Does Your Liver Need a Detox?
The liver is a vital organ that plays a crucial role in maintaining our overall health. As the second largest organ in our body, it performs a wide range of functions, from filtering everything we eat and drink to regulating our blood sugar levels. It also stores excess sugar as glycogen and converts extra carbohydrates and protein into forms that can be stored for later use. In addition, the liver helps to eliminate toxins from our body, making it an essential part of our overall detoxification system. It truly is a remarkable organ that works tirelessly to keep us healthy every day of our lives.
Even this remarkable organ can be excessively burdened by the onslaught of toxicants so common in everyday life—chemicals, poor food, sweet snacks and sodas, excess alcohol, pollution and the constant stress we all face today. We are routinely exposed to over 84,000 chemicals (many untested for safety because they were grandfathered in by the Toxic Substances Act). Our food environment has become "obesogenic", meaning it encourages us to consume high-fat, sugary, and refined foods that are advertised on television, sold in stores, and served in restaurants. This type of diet puts a lot of pressure on the liver's detoxification system. In addition, chronic stress, prevalent in modern life, can cause the liver to be affected by high levels of cortisol, leading to fatty liver. (1) According to Otago University, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in Western countries, affecting up to 30% of adults.
Liver rejuvenation supports overall health, including cholesterol and hormone metabolism, detoxification, energy, and cognitive function.
How to Know When Your Liver is distressed
What are the early signs and symptoms of a distressed liver? Are there any warning signs that your liver needs detoxification? Here are six ways to support your liver.
Excessive Fatigue – Fatigue is a common complaint worldwide and is often linked with stress on the liver. (2) The liver plays an important role in converting glucose into glycogen, which is a form of sugar that can be stored in the body and later released as glucose when the body requires an energy boost. By storing and supplying glucose, the liver helps the body fight fatigue. However, if the liver is stressed, it may become less efficient at regulating blood glucose levels, leading to fatigue and sugar cravings.
Hormone Imbalances and Premenstrual Syndrome – The liver plays an essential role in detoxifying harmful substances and chemicals from our body. In addition to this, it also helps in detoxifying our own hormones, such as excess oestrogen. However, in case of impaired liver function, excess oestrogen might not be appropriately bound and excreted from the body. This can lead to various symptoms of excess oestrogen in women, including PMS, fibrocystic breasts, mood swings, weight gain, menstrual disturbances, fibroids, and more.
Belly Bloat and Excessive Wind –When the flow of bile is slowed or stagnant, it can cause dysbiosis - a condition where harmful bacteria thrive and constipation becomes common. The toxins produced by these bacteria can also block the detoxification pathways. (3) This imbalance in gut flora can lead to excessive wind and bloating after eating.
High Levels of Heavy Metals – The exposure of humans to heavy metals has increased significantly due to the widespread use of metals in industrial, agricultural, and technological applications. Metals are present in our everyday life, from coal-burning power plants to plastics, textiles, electronics, wood preservation, and paper processing. Heavy metals are known to cause DNA damage and can contribute to various human illnesses. (4) When the liver's detoxification pathways are impaired, heavy metals can accumulate in the body. This accumulation can particularly affect the liver's stores of glutathione, which is responsible for safely and effectively binding to toxins and metals.
Functional Testing can be done to assess urine, blood and hair levels of mercury to give a realistic picture of an individual’s mercury burden.
Chemical sensitivities and allergies – When the liver is experiencing stress, it can make individuals more sensitive to chemical exposures such as petrol, kerosene, natural gas, pesticides, solvents, new carpet, adhesives, glues, fabric softeners, cleaning products, and medications. Additionally, seasonal pollen allergies may become worse, and food sensitivities may increase. The liver has the responsibility of breaking down excess histamine, but if it is not functioning properly, histamine may accumulate in the body. (5) People with chronic cholestasis and impaired bile flow may have significantly higher than normal levels of histamine in their bloodstream.
Poor Sleep – Sleep problems can take many forms, such as struggling to fall asleep, waking up too early, having poor sleep quality, frequently waking up during the night, or waking up too early in the morning. There are various ways to address these issues, ranging from sleeping medications to cognitive techniques, relaxation recordings, meditation, sleep hygiene, and more. However, one effective solution may be to improve liver function. Sleep disturbances have been observed in people with chronic liver conditions, and one possible reason for this is impaired hepatic melatonin metabolism. (6) Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle and is naturally released by our bodies as darkness falls, preparing us for a good night’s sleep.
5 Ways to Cleanse and Support Your Liver
1) Support bile flow with bitter botanicals – Bitters have been used for centuries both as medicine and as aperitifs. They can aid in promoting a healthy drainage of the liver, kidneys, and lymph, while also helping to support intestinal health. Their primary function is to support healthy bile flow, which is essential for proper digestive function and helps to balance gut flora since bile acids have antimicrobial properties.(7) It's important to remember that toxins and their metabolites are removed from the liver into the bile, and then out of the body via the stool. The classic bitter botanicals are powerful yet gentle and include gentian, milk thistle, goldenrod, myrrh, and dandelion.
