The need for a liver detox or liver cleansing has significantly increased more than ever before as humans consume more and more synthetic materials everyday through processed food, drugs, alcohol, and many more substances. 

Liver is one of the most important organs needed for a normal functioning of the body. It carries out functions such as regulating chemical levels, excreting bile to help with digestion, storing glycogen, vitamins, and minerals, and cleaning toxins out of the blood. 

A healthy functioning liver requires cleansing and maintenance whether its through diet or medication. The impact that we place on our physical bodies due to our lifestyle, habits, food choices and stress usually goes unnoticed until an issue occurs. The liver being one of our primary organs for overall health and balance usually handles much of the stress we create until eventually it can't anymore. 

 

What is Liver Detox?

A liver detox (or liver cleanse) is a procedure aimed at improving liver health by flushing and eliminating accumulated toxins that are negatively affecting liver health and function. 

The Liver: The Body's Ultimate "Filter"

Orlando Clinical Research Center

The liver is the body's built-in detoxifier or filter that effectively cleanses the body's internal environment and removes toxins from the body. The liver is so impressive that it can practically cleanse almost everything it comes in contact with, and this is precisely what makes it such an important part of body detox processes. The liver also helps break down old red blood cells and improve bile production and bile flow.

Due to the efficacy of the liver in detoxing the body, people often take advantage of it and abuse it by taking in all kinds of unhealthy foods and harmful substances, such as drinking alcohol in large volumes and eating food rich or filled with a high-fat diet. Over time, this consistent liver "abuse" results in liver injury and inflammation, usually leading to severe liver damage and, very possibly, liver failure.

When the liver is damaged as a result of drinking too much alcohol, liver disease, or eating foods rich in fat, it becomes unable to flush toxins from the body as well as it used to, and this could result in the occurrence of even more serious diseases and a potentially devastating effect of overall health.

There is a lot of argument surrounding liver cleansing, with several people believing that a healthy liver naturally cleanses itself. If the liver goes bad, liver cleansing procedures can do nothing to help. This begs the question, why liver detox?

 

Why is Liver Detox Important for Liver Health?

Shathayu Ayurveda

It is a common and proven belief that over time, repeated exposure to unfavorable conditions like uncontrolled alcohol intake, poor diet, and being overweight  leads to accumulation of toxins and pollutants in the liver. These substances eventually pile up such that they have a cumulative effect on the liver, resulting in various symptoms, liver diseases (Fatty Liver, Alcoholic Hepatitis, and Cirrhosis), and even an increased risk of liver cancer.

There is no question that prolonged exposure of the liver to "environments" that do not support an optimal liver health can result in serious harmful effects. Even if you don't engage in potentially harmful activities such as excessive alcohol intake and consumption of high sugar or fatty foods, your liver still needs to filter out toxins that accumulate from a normal diet and lifestyle. 

Hence, there are still a lot of risk factors, such as toxins being filtered out by the liver from food in the "healthy diet" people engage in, especially those that still contain processed foods and this leads to building up of liver fat and toxins on the liver, much more than the liver can naturally cleanse, thereby necessitating liver detoxification.

 

Who Needs a Liver Cleanse?

 

Many factors could necessitate people carrying out liver cleanses; however, some of these risk factors are more "prominent" than others. Here are some indications that you likely need a liver cleanse:

• If you consume excessive amounts of alcohol
• If you eat too many fatty foods
• If you're experiencing symptoms of liver diseases such as reduced liver function
• If you haven't done liver detoxes before or in a long while.
• If you're currently overweight

How Does Liver Detox Work?

Liver detox processes involve the prescription of certain foods and the development of a liver-friendly diet to help improve the functioning of liver enzymes. In addition to helping to ensure you have a healthy liver, these foods also help the liver get rid of environmental toxins more effectively and facilitate cell regeneration

Supplements, as the name suggests, are there to give us an extra boost to an optimal health. It is extremely necessary to keep our health, especially liver health in check through natural ways before considering supplementation. 

Liver Detox Supplementation also carries out the same functions as it does with a healthy diet. For some people, diet and exercise might not be enough to ensure a healthy liver which is why there are supplements to boost the process.

Here are some of the natural ways you can effectively flush out toxins from your body:

Eat Healthy and Drink Water 

Maintaining a healthy balanced diet is a very effective way of ensuring optimum liver health and preventing liver disease. To maintain a balanced diet, you should include nutrient-dense foods in your diet and avoid food with a lot of calories and saturated fats. 

