), tetracycline (Sumycin), and isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid, Laniazid). Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall), a drug used to treat autoimmune disorders and cancers, has a variety of side effects including liver inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis. Disulfiram (Antabuse) is used to treat alcoholics and can cause liver inflammation.
Some herbal remedies and excessive amounts of vitamins can cause hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver failure. Examples include vitamin A, kava kava, ma-huang, and comfrey.
Many mushrooms are poisonous to the liver and eating unidentified mushrooms gathered in the wild can be lethal.

Infectious hepatitis

The term "hepatitis" means inflammation, and liver cells can become inflamed because of infection.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that is spread primarily through the fecal-oral route when small amounts of infected fecal matter are inadvertently ingested. Hepatitis A causes an acute inflammation of the liver which generally resolves spontaneously. The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent this infection. Thorough handwashing, especially when preparing food is the best way to prevent the spread of hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B is spread by exposure to body fluids (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact) and can cause an acute infection, but can also progress to cause chronic inflammation (chronic hepatitis) that can lead to cirrhosis andliver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine can prevent this infection.
Hepatitis C causes chronic hepatitis. An infected individual may not recall any acute illness. Hepatitis C is spread by exposure to body fluids (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact). Chronic hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. At present, there is no vaccine against this virus.
Hepatitis D is a virus that requires concomitant infection with hepatitis B to survive, and is spread via body fluid exposure (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact).
Hepatitis E is a virus that is spread via exposure to contaminated food and water.

Other viruses

Other viruses can also cause liver inflammation or hepatitis as part of the cluster of symptoms. Viral infections with infectious mononucleosis (Epstein Barr virus), adenovirus, and cytomegalovirus can inflame the liver. Non-viral infections such astoxoplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are less common causes.

Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease

NASH or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (also referred to as "fatty liver") describes the accumulation of fat within the liver that can cause inflammation of the liver and a gradual decrease in liver function.

Hemochromatosis

Hemachromatosis (iron overload) is a metabolic disorder that leads to abnormally elevated iron stores in the body. The excess iron may accumulate in the tissues of the liver, pancreas, and heart and can lead to inflammation, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. Hemachromatosis is an inherited disease.

Wilson's Disease

Wilson's disease is another inherited disease that affects the body's ability to metabolize copper. Wilson's disease may lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.

Gilbert's Disease

In Gilbert's disease, there is an abnormality in bilirubin metabolism in the liver. It is a common disease that affects up to 7% of the North American population. There are no symptoms and it is usually diagnosed incidentally when an elevated bilirubin level is found on routine blood tests. Gilbert's disease is a benign condition and requires no treatment.

Cancers

Primary cancers of the liver arise from liver structures and cells. Two examples include hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.
Metastatic cancer (secondary cancer of the liver) begins in another organ and spreads to the liver, usually through the blood stream. Common cancers that spread to the liver begin in the lung, breast, large intestine, stomach, and pancreas. Leukemia andHodgkin's lymphoma may also involve the liver.

Blood flow abnormalities

Budd Chiari syndrome is a disease in which blood clots form in the hepatic vein and prevent blood from leaving the liver. This can increase pressure within the blood vessels of th eliver, especially the portal vein. This pressure can cause liver cells to die and lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. Causes of Budd Chiari syndrome include polycythemia (abnormallyelevated red blood cell count),inflammatory bowel disease, sickle cell disease, and pregnancy.
Congestive heart failure, where poor heart function causes fluid and blood to back up in the large veins of the body can cause liver swelling and inflammation.
Normally, bile flows from the liver into the gallbladder and ultimately into the intestine to help with the digestion of food. If bile flow is obstructed, it can cause inflammation within the liver. Most commonly, gallstones can cause an obstruction of the ducts that drains bile from the liver.
Abnormalities of the opening of the bile duct into the small intestine (sphincter of Oddi) can lead to abnormalities of bile flow. The sphincter of Oddi acts as a "valve" that allows bile to flow from the common bile duct into the intestine.
Primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis can lead to progressive scarring of the bile ducts, causing them to become narrow, which results in reduced bile flow through the liver. Eventually, damage and scarring of the liver architecture occurs resulting in liver failure.

