From my Chinese medicine back ground we’re slightly obsessed about the liver and all things associated. As I write this blog at the start of Spring this is THE time of the year to help your liver cleanse. Your Liver is a fantastic filter; there isn’t anything so complex in our mechanical lives. The liver organ is responsible for over 500 vital functions in your body daily including pivotal ones such as hormone metabolism, blood sugar regulation, fat conversion, energy levels, motivation and digestion. Medications can screw up your liver function as can sugar and alcohol. With women in menopause as oestrogen declines this has a catch 22 effect as a good liver function supports hormone metabolization and this in turns supports the liver function. Helping your liver IS how to help your health; which is under duress from modern lifestyle. In this month’s blog let’s get to why it’s so important in Live Healthy love your liver!
How your liver changes with middle age
Many of the midlife health conditions have their root cause in the quality of your liver health. This becomes significantly important as the risk of developing liver diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases significantly with excess weight gain around the middle. High cholesterol, diabetes, dementia, underactive thyroid and cancers all start with your liver.
In women oestrogen has protective effects on the liver, regulating bile production and reducing inflammation. However, fluctuations during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can alter these mechanisms, increasing this vulnerability. Women post-menopause are at a 2x higher risk of developing fatty liver disease. Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis can also exacerbate liver conditions by promoting insulin resistance and fat accumulation in the liver.
Many people have told me that their blood tests for their liver have come back ‘healthy’; this doesn’t necessarily mean your liver is in a good state. NHS blood testing checks you’re alive and not about to die – you don’t want anything showing up on these tests! However, this doesn’t mean that your liver is performing at its best. Signs and symptoms are a good way to check how well your liver is doing. If you feel unwell regularly or under par most of the time you most likely need liver support.
The good news is that if you support your liver health this needn’t be the case. Just to reiterate your liver is a filter and if you keep your filter clean then it can combat the toxic overload we are faced with every day. With understanding and daily selfcare you can protect and cleanse your liver. The impact of this is then felt throughout your mind and body with increased health.
Signs your liver needs help
From a western perspective:
Blood sugar issues
Constipation
Excess belly fat
PCOS/Endometriosis/Fibroids/PMS
Toxins such as heavy metals/Molds/ candida
Puffy arm pits/ Sore breasts
Feeling fatigued/unmotivated/brain fog
High LDL Cholesteroal/ Triglycerides
Upper abdominal belly fat
Additionally - from a Chinese medicine perspective:
Irritability/ short fuse
Noticeable daily mood swings
Night sweats
Change in body odour
Daily low level nausea
Skin breakouts
Itchy skin
Sensitive to smells
Sensitive to caffeine
Blurry vision that comes and goes
Twitches/ tics / shakes
The whites of your eyes look yellow (liver heat)
Waking up with blood shot eyes (liver blood stagnation)
Stiff getting out of bed (until you warm up)
High blood pressure (unresolved anger!)
Migraines
Craving a lot of green vegetables
Your liver performs about 500 vital functions a day, vital for your good health. Detoxification of the blood, protein synthesis, excretion of bilirubin, hormones, cholesterol, bile production are some of the important functions that the liver performs. You may not have heard of most of these but without them you would be very ill!
Toxins that put additional burden on your liver
There are a lot of factors which affect whether the liver performs its critical functions effectively. Poor lifestyle choices can put too much pressure on this delicate organ. Toxic overload can come from your environment inside and out:
Non-organic food (mercury, lead and pesticides)
Air pollution
Tap water (fluoride, chlorine)
Skin care products (BPA, parabens and many more)
Deodorant (Aluminium)
Household cleaning products (toxic chemicals)
Medications; including commonly-used ones like corticosteroids and aspirin
Plastics ( e.g. BPA)
Cookware like non-stick pans (nasty!)
Stress
Alcohol/ soft drinks lie tonic (sugar)
Coffee
Foods that turn into sugar (beige carbs)
Sweeteners (aspartame etc) they still induce insulin release
Highly processed (are inflammatory foods)
Your body is designed to excrete these toxins. You have a few detoxification organs: skin, lungs, kidneys, digestive tract and the liver. They are all capable of detoxing the body however the challenge nowadays is that the load is higher than they can handle!
Your liver and the emotional aspect
When the liver is clogged up energy known as Qi – stutters! This has an effect on you physically and emotionally. Physically it may represent as nervous tics and shakes but emotionally it can be all shades of anger. From intermittent outbursts to daily mood swings if you’re noticing that every little thing is irritating the hell out of you – you need a liver detox.
Another major factor is not recognising that you are angry – this is in the realm of liver energy too in Chinese medicine. There is a famous quote:
Holding onto anger is like drinking poison
and expecting the other person to die
... and poison is metabolised in the liver!
Whether you realise you’re angry or not if you’re finding yourself being emotionally volatile then a liver detox will help calm you down.
What you can take to improve liver performance
Everything you eat will have a positive or negative effect on your liver health. Let’s not dwell on the negative ones (just reduce them as best you can) let’s focus on the positive changes you can make that help your liver!
1. Hydrochloric Acid (aka Stomach Acid)
Improve the level of your stomach acid level by drinking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or ½ lemon in a glass of warm/lukewarm water upon rising. Do not eat till 30 minutes later.
