I received a very interesting email from a client the other day, and it is worth sharing with you. It was a question about liver health, and let me tell you … your liver is very important to your health. ALWAYS listen to your liver – it’ll tell you when it needs some help. You’ll feel it.
Your liver is the largest internal organ in your body, and it houses more blood than your heart. If your liver is stressed, your blood will be stressed, and this is a domino effect spiraling your health downward.
The Email
Dr. Hull, my friend has Primary Biliary Cholangitis. They say it’s incurable. Why does the liver not regenerate itself with this disease, or can it restore with the right stuff?
My Answer
I’m sorry to hear about your friend, but you are correct, the liver can regenerate itself. But, I would assume she is on a lot of medications and the medications are probably toxic to her liver, and keeping her liver from healing.
When you regenerate your liver, you need to be detoxing and giving it liver tablets or eating liver to help it restore. Many medications, especially the time released ones, stay in the liver far too long, and that causes the liver enzymes to elevate, and this increases blood toxicity and liver damage.
Sadly, this will remain incurable as long as she remains on the medications.
Your 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 the cells are diseased, they’ll replicate as diseased. But if they are healthy, they’ll reproduce as new healthy cells.
If you purify your diet and take the proper supplements, you can replace diseased cells with healthy cells. If you don’t know what toxins are keeping your liver under stress or 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.
Time-Released Is No Gooda
If you are ingesting toxins everyday, like time-released medications, alcohol, or diet sweeteners, it is very important to understand that as your liver regenerates, it will replicate damaged cells and replace sick cells with another sick cell.
Time-released products are very toxic to your liver because time-released means that the medication has been altered in the lab to remain in your liver for hours and release into your bloodstream very slowly as opposed to leaving your liver within 45 minutes, which is the natural and healthy way to maintain liver health.
Most medications and OTC drugs, and many supplements 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 enzymes to convert healthy nutrients from your diet into chemicals for your body to use. Your liver is regulating the composition of your blood, and it provides the doorway to your bloodstream. In other words, what gets into the liver will get into your bloodstream.
Think hard liquor …. toxic to your liver or not?
Let’s complicate this even more – if you eat a toxin, your liver will try to remove it at the same time it passes those toxins into your blood. If you are not exposed to toxins regularly, your liver can pass it out of your body efficiently, but if you are chronically exposing your liver to toxins, like taking a daily medication, your liver will eventually weaken and be damaged. Your liver enzymes will increase, and more toxins will release into your blood.
What an organ! You’ve gotta love your liver!
What Harms Your Liver
Modern living can overload your liver, and that’s an understatement!
Chemical pollutants in the environment and chemicals in your FOOD, poor dietary habits, pesticides, artificial hormones in both medications and in processed meats, and stress all pollute your liver.
This can result in a poorly functioning and highly congested liver, which in turn, results in fatigue, loss of appetite, skin problems, blood problems, high cholesterol, and a weakened immune system.
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;
- 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 the gall bladder), and improves your immune function.
Healthy Liver Supplements
- Amino acids are very important in neutralizing toxins in the liver, and they are important in the detoxification process, too. They 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 with 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. This detoxification tool 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. It relieves stagnation from hepatitis, jaundice, and gallstones by stimulating the output of bile.
- Dong Quai strengthens the liver by improving oxygen. It has been shown to increase the activity of enzymes in the liver 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, the flavonoid found in milk thistle, protects the liver from damage by increasing the synthesis of amino acids and the rate of liver regeneration.
- Slippery Elm produces a protective lining against inflammation and ulceration common in people who suffer from toxic livers, and from abnormal bile production, gastritis, and stomach ulcers.
- Zinc deficiency has been connected to liver disease. Enzymes in the liver necessary for the metabolism of alcohol are dependent on zinc. Zinc has also been shown to reduce levels of immunoregulatory protein associated with inflammatory reactions in the liver.
I recommend removing all food chemicals from your diet, particularly the diet sweeteners and many food preservatives. This can quickly relieve stress on your liver.
Limit your alcohol consumption, and make sure to eat a balanced daily diet with ample protein. Eat meals made at home more than you eat out, eat smaller portions of food, and avoid eating a large meal after 6:00 PM.
This is the best way to be good to your liver, and when it needs a nutrient adjustment, believe me – it’ll let you know.
Always listen to your liver!
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If you want to learn more about healthy living and disease prevention, contact me at janethull.com. Remember that you are never alone when you are looking for good health!
I look forward to supporting you on your journey to alternative health and wellness.
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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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