Your liver talks to you - maybe not verbally, but it'll tell you something's wrong through pain and elevated liver enzymes. Always listen to your liver. High blood pressure, cholesterol, weight gain .... we all know the drill. Health symptoms are the way your liver is telling you that changes need to be made.
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body, and it holds more blood than your heart. A threat to your liver means a threat to your overall health. When your liver is sick, your body will be, too.
Your liver is the first domino to fall.
A Blood Doorway
Your liver runs its own function. It performs a wide variety of vital life functions. Your liver removes toxins and waste from your blood at the same time it releases nutrients into your blood.
At this very moment, your liver is converting nutrients from your diet into chemicals that your body can use, and store for future use. Your liver is regulating the composition of your blood by providing a doorway into your bloodstream.
What an organ! You've gotta love your liver!
Your Healthy Liver
Your liver performs a wide variety of vital functions, and it is its own complex system. Scientists in China discovered decades ago that your liver regenerates itself every 6 weeks. This means that your liver cells replace themselves - out with the old and in with the new.
This is a good thing if your liver cells are healthy because they make Xerox copies of themselves. So, if your liver is diseased, it'll replicate itself as diseased. But if they are healthy, they'll reproduce themselves as new healthy liver cells.
If you purify your diet and take healthy supplements, you can replace diseased cells with healthy cells. If you don't know what toxins are keeping your liver diseased, have a hair analysis done. This way you can see what may be damaging your liver and your blood health, and then you'll know what to remove and what to replace in order to create a healthier liver.
Avoid Everything Time-Released
If you are ingesting toxins everyday, like time-released medications or OTC pain relievers, it is very important to understand that they are altered in the lab to NOT digest normally. They are programmed to stay in your liver when your liver is supposed to naturally clear itself out within 45 minutes after eating or taking anything incoming.
Time-released products become very toxic to your liver because time-released means that they remain in your liver for hours and release into your bloodstream very slowly as opposed to leaving your liver quickly.
Most medications and OTC drugs, some supplements, most food chemicals and preservatives, and processed oils are time-released. So if you love your liver, avoid anything that is buffered or time-released.
Right now, at this very moment, your liver is using its own enzymes to convert healthy nutrients from your diet into chemicals that your body will use to maintain health. Your liver is regulating the composition of your blood by providing THE doorway to your bloodstream.
In other words, what gets into your liver WILL get into your bloodstream.
Think hard liquor .... over time, is this toxic to your liver or not?
If you eat a toxin, your liver will try to remove it at the same time that it passes those toxins into your bloodstream. If you are not exposed to toxins, your liver stays clean and so does your blood, but if you are exposing your liver to toxins, like taking a daily medication or drinking diet sodas, your liver will eventually weaken and become damaged. Your liver enzymes will increase, and the toxins will release into your blood and thicken your blood.
What Harms Your Liver
Modern living can overload your liver with chemicals and high frequencies, and that's an understatement!
Pollutants in the environment, like pesticides and farm chemicals, pollute your liver.
Food chemicals and poor dietary habits damage your liver.
Artificial hormones in both medications and in processed meats, harm your liver.
So, be good to your liver.
Eat whole foods;
Drink lots of spring water and pure liquids that do not have man-made chemicals added, like food coloring and artificial sweeteners;
Supplement your diet with key nutrients (such as Dong Quai, calcium D-glucarate, and dandelion) that aid liver health.
Taking care of your liver can regenerate new liver tissue, protect your liver from free radical damage, reduce liver congestion (which supports other organs directly linked to the liver, like your gall bladder), and improves your immune function.
Healthy Liver Supplements
A whole foods diet is the best place to start improving your liver health, but below are some supplements that can accelerate liver restoration:
Amino acids are very important in neutralizing toxins in your liver, and they are important in the detoxification process, too. Aminos have been found to reduce toxins to harmless substances and assist in their removal from the body.
Some amino acids are key components in the formation of bile acids, which are required for the removal of toxins, fats, and metabolites. Don't forget that amino acids should be consumed in a group, specifically a minimum of eight, and are found in meats, dairy, nuts and lentils.
Many herbs promote liver health, such as chicory root, yarrow flower, milk thistle (silymarin),and senna extract. These herbs suppress oxidative degradation and enhance detoxifying enzymes.
The natural compound calcium D-glucarate, found in many fruits and vegetables, has been shown to support the liver's natural detoxification mechanism called glucuronidation.
Calcium D-glucarate removes various carcinogens from the liver such as hormones, xenobiotics, the toxins in diet sweeteners, and fat-soluble toxins. When the liver is overly exposed to these types of toxins, a dangerous enzyme called beta-glucuronidase forms in the body, and this reverses the glucuronidation process and releases toxins (carcinogens) back into the bloodstream. Calcium D- glucarate has been shown to inhibit beta-glucuronidase activity.
The dandelion has long been recognized as a liver tonic because it promotes detoxification and reduces liver congestion. Dandelion relieves liver stagnation from hepatitis, jaundice, and gallstones by stimulating the output of bile.
Dong Quai strengthens the liver by improving oxygen utilization. It has been shown to increase the activity of enzymes in the liver and to protect it from damage from pain relievers such as acetaminophen, found in Tylenol®.
Lecithin has the ability to make fatty substances more water-soluble, and this helps the liver process fats by efficiently transporting them in and out of the liver. The liver's cell membranes are composed of lecithin, and these membranes regulate the passage of nutrients in and out. Not only does this enhance resistance to infections, but it also assists in the elimination of cholesterol and other blood fats.
Milk thistle is the most researched herb used for liver health. Acting as an antioxidant, silymarin is the flavonoid found in milk thistle, and it protects the liver from damage by increasing the synthesis of amino acids and the rate of liver regeneration.
Slippery Elm produces a protective lining for inflamed and ulcerated mucosal surfaces common in people who suffer from toxic livers and from abnormal bile production, gastritis, and stomach ulcers.
Zinc is important to your liver, and zinc deficiency has been connected to liver disease. Enzymes in your liver are necessary for the metabolism of alcohol, and they are dependent on zinc to reduce inflammation.
If your liver is telling you that it's getting sick, I recommend removing all food chemicals and processed oils from your diet, food preservatives, and particularly remove the diet sweeteners.
You'll be able to tell pretty quickly if this is relieving stress on your liver.
Limit your alcohol, and make sure to eat a balanced daily diet with ample protein. Eat more meals made at home as opposed to eating out, eat smaller portions throughout the day, and avoid eating a large meal after 6:00 PM.
Believe it or not, the healthiest food for your liver is eating liver! It's the first thing a wild animal eats when it makes a kill.
If you don't like eating liver - and I don't - there are many great grass fed and Buffalo liver supplements to choose from at the health markets.
This is the best way to be good to your liver, and when your liver needs a nutrient adjustment - believe me, it will let you know.
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If you want to learn more about health and disease prevention, contact me at janethull.com. Remember that you are never alone when you are looking for good health!
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.
Before taking vitamins, consult your doctor; pre-existing medical conditions or medications you are taking can affect how your body responds to multivitamins.
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Thank you, Will. You are right - provide your body with the right tools, it has the God-given intelligence to use those tools the way they are intended to be used. Our bodies are miracles when we allow them to be.
It is amazing how God created each organization for a specific purpose. Great article, Janet.