2. Fibre
Add 2-3 tablespoons of insoluble fibre per day; e.g. ground golden flax seed helps oestrogen metabolism as well. If you can’t tolerate flax seed, substitute with chia seeds psyllium husk or you may have a supplement with inulin in.
3. Eat more greens!
Your liver loves anything green – young/fresh have the most nutrients. Aim to eat a healthy portion of greens a day; ideally 3 times a day! Try a green smoothie (and you can add your supplements in too; Chlorella is a good one). Add bitter leaves to lunches and reduce carbohydrates in favour of greenery for your dinner. Micro greens are a fantastic way of getting uber nutrition for the liver without the bulk.
Fruit and veg are called anti-inflammatory foods; they are also pre-biotics – they feed your gut and keep it in great condition to convert nutrients.
4. Liver cleansing herbals
Remember drinks like Dandelion and Burdock? They’re tonics for your health. Dandelion is one a group of bitter herbs that supports the detox process. Milk Thistle is well known too however if you take a blend of herbs they will support all stages of detox. I take a liver health supplement daily at present and have been doing detoxes on / off for 7 years.
Fish oils - Don’t take Cod liver oil specifically as this is a known polluted supplement these days. Go for a fish oil that is not liver based.
5. Liver Supporting minerals
Vitamin B complex – this is a key vitamin range that opens up the detoxification pathways. Thiamine (vitamin B1) specifically plays a crucial role in fatty liver and insulin resistance. It aids the metabolism of carbohydrates reducing fatty liver and aids alcohol metabolism!
The vitamin B complex is part of a multivitamin that also includes trace minerals that the body needs overall; for example, Boron to aid Magnesium absorption. Don’t overlook how important this supplement is; it’s the first one I put my clients on (as it’s the one they always overlook!).
Other liver-supporting supplements like Organic Super Green blends and Magnesium help support optimal liver function and promote hormone balance. You’ll always need an additional Magnesium; it’s too bulky to contain in a multivitamin. A whole blog can be written on -The shortcut? Just take Magnesium!
Vitamin D3 – another catch 22 is that your liver doesn’t metabolise Vitamin D3 if it’s working poorly but that low vitamin D3 can cause impairment. Vitamin D3 is one of a couple that is stored in the liver (along with vitamins A and k2). As well as supplementing with D3 you should also cleanse the liver to ensure its working more efficiently. You can check your vitamin D levels with a home blood test.
When the liver is working at its best; fat-soluble vitamins will be more effective. In Chinese medicine your eyes are an outward expression of the liver and this is linked to vitamin A. If you often experience blurry vision that comes and goes this is an indication of the Liver Qi Stuttering. Cleanse your liver first; then a good multi vitamin contains Beta Carotene to support vitamin A creation in the liver.
6. Blood / Glucose support
As your liver struggles more insulin is released to deal with the sugars causing intolerance; at worst this leads to Type 2 Diabetes and more belly fat. To support a change in this process a good blood glucose support supplement contains therapeutic levels of cinnamon and helps your body deal with the sugars in your diet and supports your metabolism for the better.
Gymnema Sylvestre - an ancient herb used traditionally for over 2000 years to help manage cravings for sweet foods. In the Ayurvedic system, it is referred to as "Gurmar" which means ‘sugar destroyer’.
All the supplements mentioned are explained further with shopping links in my free download:
Lifestyle changes to support your liver health
The liver is part of a larger system to detox your body and so stimulating lymphatic system to drain is part of the lifestyle support you can implement daily. Anything that stimulates lymphatic movement encourages detoxification. Toxins will more easily be transported to the liver with:
½ lemon squeezed in warm water first thing - flushes out toxins
Intermittent fasting – aim for 12 to 16 hours
Dry skin brushing, towards the heart
Movement - walking, rebounding, yoga
Stretching – muscles move lymph!
Twisting exercises (and dancing!) – see images below
Epsom salt bath – specifically draws out toxins
Sauna/Infrared saunas* – reduce inflammation/healthy lymph flow
Shiatsu – stimulate lymph/ support liver function/ rebalance organs
*sauna shouldn’t be used if you have Kidney Yin Deficiency
Your liver is amazingly resilient and in most cases is capable of regeneration. The sooner you start to take care of your liver, the easier it is to keep it and you healthy.
For more complex health issues then you may want to enquire with a Traditional Chinese medicine herbalist.
Live healthy - Love your liver
Liver health IS your good health. Your body has just been getting by and it puts up with a lot through our 20s and 30s; but 40s onwards is payback! This is when the filter needs cleaning regularly. This can be done with a daily support supplement or you can do regular detoxes. You may find yourself craving green smoothies or a plateful of broccoli – these are indications that your liver is looking for support.
Contact me if you’d like to discuss liver detoxing or if you’d like to book a shiatsu to help you rejuvenate your energy!
About Andrea at Shiatsu Bodyworks Cheltenham
Andrea is a qualified zen shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioner with over 20 years immersed in holistic therapies and the energetics of mind and body. Based in Cheltenham, UK she offers in house clinic and online shiatsu sessions to help people with midlife health issues and also offers online consultations for helping you resolve health issues and regain your vitality. She is a menopause specialist too, find out more at cotswoldmenopause.co.uk
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