Imagine your liver as a hard worker, working endlessly to process all that you eat, cleanse your body, and keep everything going. But what happens when this important organ starts getting too stressed? It starts getting damaged and losing its capacity to work, ultimately resulting in a condition called cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis is a life-threatening liver ailment in which the liver tissue is seriously scarred. There are many causative factors responsible for cirrhosis, and its onset might be really slow with few people even recognizing the damage till it's beyond repair.
To truly understand cirrhosis, it is essential to explore both modern and Ayurvedic perspectives on its causes. By looking at these different viewpoints, we can get a clear understanding on how Ayurveda's root-cause approach can help restore your liver health and prevent further damage.
An imbalance of the following doshas, as well as the buildup of toxins (Ama), is said to cause a variety of diseases, including cirrhosis:
Vata Dosha: Vata controls movement, and its imbalance may cause dryness and unevenness in metabolism and digestion. It causes the toxic materials to clog up the liver and disrupt its function, eventually resulting in liver cirrhosis and degeneration.
Pitta Dosha: Pitta controls digestion and metabolism, and if this dosha is increased, it may produce excess heat and inflammation in the liver. It can cause damage to the liver tissue and, ultimately, cirrhosis.
Kapha Dosha: Kapha governs structure and lubrication within the body. When imbalanced, it will lead to congestion, water retention, and slow digestion. This will result in the buildup of waste products within the liver, which overloads its function and leads to cirrhosis.
Environmental factors: Exposure to environmental toxins, chemicals, and pollution negatively impacts the liver. Chronic stress, too, can damage the liver's detox function, making it more susceptible to cirrhosis.
Diet: A diet rich in processed foods, sugar, unhealthy fats, and alcohol can burden the liver. Alcohol is especially a major cause of cirrhosis because it has toxic effects on liver cells. A poor diet can cause fatty liver disease, which develops into cirrhosis if not treated.
Lifestyle choices: Sedentary living, obesity, and no physical activity are risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can progress to cirrhosis.
Modern medicine recognizes a number of risk factors and causes that lead to cirrhosis such as
Chronic alcohol abuse: Chronic alcohol use can overload the liver's ability to detoxify and metabolize alcohol, causing inflammation and scarring of liver tissue.
Hepatitis infections: Chronic viral infections such as hepatitis B and C can result in inflammation of the liver, causing scarring and ultimately cirrhosis.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity can result in fatty liver disease, which, if left untreated, can advance to cirrhosis.
Medications and toxins: Long-term exposure to some medicines may lead to liver injury, increasing the likelihood of cirrhosis. Also, environmental toxins, like industrial chemicals or heavy metals, can cause damage to the liver.
Autoimmune Diseases: Sometimes the immune system targets the liver by mistake, resulting in autoimmune hepatitis, which, if left unmanaged, can cause cirrhosis.
Genetic causes: Some people might inherit conditions such as hemochromatosis or Wilson's disease, which cause more than normal buildup of iron or copper in the liver and end up in cirrhosis.
Both internal imbalances and external factors can significantly harm your liver. By taking a balanced route to health - with an emphasis on proper nutrition, staying fit and detoxification - you can safeguard your liver and avoid the risk of cirrhosis. Speak with an Ayurvedic expert to find a holistic route to optimal liver function.
