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Jaundice and Fake Healing

Jaundice is a symptom of underlying conditions not a disease
10:49 PM Jan 28, 2025 IST | Dr Ishfaq Ahmad
jaundice and fake healing
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What's Jaundice? Is it a Disease?
Jaundice is not a disease in itself; it's a sign of an underlying condition, which can range from a mild, self-limiting illness to a life-threatening disease. Jaundice is caused by diseases related to the liver, bile ducts, or blood.

Let's Relate Jaundice with Fever for Better Understanding
Fever is one of the most common medical complaints. It is not a disease itself but a defense mechanism against underlying conditions, meaning it is a symptom. While fever can have many causes, it can be either mild, self-limiting (like the common cold), or life-threatening (such as serious infections or cancer). Fever is most commonly caused by infections (viral, bacterial, or parasitic), autoimmune and connective tissue diseases, cancers, or drugs.

Viral and bacterial infections are the leading causes of fever, and many are mild and self-limiting. However, some infections, such as meningitis, severe cancer, or inflammatory conditions, can be life-threatening and cause severe complications or death if not treated promptly.

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The fact that most fevers are caused by mild infections, which often don’t need treatment, leads many to falsely attribute their recovery to faith-healers. For example, out of a thousand fever patients, nine hundred may recover naturally, with the healer claiming credit, while those with serious conditions end up in hospitals with worsened outcomes due to delayed treatment.

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The Same Applies to Jaundice
Jaundice can be caused by mild liver illnesses, such as Acute Viral Hepatitis, often caused by Hepatitis A and E viruses. These are common causes of jaundice in both children and adults in Kashmir, often due to contaminated water. Most patients with these conditions recover on their own in a few weeks. Jaundice can also result from Gilbert Syndrome, a harmless inherited condition where bilirubin levels rise during illness but normalize naturally within days. Another common form is Neonatal Jaundice, seen in 60-70% of newborns, usually due to an immature liver function, which resolves as the liver matures over a few days or weeks.

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On the other hand, jaundice can also be a sign of more serious conditions such as Chronic Liver Disease, Acute or Chronic Liver Failure, Cirrhosis, Malignancy, Obstruction of the Bile Duct, or Hemolytic Disease.

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The Danger of Faith Healers
When people with jaundice visit a faith healer, those suffering from conditions like Acute Viral Hepatitis, Gilbert Syndrome, or Neonatal Jaundice may believe they’ve been cured, as these conditions are self-limiting. However, individuals with serious liver conditions often end up in the hospital with worsened disease due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

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This delay can have especially serious consequences in newborns with high levels of pathological jaundice. While most newborns have physiological jaundice that resolves on its own, pathological jaundice—where bilirubin levels are dangerously high—can cause bilirubin to enter the brain, leading to permanent brain damage or death. If treated early with phototherapy or blood exchange, such damage can be prevented, but faith-healers delay proper medical care.

The Harmful Effects of Unknown Herbal Remedies
Faith-healers often administer unknown herbal substances to their patients, which can harm an already diseased liver. These herbs may be safe for healthy individuals but may cause liver failure in those with pre-existing liver conditions. Physicians often advise patients with liver disease to avoid medications like Paracetamol and painkillers, which are toxic to the liver but commonly prescribed to healthy individuals. A person who could have recovered naturally in a few weeks might end up requiring a costly liver transplant due to the harmful effects of these herbal remedies.

The Real Cost of Faith Healing
If faith-healers were able to cure all forms of jaundice and its underlying causes, why would so many people still require lifelong treatment, liver transplants, and surgeries? The truth is that many individuals have already sought help from faith-healers and realized the futility of such treatments for chronic and serious liver conditions.

Dr Ishfaq Ahmad is a Paediatrician working in Kashmir.