“How’s your liver?” That is what my grandfather used to yell out to other drivers when we were in the car together… implying that the person driving indecently was drinking more than just Kombucha. LOL. It stuck with me, and I suppose we have always known that certain foods and toxins can hurt our liver. When a client comes to me saying that they have tried everything to lose weight, or to get their energy back, but nothing seems to be working…I definitely feel like nurturing the liver could push them over their plateau, and give them the boost they need to reach their goals. The poor neglected liver receives no glory, but here are all the things it is responsible for:
- bile conductor (producing and secreting bile to aid in the digestion of fats)
- primary metabolic orchestrator (responsible for processing every class of nutrient)
- carbohydrate metabolism manager (converting excess glucose to glycogen for storage and later use)
- hormonal balancer (the liver degrades excess circulating hormones for disposal)
- blood filterer (screening the blood for toxins, destroying and disposing of them)
In our current world, toxins are coming at us from everywhere. We are basically in a row boat with a hole in it…the water gushing in through the hole are the toxins and assaults from the environment. And our liver tries hard to bail out the boat. But if we don’t slow down the gush of toxins coming in, we can never heal but just keep bailing and bailing. It used to be that a person’s toxic load limit, where they just couldn’t take anymore, would tend to be in a person’s 50’s, or 60’s, this is when a diagnosis of some disease will pop up and doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals. But now we are living in a time when the toxic load becomes too much at earlier ages. Babies are exposed to thousands of toxins in utero, or before they are even born. We now deal in a world where small children are getting liver cancers!!! What are some of the places in which toxins come into our lives? Pesticides in produce, plastic drinking bottles, phthalates and parabens in skin and hair care products, solvents from paints, hormones from meat that leak into our water supplies. The list goes on people, I won’t bore you. Those who want help with Detoxing their World (basically sealing up the hole in the row boat), go here.
Taking action can seem overwhelming. Please just DO SOMETHING and start with anything on this list and take your time implementing each of these strategies. Even if it takes you years, it will add quality and years to your liver and your life!
LIST TO START TODAY:
- DO buy everything you can organic and GMO free. Pesticides and foreign unrecognizable molecules are hard on the liver.
- DO start eating 6-9 cups of vegetables a day, no matter who you are, this can only help you. Cooked and/or raw depending on your constitution. All those enzymes and nutrients will help support the liver.
- DO drink the biggest glass of lemon water you can handle in the morning… as soon as you wake up. Start small at a few ounces if you never drink water first thing. Work your way up to 16 oz or more.
- DO substitute your coffee with bone broth, hot cocoa or green tea. Even just one day a week can help, so if that is all you can manage, that is SUPER. Coffee and it’s caffeine can actually inhibit the function of the liver.
- DO dry brush your skin before a shower twice a week. This will keep skin clear and healthy so it can remove toxins and take the load off your liver. I buy this one.
- DO make sure everything you put on your body, you would actually EAT. Oil your skin after a shower with oil from your cupboard like coconut, olive, avocado, sesame….instead of TOXIC drugstore brands with chemicals that will END UP IN YOUR LIVER! Or worse, the liver will place the chemicals in your fat cells so it makes it that much harder to get rid of both. Lovely thought.
- DO replace your synthetic perfume with essential oil blends. Of every toxin out there, perfume is the number one thing I would take out of your daily routine…learn why in my toxins class.
- DO give your liver a massage. Gently place palms over the liver on top of and under the right rib cage and massage in a clockwise circular motion for 3 minutes. Breathe deeply as you are doing it. Try a drop of Geranium oil in your palm to add some essential oil healing power. Great detail on how to do liver exercises here.
- DO take an epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are formed from a pure mineral compound containing magnesium and sulfate. These minerals can be absorbed through your skin while taking an Epsom salt bath. Magnesium stimulates nerve and muscle function, limits inflammation, and improves oxygenation and blood flow through the body. Sulfates also bind toxic impurities in the liver to render them less hazardous and ensure their elimination from the body. This detoxification pathway is referred to as Phase 2 liver detoxification, also known as the conjugation pathway. Big topic for another time. Just do it. I buy mine here.
- DO some YOGA or deep breathing exercises. These movements stimulate the liver. The first 2 people to send me an email that they have read this article will get a free session with me!
- DO get a full body massage to relax, heal, and promote lymphatic drainage. Book a massage here!
- DO Sign up for my LIVER CLEANSE!!! Find more information here!
LIST TO STOP OR DECREASE:
- Sugar, white flours and pastas, coffee, alcohol, synthetic PERFUMES, cosmetics (unless all natural/organic), Round-Up and all pesticides and herbicides, scented laundry soaps, scented candles (unless all natural/organic), learn why in my Detox Your World Class or a Personalized Wellness Program.
Healing and protective foods for the liver include: Cilantro, celery, onions, garlic, apples, grapefruit, red peppers, turmeric, ginger.
Supplements and Herbs: Milk thistle, dandelion leaves and root, NAC, Glutathione.If you are a healthy individual then you could go to my supplements page. If you are not so healthy, and your liver is already taxed, one of those supplements could just exacerbate your problems. Tread carefully with supplements, or request an appointment.
Considering all the things the liver is responsible for, it makes sense that the liver should be a focus in every wellness program.
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