Naturopathic Control: liver cleanse

Showing posts with label liver cleanse. Show all posts

Biliary System 101 - Liver, Gallbladder & Bile

The biliary system aka biliary tract or biliary tree refers to the liver, gall bladder (a muscular pouch) and bile ducts. They work together to make, store and secrete a green digestive juice and lubricant called bile. Specifically, the liver makes bile and the gall bladder stores it. The gall bladder is essentially the body's attempted 'insurance policy' to always have sufficient bile. Contractions of the gall bladder occurring when you eat trigger the gall bladder to secrete bile (out to the intestines). In fact, so focused on ensuring your body has sufficient bile, your body may even recycle bile that has reached the intestines to make more bile in the liver.

Liver

In fact, roughly every 6 minutes, all of the blood passes through the liver for detoxification.

The liver is the single largest detoxification organ in the body. It filters the blood. However, this 'blood purification' should be considered broadly to include the entire body. Specifically, the blood merely transports toxins to the liver to be expelled from all bodily tissues; including bones, ligaments, organs, skin, fat and so on.

In other words, the liver works to remove environmental pollutants like residual pesticides in your food, chemicals in pharmaceutical drugs and supplements, air borne pollutants and so on. The chemical toxins to be expelled are not only from the external environment but even those toxins produced very deeply in the body like damaged proteins that the cells created.

The liver releases those toxins into the small intestines (to be eventually expelled in the feces). However, as mentioned below, the liver uses its bile to transport these toxins away as quickly as possible.

Bile (aka Gall) & Its Functions

The main components of bile are cholesterol and bile salts. One of its main functions is to digest fat. It acts much like a dishwashing detergent on greasy dishes, ie it emulsifies any type of fat in food (including drinks, vegetables and nuts) so it can extract component vitamins (A, D, E and K).

Another function of this liquid is detoxification; ie to remove and eliminate any toxin (natural and otherwise). In short, a good flow of bile is good and therefore a noteworthy healthy objective. Practices like coffee enemas and liver and gall bladder flushes are done to this end (among other things, like colon cleansing).

Gallbladder Stones

A perfectly functioning biliary system does not produce gallstones. However, if your body does not produce sufficient bile, gallstones will develop. In short, gall stones signal that all is not well with your biliary system.

Gallstones form as a result of the precipitation (ie solidification) of one of several substances. There are different types of gallstones. For instance, cholesterol and crystals precipitate to form different types of gallstones, even in combination. Gallstones are more prevalent among women and people who are over 40 and overweight.

Gallstone Attacks and Signs & Symptoms of Gall Bladder Problems

Gallstones often occur without any awareness or pain. However, if gallstones get temporarily stuck inside a duct, this will cause sudden and sharp abdominal pain called gallstone attack aka gallbladder attack or biliary colic. Especially after eating fatty meals, this pain may accompany nausea, pain in the right shoulder and vomiting. A gallbladder attack usually lasts for several hours.

Outside of outright gallbladder attacks, signs and symptoms of problems associated with the gallbladder problems (like insufficient bile) include: bloating; headaches, especially on the right side (including migraines); nausea; lack of satisfaction after meals (due to poor absorption of nutrients from fats and food in general); cravings for fatty foods like fried food; cravings for sugar after meals (because since the bile helps regulate blood sugars; your sugar levels feel insufficient); dry itchy eyes; itchy skin; burping; liver spots (aka age spots); acid reflux; sneezing; depression and diminished stamina.

Causes & Triggers of Gallbladder Problems

junk food, including processed wheat foods, especially when there are high amounts of both saturated fats and sugars
protein isolates. In fact, protein isolates have even been linked with liver tumors. Beware, protein isolates are often found as an ingredient in foods marketed as being 'healthy'.
estrogen, including birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy, ovulation, fibroids, estrogen-rich foods like soybean foods. Estrogen actually restricts the ducts.
high levels of cortisol, ie the 'stress hormone'. Extended periods of stress depletes bile and, in turn, causes digestive problems
lack of vegetables
being out of sync with the circadian rhythm.
alcohol
a diet low in saturated fat that does not trigger the liver to produce sufficient bile. Saturated fats alone are not problematic. The challenge arises if they are combined with carbohydrates.
a toxic physical environment, including what goes onto your body (like personal care products, cleaning chemicals and so on).

