Love Your Liver Liver Overload The liver is our main detoxification organ, but its job duties go far beyond internal cleansing. The liver is an impressive multi-tasker, with over 500 known functions. It is involved with digestion, the endocrine system, immunity, controlling blood sugar, and protein and fat metabolism. The liver is quite arguably the body’s most important organ. A toxin is any substance that irritates or creates harmful effects in the body. Some toxins, called endotoxins, are the natural by-products of body processes. For example, during protein metabolism, ammonia is formed, which the liver breaks down to urea to be excreted through the kidneys. The majority of toxins come from our environment. They enter our bodies and are consumed through food and drink, such as alcohol, caffeine, hydrogenated oils, genetically modified foods, and chemical food additives. Some travel into our systems from over the counter or prescription drugs. We are also exposed to thousands of toxic chemicals in our environment such as pesticides, car exhaust, second-hand smoke, mould, bacteria, viruses, and indoor pollutants from paint, carpets, and cleaners, just to name a few. Thank goodness that the body has systems designed to eliminate waste and to detoxify these poisons. The liver springs into action and chemically converts toxins to be easily eliminated by the kidneys. Under ordinary circumstances, your body handles toxins by neutralizing, transforming, and eliminating them. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals then fatsoluble chemicals are transformed to water-soluble ones which can be eliminated through urine, faeces, sweat, mucus, and breath. When the body is burdened with more chemicals than it can efficiently detoxify, chronic health problems can occur. Problems like allergies, skin problems, digestive problems, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and a variety of ailments can be caused by chemical exposure.

Lighten Up on your Liver As you can see, we need our liver to survive, so in order to help it stay healthy, we need to lighten the load. If your liver is clogged up or damaged due to the way we treat our body, everything suffers. We get sick, we get fat, we get hormonal, we can’t digest what nutrients we eat, and we can’t protect ourselves from our environment. How do you know if your liver is in need of some TLC? Here are some common symptoms that appear as a result of an overloaded liver: •

weight gain, especially around the belly

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cellulite

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abdominal bloating

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indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn

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trouble digesting fatty foods

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high blood pressure

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elevated cholesterol

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fatigue

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mood swings

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depression

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skin rashes or dark spots on skin

• hypoglycaemia Other signs to watch for include pain around the rib cage; sleep apnoea or snoring, and fatty yellowish lumps around eyes. These are signs you need to take action, detox, and alter your diet and lifestyle to heal your liver. How to Keep your Liver Clean The best way to show your liver some love is by decreasing the amount of toxins you put into your body, while at the same time supporting your body’s detoxification and elimination systems. Hydration – Think of it as a shower for your insides. We must keep properly hydrated to keep the body flushing appropriately, which consists of moving the bowels and urine regularly. Proper hydration keeps the blood fluid so that toxic material may be delivered to the lymph and liver. Water flushes toxins and removes wastes.

