Protect Your Liver Naturally

Thought I would do a post on protecting one's liver. After all you have to go through life with the one God gave you in the womb. If you make it to say age 90 or more, that is a lot of miles on your liver .....here are tips on taking care of it.

I STRONGLY urge you to open the link below and read the entire article. There is a LOT of common sense and technical information in this article.

Dan

A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.
Tom Stoppard 


TIPS and foods or supplements to help your liver do its job better:

http://www.rense.com/general83/dwrs2.htm

EXCERPTS:

EAT :

 

(A).. Bitter Greens - like Parsley, Cilantro, Endive, Arugula, Watercress and Dandelion, these are powerful, "Liver De-Tox Greens." These astringent foods help protect the liver from the ravages of smoking, drinking, and toxic pollution while they clean and revitalize the liver and gall bladder.

 

(B).. Food Fats and Oils - In my humble opinion there are only 4 (well, maybe 5) acceptable FOOD-Fats!  These love your liver: 

 

1). Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVO) - a "true" MONO-oil at 76% Mono. Use everywhere.  Don't believe the silly theory that you can't bake with olive oil because of the "fruitiness"...not so, Olive oil makes baked goods taste rich, not fruity.

 

You see Olive Oil is "magical"!  On foods and in dishes where you want the bold flavor, it is there!  Though, in dishes where you don't want that exotic taste, it somehow "knows" to disappear. Weird!  Bottom line: use EVO for EVERYTHING.

2). Macadamia Nut Oil - the other "true" MONO-oil at the HIGHEST % Mono at 80%.  Also, Macadamia Nut Oil has the highest Smoke-Point of any UNrefined oil, at close to 400F! This is probably the best food oil in the world... but it is considerably more expensive than Olive Oil and, to be honest, it is a very bland tasting oil.

 

Believe me; you would never see Don Corleone "dipping" chunks of Italian bread in a dish of Macadamia Nut oil and eating it with nothing else... like he would certainly do with rich, "fruity", Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, with its "other-worldly" taste.

 

Your liver loves olive oil... in fact, the most popular liver cleanse out there is done with olive oil and lemon juice... there are several variations on the web... pick the easiest one.

 

 

3). Hexane-Free, unrefined Coconut Oil - is especially loved by your liver because of the wonderful and unique solid SatFat, MCT's, (medium-chain-triglycerides or medium-chain-fatty-acids) making up Coconut Oil also make it solid below 76 degrees Fahrenheit! 

 

FYI : This means in the tropics (where it comes from) and in YOUR BODY it is Liquid... for all you Dieticians and other assorted Bone-Heads who refer to it as a "solid Saturated Fat," with a self-righteous smirk, as if describing monkey dung.  You're wrong.  Step off.

 

See, MCT's ARE singularly unique! Consider, LCFA's, (long-chain-Fatty-acids) found in animal satfat and food oils, require Liver-Enzymes to begin to digest these longer chains! Conversely, to digest the shorter MCT's or MCFA's one only needs saliva and stomach acid!  This is a really big deal!

You see, liver-Enzymes otherwise required for digestion of long chain fats may be in short supply.  These are conserved. Also, even if these enzymes are in abundance, the Long-Chainedprocess is very slow compared to the Medium-Chained, metabolic "speed-racer" Fatty-Acids of coconut oil! 

 

This "speed" is why Coconut oil MCT's are in EVERY baby formula on the shelf, actually, and VERY high in Mother's Milk!  See, babies have underdeveloped "Desaturase Enzyme Systems" so they cannot readily digest LCFA's... but MCT's easily zip straight through to the cell's Energy-Center, the Mitochondria, providing the instant energy and heat for babies to develop rapidly.

 

This is also why it can help adults lose weight... it's called "Thermogenesis." Eating solid SatFat that is good for your heart & to lose weight ...who would'a thunk it?  Clearly not the Zorbster!

 

4). Real Butter - is good for you, as opposed to Margarine, which is pHVO (partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) and is a nutritional abomination of the highest order. 

 

Go to France. By law, the butter in France must meet a very high percentage of butter-fat... none higher in the world!  The lowest they allow is higher than our highest! It's the law!

Return to the US.  With regard to life-span, we in the heartland are down around #19 or #20 in the world... and we've used margarine and put pHVO in every processed food we could,avoiding butter! 

The French are #2 or #3...and they put real, high butter-fat butter... on EVERYTHING.  Don't be surprised to see it on watermelon over there!

 

I've been to France several times - I think they all start smoking at 13 (that's a guess) and they will "Party" till 4 AM, even during the week... so with the #2 life-span in the world, I would submit that the French -using gobs of butter, olive oil and red wine- can even trump smoking and "party-till-you-puke" decadence!  I want that for America!

Remaining. It is puzzling... at least!  Or not!

