Life Saver Liver

 Life Saver LIVER

Recently I consulted a young girl with her liver enzymes completely out of whack (SGOT – 75 SGPT – 107 GGT - 69). Add to that the fact that her mother and maternal aunt both have autoimmune hepatitis!

So how do you tackle this? I started with basic questions that I always ask liver patients - Do you often feel tired and sluggish?

Is your memory and vision not as sharp as they used to be?

Is it impossible to lose weight no matter how hard you try?

As I had expected, it was a “Yes’ to all the questions. And to add to her woes, she also has hypothyroidism. Her ANTI- TPO level is 68. Six months of post-marriage bliss and feasting has made her gain almost 10 kilos which she obviously wants to shed along with correcting her liver parameters.

Fatigued Liver can cause everything from fatigue to memory problems to age spots - yet most doctors rarely check for it. But again, these are symptoms of both a fatigued liver and thyroid gland.  

But the liver issue is something that needed my immediate attention. So how do you rejuvenate your fatigued liver?

To begin with - Why is the liver such an important organ? It is the hardest working organ in your body. Every day, it has to perform over 500 essential functions like:

·   Producing more than 13,000 crucial chemicals... and regulating over 50,000 vital enzymes

·        Balancing sex hormones

·        Filtering nearly 100 gallons of blood that pass through it every day

·        Producing a full quart of bile daily to break down fat and help with food digestion

·        Maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood sugar, and amino acid levels

·        Converting glucose into energy which your body can use

·        Storing essential nutrients like vitamins A, B, D, and K

·        Detoxifying waste products and pollutants, so your body can get rid of them

When you are young, your liver can carry out all these functions efficiently. But as you get older, your liver becomes less efficient. Add to that, decades of exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, and air pollution. 

All this also causes your liver to age faster. It cannot keep up with its heavy workload. This results in an inability to heal itself. Then your liver starts deteriorating and shrinking.

Result - You may keep gaining weight around the waistline, and get more cellulite, as your liver is clogged with fat deposits. And you may suffer from sex hormone imbalances and poor sex drive.

A fatigued liver can also lead to many other symptoms like:

-         Age spots

-         Joint and back pain

-         High cholesterol

-         Increased BP

-         Poor immunity

-         Skin discolouration

-         Memory problems

-         Vision problems

-         Muscle loss

-         Indigestion and constipation

But your liver does not function in isolation. Its performance depends on the support it gets from other systems of your body, especially your adrenal glands.

So for your liver to work optimally, you need to boost your adrenals, too.

But that not it!

The performance of your liver also depends on your immune system. So safeguard your liver by boosting your Immune System. Most people know that the liver is responsible for detoxification. But what many don't know is that your liver is also part of your immune system.  So you also need to strengthen your immune system..

 

Some Chemicals Vital For Liver Health:

Ø Phosphatidylcholine - Studies show that it helps to remove fat deposits in the liver. Without it, fat and cholesterol build up in your liver. It also reduces liver damage caused by alcohol, viruses and toxins. It is even supposed to help a damaged liver regenerate.

Natural sources – Eggs, Whole grains and Red Meat

Ø Quercetin - It is a super antioxidant for your liver. It’s a bioflavonoid that protects your liver from free radical attacks and DNA damage. Even more amazing, it can delay aging and help prolong life.

Natural sources– Citrus fruits, Apples, Red Onions, Olive oil, Grapes, Dark cherries, Tea, Red wine, Blackberries and Blueberries

Ø Glutathione – It is one of the most powerful antioxidants on earth. It neutralizes free radicals, and protects your body from oxidative damage. It is also your body’s Master Detoxifier

Natural sources – Garlic, Avocado, Spinach and cruciferous vegetables like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage and Kale

Ø N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) NAC is a precursor to Glutathione

§  By taking NAC, you can increase your glutathione levels, and help your liver get rid of heavy metals and other harmful toxins

§  NAC is also a ‘vasodilator’ of the liver - It boosts blood flow to your liver, delivering vital nutrients to your liver. Another reason it is critical for a healthy liver.

Natural sources – Meat, Fish, Seafood, Chicken and Turkey. It is also present in small quantities in eggs, whole grains, broccoli, onion and legumes

 

Ø Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) – it is another antioxidant powerhouse. ALA doubles the effectiveness of vitamins C and E. It allows it to bind with free radicals in a liver that's clogged with fat deposits. It also prevents triglyceride build-up in the liver, protects the liver from damage caused by a fatty meal and even helps with weight control

Natural sources – Red meat, Organ meats, Carrots, Beets, Spinach, Broccoli and Potatoes

Ø Selenium is a trace mineral that is crucial for liver health. It maintains the elasticity of the liver tissues. Hardened liver tissues can lead to severe liver problems. Resilient liver tissues promote healthy blood circulation in the liver and also help to regulate cholesterol, improve blood sugar and neutralize harmful free radicals. However, in excess Selenium can injure the liver.

Natural sources– Eggs, Chicken, Fish and Brazil nuts

 

Straight From Your Kitchen Cabinet

    Apple - An apple a day will help keep the doctor away from your liver! Packed with pectin, apples can assist the liver in cleaning toxins from the digestive tract of the body. This reduces the toxin load of the liver, giving it time to clean the rest of the body

    Turmeric: Turmeric contains high amount of Curcumin, which helps in removing toxins. It repairs liver cells and also increases the production of bile juice, which assists in removing harmful metals from the body

    Garlic: Loaded with sulphur and selenium, it helps boost the level of liver enzymes. This protects the liver against oxidative stress and assists it in eliminating toxins from the body