Generally babies develop jaundice after two to four days of birth. Jaundice can also occur as a result of rhesus incompatibility for example when a mother with rhesus negative blood gives birth to rhesus positive blood.

- Breastfeed your child regularly: Due to the lack of breast milk, many infants develop jaundice. Breastfeed your child after every 2-3 hrs. Feed your child atleast 8-10 times a day whether breast feed or bottle feed.
- Expose baby to sunlight as much as possible but be careful about the sunburns.
- Phototherapy is another way to treat jaundice. In phototherapy, a child is given light with several light lamps.

Types of Jaundice in children

- Physiological (normal) jaundice: It generally appears at 2 to 4 days of age and disappears by 1 to 2 weeks of age. It is due to the immaturity of the baby’s liver, which leads to a slow processing of bilirubin.
- Jaundice of prematurity: occurs frequently in premature babies since they are even less ready to excrete bilirubin effectively.
- Breastfeeding jaundice: Jaundice can occur when a breastfeeding baby is not getting enough breast milk.
The jaundice in newborn babies sometimes can become serious and dangerous. If not treated well, it may cause seizures and brain damage.

- Consume lot of lime juice.
- Take half teaspoon of papaya leaves paste with honey.
- Mix 1/4 tsp pf turmeric powder in a glass of water and consume everyday.
- Consume juice of green radish leaves everyday to treat jaundice.
- Drink one or two glasses of sugar cane daily.
- Consume half cup beetroot juice for treating jaundice in a short span.
- Regular drinking of a cup of buttermilk with a pinch of black pepper treats jaundice.
- Eat 1-2 tomatoes or a glass of tomato juice daily on an empty stomach.
- Daily intake of 1 cup of bitter gourd is very beneficial in jaundice treatment.
- Add calcium and iron in your diet.
- Mix 15 gm of snake gourd leaves in 250 ml of boiling water. A decoction of coriander seeds can be prepared by boiling one tablespoon of coriander seeds in 500 ml of water till it is reduced by one-third. The infusion should be given in doses of 30 to 60 ml, mixed with the decoction of coriander seeds, thrice daily.
- A mixture of almonds, dried dates, and. cardamoms is regarded as an effective remedy for jaundice.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat lot of green leafy vegetables and fruits.
- Orange juice, sugarcane juice and barley water should be taken.
- Mash a ripe banana along with 1 tablespoon honey and eat twice a day for a few days.
- Frequently take 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice with 1 teaspoon each fresh lime and mint juice mixed with a tablespoon of honey.
- Grind leaves of bel leaves and drink the juice.
- Juice of bitter luffa is a good treatment for jaundice.
- The juice extracted from the green leaves of pigeon pea should be taken in doses of 60 ml daily.
- Take 4 grams of Indian gooseberry with a glass of water. Have this thrice a day for about 20 days.

Herbal treatments for Jaundice

- Chamomile is an herb that is useful for curing the patients.
- All parts of the chicory plant are useful in the treatment of liver ailments.
- The root of the gokulakanta plant is potent in the treatment of liver diseases such as jaundice and hepatitis.
- Indian aloe is an excellent remedy for liver problems such as jaundice.
- Picrorrhiza is one of the two best Ayurvedic remedies for jaundice.
- Ayurvedic herbal supplements for jaundice include Kumariasava, Liverol syrup, Bhumiamla capsules and Punarnana Mandoor.

Dietary Considerations

- Intake of dairy products like cheese and milk should be cut down.
- Oils, fried foods, butter, turmeric, spicy food, pickles and sour products should be avoided in case of suffering from jaundice.

Types of Jaundice
- Obstructive : It is caused by some form of obstruction like gall stones or cancer that prevents the bile produced from reaching the intestines.
- Hepatocellular : It occurs when liver cells are damaged or diseased and are unable to process bilirubin, causing it to accumulate in the blood stream.
- Hemolytic : It occurs because of high bilirubin levels in the blood. These high levels of waste produce exceed the liver’s ability to process and transport it, and can cause the symptoms of jaundice.

Symptoms of Jaundice

- Extreme weakness.
- Headache and fever.
- Loss of appetite.
- Severe constipation.
- Nausea.
- Yellow, discoloration of eyes, tongue, skin and urine.
- Dull pain in the liver region.
- Intense itching.

Causes of Jaundice

- Jaundice is caused by excessive amounts of bilirubin.
- Jaundice usually is caused by liver dysfunction or blockage of the bile ducts leading from the liver to the small bowel.
- Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Liver cirrhosis, Hepatitis E, Obstruction of bile ducts, Gallstones, Pancreatic cancer, Alcoholic liver disease, Inflammation of the liver, Haemolytic anaemia, Typhoid, Malaria, Yellow fever, Tuberculosis, Certain medication, Pregnancy can be few causes of jaundice.

