Spring is Coming - It's Liver Detox Time

How to Optimize Liver Function to Rebalance Hormones in Women
We have all heard about using hormones or herbs to address our hormonal imbalances. But there is not much talk about the liver. Let’s understand the organ that does more than just detoxing. The liver is the second largest organ of the body. Do you know where it is found? Put your right hand over the end of your right rib cage, just below the diaphragm – your hand is now over your liver. Your liver performs about 200 vital functions, most of which are vital for good health. Blood filtration, protein synthesis, excretion of bilirubin, hormones, cholesterol, drugs, and production of bile are just some of the important functions that the liver performs.

How Do You Know if Your Liver is Sluggish?
Many people have been told that their liver is "fine” based on their blood work. The reality is liver abnormalities in your lab work often do not appear at the onset of the problems but after years of suffering from a sluggish liver. Here are some early signals that your liver might not be in the best shape:

• Cholesterol and level of fat: One of the main functions of the liver is to maintain a healthy level of fats in the bloodstream. For an average person approximately 80% of the cholesterol is generated by the liver. A sluggish liver will show up as elevated low-density lipoprotein (“bad cholesterol”), reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good cholesterol”), elevated triglycerides, elevated ALT and AST liver enzymes, and weight gain.
• Digestive problems: Out of the many functions that the liver performs the most important is to produce bile, which helps in digestion through the process of emulsification of lipids. A sluggish liver produces less bile, causing many digestion problems for the affected individual, including bloating of the abdomen, constipation, inability to digest fatty foods, and loss of appetite
• Skin-related allergies: The liver plays an important role in eliminating toxins from the body and maintaining the efficiency of the body’s immune system. If the process of eliminating toxins is hampered, as is in the case of a sluggish liver, skin irritation or skin allergies occur, which are considered the first sign of liver damage. A person in such a case may develop rashes, psoriasis, acne, or eczema.
• Fluctuation in blood sugar level: One of the main functions of the liver is to maintain the sugar level in the blood. A sluggish liver fails to do so, and would fluctuate the sugar levels to a great extent. In such a condition, a person would show symptoms such as loss of appetite, weakness or dizziness, nausea, vomiting, low energy level, or abdominal pain
• Hormonal imbalance: The liver is responsible for filtering out mutated hormones. A person with a sluggish liver would be quite affected by the hormonal (and neurotransmitter) imbalance and would exhibit symptoms such as sleep and disturbance, depression, heavy or clotted menstruation in women, irregular periods, breast or uterus fibroids, ovarian cysts, and ood swings or menopausal issues.
• Other symptoms: Apart from the sluggish liver symptoms mentioned previously, individuals suffering from this condition may also show other symptoms, such as intolerance to alcohol or coffee, swollen feet or abdomen, yellowing of the eyes, dark urine or stool, bad breath, body odor, and heartburn.

Here is the good news: the liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself, provided you give it the right support.

What Does the Liver Do for Us?
Your liver does so much more than you imagined. The liver is responsible for over 200 functions in the body and is the largest internal organ, weighing in at about 55oz (or 1.5 kg). It is central to so many of the body’s functions and most people are unaware of how vital it is to good health. Some of the major functions of the liver are include purifying our blood ,regulating the metabolism through bile production, storing minerals and fat-soluble vitamins, protein synthesis, glycogen storage and conversion, cholesterol production, parasite protection (by filtering protozoa) and, of course, detoxification.

Although the liver is wonderful at healing and amazing at self-recovery, it does take a great deal of abuse in our Western lifestyles. Some of the choices can be fairly obvious (like eating non-organic food, living in a polluted area, drinking contaminated water) but many other choices (like skin care products, housecleaning products, drinking tap water or prescription medication) can create further load which we might not even be aware of. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), studies show that an average American is daily exposed to 200 chemical toxins and carries as many as 91 of them.