Other diseases and conditions

Since the liver is responsible for the functions that affect so many other organs in the body, liver disease and failure may cause complications. Examples include:

• Hepatic encephalopathy: Increased ammonia levels due to the liver's inability to process and metabolize proteins in the diet can cause confusion, lethargy and coma.
• Abnormal bleeding: The liver is responsible for manufacturing blood clotting factors. Decreased liver function can cause increased risk of bleeding in the body.
• Protein synthesis or manufacture: proteins made in the liver are the building blocks for body function. Lack of protein affects many bodily functions.
• Portal hypertension: Because the liver has such a great blood supply, damage to the liver tissue can increase pressure within the blood vessels in the liver and adversely affect blood flow to other organs. This can cause spleen swelling, and the development of varices or swollen veins in the gastrointestinal tract, from the esophagus (esophageal varices) and stomach to the anus (these are different than the swollen veins of hemorrhoids)

What are the risk factors for liver disease?

• Some liver diseases are potentially preventable and are associated with lifestyle choices. Alcohol-related liver disease is due to excessive consumption and is the most common preventable cause of liver disease.
• Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that are most often spread through the exchange of bodily fluids (for example, unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing unsterilized drug injecting equipment, using non-sterilized equipment for tattoos or body piercing).
• Hereditary liver disease can be passed genetically from generation to generation. Examples include Wilson's disease (copper metabolism abnormalaties) and hemochromatosis (iron overload).
• Chemical exposure may damage the liver by irritating the liver cells resulting in inflammation (hepatitis), reducing bile flow through the liver (cholestasis) and accumulation of triglycerides (steatosis). Chemicals such as anabolic steroids, vinyl chloride, and carbon tetrachloride can cause liver cancers.
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is a common cause of liver failure. It is important to review the dosing guidelines for all over-the-counter medications and to ask for guidance from your health care professional or pharmacist as to how much may be taken safely.
• Medications may irritate the blood vessels causing narrowing or formation blood clots (thrombosis). Birth control pills may cause hepatic vein thrombosis, especially in smokers.

What are the symptoms of liver disease?

Classic symptoms of liver disease include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and
• jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin due to elevated bilirubin concentrations in the bloodstream).

Fatigue, weakness and weight loss may also be occur.
However, since there are a variety of liver diseases, the symptoms tend to be specific for that illness until late-stage liver disease and liver failure occurs.
Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:

• A person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. If the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.
• Gilbert's disease has no symptoms, and in an incidental finding on a blood test where the bilirubin level is mildly elevated.
• Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body's waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include:
• easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors;
• bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching;
• gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones; specifically an increase in estradiol;
• impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;
• confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it), ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and
• muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production.

Additionally, there is increased pressure within the cirrhotic liver affecting blood flow through the liver. Increased pressure in the portal vein causes blood flow to the liver to slow down and blood vessels to swell. Swollen veins (varices) form around the stomach and esophagus and are at risk for bleeding.

When to seek medical care for liver disease

Often, the onset of a liver disease is gradual and there is no specific symptom that brings the affected individual to seek medical care. Fatigue, weakness and weight loss that cannot be explained should prompt a visit for medical evaluation.
Jaundice or yellow skin is never normal and should prompt an evaluation by a medical professional.
Persisting fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain should also prompt medical evaluation as soon as possible.
Acetaminophen or Tylenol overdose, whether accidental or intentional, can cause acute liver failure. Emergent evaluation and treatment is required. Antidotes to protect the liver can be provided, but are effective only when used within a few hours. Without this intervention, acetaminophen overdose can lead to liver failure and the need for liver transplant.

How is liver disease diagnosed?

The precise diagnosis of liver disease involves a history and physical examination performed by the health care professional. Understanding the symptoms and the patient's risk factors for liver disease will help guide any diagnostic tests that may be considered.
Sometimes history is difficult, especially in patients who abuse alcohol. These patients tend to minimize their consumption, and it is often family members who are able to provide the correct information.
Liver disease can have physical findings that affect almost all body systems including the heart, lungs, abdomen, skin, brain and cognitive function, and other parts of the nervous system. The physical examination often requires evaluation of the entire body.
Blood tests are helpful in assessing liver inflammation and function.
Specific liver function blood tests include:

• AST and ALT ( transaminase chemicals released with liver cell inflammation);
• GGT and alkaline phosphatase (chemicals released by cells lining the bile ducts);
• bilirubin; and
• protein and albumin levels.

