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The Liver
and Detox. We all need
healthy livers to break down the chemicals
that have found their way in through an
unhealthy lifestyle, common in today's
modern society. A common liver defect is
"Fatty Liver" which affects more than 50%
of people over the age of 50.
Common causes of
liver problems are incorrect diet (lack of
nutrition), excessive alcohol intake, adverse reactions to drugs and toxic chemicals, and viral hepatitis.
Some doctors believe that excess weight is a symptom of liver dysfunction and not solely due to the number of calories you consume.
We need to take the liver very seriously,
as it's one of the hardest working organs
in the human body. The liver can be easily
bombarded with thousand of chemicals that
are generally added to food, over 700 have
been identified and found in drinking
water. The liver has a massive job to do
and must contend with all of this, not to
mention pesticides that are also found on
fruit a vegetables we buy from our local
super market. (see also:
Water Detox)
The Liver Filter. The liver
acts as a cleaning filter of the blood,
filtering out all those nasty
toxins we
consume throughout the day. The liver is
responsible for the production of bile,
stored in the bladder and released when
required for the digestion of fats. It
also stores glucose needed for energy and
releases it when needed. Liver plays an
important role in our metabolism of
protein and fats. It also stores vitamins
A, D, K, B12 and
folate and synthesizes blood clotting
factors. The
livers most important role is
detoxifying and breaking down or
transforming substances like ammonia,
metabolic waste, alcohol, drugs and other
chemicals, so they can pass through our
bodies ready to be excreted.
External symptoms of liver damage.
Coated tongue. Bad breath. Skin rashes. Itchy skin (pruritus). Excessive
sweating. Offensive body odour Dark circles under the eyes. Yellow
discolouration of the eyes. Red swollen itchy eyes (allergic eyes). Acne rosacea
- (red pimples around the nose, cheeks and chin). Brownish spots and blemishes
on the skin (liver spots). Red palms and soles which may also be itchy and
inflamed. Flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels
(capillaries/ veins).
Liver Boost.
Eat large amounts of raw fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafy
vegetables and orange, yellow, purple and red coloured fruits and vegetables.
Thirty to forty percent of the diet should consist of raw fruits and vegetables.
Try to eat some raw fruits or vegetables with EVERY meal as they contain living
enzymes, vitamin C, natural antibiotic substances and anti-cancer phytonutrients. Eat the “good fats” which contain essential fatty acids in their natural
unprocessed form. These are found in cold pressed vegetable and seed oils, avocados, fish. The good fats are essential to build healthy cell membranes around the liver
cells. As we get older we need to “oil” our bodies and not “grease” our
bodies.
Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which according to a
paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
is the most powerful of all the dietary carotenoids. The researchers found that
the dietary intake of lycopene was linked to a lower risk of prostate problems.
They also found that higher levels of
lycopene in the blood lowered the risk of
cell proliferation, which would theoretically exert a powerful anti-cancer
effect. Cooking or chopping tomatoes increases the absorption of lycopene into
the body. Cooking
tomatoes in oil increases the availability of the
lycopene to
the body, which is another reason that Mediterranean cuisine confers health
benefits. (Also see:
Detoxification)Methionine - is essential for detoxification.
Is found in legumes, eggs, fish, garlic, onions, seeds and meat.
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 wheatgrass and barley-grass juice, and fresh fruits,
particularly citrus and kiwi fruit.
Selenium - sources of the antioxidant selenium are brazil nuts, brewers yeast, designer
yeast powders (very good source), kelp, brown rice, molasses, seafood,
wheatgerm, whole-grains, garlic and onions.
Liver Vitamins to aid repair
- Take some pressure off your
overworked liver with the traditional
healing properties of Milk Thistle.
The liver is involved in a range of bodily
functions and is often overworked. Its
numerous roles include: breaking down and
detoxifying pollutants (such as alcohol
and nicotine) that enter the blood stream,
converting and storing nutrients and
producing bile. But excessive
alcohol
intake and general unhealthy lifestyles
can hinder the liver’s ability to do so.
By supplementing with
Milk Thistle
you are giving it a much needed helping
hand.
Click Here to
find out more on Milk Thistle.
The term Detox
is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing
environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health. Some old
detox methods are still used today. One in
particular is commonly known as the 24hr
FAST.
This 24 hr detox would consist of
drinking clean water for 24 hours without
the intake of any food what-so-ever. By
doing this, many of the main organs such
as the
liver and kidneys are cleansed and
toxins are disposed of naturally. This is
a common practice that is sometimes
referred to as, the home detox. The
home detox is simple, an effective way to
cleanse your body, simply by drinking
water... however some use the home
detox
program, only eating fresh fruit, salads,
plenty of water and vegetables and stretch
their
detox
plan to 36 hours. This has added benefit
in providing our organs with the vital
vitamins needed for the cleanse. |