Liver
toxicity, or toxic hepatitis, happens when there is an accumulation of
toxic material in the liver. One of the main functions of the liver is
to filter out toxic materials from the body. If the exposure to the
toxic material continues long-term it may cause chronic damage to the
liver, or what is called liver toxicity. One good examples is from
prescription drugs. When we have a pill or 2, the liver breaks down the
ingredients inside the pills, so that they can be removed from the body
through bile or urine, which ends up in the production of some
byproducts.
Many of these byproducts stay in the liver and since the pills are
chemicals, these byproducts are often toxic to the liver and when they
accumulate, they cause inflammation in the liver. If the inflammation
continues, it may cause liver failure and cirrhosis which is severely
life threatening.
A list of the most damaging toxins to the liver:
1- Alcohol. Alcohol is the most commonly consumed
liver-toxic material. Drinking 1-2 glasses of wine or a pint of beer per
week is fine and even good for your health, but if you drink heavily,
you should know that alcohol causes inflammation in the liver, over a
long time it may lead to alcoholic hepatitis. If this continues it can
lead to liver failure and cirrhosis, which can be fatal.
2- Over-the-counter pain medications (analgesics).
These drugs are minor pain relievers and you can get them without
prescription. When consumed long term or in a large quantity, for
example mistakenly by a child or in a suicide attempt, they create a
sudden enormous load of toxins in the liver, more than what liver is
capable of handling. You should note that toxicity of these drugs
skyrocket when they are consumed with another toxin, such as alcohol or
other liver- toxic drugs. Acetaminophen (aka Tylenol, Panadol, Mapap,
Ofirmev, Feverall, Acephen, Mejoralito, Xl-dol, Nortemp, Tempra,
Bf-paradac, Aphen, Ringl, Aypanal, Apap) is the most common liver toxin
drug. It treats minor pains and soothes fever, it’s helpful in
sinusitis (sinus infection) and sore throat, but never stay on it for a
long time!
Other drugs in this class that may damage your liver when taken
frequently are aspirin (Brand names: Ecotrin, Fasprin), ibuprofen
(Brand names: Advil, Midol, Motrin, Caldolor, NeoProfen) and naproxen
(Brand names: Naprelan, Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox)
According to FDA, drug induced liver toxicity is now the main cause
of acute liver failure, more than all other causes combined.
3- Prescription Drugs. Remember Heath Ledger, the
young talented actor who died at a young age in 2008? His cause of death
was liver toxicity due to a deadly combination of Oxycodin, (a
painkiller) Valium, Xanax (an antidepressant) Restoril, Unisom and
Vicodin.
According to Mayo Clinic, some prescription drugs that may cause liver toxicity are as following:
combination drug amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin), halothane,
isoniazid, valproic acid (Depakene), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek),
azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), niacin (Niaspan), atorvastatin (Lipitor),
lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), simvastatin (Zocor),
fluvastatin (Lescol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), ketoconazole, certain
antibiotics, some antivirals and anabolic steroids, and many more!
Natural News claims that as many as 100,000 Americans die every year due to the toxicity caused by FDA- approved drugs.
4- Herbs and Dietary Supplements. There are some
herbs in nature that when consumed in large quantities can cause liver
damage. Some of the examples are cascara, chaparral, comfrey, kava and
ephedra. Also, some supplements if taken in large quantities may cause
liver toxicity, there are too many incidents of young children mistaking
these supplements for candy and eating them.
5- Industrial and Commercial Chemicals. According
to Haz-map, there are dozens of common commercial and industrial
chemicals that may cause liver damage, some more famous examples are as
follows:
Chlorinated Solvents
Carbon Tetrachloride (the dry cleaning solvent)
Vinyl Chloride (widely used in making plastics
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