10 Warning Signs That Your Liver Is Full of Toxins

by Patti Croft November 26, 2021

We hear a lot about health today and how to boost our immune systems. One thing we don’t hear much about is how critical our liver is for our overall wellness. Your liver is the organ that supports all the other organs in your body. When your liver does not function well, your entire body can suffer.

The liver regulates chemicals in your body and excretes the waste as bile. It also creates and breaks down nutrients your body needs. Your liver filters the blood and helps you fight infection. Since the liver is crucial for our health, we need to know if something interferes with its natural processes. Let’s look at ten warning signs that may show your liver is full of toxins and what you can do to help your liver get back to working the way it was designed!

1. Digestive Problems

Many people suffer from all kinds of stomach issues. It seems every other commercial is offering some magical pill for IBS. Some even live with chronic stomach pain and miss out on regular activities with their families because they don’t feel well.

When waste products build up in your body, you can get various digestive issues like diarrhea or constipation. Many people even complain of reflux issues after eating. Since the liver filters out chemicals, it could mean that all the stored waste has not made it through the liver yet. Before taking a pharmaceutical that masks the problems, why not get to the root cause? You can get bloodwork that gives you a better picture of your health and shows you how your liver is working and if changes need to get made.

2. Localized Abdominal Pain

If you have pain in the upper right quadrant of your stomach, that could be a sign that your liver is full of toxins. It is usually a dull, achy pain that persists over time. That may show liver inflammation and be an early sign that you need some help calming things down. N-Acetyl Cysteine is an incredible supplement to take because it detoxes the liver. It supports glutathione production, which is a crucial antioxidant in the body.

3. Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin. That can happen when the liver cannot remove a waste product called bilirubin. The result is a yellowing of both the skin and eyes. Jaundice is a sign of liver complications and can lead to hospitalization. If this gets ignored, it can be massive problem. When you are jaundiced, it means your liver is unhealthy and needs some assistance to get those nasty toxins out of your body. To prevent jaundice, you can make sure your liver cleanses itself as it was created to do. We take on so many toxins in the world today, so getting a buildup is not uncommon.

4. High Cholesterol

If you get lab work and your doctor tells you that your cholesterol is high, you should ask why. High cholesterol could be your body showing your liver is not functioning the way it should. It could also mean your liver is inflamed, so you need to make sure you ask questions about your labs and not take them at face value. When you ask your doctor questions, you should get more in-depth answers about your health and wellness.

Many people get treated for high cholesterol when it may not be the root issue. Sometimes making sure your liver is working is the right way will resolve those problems.

5. Itching

Itching may seem like an odd warning sign that your liver is full of toxins, but don’t discount it yet. Itching can be a common sign that your liver is not working well. When your liver gets congested with bile, the salts can accumulate under your skin. You could also have a histamine reaction due to liver problems, which will cause frequent itching. Some people ignore these signs and take over-the-counter antihistamines. It would be much better to know your liver can get those toxins out of your body altogether. While you’re working on your liver health, try some natural remedies for itching. A humidifier could help during the winter months. Soaking in a warm bath with Epsom salts can relieve itchy skin and promote relaxation. Also, make sure you add some collagen to your daily routine, as it can nourish your skin.

6. Cognitive Problems

When your liver is full of toxins, you get a buildup of waste throughout the body. Some of this waste goes to the brain, which can cause confusion and poor concentration. If you’ve struggled with brain fog, this could be a warning sign that your liver is not properly removing waste from your body.

Besides taking NAC, you want to make sure you’re getting the proper nutrients to help restore your brain function while working to make your liver healthy again. Taking the right supplements can help support a healthy brain and maintain cognitive ability. You can also choose to eat a diet rich in healthy fats and high in B vitamins. Diet plays a crucial role in your liver health.

7. Chronic Fatigue

We all get a little tired sometimes. Most of us have busy lives and sometimes there aren’t enough minutes in the day. That can lead to tiredness that usually gets restored with a good night’s sleep.

