Liver瘟

　　Liver瘟 is a disease caused by internal invasion of damp-heat epidemic toxins, with severe liver damage and injury to营blood, internal closure of the heart and mind. It blocks Qi and blood, causing blood stasis, and leading to severe liver dysfunction. From a Western medical perspective, this disease is related to hepatitis B virus infection, usually due to inadequate treatment of hepatitis B or not paying attention to lifestyle habits, leading to worsening and development of the disease. Liver biopsy may show characteristic pathological changes such as extensive necrosis of hepatocytes.

　　Liver瘟 can easily lead to serious complications, such as liver dysfunction, loss of liver secretion, bile leakage, and even internal liver wind, with the spirit losing its master. It can cause jaundice of the skin and mucous membranes, anorexia, nausea, and other symptoms. In severe cases, due to metabolic disorders of liver cells, blood ammonia levels may rise, leading to hepatic encephalopathy. This disease is a serious central nervous system complication, which can directly inhibit central function and threaten life. Therefore, patients with liver disease and increased blood ammonia levels should receive active treatment to avoid the occurrence of serious complications.

　　Liver瘟 is a type of epidemic disease characterized by fever, rapid deepening of jaundice, confusion, and bleeding. Its common manifestations are as follows:

　　10. In cases of sudden onset of jaundice, which deepens rapidly, irritability and delirium may appear within 10 days.

　　9. In cases of severe jaundice, nausea, frequent vomiting, abdominal distension, belching, extreme fatigue, blurred vision, disordered speech, restlessness, or abdominal distension like a drum, oliguria, skin spots, vomiting of blood, or epistaxis.

　　8. In cases of high fever that does not subside, deep and dark jaundice, delirium, or tremors in the hands and feet, or a reduced liver dullness,

　　Protecting the liver is essential for preventing the occurrence of liver瘟. There are several methods to protect the liver, which are introduced in detail as follows:

　　1. Pay attention to sleep time

　　Adults should have a normal sleep duration of 8 hours, which should ideally start around 11 pm. The time from 1 to 3 am is when deep sleep occurs, which is the best time for nourishing the liver blood. Conversely, insufficient blood nourishment may occur. Therefore, we appeal to everyone to avoid staying up late as much as possible. If you inevitably become part of the late-night crowd, you should take in more充足 nutrition to protect yourself and minimize the harm to your body from staying up late.

　　2. Pay attention to food hygiene

　　Do not drink unboiled water or eat raw seafood, as clams, oysters, and shellfish are prone to infection by hepatitis A virus. If you plan to travel to areas with a high risk of hepatitis A infection, such as mainland China, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Africa, it is best to get vaccinated against hepatitis A before departure.

　　3. Maintain normal weight

　　Overweight may increase the chance of liver disease. Excess weight makes the liver work harder and increases the risk of fatty liver. If the body fat decreases, the liver fat will also decrease, and even significantly decrease the elevated liver function index in liver disease patients. Liver disease experts say that for those who are not carriers of B hepatitis or C hepatitis, the mild increase in liver index is mostly caused by fatty liver. The ideal weight loss method is a balanced diet combined with regular exercise.

　　4. Do not drink alcohol or smoke

　　Drinking alcohol increases the risk of fatty liver and alcoholic liver disease. People with liver disease should completely abstain from alcohol. In addition, smoking is related to liver cancer, and smoking should be minimized and quit as much as possible.

　　5. Diet and liver care

　　A key principle of diet is 'balance'. In order to achieve rapid weight loss, eating only fruit and no other food in three meals, or 'low-sugar diet' will increase the burden on the liver. The liver is responsible for converting the food eaten into the body's energy source. For the liver, converting non-carbohydrates into energy is more laborious than converting carbohydrates into energy. A balanced diet should consist of 60-70% carbohydrates (such as rice, noodles), 20-30% protein (such as meat, beans), and 10-20% polyunsaturated fats (such as vegetable oils).

　　6. Be cautious with medication and do not abuse drugs

　　All drugs taken must be detoxified by the liver. In addition to prescribed drugs, avoid taking other drugs on your own, as taking multiple drugs is likely to produce drug interactions, affecting the liver's ability to metabolize drugs. Reishi has liver-protecting and detoxifying effects, can reduce SGPT, promote liver cell regeneration, enhance liver antioxidant enzymes, and inhibit liver tissue lipid peroxidation, which can significantly improve the condition of patients with hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. When people with liver disease go to the hospital, they should inform the doctor of all the drugs they are currently taking as a reference for the doctor's prescription.

