Liver Detox For A Sluggish Liver
Your liver is the biggest organ of detoxification in your body, and is also a vital organ for digestive function.
The liver is the biggest organ of detoxification in your body and it protects us from all the toxins we ingest. Some toxins we can control ingesting like as alcohol, processed foods, refined sugar, medications, over-the-counter drugs, household cleaning supplies and body products—and some we can’t control like the toxins we are exposed to from the environment. Either way, all of these toxins get circulated through the liver.
Your liver detoxifies harmful substances in two steps.
Phase 1, the first step, partially breaks down toxins making them water-soluble so your body can eliminate them more easily. Phase 2, the second step, removes the broken down toxins from the body through watery fluids like bile and urine.
Both steps need to be in balance to work well. During Phase 1 free radicals are produced which can damage the liver cells if they become excessive. So if Phase 2 is sluggish, then these partially processed toxins aren’t eliminated causing build up in your body. These partially processed toxins are more damaging than the original ones so they need to move through and out the body effectively, rather than recirculating more toxins.
When you expose your body to high alcohol, smoking, processed foods, or environmental toxins (pesticides, herbicides, house hold chemicals, toxic make-up,etc.), this second stage slows down and prevents the liver from handling the load, increasing toxin build up systemically.
If the liver is overburdened, these symptoms may be present.
- Headaches
- Skin breakouts; acne, rashes, eczema, psoriasis
- Excess body odor or bad breath
- Sensitivity to caffeine or medication
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Feeling sluggish, tired and fatigued a lot
- Weight gain and trouble losing weight
- Cravings and/or blood sugar issues
- Poor digestion
- Feeling nauseous after fatty meals
- Intolerant to strong smells such as perfumes
- Pain in the right side of your stomach
Most people will suffer from a sluggish liver at some point in their lives, given the heavy toxic load that the body bears on a daily basis.
What you can do to thank your liver.
Clean up your diet
- Eliminate all refined and processed foods.
- Substitute toxic and poor quality fats and oils such as canola oil, corn oil, margarine and trans fats for good quality oils such as ghee, butter, or coconut oil.
- Decrease red and processed meats.
- Eliminate or greatly reduce alcohol.
- Eat grass-fed meats, organic veggies and fruit, and wild caught fish to avoid toxic chemicals, herbicides and pesticides.
- Add foods that support liver detox like beets, turmeric, onion, garlic, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables (especially the bitter kind such as arugula, endive, and dandelion leaves)
Drink milk thistle or dandelion tea
Milk Thistle is known to be one of the best herbs to restore liver cells. It stimulates both phases of detoxification and is a potent antioxidant so protects the liver from harmful free radicals and chemicals. Dandelion root is also used to clear a sluggish or congested liver. It’s been shown to increases bile flow which helps to remove toxins during phase 2. Increased bile flow also helps digestive function and relieves constipation. You can also eat dandelion leaves as a bitter green in a salad.
Clean up your household products
The environmental toxins that you can control exist in your own home. Do an in-home detox and opt for cleaning products that don’t have harmful chemicals like Phthalate, Perchloroethylene, Triclosan, Ammonium Compunds, 2-Butoxyethanol,Chlorine, and Sodium Hydroxide. These chemicals are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, and skin and respiratory irritants. They are found in dish soaps, laundry detergents, air fresheners and cleaning supplies. Believe it or not daily body products like soaps, shampoos, lotions, fragrances, toothpaste and mouthwash also have harmful chemicals that absorb into your skin and add to the toxin burden in your body. These chemicals can cause a disruption of your hormones as well. Learn more here about alternative products.
Skin Brushing
Under normal circumstances the skin eliminates more than one pound of waste products every day. If the skin becomes inactive with its pores clogged with millions of dead cells and other debris, toxins will remain in the body. This puts undue stress on the other organs, mainly the kidneys and liver, making them increase their activity. Eventually they become overworked.
Dry skin brushing improves the surface circulation of the skin and keep the pores of the skin open, encouraging your body to discharge metabolic wastes. Doing this simple technique will change the health of your whole body by helping it get rid of toxins. Find out how to get started with skin brushing here.
Coffee Enemas
Yes! It’s true. Doing coffee enemas can help to stimulate the liver to detox better. Coffee enemas are a helpful part of the detoxification process. The caffeine from the coffee is absorbed into this circulatory system and goes directly to the liver where it acts as a very strong detoxifier. It decongests the liver, and causes it to dump its toxins. It causes the liver to produce more bile (which contains processed toxins) and stimulates the gall bladder to dump its contents which flows directly into the small intestine for elimination.
Caffeine also stimulates an enzyme used by the liver to make its detoxification pathways run. This enzyme is used to form glutathione (an amino acid), which is one of the main components that enable toxins to be eliminated via the bile into the small intestine. Therefore a coffee enema speeds up detoxification and minimizes the backlog of detoxified substances. Learn more here.
These are just a few tips on how you can give thanks to your liver this holiday season and have gratitude for your healthy body.
