Jaundice Vitamin D production. Bilirubin count is lowered through bowel movements and urination, so frequent and effective feedings are especially important. Yellow discoloration of the skin, especially on the palms and the soles, but not of the sclera or inside the mouth is due to carotenemia—a harmless condition. Jaundice itself is not a disease, but rather a sign of one of many possible underlying pathological processes that occur at some point along the normal physiological pathway of the metabolism of bilirubin in blood. When red blood cells have completed their life span of approximately 120 days, or when they are damaged,
Neonatal jaundice Homeopathy, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese medicine should not be used. Penicillamine was studied in the 1970s in hyperbilirubinemia due to ABO hemolytic disease. While tin mesoporphyrin IX may decrease bilirubin such use is not recommended in babies. Preclinical studies have looked at minocycline to help prevent neurotoxicity. Clofibrate may decrease the duration of phototherapy. Evidence as of 2012 however is insufficient to recommend its use. Neonatal jaundice Neonatal jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white part of the eyes and skin in a newborn baby due to high bilirubin levels. Other symptoms may include excess sleepiness or poor feeding.