Bottom Line Health
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| Methotrexate can cause liver damage and a reduced white blood cell count. A patient taking methotrexate should have his/her liver biopsied every one to two years to check for liver damage. Cyclosporine can cause high blood pressure, infections and decreased kidney function. Because of the potential for kidney damage, cyclosporine is typically used for only one year. Acitretin, the only oral retinoid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat psoriasis, can thin the hair, cause dry skin and lips, cause bone abnormalities and affect liver function. |
Ray D. Strand
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 Niacin (Vitamin B3)
High doses of niacin supplementation may create flushing to the skin, nausea, and liver damage. Clinical studies have shown slow-released products with niacin may decrease the risk of flushing, but they may also increase the risk of liver damage.16
Many people use high doses of niacin as a natural way to decrease their cholesterol levels. Using pharmaceutical levels of niacin supplementation should always be done under the direction of a physician. The levels of niacin recommended in Chapter 17 are in a very safe range. |
C. W. Randolph, M.D.
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 According to the American Liver Association and the American Liver Foundation, liver damage can occur when you consume two drinks a day on a daily basis or five to seven drinks a day on the weekend. Because the liver can heal itself by regenerating damaged tissue, abstinence from alcohol can cause a complete reversal and cure without leaving any residual scarring. How long this will take depends on the degree of liver damage.
Phytoestrogens. |
David Steinman
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 People experienced chronic headaches, muscle aches, impotency, memory loss, and other signs of acute chemical exposure, as well as liver damage. Cynthia Watson, MD, on the Doctors' Prescription for Healthy Living medical board, helped to treat many of people hurt by the exposure, including one of the barge men who heroically stayed out on the water to try and hold back the toxic currents. She used medicinal herbs such as milk thistle and antioxidants like n-acetyl cysteine, and they helped, although, after all, none of the pharmaceutical drugs could prevent further liver damage. |
Andreas Moritz
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 Burdock Root might play a role in preventing liver damage caused by alcohol, chemicals, or medications. The exact reason for this protective effect is not known, but it is thought to involve opposition of a chemical process called oxidation, which occurs in the body as a natural function of metabolism. Although oxidation is a natural process, that doesn't mean it isn't harmful to the body! One result of oxidation is the release of oxygen free radicals, which are chemicals that may suppress immune function. Antioxidants such as Burdock Root may protect body cells from damage caused by oxidation. |
| The steady increase of obvious and hidden side effects (such as liver damage) isn't at all surprising. The "benefits" of LIPITOR seen early in the approval-process study were so convincing that the study was halted approximately two years ahead of schedule. The trial was never long enough to show that LIPITOR had long-term side effects that could devastate people's lives. |
| It takes many years of chronic liver congestion before liver damage becomes apparent.
Standard clinical tests almost never reveal the occurrence of gallstones in the liver. In fact, most doctors don't even know they grow there. Only some of the most advanced research universities, such as the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, describe and illustrate these liver stones in their literature or on their websites. They refer to them as "intrahepatic gallstones. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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 Long-term intake of copper over 10 milligrams daily has resulted in liver damage.
A rare inherited trait called Wilson's disease can result in an accumulation of copper in the body. Wilson's disease affects about one person in 30,000. The liver and the nervous system can become affected.
To summarize, copper has four important roles in the body. Copper helps with energy production, collagen synthesis, iron transport, and it catalyzes antioxidant activity. A little copper is needed, while too much copper is toxic. |
Bottom Line Health
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| More serious side effects occur in 1% to 2% of statin users, whose liver enzymes rise—a warning of possible liver damage if uncorrected. Rhahdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue, is an extremely rare side effect but can be fatal. Approximately one in 2,000 long-term (more than five years) statin users develops a painful nerve condition known as peripheral neuropathy.
These adverse effects—both uncomfortable and dangerous—are dosage-related. The more powerful the statin and the greater the dosage, the greater the risk. |
Bill Sardi
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 Neurology 64: 26-31, 2005]
When vitamin E and another antioxidant (N acetyl cysteine) is given to cancer patients prior to treatment with adria-mycin, a very toxic chemotherapy agent, liver damage is prevented. [Clinical Chemistry Lab Medicine 43: 834-40, 2005]
Vitamin E prevents damage to heart muscle by the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin. [Basic Clinical Pharmacology Toxicology 97: 311-19, 2005]
Vitamin E enhances the activity of 5-FU, a commonly used chemotherapy agent. |
Bottom Line Health
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| It may be appropriate for patients who have alcohol-related liver damage or infectious or drug-induced hepatitis, as well as anyone who is regularly exposed to industrial pollutants.
