【Description】
The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body, and it plays a part in several bodily systems including digestion, detoxification, nutrient absorption, and immunity. As no pain-sensing nerves are in the liver, minor liver damage is often overlooked; by the time patients feel pain, their livers have already been seriously damaged.
What are the symptoms of liver diseases in the initial stages? What are the problems caused by severe liver diseases in the critical stages? Learn to identify the signs of liver diseases that show on our face and other body parts, and some preventive methods to encourage long-term liver health.
【You will learn】
- The functions of the liver
- Symptoms, types and complications of liver diseases
- The facial areas that correspond to the liver and the changes in them caused by liver diseases
- The signs that indicate liver diseases in the early and critical stages
【Content】
Hello, everyone. (Hello, Grandmaster.) Let’s talk about a topic that will surprise you. From a physiognomy perspective, our appearance does reveal our liver conditions. It shows signs of liver issues, or even liver cancer. The liver is a very unique organ. So, let’s go through the functions of the liver first. (Allow me.) Alright.
(The liver’s functions are extremely important to our health. Basically, you could call it a cleansing organ. So what does it do? First, it detoxifies us of the toxins and bacteria found in our body. The toxins could be the ones from our food. It gets rid of the unwanted stuff and leaves only good things for our body. What about the toxins? Flushed out of the body through defecation or other ways, of course.)
(The second function is providing our body with the nutrients we need from the food we consume. In other words, it extracts nutrients and delivers them to our organs, muscles, bones, etc. These nutrients are then absorbed to keep us alive. Next, our liver also helps with digestion. The liver makes bile for fat absorption. The pancreas, which works with the liver, makes enzymes that digest proteins, fats and carbs.)
(Next, the liver also plays a part in building immunity. How easily we fall sick depends on how strong our immunity is. Even if it’s windy or raining, one won’t catch a cold when they have strong immunity.)
In short, the liver plays a part in most of the physical functions of our body. It’s called the chemical-processing plant of the human body. It also works with most internal organs and even the brain. Once the liver is damaged, the gallbladder, stomach and spleen will be in trouble. Why? Because the liver directly works with them to aid digestion. The liver is also connected to the kidneys. (Hepatitis or cirrhosis often cause gastrointestinal bleeding. (One can cough up blood if that happens.) Yes. (Once the liver is damaged, the other organs would be affected.) Right.
Among the liver diseases, hepatitis B is most commonly heard about. Is there hepatitis A? (Yes, this is an acute condition.) I see. (Yes.) Hepatitis A, hepatitis B. (Hepatitis C. And hepatitis D and E too. A, B, C, D, E; 5 types.) Alright. Tell us about fatty liver. (Fatty liver?) This is common, right? (A common health issue. (Usually, 3-4% fat content surrounding the liver is considered normal. Once the fat percentage exceeds 5%, then we can say someone has fatty liver. 5-10% is still considered safe. 10% and above, not so safe. 26% and above, severe and dangerous.)
(Most have no idea when fat begins to surround their liver. As the condition worsens, it could lead to hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. In short, fatty liver is a disease that precedes other liver diseases.) When men tell me about their health-examination results, they mention some common diseases and call fatty liver a “small matter.” They think it doesn’t matter. (It’s not a small matter.) When the fat percentage reaches a certain level, liver cirrhosis could happen. (When our blood is diagnosed as having a high level of fat, it becomes hyperlipidemia.) Yes. (That would cause a heart attack or stroke.) Everything comes in a package. (Right.) And uremia too. (Yes, it could lead to other kidney diseases, as well. Don’t treat this as a laughing matter.)
Liver diseases are widespread in certain countries. Have you 2 heard of this? (We found some stats from some public sources online. Among all liver diseases, hepatitis B makes up the highest percentage. The average percentage of hepatitis B cases is 10% in most Sub-Saharan African countries with poor sanitary conditions. The second-highest place goes to Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, averaging from 5-10%.) We’re talking about 5-10 people out of 100 having hepatitis B. (That’s a lot.) Very high.
(Next, Mongolia with 2.6-5%.) That’s quite a lot too. (Yes. In North America, Western and Northern Europe, Australia, it’s less than 1%. 50% of the world’s chronic hepatitis cases are found in 11 countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia and India. I’m not naming all 11. Dense population makes it easier for liver diseases to spread.)
