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We clean the filters for our car, our home and our pool, but we do nothing to clean the living filter in our body - the liver!

Many health benefits can be achieved through improved liver function.  Sandra Cabot, MD has a wealth of information on her website. Read more here about the state of our health.

Listen to Becky Natrajan, MD about the toxic state of our society (.wma file for windows media player) in her 17 minute talk “What is Killing You” Dennis Harper, MD is also convinced that cleansing is important to vital health

The following information is taken from the book Body Mechanics⁺

The liver performs over 500 functions. One important function is to detoxify incompletely digested proteins, excess hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, et.), drugs, food additives, poisons, etc. In addition, a properly functioning liver will buffer or tone down swings in blood sugar by up to 65%.

Symptoms of Liver Dysfunction

1) Any symptoms due to an excessive amount of hormones be it estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, etc. could be due to a malfunction in the secreting organ or could be due to an overtaxed or sluggish liver being unable to deactivate it.

2) Increased cholesterol levels can be from overproduction by the liver.

3) Abdominal bloating, tenderness over the liver area.

4) Acne, skin rashes, photophobia, constipation, itching, fatigue, loss of appetite, yellow tinge to skin (due to excessive biliruin), bitter or metallic taste in the mouth, split ends, brittle nails, dry skin, all may indicate liver dysfunction.

5) Hypothyroidism can be due to excess estrogen in the blood, due to the liver not breaking it down.

6) Blood sugar handling problems due to the glucose-glycogen-glucose conversion. Large swings in blood sugar can be due to a diseased liver.

7) Liver congestion can cause portal hypertension leading to pressure in the venous system and thus causing hemorrhoids or varicose veins.

8) Pain between the shoulder blades, inability to digest fats properly, and decreased resistance to infection can all indicate liver dysfunction.

9) Swelling in the legs due to an overtaxed liver being unable to destroy extra antidiuretic hormone.

Causes of Liver Dysfunction

1) It is up to the liver to detoxify most poisons we eat, touch, smell and breathe daily.  In my practice it seemed the liver would reach a saturation point in some patients and then cause symptoms.  To give an example, a good friend of mine is a carpenter and is constantly exposed to toxic chemicals used to treat lumber. His liver is working very hard to break these down.  When his diet was high in fatty foods - corn chips, vegetable oil, peanut butter, and other fried foods he would break out in a skin rash and also hemorrhoids.  His liver didn’t seem to be able to handle both the chemicals and the fatty foods.

2)Fried foods, animal fats, hydrogenated vegetable fat (margarine, etc., too much vegetable oil, and roasted nuts, can overtax and congest the liver.

3) Taking ferrous sulfate as an iron supplement can damage the liver.

4) Polluted air and water, taking strong medications, strong cleaning solutions, soaps, deodorants, birth control pills, pesticides, herbicides, food additives, etc., can overtax the liver and damage it.

5) Page 865 of Merck’s Manual states that “Drugs are an important cause of hepatic disease”.

6) Nerve pressure in the mid thoracics can cause liver dysfunction.

7) Tannic acid (in tea) and BHA ( a common food additive) have been indicted in liver cancer.

8) Any dysfunction in any other organs of elimination - colon, kidneys, lungs, skin can overload the liver by giving it more work to do.

9) Artificial sweeteners have been implicated in liver damage.

10) Diets too high in protein (meat, gluten, isolated soy protein) can overwork the liver (converting excess ammonia to urea).

11) Refined sugar can damage mitochondria in liver cells and decrease the ability of the liver to break down excess triglycerides causing elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

12) Alcohol is well known as a cause of liver cirrhosis. Tobacco and caffeine must also be detoxified by the liver and can overwork it.

13) Corticosterioids (cortisone, etc.), carbon tetrachloride, alcohol, tetracycline, can all cause triglyceride and fat build up in the liver.

14) A B vitamin deficiency can make the liver unable to break down excess steroid hormones.

15) A major cause of liver dysfunction is a toxic bowel with resultant increase in transit time. This overworks the kupffer cells and other parts of the liver causing liver congestion and sluggishness.

⁺Lebowitz, Michael, D.C. Body Mechanics, A guide to understanding and correcting body dysfunction at home. Harrisville, NH: MMI Press, 1984.

* Employees of Healing Touch Therapies are NOT licensed physicians.  The information provided by Healing Touch Therapies’ website or employees is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. Information provided is for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information or products contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Information and statements regarding our complimentary and alternative health products and services have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.