The liver does a number of things for
your body to help keep you healthy. It helps to fight infection and disease, cleanses
the blood, processes and eliminates toxins and unwanted substances from the
body. The liver also helps to process digested foods and nutrients, it produces
the bile that your body uses to break down fats, and helps to produce and
regulate cholesterol. Your liver stores vitamin B12, copper, iron, and glycogen
which is the body’s glucose storage. This is why it is very important that you
make sure you are taking good care of your liver.
Taking care of your liver can be
easily done by making some small changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Herbs
Herbs such as milk thistle, dandelion
root, artichoke and liquorice can help to protect your liver. They do this by
stimulating bile flow and can also help the liver to regenerate itself.
Eat Your Greens
Green foods such as vegetables,
salad, chlorophyll, spirulina and chlorella, sea vegetables and barley grass
are all good for your liver. They help eliminate toxins, reduce excess fat and
fluid, help balance acid/alkaline levels and strengthen the immune system. Always
try to buy organic fruits and vegetables to keep your toxin levels low – free from
poisons, insecticides, hormones and antibiotics which will build up and stop
the liver functioning properly.
Flush Your Liver and Drink Plenty of Water
Flushing your liver removes toxins,
cholesterol build up and gallstones, while freeing the way for bile flow. To
flush the liver, drink a mixture of olive oil, Epsom salts and grapefruit juice
before bed. Another way to help remove toxins is to drink lots of water - two
litres of filtered water a day. Small and frequent sips are best. It is recommended
to avoid a lot of water with meals as this may cause the gastric juices in the
stomach to dilute making your digestion slower and increasing the load on the
liver.
Medications
Residues of drugs and medications build
up in the liver and cause toxicity. It is good to give your liver a break from
medications such as painkillers, anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, HRT and the
pill however never do this without the consent of your doctor and consult with
your natural practitioner also.
Alcohol
The liver is responsible for
metabolising alcohol which, if you drink too much, can cause cellular
malformations, scarring and inflammation. These affect your liver function.
Caffeine can also cause the body to release glycogen stores into the blood which
slows the organs ability to cleanse the blood. On the other hand coffee enemas
have been proven to be good as a detoxifier as it relaxes the muscles of the
small intestine and anus helping to dilate the bile ducts and blood vessels.
Sleep
Sleep helps by releasing melatonin
into the body which shares the body’s toxic load with the liver and helps
neutralise free radicals and regenerates the body.