Other blood tests may be considered, including the following:

• complete blood count (CBC), patients with end stage liver disease may have bone marrow suppression and low red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. As a result, patients with cirrhosis may have bleeding;
• INR blood clotting function may be impaired due to poor protein production and is a sensitive measure of liver function;
• lipase to check for pancreas inflammation;
• electrolytes, BUN and creatinine to assess kidney function; and
• ammonia blood level assessment is helpful in patients with mental confusion.

Imaging studies may be used to visualize, not only the liver, but other nearby organs that may be diseased. Examples of imaging studies include:

• CT scan (computerized axial tomography),
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and
• ultrasound (sound wave imaging, which is especially helpful in assessing the gallbladder and bile ducts.

Liver biopsy may be considered to confirm a specific diagnosis of liver disease. Under local anesthetic, a long thin needle is inserted through the chest wall into the liver, where a small sample of liver tissue is obtained for examination under a microscope.Here are FOREVER LIVING PRODUCTS recommended for liver diseases:

Forever Aloe Berry Nectar You can drink Forever Aloe Berry Nectar™ with meals or alone. The delicious flavor is totally natural, prepared from a blend of fresh cranberries and sweet, mellow apples. Added fructose (a natural fruit sugar) sweetens it just enough to please both adults and children alike.

Forever Aloe Berry Nectar™ contains all of the goodness found in our Forever Aloe Vera Gel™, plus the added benefits of cranberry and apple.

Besides their reputation as a cleanser for the urinary tract, cranberries provide a high content of vitamin C. They are also a natural source of healthful proanthocyanidins.

Apple juice contains many flavonoids as well as pectin.

You can drink Forever Aloe Berry Nectar™ with meals or alone. The delicious flavor is totally natural, prepared from a blend of fresh cranberries and sweet, mellow apples. Added fructose (a natural fruit sugar) sweetens it just enough to please both adults and children alike.

• All the benefits of Forever Aloe Vera Gel™ with the sweet taste of cranberries
• Contains healthful phytonutrients
• Natural source of Vitamin C

Forever Ginkgo Plus® Feed your creativity with ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo has been shown to increase circulation of blood to the brain, elevate mood and energy, and increase concentration, alertness, and metabolism.

• OVERVIEW

Feed your creativity with Ginkgo Biloba, the legendary “brain tonic” dating back five millennia. Forever Ginkgo Plus® is a unique blend of four Chinese plants. Ginkgo Biloba leaf extract, its chief ingredient, is combined with the powerful Chinese herbs of Ganoderma from Reishi mushrooms, Schisandra berries and cured Fo-ti.

The ginkgo tree is said to be the oldest surviving tree species. They live incredibly long (often over 1,000 years), and are extremely resistant to fungi and insects. Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most popular herbal supplements available in Europe and North America.

Extract from the ginkgo leaf yields flavonoids and terpenoids which strengthen capillaries. They also act as antioxidants. Ginkgo has been shown to increase circulation of blood to the brain, making it a remarkable “brain tonic.”

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Royal Jelly

ROYAL JELLY MAKES YOU MORE YOUTHFUL

 

Royal Jelly is a milky substance produced by the young nurse worker bees (honey bees) in a beehive. It is secreted from the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands situated in the heads of young workers and are derived from the proteins and nutrients in the pollen ingested by the secreting bees to feed all of the larvae in the colony, including those destined to become workers.

This rich jelly called Royal Jelly is manufactured solely in order to nourish the young larvae and sustain the queen.

Deep within every ordinary beehive a miracle unfolds. A single bee is chosen to become the Queen. As she feeds solely upon Royal Jelly in large quantities for the next four days, a wondrous food produced exclusively for her by the worker bees, she undergoes an amazing transformation that allows her to live nearly six years. The less fortunate worker bees, feeding only on honey and pollen, live about six weeks!

Astoundingly, if you take the Queen Bee off her diet of fresh Royal Jelly, she also lives about six weeks, just like the worker bees! The span of the worker bee’s life is about 35-40 days; while the queen lives 5-6 years and is extremely prolific. She is fertilized once, and from that moment on can lay as many as three thousand eggs a day during the season.