Thanks to advanced technology, the mortality rate of liver disease is not that high. It’s just that liver diseases are like ghosts; they don’t go away easily. (That’s right.) They make you suffer a long time. The pain of liver cirrhosis is no joke. At the moment, there are no painkillers that deal effectively with pain from liver cirrhosis. It’s really painful. (Then, it could lead to ascites, which is a buildup of fluid in the abdomen.) Yes. (It could also cause fluid to build up in the lungs, and shortness of breath. That’s troublesome.) It spreads too.
So, how does facial appearance reveal liver issues? The ends of your eyebrows correspond to your liver. Also, the parts below your eyes and toward your ears also correspond to your liver. From the ends of your eyebrows to the temples, and down to your cheekbones, this area is the liver reflexology zone. Now, touch your nose. Our nose is actually bulging a little bit in the middle. The bony part of the nose is called the dorsum. The middle of the dorsum also corresponds to the liver.
Next, your eyes. TCM practitioners believe that liver issues show in the eyes. “Asians have black eyes,” that’s what most people say. The darker, the prettier, right? When you look at the eyes closely, they’re actually black and brownish. That’s the eyes of the Chinese. When your eyes appear more brown than black, it means you have some issues in your liver. And when your sclera, the white part, is not white, but appears yellowish, reddish and brownish with visible spots, and looks blurry, it also means you have some liver issues. What happens to our liver shows in our eyes. When you have problems such as dry and itchy eyes, blurry eyesight and other kinds of eye discomforts, then you ought to be careful.
And, when you have patches and spots called melasma on the face, it could mean some liver issues. Suppose you’ve been eating drier food than usual; say, fried chicken and hotpot with some beer; what shows on your face? (Pimples.) Right. (Gets red from the heat of the heaty food.) For one who has sensitive skin, some spots and patches would’ve shown up. Most people are not aware of this.
When your liver overheats, it shows on your skin and in your eyes. Your sight doesn’t get clearer, it gets blurrier. You can’t see things clearly. This also happens to people who are overly excited. What happens to their brain? Clouded, just like their eyes; that’s why they act recklessly. Your liver affects not just your spleen and stomach, but your whole body, including your brain and heart.
Yellowing of the eyes and skin due to liver issues is called jaundice. That may indicate the late stage of liver disease. Or, one might have developed icterohepatitis; jaundice hepatitis is usually acute, and the patient’s skin can become yellow within 4-8 hours. It’s all yellow inside the patient’s mouth too. Fortunately, advanced technology makes it easy to get it treated. Yes, liver diseases do cause yellowing of skin and eyes.
I’m not talking about the healthy, yellowish tan kind of skin tone. Being tanned and slightly pinkish is a symbol of auspiciousness. Liver diseases make the pupils brownish or dark yellow; plus, the whites of the eyes are impure and have a bluish tint with brownish spots. Yes, even the black pupil appears slightly yellowish. The face, too, is dull and yellow. The liver reflexology zone would appear dull and yellowish. If the yellow of your skin intensifies, that indicates your liver condition is worsening.
Are you worried about your liver condition now? Do you have a mirror with you? Use it. (Some are using it now.) You can use your phone too. Take a selfie in a well-lit room. Make sure you can see your front and sides, OK? Don’t panic if you spot some signs of liver issues. If you really have liver issues, then I’ll help you get them resolved. Most people are not aware of their liver conditions before they’re diagnosed with stage-4 liver cancer or cirrhosis.
Today’s lesson is about identifying the signs. (Know the signs first.) Yes. The signs tell many secrets. Getting to the age of 60 safely is not easy. Life will be hard after that; you’re physically and mentally weaker, and diseases will find you. Much work needs to be done on prevention.
(Some people ask: What if we have age spots on the face area that corresponds to the liver? Does that indicate liver problems too? How do we differentiate such spots?)
Age spots, right? (Yes.) These spots are harmless. Liver spots are signs you have an unhealthy liver. Having age spots is a sign of good health. (Great!) If you haven’t undergone a skin therapy and have no spots at the age of 70, then you could either live for 100 years or die from a minor sickness. Looking old because you’re old is perfectly normal. Having age spots on your arms is a symbol of longevity to me. This might be a bit deep for you.
How do we differentiate so-called “disease spots” from normal ones? Healthy seniors with age spots can still appear energetic. What does a Chinese person look like? Tanned and pinkish skin with a touch of waxy shine. That’s how a healthy Chinese looks. With a healthy skin condition as such, having some age spots is perfectly fine and normal. What about old people with red spots on the nose and yellowish eyes? Those are liver-disease spots, not age spots. Now, the eyes. Old people with bright eyes and a clean nose, plus some age spots on a relatively healthy skin, I see good health and longevity. Now these spots are normal age spots. Make sure you can tell the spots apart, OK?
