Liver Doc: Fighting False Cures with Facts

Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, a Kerala-based hepatologist, is a vocal advocate for scientific medicine, challenging fads and questionable health claims online. He believes modern medicine has lost its 'heart' of humanism and empathy, prioritizing business over care. Dr. Philips returned to Kochi to combat liver disease, a silent but major cause of death.

He argues that true medical practice involves a journey with patients, especially those with chronic conditions. His book, 'The Liver Doctor,' explores love, loss, and regeneration, serving as an emotional outlet for the difficult limits of medicine he confronts daily.

Acute liver failure can strike healthy individuals suddenly due to severe damage from infections or drugs. Acute-on-chronic liver failure occurs in those with existing liver disease. Hepatitis E is common in North India, while Hepatitis A is more prevalent in the South, with viral hepatitis patterns varying geographically.

Dr. Philips stresses that many liver diseases are preventable, with lifestyle changes crucial in early stages. He refutes the notion that only alcoholics develop liver issues, noting genetic predisposition and the impact of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

He warns that Liver Function Tests (LFTs) are misleading and advocates for screening metabolic risk factors like diabetes and obesity, alongside blood tests and ultrasounds. Hepatitis B and C should be tested for at least once, with Hepatitis B preventable by vaccination and Hepatitis C treatable.

Regarding drug-induced liver injury, Dr. Philips notes paracetamol abuse, usually in large doses for poisoning or suicide attempts, as a cause for concern. He also criticizes unregulated supplements and 'integrative medicine,' calling them business ventures lacking scientific rigor and posing equal risks to liver health as alcohol.