Many are interested in how the treatment of abdominal ascites occurs with folk remedies.
In the medical field, ascites is understood as a secondary pathogenic condition, the hallmark of which is the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity. The disease is most often caused by defects in the regulation of fluid metabolism in the body due to serious pathological conditions. In the abdominal cavity in a healthy body there is always a small amount of fluid, while it does not accumulate, it is absorbed by the lymphatic capillaries.
The symptoms and treatment of abdominal ascites are described below. Photos of patients with such a diagnosis are scary.
What are the causes of ascites?
The main causes of abdominal ascites formation according to statistics are:
- liver disease
- oncological pathologies;
- heart failure.
In addition, ascites is able to accompany the following disorders:
- kidney pathology;
- tuberculous peritoneal lesion;
- gynecological diseases;
- endocrine system disorders;
- rheumatism;
- lupus erythematosus;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- digestive diseases;
- uremia
- the second type of diabetes;
- non-infectious peritonitis;
- violation of the lymphatic outflow from the peritoneal cavity.
In addition to the listed pathologies, the formation of ascites can also be facilitated by other circumstances:
- drug administration;
- excessive alcohol addiction, causing cirrhosis of the liver;
- high concentration of cholesterol;
- obesity;
- living in a place characterized by the appearance of viral hepatitis;
- blood transfusion;
- tattooing.
In all situations, the formation of ascites is based on a complex combination of violations of body functions that are important for life, leading to the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.
Pathological signs
One of the main external symptoms of ascites in the abdominal cavity is an increase in the volume of the abdomen. In the standing position of the patient, he can hang like an apron, while in the lying position a special frog stomach is formed. The navel may protrude, stretch marks appear on the skin. With portal hypertension, the source of which is an increase in pressure in the portal vein of the liver, a venous pattern forms on the anterior wall of the peritoneum. He is called the “head of the Medusa,” because it vaguely resembles the mythological Medusa of the Gorgon, on whose head there were moving snakes.
The patient has a feeling of fullness and pain in the abdomen. He has difficulty bending his torso. External symptoms are also swelling of the hands, feet, face, cutaneous cyanosis. The patient develops tachycardia, respiratory failure. Constipation, loss of appetite, belching, and nausea may occur.
With the help of instrumental and laboratory tests, the doctor confirms the diagnosis and establishes the cause that caused ascites. For this purpose, an MRI, ultrasound, laboratory tests and laparocentesis are done for diagnosis. Ultrasound determines the accumulation of unnecessary fluid in the abdominal cavity and its exact amount, size features of the spleen and liver, an increase in the portal and vena cava, deviations of the renal structure, the existence of metastases and tumors.
By means of MRI, there is the possibility of a layer-by-layer examination of a certain tissue, determination of even a small volume of ascitic fluid and the main pathology that provoked ascites. The doctor, in addition, examines the patient's condition using percussion and palpation.
Thanks to palpation, you can identify symptoms that indicate damage to a particular organ (spleen or liver). Percussion is used directly to determine ascites. Its essence lies in tapping the patient’s peritoneal cavity and studying percussion sounds.
If ascites is expressed, then, for example, a dull percussion sound is diagnosed over the entire surface of the abdomen. Thanks to laboratory blood tests, a decrease in the content of red blood cells is noted, the number of ESR and leukocytes increases, the concentration of bilirubin (against the background of cirrhosis), as well as proteins during inflammation of the acute phase, can increase. In ascites, urinalysis at the initial stage may reflect a greater amount of urine of lower density, since ascites causes disturbances in the activity of the urinary system. Urinary density at the terminal stage may be normal, but the total amount is greatly reduced.
Treatment principles
The general healing principles of ascites suggest primarily the treatment of the underlying disease. Therapy of ascites itself is aimed at removing fluid from the peritoneal cavity and preventing relapse. Patients with a first degree of ascites do not need medical treatment, as well as a salt-free diet. With a second degree of ascites, patients require a diet with a reduced concentration of sodium, as well as diuretic therapy. It should be carried out with constant monitoring of the patient's condition, including the content of electrolytes in the blood serum. Patients with a third pathological degree of the disease require removal of fluid from the peritoneal cavity, and then diuretic treatment is carried out along with a salt-free diet.
Treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies will be discussed further.
Conservative ascites therapy
Symptomatic or conservative treatment of ascites is used in situations where peritoneal ascites is at the very beginning of its development or in the form of palliative therapy for oncology it becomes inappropriate to use other methods. The main task in all cases is the removal of fluid from the peritoneum and maintaining the patient's condition at a certain level. For this, it is necessary to reduce the amount of sodium that enters the body, and strengthen its excretion with urine. A positive result can only be achieved with an integrated approach, following a diet, taking diuretics and controlling your weight. The main principles of the diet in the presence of ascites are as follows:
- The minimum amount of salt. Excessive consumption of it causes the appearance of puffiness, that is, ascites. It is desirable for patients to limit as much as possible salty foods in the diet.
- The minimum amount of fluid. With intense or moderate ascites, a normal amount of fluid from 500 to 1000 milliliters per day in its pure form is normal.
- Minimum fat. Eating foods high in fat causes pancreatitis.
