Previous
7 Ways Milk Thistle Supports Your Health
Next
Can This Everyday Drink Help You Support Your Liver Health?
7 Signs You Need a Liver Cleanse
Our bodies are fantastic communicators. Most of us just don’t know how to listen. For example, your body may be telling you it’s screaming for a liver cleanse! But you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know these seven signs.
Our bodies are fantastic communicators. Most of us just don’t know how to listen.
For example, your body may be telling you it’s screaming for a liver cleanse! But you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know these seven signs. If you can sincerely say you’re suffering from at least four of the signs below, a liver cleanse may give you a new lease on life.
Liver Cleanse Signs & Symptoms
#1) Your skin is a mess.
Itchy skin. Flaky skin. Strange rashes. Outbreaks of acne. These can all be signs your liver is in trouble.
While Hepatitis C is the most famous liver condition to cause skin problems, including jaundice, other liver conditions can and do show up on your skin. Problem areas most often include the face, legs, and arms.
It makes sense, if you think about it. Your skin is your body’s largest organ. Why wouldn’t problems with your body’s hardest-working organ (your liver is responsible for over 500 bodily functions) start making themselves known right here?
#2) You’re exhausted all the time.
If you feel like you’re dragging yourself through your day, don’t just blindly reach for another cup of coffee. Liver patients complain of fatigue more than they complain about any other symptom, occurring in up to 85% of patients.
Sure, you might want to consult a doctor to rule out other causes. Adjust your sleep schedule, find out if you have sleep apnea, and switch to decaf. But if nothing works? Start thinking about a liver cleanse.
#3) Your weight won’t cooperate.
Gaining weight no matter what you do? Eating healthy and exercising only to find you can never move the needle on that scale?
It might not be your fault. Remember, metabolizing fat is one of the liver’s most important jobs. If it’s too damaged or overwhelmed to do the job properly you’ll find it very difficult to avoid packing on the pounds.
#4) You keep reaching for the Tums.
Acid reflux, stomach pain, ulcers, bloating. They aren’t just signs you’ve made it to middle age, and they aren’t just signs you should stop eating pizza. They can be serious symptoms of liver disease.
Non-alcoholic liver disease increases your risk for digestive conditions like GERD. For some patients, GERD symptoms may even appear long before the symptoms of liver disease do. The two conditions walk hand-in-hand.
#5) Your blood sugar keeps crashing.
Sure, we all get hungry, even “hangry,” but we’re not meant to get dizzy and sick when we haven’t eaten for awhile. Hypoglycemia is a sign your body may be entering a prediabetic state. Everyone talks about the role of the pancreas in insulin production, but few people remember the role the liver plays in managing blood-glucose levels.
The liver is responsible for producing sugar when your body needs it. If your blood sugar levels keep tanking there’s a good chance your liver is completely overwhelmed. Addressing the problem could help you ward off some serious complications later.
#6) You sweat excessively.
Excessive sweating is associated with many medical conditions, but liver disease is one of them. Excessive sweating can also be a symptom of blood sugar problems or diabetes.
#7) You get sick all the time.
Liver problems can create severe imbalances in your immune system. If you used to be that office warrior who never took a sick day but now find yourself back at the doctor’s office every month, it may be time to investigate a liver cleanse.
The good news…
Your liver does a good job of healing and regenerating itself when its given the proper nourishment and support. It is one of the few organs in your body that can literally regenerate itself. You just have to take the next step and help your liver do the job it’s meant to do. You’ll be happier and healthier for it.
https://www.healthline.com/health/your-rash-caused-by-hepatitis-c, Is Your Rash Caused by Hepatitis C? Cherney, Kristeen, Healthline, accessed June 1, 2018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2582971/, Fatigue in Liver Disease: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management. Swain, Mark G., MD, MSc, FRCPC, Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006 March; 20 (3): 181-188, accessed June 1, 2o18.
http://www.oxygenmag.com.au/Blog/tabid/4988/ArticleID/1028/Why-liver-toxicity-could-be-the-major-cause-of-your-weight-gain.aspx, Why Liver Toxicity Could be the Major Cause of Your Weight Gain. Elezovich, Andriana, Oxygen Australia, August 2016, accessed June 1, 2018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24718860, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Increases Risk for Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms. Cantazaro, R., Calabrese, F., Occipinti S., Anzalone MG., Italia A., Milazzano M., Marotta F., Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2014 August: 59(8): 1939-45. Doi: 10.1007ls10620-014-311307. Epub 2014, Apr 10, accessed June 1, 2018.
https://dtc.ucsf.edu/types-of-diabetes/type1/understanding-type-1-diabetes/how-the-body-processes-sugar/the-liver-blood-sugar/, The Liver and Blood Sugar, Diabetes Education Online, accessed June 1, 2018.
About the Author
Stephen Holt, M.D. is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine NYCPM (Emerite) and a medical practitioner in New York State. He has published many peer-review papers in medicine and he is a best-selling author with more than twenty books in national and international distribution. He has received many awards for teaching and research. Dr. Holt is a frequent lecturer at scientific meetings and healthcare facilities throughout the world. He is a best selling author and the founder of the Holt Institute of Medicine.
