What is Jaundice Disease?
Jaundice is described as yellowing of the skin texture, the whiteness of the eyes, dark urine, followed by itchiness. The term JAUNDICE is derived from the French word “Jaune”, which means yellow. Jaundice may not be categorized as a disease, but it is a visible sign of an underlying disease process that can be serious and chronic. In Ayurveda jaundice is described as Pitta dosha and is called as Kamala. Due to accumulation of Pitta in the body (bilirubin) the body tends to becomes infected. The sole reason for the yellowish shade is the high level of bilirubin in the body. Hemoglobin, part of RBC’S which carries oxygen forms the bilirubin which is broken down as part of the normal process of recycling old and damaged red blood cells. Bilirubin is carried in the bloodstream to the liver, where its role is to bind with bile (the digestive juice produced by the liver). Then it is moved through the bile ducts into the digestive tract so that it can be eliminated from the body which is a must.
Most of the bilirubin is seen to be eliminated through stool, but a small amount is eliminated in urine. If it is not moved out of the body through the liver and bile duct then it gets built up in the blood and gets deposited on the skin resulting in jaundice. Jaundice has many causes i.e. it can be caused due to hepatitis, gallstones, and tumors. An inflamed liver or obstructed bile duct can lead to excessive bilirubin thus leading to the cause of jaundice. Jaundice if frequently occurs indicates a problem with the liver or bile duct. This disease is evaluated by the physical examination of the body.