A bilirubin level of 12 or more which continues to increase after the third day and a baby that is dehydrated and lethargic is an indication of pathological jaundice. This is a condition could be related to blood group incompatibility or a damaged liver and the help of an experienced professional healer is very likely necessary for effective infant jaundice treatments in this case. If untreated this type of infant jaundice can lead to brain damage. The two other types of infant jaundice, physiologic jaundice and breast milk jaundice require little to no treatment and will disappear within a few weeks on their own.

Treatments to lower the level of bilirubin in your baby’s blood may include:
- Light therapy (phototherapy). Your baby may be placed under special lighting that emits light in the blue-green spectrum. The light changes the shape and structure of bilirubin molecules in such a way that they can be excreted in the urine and stool. The light isn’t an ultraviolet light, and a protective plastic shield filters out any ultraviolet light that may be emitted. During the treatment, your baby will wear only a diaper and protective eye patches.

- Sunlight will also help break down the bilirubin. So another effective infant jaundice treatment is to undress your baby and, while shading her eyes, give her a sun bath in the early morning or late afternoon sun for five minutes.

- Breastfeed your baby frequently. Plenty of fluids are needed to flush away the bilirubin.

- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Jaundice may be related to blood type differences between mother and baby. This condition results in the baby carrying antibodies from the mother that contribute to the breakdown of blood cells in the baby. Intravenous transfusion of immunoglobulin, a blood protein that can reduce levels of antibodies, may decrease jaundice and lessen the need for exchange blood transfusion.

- Exchange blood transfusion. Rarely, when severe jaundice doesn’t respond to other treatments, a baby may need an exchange transfusion of blood. This involves repeatedly withdrawing small amounts of blood, diluting out the bilirubin and maternal antibodies, and then transferring blood back into the baby — a procedure that’s performed in a newborn intensive care unit.

If you suspect breast milk jaundice you can stop breastfeeding for a short period of time (no longer than 48 hours) to see if the bilirubin level drops without breast milk.

CAUSES OF JAUNDICE :
* anemia and more precisely hemolytic anemia.
* blockage of bile ducts due to certain reasons.
* hepatitis condition.
* cancer of pancreas.
* liver disorders caused by increased alcohol consumption.

SYMPTOMS OF JAUNDICE :
The symptoms of jaundice are severe constipation, fever, nausea, pain in the liver region and yellow colour of the eyes, tongue, skin and urine.

HOME REMEDIES FOR JAUNDICE
1. 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder mixed in a glass of hot water taken 2-3 times a day.
2. Make a paste of tender papaya leaves. Take 1/2 tsp of this paste with 1 tsp honey.
3. Boil 1 cup of water, when it boils add 8-10 lemon leaves. Cover and leave for 4-5 minutes. Drink the decoction for 4-5 days.
4. Lots of lime juice should be consumed.
5. 1/2 tsp ginger juice, 1 tsp mint juice and 1tsp lime juice to be taken as often as possible.
6. 1 cup of juice made with radish leaves taken 2 times a day.
7. First thing in the morning, drink 1 glass of fresh Tomato juice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to this.
8. The juice of bitter luffa is also good home remedy for jaundice.
9. An infusion is made out of snake gourd leaves by mixing 15 gm of dry leaves in 250 ml of water and then boiling it. Take this at a time for once in a day.
10. Coriander seeds are put in ½ liter of water and then boil till it becomes one third. Take this decoction in the dosage of 30-50 ml thrice a day.
11. Take one cup of barely boiled in three liters of water. It is cooled and then taken. Take this water several times a day.
12. Consume minerals like iron and calcium during the attack of jaundice.
13. Consume mashed banana wit a table spoon of honey is very good remedy for liver disorders.
14. Buttermilk should be continuously consumed for seven days with a pinch or black pepper helps in rejuvenating liver.
15. Beet root juice with lemon juice is highly effective in treating jaundice.
16. Carrot juice is also recommended in liver ailments.
17. Consume prune fruit as it helps in preventing jaundice.
18. A mixture of almonds (badam), dried dates (chhuhara) and cardamom (chotti ilachi) is regarded as an effective remedy for jaundice.
19. Take an Indian drug Amlaki or Indian gooseberry in any form.
20. One glass of sugarcane juice, mixed with the juice of half a lime, and taken twice daily, can hasten recovery from jaundice.

DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS :
On the initial stages of jaundice, a person is to be kept on juice diet. The juices could be of fruits and vegetables. This will give rest to the intestines and so the liver. Any organ in human body recovers faster from illness if they are given rest.
After the juice diet, one can go for very light diet. the diet with light carbohydrates and exclusion of fats is good to have in case of jaundice.
Oily, fast food, junk food, canned food, packaged food and food that is heavy to digest must be avoided.Stimulating beverages like coffee, tea and alcohol are strictly contraindicated. One should also stop smoking.