Where is All the Toxicity Coming From?
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. Here are some things that contribute to our toxic load:
• Non-organic food (mercury, lead, PCBs and over 130 pesticides)
• Air pollution
• Tap water
• Skin care products (can contain phthalates, BPA, triclosan, parabens)
• Household cleaning products
• Medications; both recreational and prescription, including commonly-used ones like corticosteroids, tetracycline and aspirin
• Plastics
• Cookware like non-stick pans
• Stress
• Alcohol
• Coffee

Our body is designed to excrete these toxins. We have a few detoxification organs, namely: skin, lungs, kidneys, digestive tract and, of course, the liver. They are all capable of performing the beautiful job of freeing us from these toxins – the challenge is when the load is higher than what they can handle; this is when toxicity takes a toll on us.

The Role of the Liver in Female Hormone Balance
The liver’s detoxification method includes two phases which are referred to as Phase One and Phase Two. Phase One is known as oxidation and Phase Two as conjugation. In Phase One, the liver uses oxygen and enzymes to burn toxins. This process is called oxidation as it makes the toxins more soluble in water so they can be more easily excreted from the body by the kidneys and the liver. Most environmental toxins are fat-soluble to start with, and therefore difficult or impossible to eliminate without the liver’s help.

Most of the chemicals produced in Phase One are more toxic than those which originally entered the body. This phase of liver detoxification is inhibited by nutritional deficiency, toxic exposure, alcohol consumption, low protein intake, and medications such as acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) that deplete glutathione which is needed for acetaminophen detoxification.

To free itself of toxins produced by Phase One detoxification, the liver performs Phase Two called conjugation. In this phase, oxidized chemicals are combined with sulfur, specific amino acids (like the methyl group) or organic acids, and then excreted in bile and urine. Taken together, both phases are dependent on vital substances which are required to activate the catalyst for toxin conversion and they must work in balance so that no harmful toxins are left to circulate. There are six pathways in Phase Two and each one is responsible for converting a different set of substances (e.g. estrogen, thyroid hormones, heavy metals, histamine, phenol, salicylates, bilirubin, nicotine, bacterial toxins, caffeine).

These six pathways of Phase Two conjugation are:
1. Amino Acid Conjugation pathway
2. The Glutathione pathway
3. The Sulfation pathway
4. The Methylation pathway
5. The Glucuronidation pathway
6. The Acetylation pathway

Methylation and Sulfation Pathways Explained
For an example of how these pathways work let’s look at the methylation pathway in more detail. This allows methyl groups to pass through the liver and out of the body safely. This pathway detoxifies estrogen, dopamine, histamine and heavy metals. To support this pathway we can increase our intake of choline (avocados/eggs/non-GM soy lecithin) and B vitamins. The sulfation pathway detoxifies excess neurotransmitters, steroids, thyroid hormones, phenol and excess bile acids. This pathway is often burdened by frequent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).

We can support this pathway through an increase in high sulfur foods (e.g. egg yolk, broccoli, onion, or MSM). If Phase Two is not working effectively, then the highly toxic chemicals formed in Phase One cannot be converted which can cause a lot of toxicity issues in the body such as tissue damage or disease. It may also cause excess hormones to circulate through the bloodstream instead of being excreted and this can lead to hormonal imbalances which may affect the thyroid gland or our estrogen levels.

What Can You Do?
So there you have it: your liver needs to eliminate the metabolized, or “used up hormones” to make space for new ones. This is why you will never meet a person who has a sluggish liver and is also hormonally balanced. Your liver is often an unsung hero, fulfilling over 500 jobs without complaint - follow these six tips to avoid liver disease and keep yours running at maximum efficiency:

1. Drink More Water
Simple liver detox remedies can often seem, well, simplistic. But here, the simple truth is that water helps the liver move toxins through its own cellular systems and speed them on their way out of your body. But not just any water will do to have the full detoxifying benefit. Drink filtered tap water at room temperature at specific intervals of the day (aka., upon awakening, in between meals, early evening; not while eating and not too much 2 hours before bed).  Add a tiny pinch of salt and the spice turmeric to your water in order to accelerate its effectiveness. A good general rule of thumb is to aim for 4 liters of water per day. Stay away from carbonated water or water in plastic beverage containers.

