In my practice I love to share with folks as much as I can about the brain, glands, organs, etc., in the time available.  The more informed we are, the better choices we can make about our own health and wellbeing needs.  Today, I’d like to share with you just a snapshot of information about the liver and why it is so important, and it’s the perfect time of year, springtime, to share this information!

Let’s talk about cleansing our liver!  Spring is a great natural time of year for cleansing our body, mind and spirit.  Spring liver cleansing starts with what you eat, think and feel!  Cleaning out the gunk that has accumulated over the winter, much like spring cleaning our homes, washing the windows, or getting the oil changed in our cars, feels so satisfying.

Some of our unconscious thoughts have been in our minds a lifetime, and we sometimes don’t realize this, so let’s bring these into view for a little cleansing as well.  Our mindset plays a huge role in our overall health and wellbeing!

The liver can be associated most to the emotions anger and frustration.  If you’ve been holding a lot of anger or frustration, it may be a good time to think about this and possibly, reset some of your thinking patterns.  What are you telling yourself that may not be helpful to you right now?  Or what is someone around you saying that isn’t helpful to hear or that is frustrating for you?

Over half of our ‘default’ self-thoughts are automatically negative, which can be detrimental for our body, mind and spirit, if we allow them to ruminate.  I’m not sure why our brain plays tricks on us by thinking so negatively, but it is part of what is happening in our minds, whether we are aware of it or not.  Noticing and recognizing what those thoughts and emotions are in our life and doing our best to reframe those can be a ‘game-changer’ in our life.  This takes conscious effort!

The liver, as well as our other glands, organs, and the brain are in direct communication with each other all of the time, so what happens in our liver affects our brain and the rest of this internal world of ours!  Do you remember the term the self-fulfilling prophecy?  Well, there is a lot of research that shows this to be true!  If you saw in your lab report that your liver enzymes were higher than average, one way you could think about the results is fear-based and negative, “Oh no, I have liver disease.  I’m going to have to spend lots of money and time to get my liver back to normal”, and you may start having more symptoms.  Or, another way to think is in a positive thought pattern, “This is a good reminder for me to do that detox I was thinking about doing”, and you may think about other ways to relieve the stress to your liver and feel grateful about your health and this may be a sign to shift a few health choices to a higher priority.   I know this is sometimes easier said than done!  As I mentioned, this takes awareness!

Now for the physical aspects of the liver!  The liver is the primary detoxification organ in our bodies and has over 500 functions!  Keeping a healthy liver is paramount to keep on top of your health!  Here are just a few of many of the liver’s functions just to give you a clue of how important keeping our liver is.  The liver produces bile for the gallbladder, about 1/3 of our lymph fluids, certain proteins for blood plasma, cholesterol, and other proteins to carry fats through the body.  Glucose is made in the liver, stored as glucogen and later released for energy in the body. The liver helps keep some of our hormones in balance and special proteins help the hormones move through the body.  The liver also clears chemicals, drugs, alcohol, toxins, and even estrogen dominance.  These are but a few of the many functions of the liver, as I’ve mentioned.

Another way to cleanse your liver is through your diet.  If you want to do a ‘soft’ cleanse, make a commitment to yourself for four days.   There are so many diets in the world today with lots of good results.  These suggestions are based on the good ole Mediterranean diet which has a lot of science behind it for good health, such as preventing and even reversing metabolic syndrome and diabetes, reducing toxins, preventing high cholesterol, reducing inflammation, improving fertility and brain fog, resetting natural cortisol(the stress hormone) balance.

Eliminate these foods for four days:  dairy, fried, processed and spicy foods, gluten, caffeine, alcohol, sodas, sugars.

Embrace plenty of these foods and herbs:  fruits- lemon, blueberries, raspberries, apples, avocado; vegetables- dandelion greens, asparagus, arugula, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, onions, chives, beets, carrots, freshly ground flaxseed, herbal teas – nettle, dandelion, burdock, red clover, milk thistle, add turmeric, cilantro, oregano, rosemary and basil to your foods, and drink plenty of water.  You may like to start each day with warm lemon water to get your lymph system active.  Lymph drainage is an important part of the liver working fully.

After four days, re-evaluate your body and how you’re feeling.  Maybe you can extend this eating style for another four days.

There is so much more to share about the liver and cleansing, but this will get you started!  If you’d like more info I’m happy to share more with you.  Contact me to set up your appointment for nutrition education support, neurological integration system, neuro-emotional support, help with reframing negative thoughts, and other holistic care services:  whispersofnatureherbs@pm.me or 360-298-8665.