A study done by Cleaveland Clinic found out that fatty liver disease affects about 25% of Americans. Reducing consumption of fatty and sugary foods such as sodas and fast foods takes a toll off your liver and reduces risk of overworking and developing chronic liver diseases. Eating foods rich in fiber such as broccoli, sweet potato, berries, and avocados can help protect your liver from inflammation and lower risks of fatty liver disease. 

Another no-brainer is to drink lots of water! Drinking enough water prevents constipation and reduces the burden on the kidneys and liver by helping them flush waste products from the body. 

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Cleaveland Clinic Health

Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., with 95,000 people dying each year from alcohol-related causes. In addition, liver disease is one of the leading causes of death due to alcohol-related chronic conditions. Other than a poor diet,  there are few things that damage the liver as much as high alcohol content, so limiting alcohol intake is a very effective way of ensuring your liver remains healthy.

Excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to three types of liver diseases: Fatty Liver, Alcoholic Hepatitis, and Cirrhosis. While Alcoholic Hepatitis causes inflammation leading to cytotoxicity (cell death) in the liver, Cirrhosis is another serious and chronic condition where scar tissue builds up over time and replaces the liver cells in an irreversible way. 

Managing alcohol consumption goes a long way to keep our liver health in check and avoid long lasting consequences. Allowing healthy eating habits along with moderate drinking (up to2-3 drinks per week) is generally recommended for every adults.  

Exercise more

Credit: Life Extension

Exercising is the most universal, natural, and effective way to get rid of toxins in the body. Lifting weight, joggins, and even yoga increases your heart rate, breathing, promotes blood circulation, and increases sweat production. More blood circulation in the body through exercising have proven to accelerate liver cleansing. All these factors can promote the release of toxins and make it easier for the liver to do their job

Furthermore, If you are currently overweight or you find that you're tending towards being overweight, focusing on weight loss can be a great way to enhance your liver health. Liver can accumulate fat contents as fast as any other body parts such as your heart and skin. All the excess fat in the liver tells us that the liver is accumulating more fat contents than it can breakdown. When you exercise, the liver accelerates fat breakdown since your muscles are putting in the physical work. 

You can lose weight by several different methods, including dieting; however, the most effective approach to weight loss is still exercise. Exercise also helps you avoid liver diseases and other health complications that can arise from being overweight. 

Detoxing With MyVidaOrigins

                                    MyVidaOrigins

Note: It is important to consult with a physician before consuming any supplements including the Liver Detox. 

If you haven't done a liver detox in a while or at all, and you're looking to get started, MyVidaOrigin’s Liver Detox might be the one for you! 

This supplementation has shown to provide massive benefits for liver health including digestion support, breaking down fats, and maximizing breakdown and filtration of toxic waste. 

This liver detox supplement is 100% organic, and it contains a perfect blend of several different natural herbs with excellent liver detox effects. Some of these ingredients include:

Organic milk thistle seed powder: According to studies, milk thistle seeds may reduce inflammation and encourage cell growth. This could reduce the symptoms of disorders of the liver like jaundice, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and fatty liver.

Organic Schisandra powder: By boosting liver cells to perform at their best and fostering liver cell proliferation, the herb Schisandra enhances liver function.

Organic dandelion root powder: Dandelion polysaccharides are well known for easing liver strain and promoting bile production. They also assist your liver in removing potentially dangerous substances from food. Vitamin C, one of the most beneficial vitamins for the immune system, is also abundant in dandelion.

Wildcrafted Chanca Piedra root powder: The antioxidant qualities of Chanca Piedra might enhance liver performance. Additionally, it might help shield your liver from the harm that free radicals, which can harm your body when they accumulate in excessive amounts, might do to your cells.

Organic Goji Berry Powder: Goji berries can aid in maintaining healthy liver function and delaying the onset of alcohol-related fatty liver disease. The goji berry has been shown in studies to be able to stop the formation of tumors in human liver cancer cells.

Conclusion

Your liver is an important organ with many essential functions, and it’s recommended that you do what you can to protect it. The best way to maintain a healthy liver is to get regular checkups with your primary care team. This will help you understand a few things, such as if any of your lifestyle choices contribute to a higher risk of liver damage, if you need a change in your diet, and if you require extra supplementation.