The Importance of a Liver Detox

by Dr. Nick Zyrowski April 03, 2022

Many people may have issues with liver function and not know it. There are problems related to liver health that often get left undetected. Patients visit their doctors with health issues like poor digestion, hormonal imbalances, and skin problems and usually leave the office with prescription medication.

Some people have trouble losing weight or suffer from extreme fatigue and can’t figure out the issue. They get lab tests that come back with normal results and go home with no answers. Unresolved liver problems leave many people frustrated and feeling helpless. Let’s look at what a liver detox is, the importance of a liver detox, and how you can use a natural approach to get the best results.

Why Detox the Liver?

Your liver works as the body’s central filtration system. It converts toxins into waste and cleanses the blood. It is also the place in your body where nutrients and medicines get metabolized. The liver contains amino acids that help with cellular metabolism detoxification. (1) It is involved in over 500 processes in the body.

Since the liver must do so much, it is crucial to keep it functioning well. If you have a sluggish liver, it will affect your health and can make you feel unwell. At times, people with dark circles under their eyes think it is a sign of poor sleep, but it can also be that they have compromised liver function.

A liver detox can relieve many health issues. Fortunately, there are numerous natural ways you can detox your liver. If you want to improve your health, cleansing the liver is a crucial step. Detoxification uses healthy nutrients and supplements to clean the liver and give it natural supportto continue assisting all the other organs in the body. When your liver suffers, your entire body suffers.

Liver Supporting Foods

When you want to support and cleanse the liver, it is imperative to remember that food is medicine. You want to make sure you’re eating plenty of healthy liver foods.

Consume more organic leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. You can add them as a simple side dish to any meal, and they are easy to prepare. These veggies can be roasted or sauteed and topped with fresh herbs for additional liver nutrients.

Apple cider vinegar is incredible for detoxification. Studies have shown that it can inhibit lipogenesis in the liver. (2) You can add this in multiple ways. Some people add a tablespoon or two to a glass of water or with some lemon in their tea. If you have trouble swallowing apple cider vinegar, you can take a quality ACV supplement to reap the health benefits.

Coconut oil is an incredible detoxifier. Many natural health practitioners use it as a nutraceutical against hepatic steatosis, another term for fatty liver disease.

Remove Chemical Toxins

We get exposed to all sorts of toxic chemicals every day. That could be anything from cleaning products to items we use on our bodies. Think about the number of things you use in the mornings simply getting ready for the day. There are tons of unhealthy ingredients in our soaps, shampoos, and lotions. Women have makeup products that get loaded with unknown chemicals. We also use toxic cleaning products in our homes and to clean our clothes! When we absorb these toxins through our skin, the liver must deal with them. Many of these chemicals also cause cancer. Most of the time we have no idea what ingredients are in these products. State and federal laws don’t require companies to list them. (3)

You must remove these products from your home and replace them with natural items that won’t harm and congest the liver. There are tons of products available today that are natural and good for your liver. You can replace every chemical product in your house with a natural alternative. Best of all, many of the natural products have multi-purpose uses, so you don’t have to buy a different item for everything.

Nutrients for Liver Detox

When you want to cleanse your liver, there are some critical nutrients to add to your health arsenal. Some of these you may already have at home and take from time to time.

The first one is NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine). NAC is a precursor to glutathione, which is the most powerful antioxidant in the body. It is inexpensive and has many health benefits, including cleansing the liver. Research shows that using NAC can protect the liver from hepatotoxic environmental pollutants. In studies, NAC has reduced the effects of certain medications on the liver. (4) Some of these drugs can severely damage the liver after prolonged use.

Another potent nutrient for liver detox is Alpha Lipoic Acid. It helps reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. It also increases glutathione in the body. Alpha Lipoic Acid also boosts the immune system, so you get many powerful effects from using it. Many people take it to limit the chances of getting different viruses, which is especially beneficial today.

Milk thistle has been used for years to help neutralize toxins. Research goes back about 2000 years for using milk thistle in treating and protecting the body against toxic substances. It is also beneficial for kidney and gallbladder detoxification. Research is ongoing, but studies do show that milk thistle can be a powerful treatment for hepatitis and cirrhosis. (5) Milk thistle helps promote liver regeneration. That means it has new, healthy cells. It also decreases inflammation.

The last nutrient we will mention is selenium. Selenium supports healthy liver cells, and it works as a coenzyme in the glutathione detoxification process. Selenium also decreases inflammation.

You can take these nutrients individually, but if you want to get the benefits of all of them, you can get a quality liver supplement. It includes all these powerful nutrients that will help to detox the liver and support peak liver function.

Exercise and Active Lifestyle

Sometimes exercise is the elephant in the room. We may not want to discuss it because, with our busy lives, many of us feel we don’t have the time for it. Working in small amounts of exercise can give you tremendous benefits.

Exercise is crucial because it reduces the stress on the liver. You can take a 20-30 minute brisk walk each day and significantly decrease the risks of liver disease. (6) When trying to find the time to exercise, some people use their lunch breaks to take a walk and get some fresh air. It can rejuvenate you and increase your energy levels.

Feeling Better Than Ever

When you detox your body, you start to feel better right away. Many people notice they have more energy and sleep soundly through the night. Some may not even know they haven’t been well until they go through the detoxification process.

It is important to remember when you want to do a proper liver detox, you need to use nutrients in their correct clinical doses. If you do not use them at clinically relevant levels, you will not see the same results. Our products use clinical doses so that you get adequate amounts of each nutrient to support liver function.

Through a targeted nutritional approach, you will protect your liver and be able to cleanse it naturally. Since your liver supports every other organ in your body, it is vital to consume the nutrients that help you maintain proper liver health. Everyone can benefit from a liver detox. Get started with a healthy lifestyle today and make the choices that will promote liver detoxification. Using these steps, you can take control of your health and start feeling better than ever!

References :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6619856/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hamid-Sharif-Nia/publication/260311324_Influence_of_apple_cider_vinegar_on_blood_lipids/links/00b7d530bb6f074e4b000000/Influence-of-apple-cider-vinegar-on-blood-lipids.pdf

https://www.bcpp.org/resource/cleaning-products/

https://www.ejmi.org/pdf/The%20Protective%20Effect%20of%20Nacetylcysteine%20Against%20MethotrexateInduced%20Hepatotoxicity%20in%20Rat-42299.pdf

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/milk-thistle

https://www.healthxchange.sg/digestive-system/liver/tips-healthy-liver#:~:text=Exercise%20decreases%20stress%20on%20the,walking%20or%20swimming%20per%20week.

https://www.drsarahwilliams.com/single-post/2017/02/24/signs-you-might-be-suffering-from-a-sluggish-liver

https://www.healthline.com/health/apple-cider-vinegar-detox#research

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28862329/

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-nac#1

https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-n-acetylcysteine-89416

https://www.elsevier.es/en-revista-annals-hepatology-16-articulo-increased-serum-selenium-levels-are-S166526812030079X#:~:text=Deficiencies%20in%20selenium%20levels%20in,disease%20%5B12%2C15%5D.

Dr. Nick Zyrowski
Dr. Nick Zyrowski