Liver Detox

Today we live in an environment unlike most other centuries through history. It is an environment filled with chemicals created by many of the modern advances of man. Many diseases have become prominent as a result of our toxic environment. The air we breathe, the food we eat and the liquids we drink, and that which comes into contact with our skin affects our health. The liver filters the blood of toxins but it can get overloaded if we do not take preventative measures to keep it healthy.

If the liver can know longer do it's job properly the rest of the body is in danger of sickness and disease. We understand that if we don't give our car an oil change regularily we are going to eventually have engine trouble. The same is true of the liver. It is a filter that must be cleansed in order to do it's job properly and keep the body healthy. Unfortunately, many people are not maintaining their bodies as well as they do their cars. If you talk to radiologist and gastroenterologists they will tell you that there is a condition that affects more than 50% of people over the age of 50 known as "Fatty Liver."

Common causes can include; incorrect diet, excessive alcohol intake, adverse reactions to drugs and toxic chemicals, and viral hepatitis. Some experts believe it is because traditional medicine today has become focused on treating the symptoms of diseases and not the causes. A fatty liver(a liver that is being invaded with fat) causes liver dysfunction. Excess weight is a symptom of liver dysfunction and not solely due to the number of calories you consume.

We are bombarded daily with ads telling us that the key to weight loss is diet, high impact aerobics, stomach stapling and toxic drugs such as appetite suppressants, laxatives and diuretics. What has been neglected to be considered is the underlying cause of liver dysfunction.

Our foods are not free of toxic chemicals. Most countries set a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), This is the amount of pesticide residue, heavy metals, hormone residues and natural toxins that the food (meat, eggs, or milk) are allowed to have and still be sold to the public for consumption. Different countries have different ideas about what is a safe amount of toxin to be allowed in food. There is also the problem of growers and farmers not complying with these laws 100%.

Thousands of chemicals have been added to food and over 700 have been found in drinking water. Animals are injected with potent hormones, plants are sprayed with toxic chemicals and antibiotics and a large amount of our food is processed, genetically engineered, refined, cooked and frozen. All this can lead to the destruction of nutrients, which are needed for the detoxification of the liver. Not only must the liver try to cope with all the toxic chemical in our environment, it needs to deal with damaged fats that are present in processed and fried foods.

One of the liver's primary functions is filtering the blood. Almost 2 quarts of blood pass through the liver every minute for detoxification. Filtration of toxins is critical because the blood from the intestines contains high levels of bacteria, bacterial toxins, and various other toxic substances. When working properly, the liver clears 99% of the bacteria and other toxins during the first pass, but when it is damaged,( an example would be an alcoholic) the passage of toxins increases by over a factor of 10.

• Vitamin K - green leafy vegetables and alfalfa sprouts.
• Arginine - this helps the liver to detoxify ammonia, which is a toxic waste product of protein metabolism. Arginine is found in legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), carob, oats, walnuts, wheatgerm and seeds.
• Antioxidants - found in fresh raw juices such as carrot, celery, beetroot, dandelion, apple, pear and green drinks like wheat grass and barley-grass juice, and fresh fruits, particularly citrus and kiwi fruit.
• Selenium - Is found in Brazil nuts, brewer's yeast, designer yeast powders, kelp, brown rice, molasses, seafood, wheatgerm, whole-grains, garlic and onions.
• Methionine - Is found in legumes, eggs, fish, garlic, onions, seeds and meat.
• Essential fatty acids - Seafood, cod liver oil, and fish oil. Seafood may be fresh, canned or frozen such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, mullet, blue mussels, calamari, tailor, herring, blue eye cod, gem fish. Fresh avocado, fresh raw nuts and seeds, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), whole grains, wheatgerm, green vegetables such as spinach, green peas and green beans, eggplant, cold pressed fresh vegetable and seed oils, freshly ground seeds, especially flaxseed's, evening primrose oil, black-currant seed oil, star flower oil. Essential fatty acids are required for healthy membranes in every cell of the body and plentiful amounts are required for healthy liver function. This is why strict low fat diets are not beneficial for general health, weight control or liver function.
• Natural sulfur compounds - are found in eggs (preferably free range), garlic, onions, leeks, shallots and broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

We do not always eat what we should nor do we always avoid what we should not eat, so it is wise to do a natural source liver detox at least four times a year. Before doing such a cleanse you should consult with your health care professional.

Keeping the liver filter clean through eating the right foods, avoiding foods that overwork the liver and clog it up, going on a short term liver detox program several times a year will maintain a healthy and efficient liver and greatly contribute to a long and healthy life.