(An online friend asks: For people who are in the sun often, without much sun protection (such as sunblock or a cap, if they have a rash on their face, can we tell sun rashes from liver-disease spots?)
These 2 kinds of spots are different. I know some people who enjoy outdoor activities. (Yes.) The more they stay outdoors, the more tanned their skin gets. You can tell they’re healthy. Their skin is firm, tanned and somewhat shiny. This brightness is very important; this is a healthy complexion.
(Here is another question: Some people were born with freckles; are freckles bad?)
Freckles are also considered disease spots. They show problems in your stomach and spleen. (I see.) If you’re born with a disability, does that make you a disabled person? (Of course.) Now, what about congenital freckles? Would you get freckles if you’re healthy? No, you get them because your genes are flawed; you were born with issues in your liver and spleen. That’s how you get freckles. Being born with something doesn’t mean it’s fine.
Many innate health problems, such as liver diseases, heart diseases, blood diseases, athlete’s foot, crossing eyes, baring teeth, grinning, an uneven skin tone or the shape of the hands, are all inherited. Many liver diseases can be inherited. This is more evident in people from Guangdong Province and Taiwan. The ancients from these places used to get bacterial infections from consuming too much aquatic food. As such, their blood was contaminated to a certain degree, and such blood was passed down to their descendants.
In Taiwan, there are many paddy fields; by eating some aquatic foods, people easily get bacterial infections from them. For example, seaweed, water chestnut, lotus root, fish, shrimp, crab, crayfish, etc., these grow in the purple mud. Ignoring the contamination, people ate these foods; now their descendants must bear the consequences.
We’re done with our face; now let’s talk about our hands. With a hand like this, this person is suffering from some liver diseases. An auspicious-looking hand should be fair and rosy, but the fair tone should be dominant, not the rosiness. If the color of the center of the palm looks normal, but the 5 bulges on the palm appear reddish, it’s a sign of liver diseases. If the thenar and hypothenar appear red, again, that’s a sign of liver diseases. What kind of liver diseases can we expect with a palm like this? Maybe some chronic liver disease, or liver cirrhosis. Scary, huh?
We’re done with the palm. Now let’s look at another sign called spider nevus. The spider nevus looks like a spider with the feeling of spider silk. They could appear everywhere, but they’re mostly found above our waist, on the chest and also on our face. It may be a sign of liver cirrhosis.
Here are some symptoms of liver diseases you should be aware of.
1. Bad breath Healthy people don’t have bad breath. Those who are super-healthy have fresh breath. Sounds unbelievable? But this is the truth. Chant 10 days with me and your breath will smell fragrant, and your body will smell like sandalwood or flowers. People with liver diseases have breath that smells like dead, rotten animals. Now, imagine a dead rat; what does it smell like? Pungent, like bad eggs and rotting flesh. In the event of liver failure, the toxins are not processed and will remain in your body. Your undigested food, in the form of feces, will smell like toxic and dead rat.
2. Changes in nail shape Not all nail-shape changes are caused by liver diseases. That doesn’t mean you should ignore it, OK? Be careful when you see vertical lines on your nails. These shouldn’t appear on healthy nails. If you have excessive qi in your liver or fatty liver, the lines appear more obvious. Once you have hepatitis, the lines will turn black, or contain black dots. That’s the color of poor health. That’s hepatitis, and it means nothing but trouble.
3. Fatigue and stomach discomforts such as bloating and stomachache. Liver diseases also affect the digestive system. One will also feel nauseous, feel like throwing up. Liver diseases cause poor appetite too. When your digestive system is not working properly, the food you eat gets stuck and is not digested properly. You have no appetite, as the food you eat can’t be digested well.
4. Dark urine Both your urine and stool are going to smell really bad. Constipation, bloody stool, and bruised patches are common symptoms too. Liver diseases also affect the way our blood coagulates. The human body has many small blood vessels; when these small vessels are broken, the trapped blood creates a bruise. When you’re having too many bruised patches, it means your liver problem is getting severe.
Now you know how scary having liver diseases is, and you should know how to deal with them. You’re helping not only yourself but also the people around you. You want to know what you should do when troubles occur. At this moment, many people are against knowledge that doesn’t sound scientific to them. As modern people, we have Western medical technology, and when we’re sick, we have to wait for an MRI to confirm the diagnosis. It’s already too late when an MRI or X-ray tells you that you have a tumor. Some even have multiple MRIs to confirm their tumor.