Long-term Effects of Gallbladder Problems

Gallstone attacks are known to lead to further problems in nearly 30% of gallstone cases. For instance, many of these cases develop:

inflammation of the gallbladder
inflammation of the pancreas
thyroid problems.

CONTENT RELATED TO THE BILIARY SYSTEM

Liver and gall bladder flus h. A 'liver' detoxification process involves the entire body. After all, the liver's job involves detoxifying the entire body. Specifically, in addition to cleaning the blood, its job also includes detoxification of all the body's tissues, bones, ligaments and so on. When doing any cleansing program, a liver detoxification is very useful or even essential to release the additional burden on the liver and prevent re-absorption of toxins back into the body.
If you have liver and gallbladder problems, sleep on your right side.
Since the skin is a key elimination organ, its condition can often indicate the quality of liver function. For instance, skin conditions like acne and hives have been related to liver congestion.

Liver and Gall Bladder Flush

A liver and gall bladder flush may allow your body to permanently heal itself from many major illnesses. Since the root problem of numerous diseases relates to poor blood detoxification by the liver, removing gall stones and other toxins from the liver and gall bladder can resolve specific health problems and maintain overall good health.

Needless to say, a liver and gall bladder flush also allows you to painlessly resolve health problems without harmful drugs and or surgically removing the gall bladder (often because it has too many gall stones), The positive results commonly manifest within at least the first 3 rounds.

Liver, gall bladder and pancreas are very closely connected. Consequently, a holistic approach that considers all of them is ideal. For instance, persons suffering with diabetes often suffer with some type of liver disease. [Image from PngTree.com] Put this article into context, get an introduction to the biliary system.

Among the most common signs and symptoms that have liver dysfunction as a key contributing factor include unexplained vision impairment, itching eyes, liver spots, unusual acne, new skin and or scalp problems (including rashes and forms of inflammation), dull headaches (especially if associated with nausea), a mild feeling of a hangover, heightened intolerance to alcohol, burping bitter matter, digestive issues (like feeling congested, intolerance to fatty foods, abdominal bloating, acid reflux, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome / IBS), heightened irritability, autoimmune diseases, Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, recurrent parasite infestations, blood sugar problems, sugar cravings. hormonal imbalances (as in the case of many women with liver spots). Furthermore, you may be predisposed to liver congestion and other problems if you have a history of using pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, non-natural personal care products, strong cleaning chemicals, lots of hydrogenated food fats and the sugar-popular free sweetener called aspartame.

This post describes how one may do this flush.

To do this liver cleanse / liver and gall bladder flush, you will need the following

Pre-Flush

A source of malic acid. Malic acid will soften the gall stones in the liver which will ease the process of removing stones. For this reason, it is considered very useful for developing or maintaining a healthy liver to allow the body to heal itself and in turn protect itself against all types of disease (including diabetes). It is commonly found in fruits with a sour taste like apples (especially unripened apples) and sour tamarinds.

At least 32 oz of organic apple juice, apple cider vinegar and or enough apples to provide the equivalent for each of 6 days. Freshly juiced apples are ideal.
malic acid capsules (for diabetics)

Enema or colonic. A colonic flushes the colon with higher volumes than most home-based enemas, is highly recommended for persons suffering from constipation or other digestive problems. Having at least an enema is highly recommended to avoid trapping gall stones in the colon which can re-toxify the body. Do not become complacent even if you have regular bowel movements because they do not necessarily indicate a completely unobstructed colon. Also consider ingredients that help to flush out parasites, especially if you are particularly concerned about parasites.

