Liver Health with Whole Food Supplements

Maintaining a healthy liver is critical to well being. Although essential it is difficult given that the liver has been described as the most overworked organ. This may be debatable, but certainly the liver is one of the most versatile, multi-tasking organs we have. It is responsible for so many functions that, when not working optimally, leads to all kinds of health problems ranging from hepatitis to indigestion. Liver health is essential to overall well being. It takes a combination liver health supplements to recover from a weakened or damaged liver.

Adjunctive Nutritional Schedule
* Liver Support: 4 to 6 tablets a day
* Digestive Enzymes: 1 tablet with each meal
* CodLiver Oil: 2 capsules a day
* Vitamin B Food Powder; 1 teasp per day
* Super Green Food Powder: 1 teasp. Per day

With more severe liver ailment or liver problem, add
* Milk Thistle (from your local health food store)
* Detox Cleanse: 2 tablets a day
* Immune System Food: 4 tablets a day

Good juices include fresh, raw and organic:
Beets, parsley, dandelion, radishes, broccoli, kale, spinach and carrot juice Apple juice.

All green vegetable foods benefit the liver, as does carrots, beef and chicken liver, dandelion greens, parsley, and apples.

Possible signs of liver problems:
~ yellow eyes
~ yellow skin
~ pain in the right quadrant (around the ribs)
~ yellow, pain stools
~ “hypochondriac” complaints
~ chronic exhaustion
~ digestive problems

Or, you can be developing liver problems with realizing it by:
~ drinking too much alcohol
~ using drugs (legal or illegal)
~ exposure to toxins (household, environmental)
~ eating non-organic foods
~ vitamin and mineral deficiencymal nutrition
~ overweigh condition
~ injury to the liver

“A brief survey of mild liver dysfunction symptoms sounds like a description of "normal" modern life. These might include chronic fatigue (exhaustion) and feeling tired after meals. Depression, mood instability, and irrational anger and temper flare-ups may be liver related. PMS symptoms, including breast soreness and sensitivity, depression, hypoglycemia and irritability, may be liver related. Morton Biskind, M.D., published several articles in endocrinology journals in the early 1940's linking PMS to a B-vitamin and protein deficient liver's difficulty in de-activating estrogen. Nausea, dietary fat intolerance, foul smelling gas, swollen belly, loss of appetite, constipation and diarrhea are some of the digestive toxic-liver symptoms. Aching joints and muscles, sore feet, psoriasis, and slow wound healing are common dysfunction symptoms. Headaches (especially behind the eyes,) insomnia, difficulty awakening, poor memory, and difficulty concentrating are possible brain liver symptoms.” (www.hepatitis.org.uk)

“What's important to realize, alcohol is not the only cause of fatty liver. Obesity or some people with diabetes can also accumulate fat in the liver. So alcohol is probably the major cause, but not the only cause.” (Howard Worman, MD, New York Presbyterian Hospital, 2005, abcnews.com)

What Does the Liver Do?
The liver is one of the most active organs, producing important cholesterol, filtering toxins from the blood stream (purifying blood), producing bile to break down fats, storing sugars, metabolizing vitamins and minerals and proteins, regulation of hormones, stores various nutrients, especially A, D, B12 and iron, for release as needed, converts lactic acid from a toxic waste to an important storage fuel, removes some fat-soluble toxins from the body by first dissolving them in bile salts, then dumping the bile and toxin mixture into the intestine for eventual excretion. The liver activates B vitamins into their biologically active coenzyme forms, and creates Glucose Tolerance Factor (GFT) (See Blood Sugar Nutrients) from chromium, niacin and possibly glutathione. GFT is needed for the hormone insulin to properly regulate blood-sugar levels. The liver also regulates body functions which affect emotional and mental activities.

Foods that Degrade Liver Health
Common foods can lead to liver problems, including excess coffee, any food that contains pesticide residues (non organic foods), junk foods, artificial fats such as margarine, trans-fats, refined sugars, french fries, fried chicken, doughnuts, chips.

Foods that Support LIver Health
Dark green leafy vegetables support liver health as well as parsley, turmeric, radish and licorice (not the candy variety), kale, garlic, beets, carrots, dandelion greens, organic beef, fish and cow’s liver. One of the best herbs for liver health is milk thistle (See Liver Support). The scientific name for milk thistle is Silybum marianum. It is a member of the aster or daisy family and has been used by ancient physicians and herbalists to treat a range of liver and gallbladder diseases and to protect the liver against a variety of poisons. “Evidence exists that milk thistle may be hepatoprotective through a number of mechanisms: antioxidant activity, toxin blockade at the membrane level, enhanced protein synthesis, antifibriotic activity, and possible anti-inflammatory or immunomodulating effects.” (National Institutes of Health)


Supportive source:
Howard Worman, MD, New York Presbyterian Hospital, 2005, abcnews.com Duke University Health Center, 2005 www.hepatitis.org.uk National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 21, “Milk Thistle: Effects on Liver Disease and Cirrhosis and Clinical Adverse Effects”

Disclaimer
Always coordinate your liver health program with a qualified health care practitioner. The nutrients in each Adjunctive Nutritional Schedule are not meant to treat or cure disease or repair liver heath, but rather to support health. The FDA has not evaluated any statements made herein. All products have been formulated based on sound scientific and medical research. No artificial ingredients are used.