CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a rather common condition today in the Western world. It is a type of scarring of the liver that impairs its functioning and can lead to death.

Symptoms. Early symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, easy bruising, easy bleeding, pain or swelling in the liver area, and jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes).

Later symptoms may include many complications of liver disease such as high blood pressure, spider veins, itching, loss of appetite, nausea, varicose veins in the esophagus, fluid accumulation in the legs, or fluid in the abdomen called ascites.

Types of cirrhosis. About 57% of cirrhosis appears to be caused by chronic hepatitis B or C. Another 20% is caused by alcohol consumption. The other 23% is due to factors other than alcohol consumption or hepatitis. This type is increasing in the Western world due to exposure to toxins, chronic infections other than hepatitis, and other factors mentioned below.

However, these divisions may be less important if one considers that nutritional imbalances can be the underlying factor in many of these causes of cirrhosis.

Doctors consider cirrhosis incurable. However, in my experience, following a nutritional balancing program is helpful for many types of cirrhosis, and can often reverse this serious condition without the need for drugs, and without a liver transplant or other surgery.

CAUSES OF CIRRHOSIS

For purposes of discussion, I will divide the causes of cirrhosis into alcohol-related and non-alcohol related.

Alcohol-related cirrhosis. This is one of the oldest liver conditions known to mankind. Its single cause is the consumption of too much alcohol, usually also accompanied by malnutrition. People who drink too much alcohol frequently skip eating regular meals to some degree, at least, and just fill up on alcohol. This gives them plenty of calories, but little or no vitamins, minerals and other nutrients provided by foods such as vegetables, meats, eggs and dairy products.

The result is a degeneration of the liver that is sometimes called a fatty liver or a cirrhotic liver. I will not bother with the technical description of the liver other than to say it swells up, feels soft and watery, and in the advanced stages of cirrhosis, it “leaks” fluid, which fills up the abdominal cavity causing a type of bloat or edema that must be drained with a needle or it will interfere with breathing and other body functions. This is the classic type of alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. It can be fatal, and the usual medical treatment is a liver transplant – a very costly and somewhat dangerous operation.

Non-alcohol related cirrhosis. As the name implies, this refers to cirrhosis of the liver in the absence of consuming alcohol. Chronic hepatitis is the most common cause, but there are many others and they are simple to correct. They include:

1. Drugs – prescription, over-the-counter and recreational. Among the worst culprits are pain killers of all kinds, such as Tylenol, Aleve, Excedrin and dozens of others. These contain acetaminophen, ibuprofin and other horrible medications that damage the liver. I recently read that acetominophen toxicity is the leading cause of liver failure in the Western world.

However, many other medical drugs build up in the liver and are hard to excrete. As a result, they eventually damage the liver and can destroy it. This applies to most classes of medical drugs. This is one reason that I always advise people to avoid all medical and over-the-counter drugs of all kinds, unless you have researched and found no natural alternatives. In most cases, the medical drugs are not needed.

Our leaders are beginning to pay a lot of attention to toxins such as lead, mercury and other environmental chemicals, and this is good. However, so far they are not paying attention to this source of liver toxicity that is condoned by all the health experts and sold over the counter.

2. Environmental poisons. This is another possible cause of liver toxicity and cirrhosis. Thousands of chemicals and toxic metals are all around us in our food, water, air and items we contact in other ways. They include a wide range of items such as hair dyes, nail polish, paints, skin creams, plastics, metals such as nickel-plated jewelry, anti-perspirants containing aluminum, rooibos tea that contains too much nickel, and thousands more items.

Highly toxic chemicals also include mercury found in amalgam dental fillings, nickel found in metal tooth braces and bridges, some iron compounds found in foods or mineral supplements, pesticides used on lawns and gardens, solvents, sealers, and many other products. Actually, there are fewer of these than there were 30-40 years ago, but there are still hundreds, if not thousands of toxic products all around us. For more on this subject, read Toxic Chemicals and Toxic Metals on this website.

3. Chronic yeast infections. This may seem like an unlikely cause for cirrhosis. However, keep in mind that yeasts such as candida albicans produce alcohol. Also keep in mind that excessive yeast in the body is extremely common today. This is the result of copper imbalance, in part, and an imbalanced pH of the body, as well. Much more on this subject is found in the article entitled Candida Albicans Infection, Copper Toxicity Syndrome and Acid And Alkaline on this website.

As a result, having chronic yeast infections anywhere in the body such as in the intestines, sinuses, or brain, is like having an alcohol production facility right inside the body.