Coffee enemas are useful for detoxifying the liver. For instance, coffee opens the bile ducts and helps the liver to release toxins.
Green tea enemas (However, use green tea in moderation if you have reason to avoid an "excess" in polyphenols as found in green tea supplements. One study suggests that such an "excess" may relate to liver toxicity).
Some enemas, like those with garlic or neem, are particularly useful for removing parasites. See the full instructions for doing an enema safely. Herbs like wormwood, regular cloves (from your kitchen cabinet) and black walnut are also very useful for removing parasites. Tackling parasites before this flush is essential if parasites are a particular concern.

If you have kidney concerns, a kidney cleanse is advisable. It usually involves herbs that include cat's claw, fennel seed, chicory herb, marshmellow root and so on. Also consider including cranberry juice which are especially beneficial to both the liver and kidneys. Celery juice is also very healthful for the kidneys.
Plenty of water
Meals that are whole foods, natural, low-fat and easy-to-digest or other useful consumption. Meals should be either heated or at room temperature. Most people do this liver flush after an ease-in period of 6 days. However, if you eat a standard Western diet (with lots of processed foods), consider extending this preparatory period with these whole foods.

very liver-friendly*** (and kidney-friendly**) foods like:

apples *** ** (including unripe apples and apple cider vinegar)
tamarinds *** ** (the sour variety)
cranberries *** **
Others include beets*** , broccoli*** , cabbage*** , carrots*** , celery*** **, cherries*** , citrus juice**, cumin*** , fenugreek***, garlic*** , kale*** , mangoes, watermelon, tomatoes*** , wheatgrass*** **, turmeric*** , sweet peppers, broccoli. NB bitter herbs and vegetables help promote the liver's bile production (as well as the stomach's digestive acid secretion and pancreatic enzymes). They may be consumed before or during the earlier part of a meal. Among them include bitter melon, broccoli, dandelion greens, kale, okra, Sweedish bitters

malic acid capsules (an option for diabetics for whom fruits may not be ideal)
bulkier foods (hot oats, barley**, ideally without sugar; soy protein*** **, quinoa; plain brown rice seasoned only with sea or rock salt)
leafy greens
If you do not get enough protein from foods you eat, you might also produce insufficient L-ornithine (an amino acid that helps the body to remove waste). It is unclear to me. However, adequate vegan food sources of Lornithine might include soybean products like soy milk, shredded wheat, brown rice, pseudograin quinoa and the preparation and consumption methods.
Avoid: animal products, alcohol, processed sugars, wheat, fried food and hard-to-digest foods like nuts. Also avoid food that is cold or chilled. Avoid overeating. Avoid supplements and vitamins and, if possible, medications so as to give the liver as easy a time as possible in its cleansing period.

Epsom salts solution (to give roughly 4 servings of roughly 3/4 cup each). Not only do Epsom salts relax and dilate the bile ducts to easily dislodge the stones but they also help to stimulate bowel movement to clear the colon.

4 tbsp Epsom salts (aka bitter salts or Magnesium Sulfate). Epsom salts help to dilate the bile ducts which in turn makes it easier for the body to release the stones. If you are somehow allergic to Epsom salts, a substitute is Magnesium Citrate at the same dosage.
24 oz filtered water

Flush (of olive oil and citrus juice)

Olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed, 0.5 cup / 4 oz / 110g. Your body produces bile to metabolize oil that you consume. Consequently, this olive oil will prompt a large production of bile that flushes out the gall stones.
Citrus juice, freshly squeezed by hand and strained of pulp; grapefruit, ideally pink grapefruit OR a combination of orange and lemon, 6 oz / 0.7 cup / 170 g ie roughly 3/4 cup. That usually equates to about 1 large grapefruit or 2 small ones.
Optional. Anti-parasite ingredient.

a few cloves of garlic, crushed. Garlic helps to detoxify the liver.
drops of walnut tincture

A jar with a lid. Since the oil easily separates from the juice, you are likely to need to shake the mixture several times to homogenize the combination as you drink it.

