Cleansing & Rebuilding Your Liver

The liver eliminates harmful biochemical products in the body, acting as a filter or cleanser. Dr. Sandra Cabot reports that many middle-aged people with abdominal fat have a condition called "fatty liver" in which the liver itself turns into a fat storage depot. She says people with fatty liver who want to lose weight may not have success until they improve their liver function. Before doing a liver cleanse, consult your physician.

Symptoms

A liver imbalance causes symptoms in several body systems. Some broad indicators are the abnormal metabolism of fats, digestive problems, blood sugar problems, nervous system symptoms, immune dysfunction and hormonal imbalance. External signs include a coated tongue, bad breath and skin rashes.

Theories/Speculation

As of 2010, the Mayo Clinic website reports that although the idea of detoxifying and cleansing the body with herbal supplements is popular, there's not much clinical research to confirm its validity. Researchers say most ingested toxins are efficiently removed by the liver and kidneys.

Warning

In the 2009 book "The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Liver Disorders," Nizar Zein, M.D., and nurse Kevin Edwards report several herbs are gaining acceptance in the medical community as beneficial to the liver, including milk thistle, licorice, artichokes, Siberian ginseng, green tea and turmeric; however, researchers emphasize that some herbs may cause harm, especially if combined with prescription medication.

Considerations

Some physicians endorse cleansing and detoxing even though the medical community as a whole is not in agreement. John Cline, M.D., of the Cline Medical Center in Canada and author of "Detoxify for Life" details how toxins affect the liver, heart and kidneys. Cline describes a syndrome called TILT or "Toxin Induced Loss of Tolerance," a gradual accumulation of toxins that leads to a tipping point, or tilt, followed by a rapid deterioration in health. Unless physical balance is restored through adequate detoxification, health remains impaired, Cline asserts. In her book "Detox or Die," Dr. Sherry A. Rogers, a member of the American Board of Family Practice and fellow of American College of Allergy and Immunology, recommends a protocol of diet and supplements designed to clean the body of toxic chemicals. Rogers' protocol includes vitamin C, lipoic acid, glycine, whole foods, detox enemas and macrobiotics.

Daily Cleansing

Cabot states that popular liver cleansing regimes can be difficult to follow and cause uncomfortable side effects. An effective approach to maintaining a healthy liver includes cleaning it every day via a healthy diet and a liver supplement containing milk thistle, sulfur-containing amino acids and antioxidants. Cabot's diet recommendations include eating raw foods at every meal, using cold-pressed vegetable oils, reducing sugar and animal dairy products, avoiding artificial ingredients and drinking 2 liters of fluids a day.