- The normal amount of protein in the diet. It is protein deficiency that can cause edema. It is advisable to eat low-fat types of fish and meat, low-fat kefir and cottage cheese, fruits, herbs, vegetables, stewed fruit, wheat groats, jelly. It is better to cook food for a couple or bake in the oven. You can’t eat fatty fish and meat, fried foods, salt, smoked meats, coffee, tea, alcohol and spices.
- During the treatment of ascites, weight changes should be monitored. When the salt-free diet begins, then during the week you need to weigh yourself every day. If the patient has lost more than two kilograms, then diuretics are not assigned to him. If less than two kilograms is lost, then drug treatment is carried out over the next week.
Diuretic drugs for ascites in the abdominal cavity help to remove excess fluid from the body, help to transfer part of the fluid from the peritoneal cavity to the bloodstream.
In this case, the clinical symptoms of ascites are significantly reduced. The main drugs used in treatment are Spironolactone, Mannitol, Furosemide.
On an outpatient basis, Furosemide is administered intravenously no more than twenty milligrams once every two days. It removes fluid from the vascular bed through the kidneys. The main disadvantage of the drug is excessive excretion of potassium from the body. Mannitol is used along with Furosemide, as their effect is combined. It removes fluid from the space between cells into the bloodstream. It is administered intravenously at 200 milligrams. But in an outpatient setting, it is undesirable to use it. Spironolactone is also a diuretic, but it can prevent excessive potassium excretion. Additionally, drugs are prescribed that strengthen the walls of blood vessels (diosmin, vitamins), drugs that affect the circulatory system (Reopoliglyukin, Gelatin), antibiotics, albumin.
Treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies
Folk herbal preparations are very effective in ascites. A large number of plants can cope with the signs of the disease, and also contribute to the effective and safe treatment of pathology. However, it must be remembered that certain herbs are prohibited from combining with certain drugs that a person already drinks for therapeutic purposes. Therefore, before applying the following folk remedies, it is advisable to first consult with a specialist.
Use of garlic
With this folk remedy, the treatment of ascites ascites is very popular. Garlic contains the substance allicin, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps relieve pain due to ascites.
The antibacterial properties of garlic also destroy microbes that can be the cause of the infection that provoked ascites. Four to five cloves are needed every day to fight the disease.
What else is used to treat abdominal ascites with folk remedies?
Dandelion for treatment
Dandelion is an excellent folk remedy for the treatment of ascites. This plant helps to improve digestion, reduces inflammation of the liver. This method as a result is effective for people who have received ascites due to liver pathology. Among other things, dandelion is a good diuretic that effectively cures the disease. Tea is made from dandelion grass, honey is added there, you need to drink it three times a day.
Treatment of abdominal ascites at home should be very careful.
Licorice
Another useful drug in the treatment of ascites are licorice roots. They can be used as a natural diuretic, which helps to remove excess fluid and reduce swelling in the abdomen due to ascites.
Among other things, such a tool is useful for patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver - a disease that represents the main source of ascites. Regular use of this method helps fight the disease. Treatment of ascites of the abdominal cavity with folk remedies should be under the supervision of a doctor.
Big burdock
This plant has been used for many years in the treatment of various diseases to maintain health. Burdock is especially useful in the treatment of pathologies of the liver and kidneys, which are the main source of ascites. The roots of the plant have a significant anti-inflammatory effect that helps relieve pain. They can simply be eaten raw or made from dried ingredient tea. Drinking two cups of this drink every day helps reduce pain and swelling.
Next, we will consider how the treatment of ascites of the abdominal cavity in oncology is carried out.
The development of ascites in cancer
In oncology, ascites is a pathological accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum, which develops as a complication of cancerous tumors of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, ovaries, breast and liver. This ailment develops in the third and fourth stages. Ascites can cause the death of the patient.
In practice, it turns out that 65% of patients remove fluid using diuretics. Often, in the treatment of ascites, abdominal paracentesis is performed, that is, a puncture of the peritoneal cavity, which both facilitates the condition of a person and allows you to analyze the fluid for white blood cells, total protein, infection (culture, Gram method).
In oncology, treatment of ascites in the abdominal cavity also involves chemotherapy. For example, the drug Paclitaxel is effective in testicular cancer, Leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil are used in colon cancer.
Intracavitary treatment is sometimes prescribed, which consists in removing fluid from the abdominal cavity and administering the Bleomycin.
Below are reviews on the treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies.
Reviews
According to reviews, ascites most often occurs with a diagnosis of cirrhosis. In this case, the hepatologist prescribes a diuretic. Patients report that these medications do not always help. Laparocentesis is effective, but it also gives temporary relief. If the reason that provokes the development of ascites is correctly established, then recovery will not be long in coming.
Patients in reviews of ascites of the abdominal cavity say that the disease often progresses rapidly, causing many complications. Often a fatal outcome becomes inevitable, even if the therapy was carried out fully and adequately. Experts explain this by a clear defeat of organs important for life, especially the lungs, kidneys, heart and liver.
There are also reviews about the treatment of ascites of the abdominal cavity with folk remedies. In the event that the pathology is detected at the initial stage, herbal therapy and folk recipes at home are very effective. People report that tea from dandelion and burdock perfectly removes liquid from the body.
The main thing is not to self-medicate, be sure to visit a doctor.
Now many have become aware of the symptoms and treatment of ascites ascites. With this pathology, the patient’s recovery depends not only on the volume of fluid and the quality of therapy, but also on the underlying disease, which served as a source of its accumulation.