2. Sweat, Sweat, Sweat
Depending on where you live, you may be able to accomplish this simply by walking outside! But this isn't the optimal method to use sweat as a liver detox. Sweat induced by exercise has its own detoxifying benefits, pushing couch potato toxins up out of their comfy seats and moving them out of the body along with the sweat. Hot yoga, a nice jog, HIT workouts, or a sauna session are great ways to sweat out toxins. Just make sure to wipe away sweat as soon as possible with a toxin in order to prevent reabsorption of toxin back into body, and take a cool shower right after sweating.  

3. Don't Skimp on the ZZZ's
Science is finally starting to understand why human beings need at least eight hours of rest time every night where they are just being still. Sleep is detoxifying! Sleep is a vital component of regulating metabolism as well as targeting brain and neurological toxins and moving them out of the liver. Sleep shuts off non-essential physical functions so the body can redirect its energy resources towards processing, healing, restoring, and detoxifying. The lymphatic system is the body system that works alongside the liver while you are asleep to send toxins packing while also restoring cognitive, physical, and behavior functions which improved mood, focus, and endurance.

4. Choose Anti-inflammatory Foods
Certain foods are naturally supportive of optimal liver function. Learning about these foods and adding them into a regular daily rotation can help support the liver in doing its best work. As a side bonus, eating foods with natural anti-inflammatory benefits can lessen the risk for fatty liver disease, a disease that basically means the liver has taken on an undue amount of fat. Over time and with continued damage, fatty liver disease can turn into cirrhosis, a condition that produces permanent scars and prevents liver regeneration. The good news here is, a liver-healthy diet is also a diet that will naturally promote weight loss or weight maintenance, improved energy levels, better sleep and a more youthful appearance.

Foods with natural inflammation-repelling properties include all foods grown above ground such as green vegetables, beans, grains, and mushrooms.  These plant-based foods do direct photosynthesis rich in water, oxygen, and nutrients which are cells depend on to maintain all its function. The exception would be GMO crops wheat, corn, soy, alfalfa, canola and items sprayed heavily with the dangerous pesticide Roundup (i.e., dairy products, eggs, poultry, red meat, pork, fish, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beets, sugar cane, coffee, nuts) since they are extremely damaging for the liver with any level of consumption.   

5. Reduce or Remove Toxins from your Daily Routine
This tends to be the part of the liver cleanse routine no one is too enthusiastic about. Yet the simple truth is that the more toxins introduced into the body system equals the more toxins the liver then has to move back out again. Increasing the burden on the liver is never a good recipe for a successful liver detox! Reducing or eliminating all animal protein, alcohol, sugar, wheat, corn, soy,  tobacco, processed foods, caffeine, and nuts will give your liver a much-needed break to do some long-overdue house cleaning.

6. Give the Digestive System some Helpers
The more effective your digestive system is at eliminating toxins, the less work it will then pass along to the liver. One of the best helpers a digestive system can ever get is probiotics. These tiny beneficial bacteria get right to work shifting the balance of power in the gut from harmful bacteria back towards healthy flora and fauna. Probiotics are readily available in fermented foods like small beans cooked over 3 days, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles.  Consume in small amounts once during the day. Fermented items such as kombucha, miso, and kefir should be rarely consumed since they can easily overload the liver function especially when it is already damaged.  

Summary
You can promote healthy liver detoxification by adding liver- and gut-friendly foods to your diet, practicing intermittent fasting, taking a liver-supporting supplement, sweating daily, and managing everyday stressors with self-care practices. Ultimately, a liver cleanse or detox is a lifestyle change. There's no magic bullet when it comes to a liver cleanse or detox—and anything marketed as such (ahem, a liver flush) is rightfully questioned. However, there are a number of small, research-backed actions you can take to reduce your liver's workload and promote overall health. Incorporate some of the suggestions above (preferably under the guidance of your health care provider), and over time, your body and liver will thank you.