Post-flush

Enema or colonic (same as above)

Time / timing

Since estrogen has been linked to constriction of the biliary ducts and gallbladder problems, women may consider doing this flush when their estrogen levels are as low as possible.
6 days pre-flush
ideally 2 consecutive stress-free days at home
Ideally a new moon date for the flush da te. It is ideal to avoid the phase that is opposite to the new moon, ie the full moon because the body generally retains more liquid during the full moon period.

Optional: Natural relaxants like music. Some people find it hard to sleep at night on the night of the liver and gall bladder flush. Suggestions include the following.

relaxing music that will either play through the night or turn off automatically
A movie that can be programmed to turn off automatically

Steps for cleansing the liver / liver and gall bladder flush

PRE Liver & Gall Bladder Flush (for each of 6 days before the flush date)

6 days before the flush date, consume malic acid (discussed above) throughout the day. For instance, use just before and within the first 2 hours after meals, ie in addition to your usual intake of water (of usually 6-8 glasses of water at room temperature or warmed)
Eat whole foods meals as discussed above.
Rinse your mouth out with a baking soda solution or plain water to protect your teeth from damage from the high acidity levels.
Get enemas or colonics to clear the colon and remove any congestion in the liver and colon.
Consume lots of malic acid. See the ingredients above.

a week beforehand (and on the day of the liver cleanse), you can drink roughly 1 liter of organic apple juice daily throughout the day. Apple cider vinegar can also be used.
Alternatively, you can eat only apples throughout a day or two beforehand (and on the day of the liver cleanse).

Liver & Gall Bladder Flush Day & Night

Unlike the previous 6 days during which you consumed the malic acid over the entire day, consume all of your day's quota of malic acid during the morning.
Optional. If you have trouble fasting on only apples and or apple juice, consider having a meal using the ingredients noted above. Hot oatmeal is ideal however. Avoid any type of fat (even in foods like coconut jelly, nuts, avocados and so on) as this may cause nausea during the flush.
Fast, ie using ONLY water after roughly 1:30 pm
From around 4 hours before bedtime, let's say 6 pm, prepare the pre-flush Epsom Salts solution.
Take the first of 4 doses of roughly 6oz (ie nearly 3/4 cup). To make it easier to drink this bitter solution, some people find it useful blocking the nose while swallowing. If you need, follow with a little citric juice, rinse out your mouth with water and or brush your teeth with baking soda to remove the bitter taste of the Epsom salts.
Set your flush ingredients in a warm environment that will allow them to maintain a temperature that is room temperature or warmer.
By half hour before scheduled bedtime, let's say at 9:30 pm, you should already have noticed (loose) bowel movements from your first dose of the Epsom salts solution. If not, consider a water enema to remove any congestion in the colon. This is especially the case if you are outside of the post colonic or intensive enema period of roughly 2 days during which you might not have bowel movements.
Take another serving of the Epsom salts solution at roughly 2 hours after the first dose, let's say at around 8pm
Prepare your bed so you can lie immobile with you torso propped up comfortably above your abdominal region for at least 20 minutes. If necessary, prepare meditation music and other paraphernalia. Some people prepare a warm cloth to cover over liver region when you go to sleep, ie the upper right part of the abdominal region.
Optional. If you think you will have trouble sleeping, install your method of relaxation.
At bedtime, let's say about 10 pm, combine and drink the oil and citrus juice flush (see ingredients above) as quickly as possible and without interruption or, at least within 5 minutes. Drink this solution in the standing position. NB, if you have not yet had your first bowel movement, wait until immediately after that movement to drink this flush.
Immediately after drinking the citrus juice and oil mixture, lie immobile and in silence in bed on your right side and your knees as far up towards your head OR on your back with your torso propped up above your abdomen for at least 20 minutes. After the initial 20 minutes, you may return to your usual sleeping position, other than on your stomach. You may feel small, painless movements in your liver as the stones become dislodged.
Avoid drinking water within 2 hours after taking the oil and citrus flush.
If you feel nauseous, consider taking apple cider vinegar in very little water.
Remain in bed for the entire night other than when you need to use the toilet

