JAUNDICE

When a person suffers from jaundice he or she experiences an awful feeling of nausea and malaise. The term “sick to the stomach” takes on a whole new meaning. Even sleeping does not take away that nausea and discomfort.

The disease can be recognized easily, the skin and the whites of the eyes become an unhealthy yellow because of the increased levels of bilirubin in the human body. A medical diagnosis will show that the concentration of bilirubin in the blood exceeds 2–3 mg/dL. In fact the word “jaundice” comes from the French word jaune, meaning yellow.

Basically the red blood cells die, and the “heme” in the hemoglobin slowly gets converted to bilirubin in the spleen and the liver. This condition is because of the inflammation of the liver or hepatitis caused by a virus or other infections. Sometimes an obstruction of the bile ducts because of gallstones could cause jaundice.

The good news is that jaundice responds well to home remedies. There are so many traditional cures that can be easily followed. One of the best-known cures is of course the glucose powder available commercially in packets. Honey is also an excellent substitute. Have it in plentiful, to keep your energy up and help clear the toxins in the body. One commonly advocated cure is a mashed ripe banana with some honey, eaten twice a day.

Plenty of fruit and tomato juice, lime, fruits like papaya also help in speedy recovery. The patient should also be given dried dates and cardamoms as a remedy. My Indian friend recommends turmeric, the well known natural antiseptic as a cure.

Sometimes newborn babies get jaundice; this disappears within a few days, without any special treatment. However an effective treatment that quickens the process of cure is to expose the baby to the gentle morning sunlight or keep him or her under a UV light. This process is known as phototherapy.

So don’t get into a panic if you or anyone you know gets jaundice. Maintain high standards of hygiene and treat it with natural remedies. Some of the best cures were actually prescribed by your grandmother