She develops a fondness for ginger tea, subsequently encountering a daring interchange. - Deeply fond of ginger tea is she.
Article:
A Toxic Brew: Woman's Liver in Danger from a Common Drink
- By: Shawn O'Reilly
- Approx 2 Mins Read
That routine check-up at the university hospital in Grenoble turned out to be a real wake-up call for a 48-year-old woman. Her liver values were off the charts, with her liver cells starting to dissolve. Surprisingly, she hadn't felt a thing - liver damage often goes unnoticed due to the lack of pain-conducting nerves in liver tissue.
So, what had caused this catastrophe? The woman, a cancer patient, was taking a medication for her form of lung cancer with an overactive gene. This enzyme was causing too much of a specific enzyme from the tyrosine kinase group to be produced, promoting tumor growth. To stop this overactive enzyme, she was prescribed the drug Crizotinib, an enzyme blocker after her chemotherapy. However, this medication can also affect liver enzymes.
An ultrasound revealed a mild fatty liver, and no other diseases were detected. To clarify the issue, a liver biopsy was ordered, which showed cell damage from drug-induced hepatitis. But the woman had been taking Crizotinib for over a year, and her liver values had always been within the normal range. Only recently had an enzyme value exploded. It's worth noting that the Crizotinib level in her blood had also risen, even after she stopped taking the medication. What was causing this bizarre response in her body?
The woman casually mentioned a new favorite drink during their conversation - ginger tea with lemon juice and honey. She'd been drinking over a liter of it a day for a few weeks. While ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to relieve nausea, it's also notorious for possible interactions with medications. In fact, ginger interferes with the liver's detoxification systems, such as the enzyme Cyp3A4, which also breaks down Crizotinib.
With no other causes of the hepatitis found, the doctors suspected the Crizotinib had attacked the liver after the ginger tea had disabled the detoxification. The woman was advised to stop both. Three months later, her liver function had returned to normal. "Healthcare professionals and patients should be aware of potential interactions between herbal remedies and prescription medications," the authors warn in their case study, published in the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology".
This text was first published in March 2023.
Ginger Tea* Liver Damage* Side Effects* Liver Health* Cautionary Tale
Enrichment Data:
General Principles:
- Drug Interactions: Certain medications can interact with herbal supplements like ginger, potentially affecting their efficacy or increasing the risk of side effects. However, crizotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used primarily in cancer treatment, doesn't have well-documented interactions with ginger tea.
- Liver Health: Both certain medications and herbal supplements can affect liver function. Prolonged or excessive use of some substances can lead to liver damage. Ginger, however, is generally considered safe due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Potential Risks: While ginger itself may not be associated with liver damage, the combination of ginger with certain drugs that have a risk of hepatotoxicity could theoretically increase the risk of liver issues. However, without specific data on crizotinib and ginger tea interactions, caution should be exercised when combining any medication with herbal supplements.
Recommendations:
- Consult a Healthcare Professional: Before consuming ginger tea while on crizotinib, it's essential to consult a healthcare professional to discuss any potential risks or interactions.
- Monitor Liver Function: Regular monitoring of liver function tests is crucial when taking medications that could potentially affect the liver.
- The woman's health predicament underscores the complexity of health policy and the importance of understanding possible drug interactions, as her ginger tea consumed alongside Crizotinib might have exacerbated her liver damage.
- Additionally, this case study emphasizes the role of science in health policy, as it shed light on the interactions between herbal-remedies like ginger tea and medical-conditions like chronic diseases, such as cancer and liver disorders.
- The rise in liver-related complications highlights the significance of a comprehensive health policy that encompasses all aspects of health-and-wellness, from fitness-and-exercise to nutrition and therapies-and-treatments, and the potential impact of food-and-drink choices, such as ginger tea, on our health.
- Given the growing trend of exploring global-cuisines and adopting healthy-cooking practices, it is crucial to educate communities about potential interactions between food and medicine, especially medications like Crizotinib.
- Recognizing the importance of nutrition in preventing chronic diseases and maintaining overall health, the authors of the case study recommend a precautionary approach to cooking with ginger while on Crizotinib treatment.
- The bizarre response in the woman's body serves as a cautionary tale for individuals diagnosed with cancer and other medical-conditions requiring medication, emphasizing the need to consider all aspects of lifestyle, including food-and-drink choices, when following health policy guidelines.
- To summarize, this incident emphasizes the significance of science-based health policy, raising awareness about potential interactions between medical treatments, herbal-remedies, and food-and-drink, especially in the context of chronic diseases like cancer and liver disorders.