 

See, the lesson here is *UNDAMAGED* Solid SatFat is good for you and is critical for dozens of bodily functions <AND> it does not cause Heart Disease - no more than the Inuit people's diet of blubber (solid SatFat) causes Heart Disease... they out-live everyone... ...and with the lowest incidence of Heart and Vascular disease on the planet? Yes! 

Too, they appear to be very nearly immune to MS and other autoimmune diseases, forgetting all that "Complex" Omega-3 keeps them "Frisky" and "Rubbing-Noses" right to "The End"...no need for Viagra-vated genitals in the old igloo, boy! "Viagra-vated genitals"... C'mon, I don't care who you are, that's funny.

 

No Folks, the "Fats" that stop your heart and erode your life quality are oxidized -even though it's "fresh" from the store- Poly-Unsat "Vegetable Oils"! These are oils like Soy andCorn, and TransFat from Hydrogenated Poly-Unsat Vegetable Oils turned into Manmade "Fake" SatFat like Crisco and Margarine.  Both of the preceding are found in virtually all processed foods and deep-fat fryers in this country. Golden Deep-Fat death.

 

5). Technically, there is a 5th category - Flaxseed and Hempseed are "Medicinal-Oils" but if you're careful they can be used as "Food-Oils" on anything cold, like salad. Don't leave eitherexposed to air any longer than you have to!  The Omega-6 (GLA) and the Omega-3 (ALA) will oxidize... rapidly!

 

(C).. Cruciferous Veggies - like Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels' Sprouts and Bok Choi are the other hi-fiber, very healthful, vegetables for the liver... they have a particularly arcane and potent anti-oxidant which can help protect you from cancer... among other diseases.

 

TRIVIA? Cruciferous comes from the word Crucifix, because the little flower on the plant is shaped like a Cross.

Let's take a look at what exactly is the function of your liver? What does it do and how does it do it?

Take a look:

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-liver

EXCERPT:

Digestive D

Image Collection:

Human Anatomy

Picture of the Liver

© 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

Front View of the Liver

The liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.

The liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. The liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food.

The liver's main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions.

Liver Conditions

• Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by viruses like hepatitis A, B, and C. Hepatitis can have non-infectious causes too, including heavy drinking, drugs, allergic reactions, or obesity.
• Cirrhosis: Long-term damage to the liver from any cause can lead to permanent scarring, called cirrhosis. The liver then becomes unable to function well.
• Liver cancer: The most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, almost always occurs after cirrhosis is present.
• Liver failure: Liver failure has many causes including infection, genetic diseases, and excessive alcohol.
• Ascites: As cirrhosis results, the liver leaks fluid (ascites) into the belly, which becomes distended and heavy.
• Gallstones: If a gallstone becomes stuck in the bile duct draining the liver, hepatitis and bile duct infection (cholangitis) can result.
• Hemochromatosis: Hemochromatosis allows iron to deposit in the liver, damaging it. The iron also deposits throughout the body, causing multiple other health problems.
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis: A rare disease with unknown causes, primary sclerosing cholangitis causes inflammation and scarring in the bile ducts in the liver.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis: In this rare disorder, an unclear process slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver. Permanent liver scarring (cirrhosis) eventually develops.

Liver Tests

Blood Tests:

• Liver function panel: A liver function panel checks how well the liver is working and consists of many different blood tests.
• ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase): An elevated ALT helps identify liver disease or damage from any number of causes, including hepatitis.
• AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase): Along with an elevated ALT, the AST checks for liver damage.
• Alkaline phosphatase: Alkaline phosphatase is present in bile-secreting cells in the liver; it's also in bones. High levels often mean bile flow out of the liver is blocked.
• Bilirubin: High bilirubin levels suggest a problem with the liver.
• Albumin: As part of total protein levels, albumin helps determine how well the liver is working.
• Ammonia: Ammonia levels in the blood rise when the liver is not functioning properly.
• Hepatitis A tests: If hepatitis A is suspected, the doctor will test liver function as well as antibodies to detect the hepatitis A virus.
• Hepatitis B tests: Your doctor can test antibody levels to determine if you have been infected with the hepatitis B virus.
• Hepatitis C tests: In addition to checking liver function, blood tests can determine if you have been infected with the hepatitis C virus.
• Prothrombin Time (PT): A prothrombin time, or PT, is commonly done to see if someone is taking the correct dose of the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin). It also checks for blood clotting problems.
• Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT): A PTT is done to check for blood clotting problems.

Imaging Tests:

• Ultrasound: An abdominal ultrasound can test for many liver conditions, including cancer, cirrhosis, or problems from gallstones.
• CT scan (computed tomography): A CT scan of the abdomen gives detailed pictures of the liver and other abdominal organs.
• Liver biopsy: A liver biopsy is most commonly done after another test, such as a blood test or ultrasound, indicates a possible liver problem.
• Liver and spleen scan: This nuclear scan uses radioactive material to help diagnose a number of conditions, including abscesses, tumors, and other liver function problems.