To be more precise, chronic yeast infection contributes to liver toxicity partly due to an effect of the alcohol produced by the yeast. However, yeast organisms also produce acetaldehyde and other aldehydes, in many cases. This is another liver toxin that may contribute to cirrhosis, as well. Yeasts and other improper bowel flora produce many other powerful toxins such as indol, skatol, cadaverine and many other chemicals that also poison the liver.

4. Other chronic infections besides yeasts. This is the other common cause of liver toxicity and liver failure with cirrhosis. For example, chronic hepatitis is associated with the development of cirrhosis. However, all infections anywhere in the body produce endotoxins and often exotoxins. These highly poisonous substances may simply be waste products of the infectious organism. However, they may also be secretions of the infecting organism that keep the host from killing the infection, thus protecting the infective organism. This occurs with most parasites, with cancers and with many viruses and bacteria.

These infection toxins poison the liver, in many cases, and can easily contribute to non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The process of producing toxins within the body, usually due to infections or impaired digestion, is discussed in a separate article entitled Auto-intoxication on this website.

5. Nutritional deficiencies. This is almost universal today. The liver requires dozens of nutrient minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients found in plants, meats, and dairy products (fruit is not needed, in my experience). Most people are deficient in some of these, including many minerals, common vitamins such as B-complex vitamins and others. This adds to the strain on the liver and may precipitate cirrhosis, as well. it is easy to correct, but a person must stop living on refined white sugar, white flour, white rice and other food that has been stripped of much of its nutrition.

6. Other. These might include other sources of liver damage, ranging from genetic problems to blocked acupuncture meridians that go through the liver.

An unusual, but real cause of liver problems is holding the emotion of anger, which harms the liver and gall bladder more than any other organ of the body. This truth is expressed in our language in expressions such as: “he has a lot of gall”, “I gave him a piece of my liver” and “I was livid”. All three refer to anger and its connection with the liver. If you wish to have a healthy liver, let go of anger – especially women.

IDENTIFYING CIRRHOSIS

The standard tests doctors use to identify cirrhosis are liver function tests (blood tests), scans such as MRIs and others, and sometimes a liver biopsy. Unfortunately, these are often “late” indicators. This means they will not reveal the problem until it has developed to an advanced degree. So I suggest preventing the problem, rather than waiting until it can be diagnosed by a doctor.

CORRECTION

Doctors who identify cirrhosis will look for the cause and try to correct it, if possible. At times, the cause is not easy to find because it is related to poisoning with toxic metals and toxic chemicals. It can also be due to a very subtle infection somewhere in the body that is not easily detectable.

In the case of chronic hepatitis, medical methods may not work well to correct the underlying cause, and this is a common problem.

As a result, many people with cirrhosis end up requiring a liver transplant, a costly and dangerous procedure. In fact, doctors consider most cases of cirrhosis incurable.

Nutritional balancing is well-suited to correct some cases of cirrhosis. The problem with alcohol-caused cirrhosis is that most alcoholics will not follow a strict diet and nutritional supplement program, and have a hard enough time just quitting their alcohol. However, in our limited experience, if a person will quit drinking alcohol and instead follow a nutritional balancing diet and supplement program, that person will slowly get well.

Adding daily coffee enemas and near infrared lamp sauna therapy will speed up the healing greatly. This would tend to prove that cirrhosis is merely a nutritional deficiency disease.

A nutritional balancing program will correct many of the causes of non-alcoholic cirrhosis listed above. The program replenishes dozens of vital nutrients, and will also slowly and thoroughly rid the body of all the toxic metals, all toxic chemicals, all chronic infections and yeast infestation, as well.

The Roy Masters meditation, near infrared sauna therapy, and other parts of the program can help anyone to release anger and resentment, and to forgive those who have harmed us.

PREVENTING CIRRHOSIS

The best suggestion is to prevent cirrhosis of the liver, and it is quite easy to prevent. A good start is to eat between 2 and 3 cups of cooked vegetables, not raw ones, three times daily. Also, avoid vegetarian diets, avoid all sugar and sweets, and avoid wheat and all refined foods. This will provide the body with many critical nutrients that can totally prevent many cases of cirrhosis.

In addition, avoid drinking alcohol, stay away from all medical drugs and over-the-counter remedies unless absolutely needed, and reduce your exposure to all toxic chemicals. Particularly avoid over-the-counter and other pain killers. Use natural methods to control and overcome pain, and this is definitely possible. Read Pain on this website for more on this important subject.

For even better protection, I suggest following a complete nutritional balancing program. This will detoxify the body, renourish the body, help heal the emotions, and much more. If you are not ready for a complete program, begin with the ‘free program’.

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