POST Liver & Gall Bladder Flush - The morning and day after

NB throughout the day, you may drink water if you are thirsty. However, do not drink water immediately after drinking the Epsom salts.
The next morning, at roughly (but not before) 6 am, drink another dose of the Epsom salts solution. You may return to bed if you wish. However, it is best to remain in an upright position after this point.
Roughly 2 hours after the first dose of Epsom salts solution for the morning, ie at 8am, take the last dose of Epsom salts.
You are likely to begin to evacuate green or gray stones the size of coffee grounds. If you had been fasting and using enemas or colonics, you are likely to pass nothing other than the stones. If you do not see stones and especially if this is your first few times, continue the process regardless. Some people do not begin to pass stones until during their first 2 or 3 flushes.
Roughly 2 hours after the last dose (let's say at roughly 10 am), introduce fresh fruit juices back into your diet.
During the course of the day, your body is likely to continue to release stones that are progressively harder, darker, heavier and bigger. Although everyone is different, you may see the following. Regarding the hypothesis that the stones are simply a combination of the flush ingredients and bile, this appears unlikely in part because the volume of stones often exceed the oil and other flush ingredients. Additionally, as seen below, the stones do not always or only have a color similar to that of bile.

In the afternoon after the oil mixture; watery bowel movements that consist of gall stones and food residue, then stones with only water.
The stones are usually green and shiny because of the bile compounds. Lighter colored stones are the newest while darker colored green stones are oldest.
Some stones formed as a regrouping of several small ones.
Some stones have a bacterial clump? in their center. One likelihood is that the stone was formed as a result of bits of dead parasites, viruses and cysts passing through the liver.
Most stones are no larger than a kernel of corn. However, some may be as large as golf balls.
Heavier, calcified stones are usually white or tan colored and sink to the bottom of the toilet. They usually come from the gall bladder and usually contain heavier, toxic substances.
Foam. Foam consists of millions of tiny sharp-edged cholesterol crystals

You may begin to introduce foods that are very easy to digest like soft fresh fruits. Consult the list of whole foods above.
Rest to give your body a chance to recover
Roughly 2 days after the flush, perform colonics or enemas that may flush out any remaining toxic stones from your colon.
Repeat this process as required with the aim of performing flushes without stones over 2 consecutive flushes. Most people achieve this after roughly 12 or more flushes. It may be unsafe to avoid repeats of this process, specifically because of concerns of leaving un-flushed toxins in the body. Additionally stones that are lodged deeper in the liver may also begin to move forward in preparation for a subsequent flush.

When first addressing liver toxicity problems, some people repeat this process as frequently as once weekly or fortnightly, then less frequently.
Persons doing the process routinely and without serious liver toxicity may repeat the process once every 3 weeks.

If you have kidney concerns, a kidney cleanse is advisable.

CONTENT RELATED TO LIVER & GALL BLADDER FLUSH

The biliary system 101. Learn about the liver, gall bladder, gallstones and more.
This post and many proponents of the cleansing the liver and gall bladder have been inspired by the must-read book 'The Amazing Liver and Gall Bladder Flush' by Andreas Moritz.
Read how to prepare barley water to enhance kidney function
Caring for the liver helps to protect against diabetes. Learn about the pancreas, insulin and diabetes.
This is how to make fresh, unsweetened tamarind juice

Select roughly 10 large ripe tamarinds (the original sour, NOT sweet variety)
Remove the outter shell and place the bulb into a container of roughly 4 cups of warm filtered water
Vigorously shake to help dissolve the pulp away from the seeds and into the water
Allow to stand for roughly 1 to 2 hours during which you can shake the mixture further
Strain away the seeds and bits
Drink this tamarind water throughout the day

A step-by-step guide to full body cleanse
How to do a vaginal douche

Remove age spots naturally with onion juice and liver health care

Age spots are freckles that begin to appear as one ages and or with considerable exposure to the sun. They are spots that stand out from the rest of your skin because they are darker. They appear on any ethnic group, including black skin. Consequently, the easiest way of identifying them is through the fact that they 'suddenly' appear as you age and stand out from the background on any part of the body that is exposed to sunlight, the face, shoulders, hands, back and so on. This post explains a home remedy as a natural alternative to chemical skin bleaching treatments for removing these spots.