Scientific evidence: At least 19 out of 21 clinical studies (a total of 2,200 people out of 2,400) have shown that milk thistle protects the liver against invasive toxins and possibly even stimulates the generation of new liver cells.
Potential side effect: Loose stools.
Typical dose: Take 140 mg of milk thistle three times daily. |
| A patient taking methotrexate should have his/her liver biopsied every one to two years to check for liver damage. Cyclosporine can cause high blood pressure, infections and decreased kidney function. Because of the potential for kidney damage, cyclosporine is typically used for only one year. Acitretin, the only oral retinoid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat psoriasis, can thin the hair, cause dry skin and lips, cause bone abnormalities and affect liver function. Because of the risk of birth defects, women of childbear-ing years should not take it. |
Mark Schapiro
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 In fact they have been linked to liver damage and can lead to an increased risk of bladder and possibly other cancers. What scared me more when I saw the results was the existence of these 'false friends': They should help us, but they damage us."5
Later I called Ms. Bruno's doctor, Donatella Caserta, who is director of the physiology and pathology unit at the Center for Human Reproduction at the University of Rome; she had volunteered to consult with the World Wildlife Fund in Italy. Dr. Caserta would not address Ms. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
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 As an oral supplement, DHEA is controversial because long-term use has been associated with women developing secondary masculine traits, liver damage, disrupted menstrual cycles, and defects in fetuses, and, for men, with decreased sperm count. More superficial risks include hair loss, acne, and weight gain. |
Marshall Editions
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 Kava kava is another well-known anti-anxiety herb, but some preparations have dangerous side effects such as liver damage; consult a medical herbalist before adding this herb to your treatment. It is also important to make changes to your lifestyle to reduce stress.
478
ULCER
DIAGNOSIS
An ulcer occurs when an open sore or lesion develops on the inner lining (the mucosa) of the stomach or the upper part of the intestine (duodenum). When the ulcer occurs in the stomach it is called a gastric ulcer, and when it develops in the duodenum it is called a duodenal ulcer. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Testosterone pills carry a high risk of liver damage because of the strain put on the liver as it breaks down the testosterone. And the earliest testosterone treatment—patches, introduced in the early 1990s— were safer than pills but caused skin irritation in many patients.
On the other hand, the latest testosterone treatment—gels—have proven to be very safe and nonirritating. They are effective at raising testosterone levels back into the normal range.
Gels are more effective than patches, which are rarely used anymore, and have fewer side effects. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Clinical studies have shown slow-released products with niacin may decrease the risk of flushing, but they may also increase the risk of liver damage.16
Many people use high doses of niacin as a natural way to decrease their cholesterol levels. Using pharmaceutical levels of niacin supplementation should always be done under the direction of a physician. The levels of niacin recommended in Chapter 17 are in a very safe range. Niacin is now also being used along with the statin drugs, which are especially effective in lowering cholesterol. |
Dr. Steve Blake
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| This has resulted in a lowering of the bad LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol and also raises the good HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. liver damage and aggravation of diabetes are potential dangers of such high doses. People with a history of liver disease or abnormal liver function, diabetes, peptic ulcers, gout, cardiac arrhythmias, inflammatory bowel disease, migraine headaches, or alcoholism are more susceptible to the adverse effects of excessive nicotinic acid intake. Doses of 3000 mg or more per day are potentially dangerous therapies and must be supervised. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
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 In Europe there have been some reports of severe liver damage resulting from use of kava kava, prompting a number of nations to ban sales of it. The problem appears to be caused by a compound, called pipermethystine, that is found in the stem peelings and leaves of the kava plant but not in the roots. Traditional kava preparations are extracted from the roots, and the peelings and leaves are discarded. However, some European pharmaceutical companies bought up the kava waste products when demand for kava extract soared in the early 2000s. |
| Also Known As
English: blackwort, gum plant, bruisewort, knitbone, nipbone, slippery root, walwort, woundwort
The pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been shown to have hepatotoxicity, with the potenial for causing obstructive liver damage, when fed to rats. Swedish research, however, shows that these alkaloids are inactivated when subjected to heat, such as when the herb is boiled to make a tea, nor have the alkaloids been found harmful in humans. Nevertheless, to be safe, avoid coltsfoot in cases of liver disease or a history of alcohol abuse. |
| The cases of liver damage appear to have involved people who took standardized extract capsules, which may have contained kava stem peelings and roots as well as chemical solvents. For this reason, avoid kava products made from the leaves or stems of the plant. The traditional tea prepared from the root appears to be quite safe.