With the knowledge you’ve learned today, you’ll know the bad qi is accumulating if you see some patches. Ancient Chinese philosophers used water as an analogy to talk about diseases. What is the state preceding rain? Clouds, right? What happens before clouds can be seen? (Accumulation of steam.) Is it visible? (No.) You can’t see steam like you can with ice. Steam is gas; it’s not visible. We don’t feel it when gas passes through our body. (Yes.)
When gas reaches a certain height, it can’t ascend further, and stops at roughly between 10,000 and 60,000 feet above the ground. When such gas holds enough moisture, clouds are formed. (Right.) It doesn’t rain if the clouds are white. The clouds become dark after gathering enough moisture; then it may become rain. Can you feel rainwater? (Visible and palpable.) If you freeze water, it becomes ice. (Yes.) That’s how it is.
When a solid matter turns into gas, it’s not visible. Can we say the same for tumors? People have no tumors to begin with. When do people find out that they have liver cancer? The moment they find a tumor in their liver, right? That’s when their liver stops functioning. At this moment, the patient is agitated: “Before my diagnosis, how come nobody warned me I’d get liver cancer?”
This is what I call not believing in things that don’t sound scientific. TCM doctors know that such people exist. So, after checking up on the patient with signs of liver diseases, they ask the patient to get a “scientific” examination. Because he won’t believe in “unscientific” things. (I see. So, blood tests, ultrasound test, MRI test…) The tests better show something to convince the patient. Too bad, the tests say everything’s fine, no tumor. That means no worries, right? Unfortunately, when doctors confirm the liver disease, there’s already no way to treat them. I’d say no one lives more than 3 years after a tumor is found.
That reminds me of the story of Bian Que met King Huan. The former was the 12th ruler of the State of Cai, and Bian Que was a legendary TCM doctor during the Warring States period. Once, Bian Que was giving King Huan an examination. He told King Huan that he saw some health problems. However, the problems could be solved easily with some diet therapy. The King would eat Bian Que’s healthy cooking for 108 days to have his problems healed.
King Huan laughed after hearing what Bian Que said. He had just won a horse race the day before. He bested 3 fighters in a fight. He ate like a horse. His strength was second to none. He was not old; he was only 45. As a King, he had the best doctors at his disposal. He could have the best food and health supplements he wanted. “Sick? Me? You must be out of your mind.”
3 years later, they met again. Bian Que saw the King’s condition had worsened. With his medicine, the King could still be saved. That’s what Bian Que said. King Huan, again, laughed at what Bian Que said. King Huan was strong, wise, knowledgeable and wealthy. “I’m not feeling any discomfort,” he said. “Anyone can have small health issues, me too; but I’ve maintained better health than others.” He was strong and smart; he didn’t think he had health problems because he saw no signs of serious illness.
He then told Bian Que, “Old man, I’ll spare your life today because I’m merciful. Take this money and go. You go, and don’t deceive anyone anymore!” And then, Bian Que left the palace and lived in seclusion. He knew after half year, the so-called “signs” would show up, the King could do nothing to save himself. King Huan would definitely come to him, because the palace doctors wouldn’t have a clue. At that time, it’s too late, nobody could save him. Bian Que said earlier that he would not listen.
This is the best testimony. Don’t rely solely on medical instruments to determine if you’re sick. The instruments haven’t deceived anyone; they’re innocent. Instruments can’t think, but humans can. Many people realize that they have liver issues after seeing their high fatty-liver index. That’s when they’re sick; I mean seriously sick. Remember this: When the instruments tell people they’re sick, that’s when they’ll start paying attention.
I would like to remind you that the liver has no nerves. You may feel excruciating pain only during the final stages of liver cancer. When you have hepatitis or just a higher liver-disease index, you don’t feel pain; you feel almost nothing. When you really feel pain, you’re beyond help.
I hope after today’s lesson, you’ll be able to spot some signs of liver diseases, and become more aware of liver diseases. If you really see some signs, then it’s better to get a checkup. Don’t be overjoyed if the tests reveal nothing. Do something about your daily routine or learn Energy Bagua at our practice sites. Avoid eating too much meat or too much grease, OK? Don’t follow an extreme diet. That’s the best way.
I’m telling you all this info so that you can be healthy and live longer. I want you to suffer less from illness. I think I have a responsibility to bring this topic up, so that you can have a general idea about this information. Stay tuned for more lessons from us, OK?
I wish you health and longevity. (Received.) Also, a dignified appearance. (Received.) Health and happiness. (Received.) Thanks for listening. Goodbye. (Thank you, Grandmaster.)