Lemon water is great to support liver detox. Those who can tolerate it can start each day with a mug of hot lemon water using half a lemon to assist your kidneys and liver. Everyone should drink plenty of clean filtered water throughout the day, at least half your bodyweight in ounces is a good place to start. Diet – Processed, lifeless foods are seen by the body as a toxin. Removing all food sensitivities is essential. Avoiding sugar/caffeine/alcohol will take a burden off of your liver. Eat plenty of liver-loving foods in your diet, including LIVER itself. Liver-loving foods include beets (a healthy bile builder) and cruciferous vegetables (contain substances that improve the ability of the liver to detoxify harmful chemicals and pollutants). Inulin foods, like Jerusalem artichokes are also beneficial. A cleansing diet is a great way to reduce inflammation and enhance metabolic cleansing – this helps to address toxic overload, harmful bacteria, heavy metal toxicity, and leaky gut. Avoid all gluten grains (wheat, rye, oats – which can be contaminated with gluten, and barley), processed foods, alcohol, caffeine (coffee, black teas, sodas), soybased foods, sodas, fruit drinks, conventional pork or cold cuts, all meats that contain hormones/antibiotics (use only hormone/antibiotic free or pastured grassfed), canned tomato products (most contain common allergens, some even contain gluten), and avoid hydrogenated oils/fats, all refined sugar products, and any foods to which you are currently intolerant. Fiber – removing grains/legumes from the diet removes a heck of a lot of fibre. It will be critical to consume plenty of vegetables at every meal along with supplementing with fibre. Psyllium husk is a great option. Seeds such as chia are also a good option. If you don’t tolerate these seeds, just be sure to include sources of fibre in your diet that you do tolerate. Low glycaemic veggies are great for this; eat as many as you want and with every meal, if possible. Some people with gut issues don’t tolerate raw veggies well, so cooked veggies are fine in that case, and consume plenty. Essential fatty acids – This is why strict low-fat diets are not beneficial for general health, weight control, or liver function. Good sources include coconut oil and butter (if you tolerate dairy). Testing – Get checked for hidden food intolerances and yeast overgrowth, and consider hair analysis to test for heavy metals.

Exercise – Get moving! Even if it’s only a brisk walk or something minimal, it works. Daily movement is very important. It keeps the lymph flowing and toxins moving out of the body. Work up a Sweat –Perspiration is a great detoxification pathway. Be sure to break a sweat daily, which will probably happen if you are getting in your exercise; however, you can head to a sauna, as well. Detox Baths – Detoxification doesn’t have to be difficult, sometimes it can be very relaxing. Treat yourself to a relaxing soak in the tub. Detox baths are an excellent way to promote cleansing and can be done regularly. You can assist elimination of toxins through the skin with detox baths in a gentle, non-invasive way. It’s a simple as adding 1 cup of Epsom salts to your bath. Oil Pulling – Oil pulling is a great method for pulling toxins out of the blood as well. The swishing action done during oil pulling can trigger enzymes that draw toxins from the blood. It is important to note that the oil has become very toxic by doing this and by no means should you ever swallow it. Start with a small amount of coconut oil, swished around in your mouth for as little as three minutes. Work your way up to 7-10 minutes as you become more comfortable with the process. Eliminate Environmental Stressors – Try eliminating as many toxins as possible from your home and personal hygiene products. Check the ingredients on your cosmetics and cleaning products, store your leftovers in glass instead of plastic, and consider installing a filter for your shower. The skin is the largest organ in your body….what is applied to your skin is absorbed right into your body. So, if you would not eat it, don’t use it on your skin. Sleep – Fat production in the liver is known to be affected by circadian rhythms. Studies have shown that disrupting circadian rhythms in mice causes the animals to develop excess liver fat. It is believed that the same could be true in humans. Because sleep rejuvenates the body and immune system, insomnia affects energy level, mood, and overall health. Long-term sleep deprivation increases the severity of chronic disease, including all kinds of liver disease. Unfortunately, insomnia is a common complaint among those with liver disease. Sleep apnoea, stress and anxiety, and medication-induced sleeplessness are often to blame. When trying to heal your liver, do everything you can to make sleep a priority.

Supplementation – Individual supplementation needs vary tremendously from person to person; however, at the very least, taking a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement is certainly advisable to support your body’s needs. During times of stress, you may want to increase your mineral intake, as stress causes you to burn through your minerals more quickly. Consume Probiotics Daily – through fermented foods (if tolerated) or supplements. Probiotics help to neutralize toxins and break down and prevent synthesis of bacterial toxins. There are many other vitamins, supplements and herbs that have been proven effective in cleansing and supporting the liver including vitamins like B-complex, C, E, and natural beta carotene, herbs like milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion, and globe artichoke, and a number of important specific amino acids. It’s best to consult with a trained practitioner who understands your individual needs to determine which supplements and what doses will be most effective for you.