People who experience chronic, ongoing fatigue where no amount of rest leaves them feeling refreshed may have toxic livers. Many people have been tired for months. Some patients even get told by their doctors that they will have to learn to live with it. That does not have to be the case.

When your liver is unhealthy, it cannot communicate with your brain. That means your brain can’t produce the actions that help you have energy. It also means there’s a possibility that your liver cannot create, store, and release glycogen, which will leave you feeling tired and sluggish all the time. Chronic fatigue is sometimes the first sign that your liver is not filtering out toxins. While working to get your liver functioning well again, you also want to make sure you get plenty of quality sleep to promote that energy your body needs.

8. Abdomen and Leg Swelling

If you’ve noticed your legs or abdomen seem swollen, that can be another sign your liver is full of toxins. That can mean that fluid has accumulated in those areas. When your liver cannot produce blood proteins, it becomes toxic. We hear a lot of information about different ways to detox our bodies, but some of those claims are not true. When you need metabolic detoxification, you must make sure you correctly eliminate toxins.

During a metabolic detox, you may experience some uncomfortable side effects like headaches and fatigue. Those are natural and should go away with proper hydration and diet. After a metabolic detox, you will have more mental clarity, better energy, and a stronger immune system. Your skin will look clearer and healthier, and your liver will get cleansed, so its function will improve.

9. Unexplained Nausea

Some people who have toxic livers begin getting an upset stomach and nausea. Sometimes this becomes so frequent it interferes with regular daily activities. They may go through all kinds of tests only to get told nothing is wrong. Once again, they get instructed to live with it while getting on medication to treat the symptoms. Some of these medicines have nasty side effects, so they feel worse than they did before.

It could be that the toxins are storing up in your body, causing nausea and even vomiting. Once the liver disfunction gets cleared up, you will feel much better and not need the medicines that made you feel even worse. One of the things you want to do is monitor your use of medications to make sure nothing you take escalates the problem. You may also want to include digestive enzymes in your diet. These can help your body break down food and turn it into fuel. If you have trouble digesting food, this could help with nausea after meals.

10. Dark Urine

When most of us think about the color of urine, we tend to think of it in terms of hydration. We have been told that when our urine is clear, it means we are hydrated, and if the urine is dark, we need to drink more water. That’s a good rule of thumb, but you should also know that dark urine may signify your liver is full of toxins. Urine gets dark because bilirubin gets pushed out by the kidneys. High levels of this can mean a high rate of inflammation or even blockages in your liver bile ducts. If you’ve noticed dark urine for more than a few days, you need to get your liver checked. If you have a toxic liver, you want to steer away from sugar and fried foods. Find a way to cook that can help heal your underlying health issues.

Small Changes Create Results

You can make some changes today that will create a positive impact on your liver function. You can include supplements to give your liver a healthy boost and help it detox the body. Many people forget nutrients can give you a natural approach to getting your body back to a state of wellness.

Drinking lots of water and incorporating a healthy diet will do wonders for your liver. Also, try to use products made without harsh chemicals. When you absorb these chemicals, your liver will try to filter them out of your body.

Remember to get in some exercise at least several times per week. Moderate activity is incredible for healing the liver and promoting overall wellness. Your liver is a vital organ, so you want to make sure you take care of it. When you get better control of your health naturally, you make fewer trips to the doctor and take far fewer drugs along the way. These small changes can create dramatic results in how your liver functions and how you feel.

References :

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/symptoms-causes/syc-20374502

https://www.healthline.com/health/liver-detox-home-remedy#limit-alcohol

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17915-toxic-hepatitis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526106/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/common-characteristics-of-liver-disease https://liverfoundation.org/for-patients/about-the-liver/health-wellness/nutrition/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15060205/

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/liver-detox

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=common-characteristics-of-liver-disease-85-P00664

Patti Croft
Patti Croft

Patti Croft is a Certified Health Data Analyst with a thirst for all things natural and holistic. Coupled with her MBA, Patti uses her skill set here at NuVision Health Center to dive into the research. Her expertise is in taking complex medical data and delivering it in a way that readers can understand and implement into their lives.