Liver Detox & Cleanse

First let’s look at what is the liver and what does it do for us. The liver is the largest glandular organ weighing around three pounds in the body and performs many vital functions to keep the body pure of toxins and harmful substances. It is a vital organ that supports nearly every organ in the body in some facet. Without a healthy liver, a person cannot survive. The rib cage covers this big organ and protects it from being hurt. The liver has two lobes called the right and left lobe. The liver works in conjunction with the pancreas, gallbladder and the intestines to digest, absorb, and process food that we take into our bodies.

The liver helps to filter the blood of all poisons and toxins that come from our digestive tract before passing the blood onto the rest of our body. The liver processes all the good stuff in forms that the body can use, the stuff your body does not need the liver secretes bile that ends up in your intestines. All other waste that the liver produces goes through your blood to your kidneys and comes out your urine.

The other main function of the liver is that it makes proteins that are important for blood clotting and other functions.

So why detox and cleanse your liver? This is my question and a question that has been nagging at my brain for a while now. My nephew came down with liver disease a few years back and he is on a donor list for a new liver. Since he was diagnosed he has come close to death a few times and the medication that he is on cost an ungodly amount of money to keep him alive.

Since we are almost the same age and we are both over fifty it has got me thinking quite a bit about cleaning my liver so it can keep my body and blood good and healthy. God only knows all the bad stuff I have put in my body over the past fifty years, I am surprised I still have a liver.

When someone talks about cleansing the liver, from what I have researched they are talking about inducing the liver, or back flushing the liver to get out all the old stuff that has built up over the years that are clogging up the liver (or filter as I call it). From what I read there can be all sorts of fat build up (I am sure mine has plenty of fat build up), old cholesterol deposits, gallstones, poisons, drug residue, and toxic waste that is stored and plugging the liver up. After reading this, I am sure that my liver is nowhere near to being in good and healthy condition. My cholesterol has been high for years, I take Ibuprofen like candy for headaches and back pain, since I have been on the road most of my life I have consumed enough fast fatty food for entire household. So I am sure that my liver needs a good cleaning out before I get much older.

There are several signs that you should be on the lookout for if you think you have a liver that is unhealthy or clogged up.

• Bloating or pain in the upper right abdominal area under the rib cage.

• Excessive fat, over weight.

• Potbelly.

• Having trouble digesting fatty foods.

• Acid reflux.

• Liver spots start showing up on your skin.

• Overheating of the body and excessive perspiration.

• Fatigue.

• Mood swings.

• Depression.

• Sleep apnea.

• Fatty yellowish lumps around the eyes.

These are some of the signs to look for when researching if you are in need to clean out your liver. If you are showing any of these signs make sure you consult your physician and let them know that you are going to cleanse your liver to get the toxins cleaned out of your system. Your liver is used to filter the blood of all toxins and poisons, if your liver is not functioning correctly you are letting toxins enter your heart via unfiltered blood. This will affect your immune system and will lead to rapid aging of your body.

The liver is a hard working organ but it is also an organ that is very friable meaning that it can bleed easily. With our fast paced lifestyle and unhealthy eating the American people like myself consume a lot of poison and other components that attack our organs such as our liver. We need to start taking into our body things that increase the antioxidants that help our organs and fight off this poisons that are attacking our health.

One of the best places to find antioxidants in in eating fruits and vegetables. Eating berries is one good source of antioxidants. Eating more fish, eggs, and dairy products which are high in vitamin B helps promote liver health. Finding items that are high in omega- and omega-6 not only helps the heart but it contributes to helping the liver functions in the body.

To help out the liver with it daily process one should consider eating foods that are high in fiber, vitamins C and E, and zinc. One should also consider increasing foods with whole grains, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and like any diet, drink lots of water daily to dilute and remove poisons and toxins from our body.

One should stay away from consuming any alcohol, especially considering that alcohol abuse is a common factor in many cases of liver failure.

Many people including my wife and I are drinking apple cider vinegar for a better healthier body. Apple cider vinegar is one of the most common used products for liver cleansing. With all the minerals, combination of vitamins, and alkalinity apple cider vinegar helps the liver get rid of harmful substances that causes damage to the liver and it helps the body from becoming too acidic. ACV is made up of mostly acetic acid which has shown to have the ability to protect the cells of the liver.