Healthy Living; Love Your Liver

For most, seeing liver on your plate imparts immediate disinterest. But the liver is one of the most interesting organs of the human body. This amazing organ weighs about 3 pounds and is the second largest organ in the body, second only to skin (yes your skin is actually an organ!). The liver is also the only organ in the body that can actually regenerate itself. This is good news because the liver takes a beating every single day, working hard to protect us from the many toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. A healthy life undoubtedly depends on a healthy liver!

Did You Know . . .

1 in 3 American adults has liver disease and 50% of Americans live with at least one of the leading risk factors for liver disease? Now is the time to educate yourself and take steps to protect your liver. 

There is a long list of toxins that are potentially hiding in your daily life. This means a healthy functioning liver and elimination pathways are critical. Here are some tips to optimize your elimination pathways:

• Drink more water. Water helps flush the kidneys and bowels to enhance elimination.
• Eat a high fiber diet. Toxins can bind to fiber to be eliminated.
• Eat your greens and reduce intake of red meat and dairy. This will help alkalize urine so that toxins can be cleared through the kidneys.
• Avoid reactive foods. Foods you are sensitive to can slow down elimination and impair digestion.
• Consider cholagogue herbs to stimulate bile production.
• Consume probiotics and probiotic rich foods.
• Sauna therapy will help clear toxins through sweat.
• Consider enemas or colon hydrotherapy to help clear toxins from the body.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, often called NAFLD, is a liver problem that affects people who drink little to no alcohol. In NAFLD, too much fat builds up in the liver. It is seen most often in people who are overweight or obese.

NAFLD often has no symptoms. When it does, they may include:

• Fatigue.
• Not feeling well, or malaise.
• Pain or discomfort in the upper right belly area.

Possible symptoms of cirrhosis, or severe scarring, include:

• Itchy skin.
• Abdominal swelling, also called ascites (uh-SY-teez).
• Shortness of breath.
• Swelling of the legs.
• Spider-like blood vessels just beneath the skin’s surface.
• Enlarged spleen.
• Red palms.
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes, or jaundice.

Prevention is the key, but even if you’re liver is’nt healthy, there are steps you can take to take care of it. If you support your liver, it can repair itself.