　　Liver fever is primarily diagnosed based on the history of hepatitis infection and clinical manifestations. At the same time, combined with laboratory tests: serum bilirubin increases by more than 170μmol/L within a few days, ALT increases, turbidity test is positive, albumin globulin inversion, prothrombin time prolongation, prothrombin activity below 40%. Two pairs of half checks HbsAg and HbeAg are positive, HBV-DNA is positive, and liver biopsy shows large-scale necrosis of liver cells.

　　For patients with liver fever, eating some liver-protecting foods regularly can help patients recover faster. Below, I will introduce several types of liver-protecting foods for everyone. Patients may want to try them.

　　1. Liver-nourishing and cold-preventing vegetables

　　Braised fish fillets in tomato sauce: Green carp is good for nourishing the liver, improving eyesight, and invigorating the stomach and spleen. It is suitable for people with chronic illness, weakness of the nerves, chronic hepatitis, and chronic nephritis.

　　Stewed flat beans: Beans are praised as a first-class vegetarian food for invigorating the spleen and stomach, especially suitable for the elderly, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.

　　2. Liver-nourishing and cold-resistant soup

　　Leek pork liver soup: Leek is warm and pungent, and eating it the most can help Yang. When it is paired with pork liver, it can nourish the liver blood. Suitable for patients with liver disease, night blindness, constipation, and other diseases.

　　3. Liver-tonifying and cold-repelling congee

　　Black rice congee: Black rice is mild in nature and sweet in flavor, containing 15 amino acids and various vitamins, which can benefit the liver and spleen, nourish the stomach and kidneys, and is a good food for tonifying. This congee is suitable for those with liver and kidney deficiency, and women with physical weakness after childbirth.

　　Jujube congee: Jujube tonifies Qi and blood, benefits the liver, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and warms the Yang. This congee is suitable for those with poor spleen and stomach, poor appetite and loose stools, insufficient Qi and blood, thrombocytopenia, anemia, chronic hepatitis, malnutrition, and other conditions.

　　4. Liver-protecting and cold-repelling tea

　　Honey and red tea: Put 5 grams of red tea leaves in a thermos cup, pour boiling water over it, cover and steep for a moment; mix in appropriate amounts of honey and brown sugar. Drink 1 time before each meal, which can warm the middle and nourish the stomach. This tea is suitable for those with excessive liver qi in spring and poor spleen and stomach function.

　　Scallion and ginger tea: Cut a scallion into pieces and place it in a pot, add 1 bowl of boiling water, boil it with high heat, add a large pinch of red tea leaves, mix in 1 spoon of ginger juice, and drink the strong tea while it is hot. Then cover with a quilt and go to sleep. It can increase heat and resist cold, prevent and treat common cold caused by wind-cold.

　　Liver瘟 is also known as jaundice, epidemic jaundice. The name of liver瘟 comes from 'Ming Medical Miscellaneous'. Because of its acute onset, 'The Treatise on the Origins of Various Diseases' also calls it acute jaundice. The principles of medical treatment are as follows:

　　1. Syndrome of dampness-heat-toxin accumulation

　　High fever, the color of jaundice is deep and bright, getting worse day by day, right hypochondrium is full and painful, abdominal distension, dizziness and drowsiness, limbs are heavy, extremely tired, nausea and vomiting, urine is yellow and red, constipation or sticky and uncomfortable, tongue red with yellow greasy coating or black, pulse slippery and rapid. Clear heat and dampness, detoxify.

　　2. Syndrome of toxin entering the营blood

　　Body temperature is higher at night, jaundice deepens rapidly, urine is short and red, movements are abnormal, drowsiness and silence, or delirium and restlessness, hands and feet tremble, vomiting frequently. Abdominal distension as if it were a drum, vomiting blood and nosebleeds, there are spots under the skin, or 'liver odor' can be heard, tongue red and deep red coating yellow and dry, pulse wiry and thin and rapid. Cool the blood and detoxify.

　　3. Internal blockage due to epidemic toxin

　　High fever that does not subside, severe jaundice, loss of consciousness, restlessness or mania, both stools and urine are blocked, abdominal distension as if it were a drum, the liver dullness border rapidly decreases, and 'liver odor' can be heard, vomiting blood and nosebleeds, tongue with deep red coating and yellow and dry black, pulse thin and rapid. Detoxify and open the orifices.