Liver Detoxification /
Support Requirement

No one really is allergic to smoke.  Many people insist that they are allergic to smoke created by cigarettes or cigars, but the truth is that they have having an allergy-like reaction due to other health complications.

An inability to digest onion or garlic may indicate compromised liver function.

If the liver is too congested, blood may not flow easily back to the liver through the hemorrhoidal veins and this might cause swelling of a weakened vein.

Reduced night vision can be linked to a variety of conditions caused by impaired liver function which in turn reduces vitamin A metabolism.

Impaired liver function can result in excess circulating estrogens and a worsening of breast tenderness.

In one evaluation of 200 Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia patients it was found that 80% had a significant impairment of liver detoxification function.

Patients suffering from toxic burdens may experience a wide range of symptoms, among them fatigue and poor tolerance for exercise.  These processes have been postulated to be a central factor in the development of CFS.  Oxidative damage to mitochondria and the detoxification process itself is being considered as a fundamental mechanism in the development of CFS. [1 Bland JS, HealthComm Inc., 1997; Int Clin Nutr Rev 1988;8(4): pp.173-5]

A 'sluggish liver' often contributes to headaches.

Acetaldehyde is a toxic substance produced in the body from alcohol and is one of the impurities found in cheap wine and 'moonshine' spirits.  Some researchers believe that an acetaldehyde buildup is the cause of hangovers.  If the liver's detoxification pathways are impaired, aldehydes can, instead of being converted to the next intermediate product, build up to harmful levels and cause damage since they are often more toxic than the original substances from which they are derived.

It is probably the metabolism of methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid that causes hangover symptoms.  Quick methanol metabolizers suffer more.  This is reinforced by the fact that the types of drinks associated with more severe hangovers contain higher levels of methanol. [Hangovers: Not The Ethanol, Perhaps The Methanol, British Medical Journal, January 4, 1997;14: pp.2-3]

All types of alcoholic drinks contain some methanol, a substance blamed for the worst hangovers.  Whiskey, cheap red wine, fruit brandy and other dark spirits contain the most methanol, sometimes as much as 2% by volume.  Vodka and other clear drinks contain the least.  In the liver, methanol takes 10 times longer than ethanol to break down.

Magnesium deficiency has been found to be more common in patients with diabetes, liver disease or malabsorption problems.

Correcting abnormal liver function is of great benefit in the treatment of psoriasis.  The connection between the liver and psoriasis relates to one of the liver's basic tasks (filtering and detoxifying the blood).  Psoriasis has been linked to the presence of several microbial byproducts in the blood.  If the liver is overwhelmed by excessive levels of these toxins in the bowel, or if there is a decrease in the liver's detoxification ability, the toxin level in the blood will increase and the psoriasis will get worse.

The liver is responsible for breaking down hormones.  If it is not fully functioning, estrogen can build up in the body and increase the risk of breast cysts.

High protein intakes may cause extra metabolic stress to be placed on the liver and kidneys.

Long-term exposure to environmental pollutants and continued assaults on the detoxifying systems may lead to oxidative stress, high levels of phase 1 activity in the liver, and reduced phase 2 detoxification.

The liver is responsible for breaking down hormones.  If it is not fully functioning, estrogen can build up in the body and increase the risk of breast cysts.

If the liver is too congested, blood may not flow easily back to the liver through the hemorrhoidal veins and this might cause swelling of a weakened vein.

Four herbs that can promote liver health include milk thistle, dandelion root, globe artichoke and turmeric.

Castor oil packs are commonly placed over the liver.

The coffee enema causes the liver to produce more bile (which contains processed toxins) and moves bile out towards the small intestine for elimination.  This frees up the liver to process more incoming toxic materials that have accumulated in the organs, tissues and bloodstream.  Coffee contains some alkaloids that also stimulate the production of glutathione-S-transferase, an enzyme used by the liver to make the detox pathways run.  It is pivotal in the formation of more glutathione, one of the main conjugation chemicals, enabling toxins to be eliminated via bile into the small intestine.  So in other words, a coffee enema speeds up the detoxification process and minimizes the backlog of yet-to-be-detoxified substances.

Fasting has a powerful effect on improving liver function, an effect which continues after the fast.  However, fasting should be avoided in cases of severe liver disease or failure.

Acetaldehyde, a metabolic breakdown product of alcohol, is said to destroy vitamins B1, B6 and C. Even though supplements of these nutrients, together with the amino acid cysteine, may help the liver detoxify acetaldehyde, it would be wiser to avoid alcohol, its primary source.

Alpha-lipoic acid has been used very successfully as a therapeutic agent in a number of conditions relating to liver disease, including alcohol-induced damage, mushroom poisoning, metal intoxification and carbon tetrachloride poisoning.