As incredible as this may seem, she can lay that many eggs for five years. Any creature that has that amount of energy and vitality has to be respected!

It is clear that, when it comes to providing the Queen Bee with sustenance, energy and long life, Royal Jelly can only be described as one of nature’s miraculous foods.

Cultivation

Royal Jelly is produced by stimulating colonies with movable frame hives to produce queen bees. It is collected from each individual queen cell when the larva is about four days old. It is collected from queen cells because these are the only cells in which large amounts are deposited.

Composition & Uses

The overall composition of Royal Jelly is 67% water, 12.5% crude protein (including small amounts of many different amino acids), and 11% simple sugars, also including a relatively high amount (5%) of fatty acids.

It contains remarkable amounts of proteins, lipids, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, C, E, hormones, enzymes, mineral substances, and specific vital factors like gamma globulin, which helps your immune system fight off viral infections.

Although some of the elements found in Royal Jelly are in microgram quantities, they still can act supremely with co-enzymes as catalysts or can act synergistically.

Royal Jelly is rich in folic acid and pantothenic acid. In fact, it contains seventeen times as much pantothenic acid (one of the most important substances in the body, essential for the synthesis and metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and several hormones) as that found in dry pollen.

The amino acids in Royal Jelly are of significant interest to nutritionists. Long associated with the ability to fight ‘free-radicals’ in the body, amino acids form the basis of our chemical make-up, and are essential to growth and the ability to fight infection and disease.

In most cases we cannot create our own amino acid, so we must ingest them through the foods that we eat. The actual chemical make-up of Royal Jelly remains an unrevealed Royal secret. The fact is that we can’t recreate Royal Jelly by a recipe or something!

Royal Jelly is a delicate liquid. As soon as it’s removed from the sterile environment it can get infected. So once removed from the hive it must be processed quickly to prevent contamination, ideally within two or three hours.

Our Royal Jelly is gathered from dry, remote, high Sonoran desert regions where pristine conditions provide the ideal environment for our beehives.

It is extracted from the hive and immediately freeze-dried to remove only the excess water from the product, leaving all vitamins, minerals, enzymes and co-enzymes present.

Freeze drying ‘locksin’ the nutritional content of the product and removes the water without affecting the nutrient quality of the product.

Moreover, Forever Royal Jelly is devoid of artificial colours or flavours and is preserved in it’s most natural state.

The source of your product is of vital importance as many bee-keepers may not be equipped to process the Royal Jelly efficiently, and this can lead to degraded nutritional content and various forms of contamination.

Forever Royal Jelly is a powerful super-food which adds a potent punch to our diet and well-being.

Forever Lycium Plus A Chinese fruit used for centuries, lycium has been shown to enhance the complexion and help maintain energy and good vision. Forever Lycium Plus® is a dietary supplement containing antioxidants, bioflavonoids and other beneficial phytonutrients.

A fruit used in ancient China for centuries, lycium has been shown to enhance the complexion and help maintain energy and good vision. Forever Lycium Plus® is a dietary supplement containing antioxidants, bioflavonoids and other beneficial phytonutrients.

Lycium is known in China as a “yin tonic”, with many traditional uses for maintaining good health. Licorice is considered to be the most widely used herb in China. It is made up of over 150 different compounds, which have been shown to have many beneficial effects. Its most frequent use by far is as a complementary herb, with its main function being to bring out the best beneficial effects of other herbs. This makes it an ideal companion for lycium.

Licorice Flavonoid Extract is a concentrated form of licorice bioflavonoids. It is produced according to a process that removes most of the glycyrrhizin, an intensely sweet component of licorice that has been shown to produce undesirable side effects. Based on modern studies, licorice bioflavonoids are among the strongest antioxidants discovered to date.

• Powerful antioxidant
• Good source of phytonutrients
• Beneficial to eyesight and skin
• Powerful tonic

DISCLAIMER: All above Product Information is taken from www.foreverliving.com. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the FDA. The products discussed are not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure or prevent a specific disease or class of diseases. You should consult your family physician if you are experiencing a medical problem.

Rest of the information provided above is as per my sole understanding and is created by myself or taken from other sources on Internet, Books etc. Please read Company's literature or attend Company's Seminar for more and latest information.