The liver is oftentimes the organ we forget.
We have all these symptoms, and we don’t think about how our environment impacts it.
So what does the liver do? Often, the liver is called the “grandfather organ”. It’s one of our organs responsible for detoxing our bodies from the things we eat to the air we breathe.
The liver takes on a lot of strenuous duties, which includes processing everyday lifestyle and nutritional choices. Often, the biggest contributor to strain on our liver is not the choices we make, but the toxic world we live in. The air we breathe is filled with toxins from our environment.
Outdoor pollution is bad enough, but what’s worse is the indoor pollution that contaminates your body.
Unfortunately, we are constantly bombarded with toxins in the air. From the cotton clothing we wear that was sprayed with pesticides, to the off-gassing of furniture/carpet/paint on the walls, and to the fire retardant found in our bedding…
Outside of the air we breathe, chemicals and fluoride fill our water systems. While they’re supposed to keep us safe, they fill our bodies with toxins.
The things we eat or drink on a regular basis are filled with pesticides, herbicides, toxic medications, processed chemicals our body was never meant to handle.
These things can create havoc on our detox organs – especially our liver. It’s honestly no surprise as to why so many people are struggling with decreased liver function when you think about all the modern-day stressors and toxins we’re exposed to.
If you ask me, taking care of your liver is one of the most important things you can do for your body. In this blog, I’m going to share how to love your liver by keying into these 10 clues you need to detox your liver (and signs that it may be congested).
Toxic Liver
When you think about a toxic liver, you may not realize some of the things you’re struggling with on a daily basis could be a result of toxic overload in the liver. The more toxins the body is exposed to, the harder the liver has to work to remove them. Unfortunately, our poor liver gets bogged down and is unable to keep up with the demand for detoxification.
Over time, the ability to filter out toxins diminishes. When this occurs, there are many signs that come along with it. Unfortunately, these signs might look like other common health issues and most of the time medical professionals focus on alleviating the symptoms instead of addressing the root cause, which is toxic overload in the body.
10 Clues It’s Time To Detox Your Liver
If you feel like you may have a congested liver after reviewing the signs and symptoms, you will need to work with a qualified professional like myself to help you out. Yes, I know there are liver dedicated supplements that you can take over the counter. And many people reach out to me on a regular basis and ask me if the supplements they are taking for their liver are good. My standard answer after reading a list of ingredients is typically yes. The truth is, there are supplements that support the liver. But true detox is a process that includes specific vitamins, minerals, and amino acids as well as antioxidants to enable the liver can go through a true detox.
If you have more than one of the following clues you need to detox your liver, please connect with me or someone else.
A congested liver will set you up or other disease processes to take place in the body. The beautiful side of that is once you understand true detox and how to implement it in your own life, it is a tool you will be able to keep in your arsenal for years to come.
1. Poor Digestion
One of the things the liver is responsible for producing is bile. Bile is there for digestion and breaks down fats. You want to make sure you have enough bile to break down those fats to get the nutrients you need to be healthy.
If you’re experiencing poor digestion, that’s an indicator you don’t have clean processes to reuse your bile – which helps you consume necessary vitamins. As a result, you’re going to be malnourished and sick.
2. Hormonal Imbalance
The liver is critical in ridding the extra hormones that our body doesn’t need at that time. When there’s a buildup of hormones, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
● High blood pressure ● Bloating ● Weight gain ● Fatigue ● Sleep problems ● Low libido ● Low immune function ● Craving junk food
Many of my clients before working with me brush these symptoms aside. It’s just part of life. What they don’t know is that these symptoms are a result of a stressed out liver.
3. Weight Gain
We often experience weight gain (and can’t keep it off) if the liver is stressed and cannot rid itself of the toxin buildup. In fact, the body holds onto fat as a protective mechanism if it doesn’t feel safe to release those toxins.
If you’re experiencing this symptom, think about your blood sugar imbalance and hormones. They are all interconnected.
4. Skin Problems
If you have toxins building up in your system and your liver isn’t able to process those toxins, then your skin becomes a detox pathway. As a result, your skin starts to clog up, causing things like: ● Acne ● Rosacea ● Rashes ● Psoriasis ● Dermatitis ● Eczema
Many clients come to me asking what they can put on their eczema. But that’s not the problem. The problem is that they have a congested liver. Their skin issues are showing up as a result.
