Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
Hepatitis Prevention Program
July 2008
Helping Your Liver Stay Healthy with a Viral Infection
If you don’t have access to treatment right now, if you’ve gone through the treatment and weren’t able to clear the virus,
or if you’re infected with another virus such as HIV that can be harmful to the liver, there are several things you can do to
help keep your liver healthier longer.
1. Get your Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccinations:
You’ve got one viral infection your liver has to deal with, prevent other viral infections that are known to harm the
liver and are vaccine preventable.
2. Eliminate Harmful Chemicals that Your Body has to “detox”:
A. ALL alcohol, in any amount is harmful to your liver. Eliminate all alcohols from your diet.
B. ALL illegal drugs are harmful to your liver. Studies have shown that the use of marijuana can cause the liver to
progress to scarring sooner. It doesn’t make any difference on how the drug is used, injecting, smoking, eating,
inhaling, they are all harmful to your liver. Eliminate all illegal drug use. Talk with your provider or a counselor
to identify ways to help you stop the use of any illegal drugs.
C. Decrease polluted air that you breathe, such as:
1). Second hand cigarette smoke
2). Car exhaust
3). Agricultural pesticides
4). Smog
3. Get a Prescription Review:
Have your doctor or pharmacist; review all your prescribed medications. If you have a prescribed medication that has
the potential to be liver toxic ask if there is any other prescription that you could take that would give you the same
helpful effect, but isn’t potentially toxic to your liver.
4. Use Over The Counter Medications Properly:
Always follow the directions on the package, unless told otherwise by your doctor.
5. Be Careful With Vitamins, Herbs, and Mineral Use:
A. Some of the “Fat Soluable” vitamins can build up in your system and be toxic to your liver. Check with your
provider before taking more than the daily recommendations.
B. Before taking any herbal supplement, research it and make sure that it doesn’t have the potential to be toxic and
damaging to your liver; such as Kava, Valerian Root, and Sassafras. Check with your doctor before adding any
herbal supplements to your diet.
C. The liver has to store all the excess iron that you take in during a day. It’s important that you don’t eat more iron
in a 24 hour day, than what your body actually uses. Extra iron stored in the liver can cause a liver to progress to
scaring sooner. Talk with a dietician or your doctor to find out how much iron you should eat in a day.
6. Modify Your Diet:
A. Decrease the amount of fatty foods and cholesterol that you eat. Extra fat stored in the liver can cause a liver to
progress to scaring sooner.
B. Increase the amount of “actual water” that you drink during a 24 hour day. Water helps flush the chemicals and
poisons out of your body. To find out how much water you should drink in a 24 hour period: take your body
weight in pounds and divide it by 2, this equals how many ounces of water you should drink each day.
7. Light Daily Exercise:
Light daily exercise such as walking will help boost your immune system as well as help decrease excess fat stored in
your liver. Talk to your provider about what the best form of exercise would be for you.
8. Symptoms That Need to be Reported to Your Provider:
A.
B.
C.
D.
“White” or “Gray” colored stools
“Coke-Cola” colored urine
Increased amount of time before a cut or wound stops bleeding
The white part of your eyes turning yellow