By Claire Bacon, ACN, CNC
As our second holistic step in cancer prevention, let’s discuss how to detoxify your liver. This topic goes hand-in-hand with our blog from last week about avoiding toxins. Toxins are in just about everything we eat, drink, and breathe. We want you to be aware so you can make better choices, but don’t let it cause you too much worry. The body has a way of taking care of it! You have been blessed with a lymphatic system that has been innately designed to neutralize and remove toxins from the body.
The liver is the star of the show when it comes to detoxification. This organ disposes of our natural metabolic wastes, excess hormones, pollutants, and infections. The liver produces bile, regulates glycogen, makes cholesterol, and produces enzymes. The liver is truly a powerhouse for preventing toxins from taking hold and disrupting normal functions.
All of these processes occur on a continual basis without us having to think about it. However, the chronic exposures of our modern-day lives eventually impact liver function. The toxins essentially bog down the liver and slow the removal of harmful substances. When we consider how to detoxify your liver, we’re equating this to changing the oil filter of your car. Essentially, a “detox” or “cleanse” involves stirring up toxins that have accumulated in tissues, and flushing them safely out of the body.
What Can Happen with compromised liver function?
We know from scientific studies that impaired detoxification can have negative health effects. If the toxic burden becomes greater than what you can handle, free radicals are produced. As a result, this process causes systemic tissue damage and inflammation, which eventually can turn into cancer.
Compromised liver function also causes other organs to become overburdened and toxic themselves. These include:
- Lungs
- Kidneys
- Skin
- Colon.
You may notice things like mucus congestion, cloudy urine, acne, or foul bowel movements when the liver and other organs are backed up. When you make a decision to detoxify your liver, you may potentially improve the functions of all these other organs – and clear a variety of symptoms!
Therefore, it is very important to set time aside each year for a focused liver cleanse. Make it a point to join us in January for our 21-Day Purification Cleanse! Send us your info through our Request An Appointment link, and one of our nutritional consultants will reach out to you shortly.
How can I detoxify my liver?
Promoting liver detoxification can be done through supplementation and the foods you eat. One of the best food products we recommend is Spanish Black Radish. Its consumption promotes enzymes that have beneficial effects against liver cancer cells. Spanish Black Radish is basically like a fumigator to detoxify your liver and clear intestinal yeast. Other detoxifying nutrients include the antioxidants A, C, E and CoQ10, plus B vitamins, as well as:
- Choline (from egg yolks)
- Zinc (from sprouted pumpkin seeds)
- Molybdenum (from peas, lentils, dark leafy greens, and beef liver)
- Indole-3-Carbinol (from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli)
- Selenium (from raw Brazil nuts).
In addition, you can use select herbs to kickstart detox functions. Our favorites are Schisandra, Milk Thistle, Burdock (similar to those in Essiac tea), Garlic, and Collinsonia Root.
The beauty of using whole foods and herbs is because of all the known and unknown cofactors that are necessary for enzyme reactions. There is a synergy with using foods and herbs together, such that the effect of several herbs is more beneficial than the actions from using one alone. Most importantly, these cofactors are naturally present in the form that nature gave us. The body naturally recognizes whole-food nutrients. This is the safest and most effective method of detoxification – feeding your organs what they need to thrive.
Do you know what is the number one thing you can do right now to promote liver detoxification? Drink a glass of water! Pure, filtered water is essential to keep the lymphatic system moving. Combine optimal hydration with daily exercise and sweating, and you’ve got a magic formula you can pursue for life!
Supplements To Take To Support Liver Detoxification:
If you want to detoxify your liver, you’ll need to choose the right supplements. These are our favorites, which are very effective yet gentle:
- SP Cleanse® combines 20 unique whole food and botanical ingredients with cleansing properties.
- Metabol Complex contains Fenugreek, Black cumin seed, Bitter melon, and Cinnamon to provide metabolic support for the pancreas and liver.
- LivCo® contains Schisandra, Rosemary, and Milk Thistle to promote detoxification pathways.
- Diaplex® supports more stable blood sugar levels. It promotes liver function and helps make dietary choices easier to achieve.
In Conclusion:
Always remember, the daily choices you make can have a profound effect on improving your health. With time, you can reduce your risk for cancer, and many other chronic diseases.
We hope these tips help keep you and your liver safe and healthy!