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Essentially, age spots are an external sign of oxidation within your body. However, they may be related to impaired liver function or nutritional deficiencies.

To prepare onion juice for age spots, you will need the following

onion.

Onion has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals

apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar / ACV contains alpha-hydroxy acid, an ingredient that helps to remove the top layer of dead skin where many of the age spots are.

juicing implements

juicer - or -
1) blender or mortar & pestle and 2) strainer or cheesecloth - or -
chopping knife, bowl and eating fork

cotton wool or dropper for extraction from the container and application to your skin
airtight container for storage
refrigeration for storage

Preparing onion juice for age spots

Blend and strain the onion and vinegar. Alternatively, process the onion in a juicer. If you have neither a blender nor juicer, chop up the onion as finely as possible and then use a fork to mash it with the apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to soak for a few hours before mashing again and straining.
Apply the juice with cotton wool. If you are applying this over your face, remember to include your neck and chess
Allow to remain on your skin for at least 30 minutes. There is no harm leaving it on overnight or all day for instance. However, onion juice has a strong smell of sulphur which may make it less than desirable. Having said this, I notice that, although I agonize over the smell, others can not detect it. I hazard a guess that others might detect the smell if you are in a hot, humid environment.
You may store the remainder in an airtight container for up to roughly 3 days
This apparently works within varying time periods. I have seen reports of people seeing results after 4 to 6 weeks of using this remedy every day.
Consider detoxing your liver. A truly naturopathic approach should not end at only tackling the problem at the superficial level of the skin but at the possible root cause, the liver. Consider liver enemas and other natural liver detox remedies.

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Content related to removing age spots

Liver enemas. Your age spots may be an external sign of a stressed aging liver
Research other liver cleanses
Onion juice for hair growth, even reversing some cases of balding

Fluoride Detox

Previously, we published a comprehensive article regarding the poisoning dangers of fluoride. However, this article seeks to go further by mentioning a few natural ways of treating such dangers of fluoride, ie outside our earlier mention of Crown Berkey water filters. As always, we will be delighted for your feedback and additions.
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Fulvic acid. Fulvic acid is said to be most available in organic ground provisions since non-organic farming destroys fulvic acid in the soil.

Blackstrap Molasses
Other sources are said to be blackstrap molasses and nori sea weed. By the way, blackstrap molasses is one of Miss C's heroes.

Specifically, it offers multiple healthful side effects that, among other things, include relieving Premenstrual Syndrome / PMS and 'ADHD' symptoms and stabilizes blood sugar levels. It is so nutritious that she also adds it to soups and even her protein health bar recipe.

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Diatmonaceous Earth (DE). DE has been said to gently remove fluoride from the body while providing healthful sides effects (that include parasite cleansing, heavy metal chelation and more).

Diatomeas Earth - Amazon.com

Coffee enemas. Daily cleansing is done chiefly by the liver. Consequently, liver cleansing is especially important in fluoride detoxification. Coffee enemas are used for this purpose. Click here to learn how I do coffee enemas at home.

Sour tamarinds. According to the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Journal Research in Veterinary Science, tamarind captures and flushes fluoride poisons. Tamarinds are abundant during tropical dry seasons, especially during April. While these benefits clearly apply to sour tamarinds (often used in Asian cooking for tartness), I am unsure whether they (the benefits) also extends to 'sweet' tamarinds.

Magnesium-rich foods. Foods rich in magnesium block cellular absorption of fluoride. Such foods include dark leafy greens (like Swiss chard with very high levels and kale), mackerel and whole grains (like quinoa with high levels and brown rice)

Turmeric. Pharmacognosy Magazine suggests that turmeric can not only prevent but also reverse preexisting harmful effects of fluoride.

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More Relevant Material:

Dangers of Fluoride