Gentian is known for its bitter taste and offers support to digestive and liver functions. It can increase glutathione levels and promote bile flow.
Milk thistle has a reputation as a potent liver protector, with bitter properties. Its active molecule, silymarin, enhances glutathione levels in the liver and gut.
Dandelion is well known for its tonic function on the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys.
Goldenrod aids to support the flow of bile.
Myrrh possesses antimicrobial properties and also promotes the flow of bile.
2) Support the Liver with Pure Phosphatidylcholine (PC) – since this makes up 90% of the phospholipids in bile. (8) In the body ‘PC’ helps the movement of toxins in the liver, aiding in detoxification. PC is also the first building block for the gut’s protective mucus layer. Try BodyBio PC supplement - a pure liposomal phospholipid complex that provides the building blocks of your cell membranes, repairing and protecting each of your 70 trillion+ cells.
3) Support Glutathione Levels – Your liver's ability to detoxify depends on two phases of detoxification, which transform toxic molecules into less toxic ones and help your body excrete them.
Phase I liver detoxification utilises specialised enzymes to help neutralise innumerable substances.
Phase II detoxification is a process that takes it a step further than Phase I, by neutralising the byproducts of Phase I and eliminating the toxins from the body. The liver uses a range of enzymes and molecules to detoxify, but one of the most crucial ones is glutathione. Typically, the levels of glutathione are higher in the liver than in other parts of the body.
Try my PCH Detox supplement - it supports Phase 1 and Phase 2 liver detoxification
4) Mop up Toxins with a Comprehensive Blend of Binders – After being excreted into the bile, many toxins are reabsorbed by the body. Harmful gut bacteria can produce endotoxins, and the bacteria themselves can also pass through an inflamed gut lining and enter the bloodstream directly. This is known as microbial translocation, which can result in immune activation and inflammation, thereby putting more pressure on the liver. (9) Although there is no universal binder that can bind to all toxins with equal effectiveness, a combination of natural molecules that can effectively bind to a wide range of toxins can help reduce the burden on our bodies.
Consider using a blend of binders such as bentonite clay, activated charcoal, chitosan, and thiol-functionalised silica. Each has a unique affinity for certain toxins, offering broader protection. Try Biocidin G. I. Detox supplement from Amrita (see below) which provides a gentle, well-tolerated method of assisting detoxification. (Register and use code WUBOTW).
5) Support the Gut with Soothing Natural Prebiotic Gums and Fibres – It's worth considering using soothing supplements like acacia gum and aloe vera instead of binders to avoid constipation. Acacia gum acts as a prebiotic fiber and aloe vera is a traditional remedy that helps calm inflamed tissues. These supplements regulate gut motility, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, and maintain the health of the intestinal lining. Ultimately, they can help improve liver function.
Do you think you may have liver congestion symptoms or fatty liver detox symptoms? If you have experienced any of the symptoms mentioned in this blog or are unclear if you are experiencing some of them, seek medical advice from your doctor. You can also book a 121 consultation with a PCH practitioner who can advise on how functional medicine can help you detoxify.
References:
1) Krones-Herzig A, Diaz MB et al. The Glucocorticoid Receptor Controls Hepatic Dyslipidemia through Hes1. Cell Metab. 2008 Sep;8(3):212-23
2) Swain, MD. Fatigue in Liver Disease: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2005 Oct;(20):181-188
3) Tang W, Yi C, Kalitsky J, et al. Endotoxin downregulates hepatic expression of P-glycoprotein and MRP2 in 2-acetylaminofluorene-treated rats. Mol Cell Biol Res Commun. 2000 Aug;4(2):90-7
4) Chang LW, Magos L, Suzuki T, editors. Toxicology of Metals. Boca Raton. FL, USA: CRC Press; 1996
5) Drapanas T, Adler W. Primary Regulation of Histamine Metabolism by the Liver. Ann Surg. 1965 Mar; 161(3): 447–455
6) Zhao X, Wong P. Managing Sleep Disturbances in Cirrhosis Scientifica (Cairo). 2016; 2016: 6576812
7) Hellström PM, Nilsson I, Svenberg T. Role of bile in regulation of gut motility. J Intern Med. 1995 Apr;237(4):395-402.
8) Hişmioğullari AA, Bozdayi AMet al. Biliary lipid secretion. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2007 Jun;18(2):65-70
9) D’Ettorre G, Douek D. Microbial Translocation and Infectious Diseases: What Is the Link? International Journal of Microbiology Vol 2012, Article ID 356981