5. Fatigue
Fatigue is a super common problem I see and another clue you need to detox your liver.
But what is fatigue actually?
It’s feeling like you didn’t get enough sleep the night before
You feel like you can’t function properly throughout the day (especially after meals).
There’s not enough caffeine in the world to curtail the effects your congested liver is causing.
6. Bad Breath Or A White Coating On Your Tongue
Stick out your tongue right now. Does it have a white coating on it? If so, that’s a clear indicator that something is going on with your liver.
That white coating actually leads to your bad breath. People often try to scrape the coating thinking that they are fixing the problem. Unfortunately, unless you address the root, the white coating will return.
So why does this happen? White coating on your tongue is a sign that you aren’t digesting your food well. It also shows things like candida or other bacteria overgrowing in your gut. Since the mouth, gut, and liver are all part of your digestive tract, they all play a role in your digestion. A sluggish liver is going to contribute to the white coating on your tongue. It’s all one pathway.
7. Chemical Sensitivities
Do you feel like you can’t stand certain cleaning products and get a headache, anxiety, or irritability when you’re exposed to them? Or do you feel like a lightweight when drinking alcohol? If you said “yes”, you are experiencing chemical sensitivity. This often happens when your body already has too many toxins on board and your liver cannot detox. When you add these chemicals to your system or environment, your liver simply cannot handle it.
8. Cravings
If you’re having cravings for sweet treats or highly processed foods (what you would find in a bag or a box), it can be caused by blood sugar and hormone imbalance. Those are signs that the liver is not functioning well.
9. Gallbladder Problems
The gallbladder and the liver are connected. The liver produces bile. The bile salts are responsible for breaking down the fats. The bile is stored in the gallbladder until it’s needed for digestion. If there’s not enough bile produced, then it’s more difficult for your body to digest and break down those fats.
When the gallbladder isn’t functioning properly (if you still have your gallbladder as it’s often removed), you experience symptoms like: ● Nausea ● Indigestion ● Abdominal bloating
You have an intolerance to fatty foods. You want to get the liver working so it produces enough bile, so that the gallbladder stores bile appropriately, so it’s utilized when it’s required to break down those foods and fats.
Remember back to clue #1, if you aren’t breaking down those fats properly, then you risk being malnourished. That leads you into a whole other ball game. Your body needs vitamins and minerals to operate
10. Pain In The Upper Right Portion Of Your Abdomen
Your liver sits in that upper right corner of your abdomen, underneath your rib cage. Sometimes, it’s going to feel inflamed when it’s congested. And when there’s a lot of inflammation, you’re going to feel pain. That’s an indicator that your liver is enlarged.
Here’s the thing… If you don’t resolve these issues, you may be diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). This means you have a compromised liver and need to work on detoxing your liver.
No longer are only alcoholics experiencing this, but other people as well. And it all stems from a congested liver.
Detoxification
The toxic environment that we live in is dumping more and more toxins into your liver. If we’re not working to clean up our physical body, then we aren’t doing it any favors.
That’s why I talk about detoxification so frequently. It’s a common method I use to restore a client’s health. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach to rebalance the liver and the body.
If you’re not getting well, think about what might be the root to your health problems. You’re not going crazy. Sometimes, nutrition and exercise just isn’t enough. The key is getting to the root so you can be happy, healthy, and whole.
Several of these symptoms disrupted my life for many years. I worked on my health and thought I was detoxing appropriately. I actually went through some miserable times with detox. But once I learned how to detox properly, my health drastically changed. If you can’t move the needle in some of the symptoms mentioned in this blog, liver detox could be your simple answer.
Don’t leave this unresolved! It could lead to fatty liver disease. There is good news though! Poor liver function can be reversed using a combined approach of proper detoxification methods and appropriate nutrient support. These methods will greatly assist in restoring function and balance to all the systems in the body.
There is no protocol that is one-size-fits-all to rebalance the liver and your body, so working with a qualified practitioner like myself will give you the tools you need to address your personal health challenges so that you can feel your best again.