Prevention is better than cure, and this saying is more apt to liver protection. Serious problems arise if the liver is damaged. Some inherited problems can probably not be avoided, but you can take an active part in keeping your liver healthy.

Three things to avoid for liver health are:
Avoid excessive alcohol
Liver specialists suggest that more than two drinks a day for men – and more than one drink a day for women – may even be too much for some people.
Overworking your liver by heavy alcohol consumption can cause liver cells (the “employees” in the power plant) to become permanently damaged or scarred. This is called cirrhosis.

Avoid drugs and medicines taken with alcohol
Medicines – especially the seemingly harmless acetaminophen should never be taken with alcoholic beverages. Many prescribed and over-the-counter drugs and medicines (including herbal medications) are made up of chemicals that could be potentially hazardous to your precious liver cells, especially taken with alcohol.
If you are ill with a virus or metabolic disorder, liver damage may result from the medications you take. In such cases, you should ask your physician about possible liver cell damage.

Avoid environmental pollutants
Fumes from paint thinners bug sprays, and other aerosol sprays are picked up by the tiny blood vessels in your lungs and carried to your liver where they are detoxified and discharged in your bile. The amount and concentration of those chemicals should be controlled to prevent liver damage. Make certain you have good ventilation, use a mask, cover your skin, and wash off any chemicals you get on your skin with soap and water as soon as possible.

Diet and your Liver:- Good nutrition in the form of a balanced diet, may help liver cells damaged by hepatitis viruses to regenerate, forming new liver cells. Nutrition can be an essential part of treatment. Many chronic liver diseases are associated with malnutrition.

Alcohol Beware:
You’ll need to stop drinking completely to give your liver a break – a chance to heal, a chance to rebuild, a chance for new liver cells to grow. This means avoiding beer, wine, cocktails, champagne, and liquor in any other form. If you continue to drink, your liver will pay the price, and if your doctor is checking your liver function tests, it may be hard to determine if a change in a test means there has been damage to your liver due to the disease itself or because of the alcohol.

Avoid Smoking:
Smoking may harm your liver’s ability to effectively process and remove toxins from your body. It can also make alcohol-induced liver disease worse.

Beware of “nutritional therapies”:
Herbal treatments and alternative liver medicines need to undergo rigorous scientific study before they can be recommended. “Natural” or diet treatments and herbal remedies can be quite dangerous. Plants of the Senecio, Crotalaria and Heliotopium families, plus chaparral, germander, comfrey, mistletoe, skullcap, margosa oil, mate tea, Gordolobo yerba tea, pennyroyal, and Jin BluHuan are all toxic to the liver.

Use medications wisely:
Only use prescription and nonprescription drugs when you needed them and take only the recommended doses. Talk to your doctor before mixing herbal supplements or prescription or nonprescription drugs.