Range and Appearance
Kava kava is native to the islands of the southern and western Pacific Ocean. It is a shrub that thrives at 500 to 1,000 feet above sea level in well-drained, sandy soil. The stems vary in color from green to black and have swollen nodules. |
| Milk thistle seed is used in the treatment of alcohol abuse, bile duct inflammation, chemical exposure, chemotherapy side effects, cirrhosis, depression, drug abuse, environmental illness, hepatitis, high cholesterol, jaundice, liver damage, poisoning, and psoriasis.
Edible Uses
The seeds are edible; they are usually ground before being sprinkled onto culinary preparations. They can also be roasted and used as a coffee substitute, and an edible oil can be pressed from them.
Milk thistle leaves, with their spines removed, can be eaten as greens and are best when young and tender. |
| Constituents
Inulin, pectin, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (senecionine, interrimine, senkirkine, petastine, neopetasitine), sesquiterpene lactones (petasalbin, furanopetasin), essential oil (petasine), mucilage, tannins
Energetic Correspondences
• Flavor: pungent, slightly sweet, bitter
• Temperature: warm
• Moisture: moist
• Polarity: yin
• Planet: Sun/Venus
• Element: water
Contraindications
Use with caution due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloid and sesquiterpene lactone content, which may contribute to liver damage. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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 Kidney and liver damage, hair loss, peripheral nerve inflammation, myopathias and bone marrow damage with their resulting symptoms (leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, megaloblastic anemia, more rarely aplastic anemia) have been observed following long-term administration.
Pregnancy: Teratogenic damage, including following the intake of the drug by the father, are possible.
OVERDOSAGE
Three to 6 hours following intake of acutely toxic dosages burning of the mouth, difficulty swallowing, and thirst appear. |
| OVERDOSAGE
An intake of larger dosages of the volatile oil (see for example in caraway liquor) for extended periods can lead to kidney and liver damage.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Essential oil and its galenic preparations for internal use; cornrninuted fresh drug for infusions and other galenic preparations.
Preparation: An infusion is prepared by pressing 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls of seeds before using and pour 150 ml of hot water over it, drain after 10 to 15 minutes.
Daily Dosage: The average single dose of oil is 2 to 3 drops on sugar; caraway, 1 to 5 gm. |
| High dosages of the drug (or the herb) administered over extended periods can bring about chronic gastritis, kidney damage, liver damage and neurotoxic effects. The treatment for poisonings proceeds symptomatically.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Preparations of paprika are exclusively for external indications in antirheumatic ointments and plasters.
Preparation: A liquid extract is prepared by percolating lOOg drug with 60g ethanol. Other formulations include: Capsicum-oleoresin with 90% ethanol and a tincture with 90% ethanol. |
| OVERDOSAGE
Overdosage can lead to inflammation and irritation of the bladder and urinary tract mucous membranes. liver damage is conceivable in connection with administration of the drug over extended periods, particularly with children, due to the possible hepatotoxicity of the hydroquinones released.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Uva-Ursi is available as comminuted drug, drug powder or dried extract for infusions or cold macerations and as extracts and solid forms for oral administration. It is a component of urologic combination preparations and is also available in mono-preparations. |
| Pediatric Use: liver damage is conceivable in connection with administration of the drug over extended periods, particularly with children, due to the possible hepatotoxicity of the hydroquinones released. The drug is contraindicated in children under 12 years of age.
Drug Interactions: Uva-Ursi preparations should not be administered with any substance that causes acidic urine since this reduces the antibacterial effect. |
| One case of liver damage following I.M. administration of an extract of the drug (origin details of the drug uncertain) is known.
HIPPOCASTANI SEMEN
Health risks following the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages are not recorded. Susceptible patients may nevertheless experience mucous membrane irritations of the gastrointestinal tract following intake of the drug; kidney function limitations could be increased; and itching of the skin has been observed. I.V administration of Aescin can lead to anaphylactic reactions. |
Ray D. Strand
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| NSAIDS, on the other hand, have significant side effects such as ulcers, upper GI bleeding, and possible liver damage, as I noted earlier. Considering that these drugs do absolutely nothing to slow down the degenerative process and in fact may accelerate it, we must wonder why NSAIDS are some of the most prescribed medications in the world. To the dismay of pharmaceutical companies, more and more physicians are recommending glucosamine sulfate to their patients.
The results I have seen in my practice are impressive. |
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