Fatty liver

Which of your organs is involved in cholesterol management, visceral fat storage (and discharge), detoxification, digestion, bile secretion, hormone stabilizer, metabolic regulator, nutrient storage, blood sugar moderation, immune and inflammation support, elimination, and don’t forget anger management?!

The answer is our favorite filtration organ, the liver.

Living in these times is especially taxing on hepatic (liver) cells. More and more, I see indications of “fatty liver” issues, otherwise known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: NAFLD.

More on alcohol shortly…

Here are a few symptom indicators of NAFLD which may prove relevant to you and your health goals:

• Difficulty losing weight, even while doing all the “right” things

• Irritability, moodiness, especially with hormone shifts and when under stress

• Blood sugar crashes, being hangry, and/or history of high fasting glucose/HgA1c/insulin levels on labs

• Biliousness: bloating, pressure or pain under the ribs or shoulder blades, especially after larger meals

• Hormone dysregulation, exacerbated by normal life shifts in hormones (menarche, post-partum, menopause, androgen shifts for men in the late teens and mid-life)

• Afternoon energy crashes

• Sugar cravings, especially after meals or late evening

• Less tolerant to even small amounts of alcohol (especially women)

• Abdominal weight

• “Skinny fat” labs like lipids, liver enzymes, blood sugar are off, despite being lean

• Sleep issues and wakefulness between 1:00 and 3:00 am

• Headaches in a band around the back/sides of the head

• Reflux

• Constipation or rabbit poop

• Dry skin, nails, hair and tendon issues

• Immune dysfunction

• Leaky gut, allergies, bowel issues like pain and cramping

• Stubborn high cholesterol, triglycerides

• Difficult menses: painful, heavy, irregular, PMS, PCOS, infertility

• Perimenopausal symptoms

• Breast tenderness

• Erectile issues

• History of hypothyroidism

• Poor stress response (rage, resentment, lashing out, rumination)

• 
  

This is quite the list, isn’t it?

One of the beautiful things about our amazing design is the ability to heal. Miraculous, truly. Liver cells turnover and regenerate annually on average. But you know what is interesting? Under major stress, like surgery or during massive detox, they can speed their replacement and regrowth to two months or less. Like a lizard’s tail. Of course, this is not a green light to tax your liver and test its capabilities! It is an incredible reminder of how resilient our bodies can be, if we do two things:

Remove offending agents

Add proper support and nutrition

Are you ready to heal your liver and melt away many of the symptoms above? Before I run through the how-to’s, I need to emphasize the need for CONSISTENCY and PATIENCE. Yes, changes can sometimes show up swiftly. But fatty liver issues are insidious and take years, often decades to happen. The cure, therefore, takes time. I encourage you to think of this as a chronic “disease” and to approach it with the goal being to heal your liver, rather than fat loss, mood change, quick hormone shifts, etc. Yes, those things will happen, but when we have them as our main goals and forget to focus on long-term healing, it is easy to get discouraged when the labs don’t change right away or the waistline is slow to slim. Stay laser focused on your overall health, and all of those rewarding changes will come along the way. This is a year-long process on average, after all.

Actually, it is a lifetime commitment to your optimal health!

Where to start:

• It always starts with food. Eat real food. Eat less carbs when you are less active (nighttime especially!). Minimize fructose (honey, dried fruit, processed foods, obviously). Drop your overall caloric intake daily and/or fast in the evenings once or twice per week. Feed yourself, but not to over full. Choose good fats, veggies, fiber, pasture-raised animal products (no, eggs are not the cause of your cholesterol issues). Chew. Pause. Cook and eat with gratitude, intention, and with others.

• Move. Do a little muscle contraction after meals, whether an actual workout, hike, etc. or at least some air squats, marching, a set of stairs, or house/yard work. This helps stabilize blood sugar and decrease insulin surges/resistance. Strength train. 3-5 days per week. You have to. This is not just about your cholesterol or blood sugar, this is about surviving and thriving in life. The stronger you are going into your later years, the less likely you are to fall and break a hip (or worse), have memory issues, be in pain, and suffer from many chronic diseases. Put in the work and effort now. There are no guarantees, but your quality of life depends on strength, agility, mobility, circulation, balance, power, and resilience. You are the only one who can do that for yourself. You are worth it.

• Manage stress. We will always have stressors in our lives. Stress management is the secret, as it is a matter of practice. My martial arts coach (and my dear friend, mentor and pastor) always says, “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” This applies to both our mindset and response to stressors. We trained for self-defense in controlled environments over and over and over and over. Drill after drill, repetitive techniques, ad nauseam. This creates muscle memory as well as neurological pathways that break old patterns. Practice is important. Personally, on my own journey of healing, spiritual connection to God has become the baseline for healing my monkey mind and, more importantly, my heart. There is huge relief once you know you are not alone and that you do not have to heal yourself. Surrendering to Higher power is the most liberating thing you can do and will free you from the weight of this crazy, broken world. I highly recommend.

• Quit alcohol. I am setting the bar high here (pun intended). Sure, if you do not have a history of addiction, you may actually be able to moderate. But this looks like one to two drinks per WEEK, not per day, after you have allowed your body a 3 month respite. If your goal is to fully heal your liver, and therefore your hormones, body composition, cholesterol, digestive organs, immune system, energy, and mindset, stop drinking. It will truly change your life.

• Sleep. Guard your sleep regimen at all costs. If you do not have a good sleep cycle, put things in place to make this happen. Get up at the same time every day (within a half hour). Weekends included. Get morning daylight in your eyes very soon after waking, prior to screen time. Limit food 3 hours before going to bed, ideally. Keep your room cool, dark, and inviting. Sensual is best! Dim the lights or use candles and incandescent lighting. Take magnesium glycinate/threonate/malate and glycine before bed. Soak in epsom salts. Snuggle. Apply castor oil to your abdomen and lower right ribs (the liver!) nightly. Practice gratitude for your day, your body, your blessings.

• Eliminate toxins. We have many exposures beyond our control, so take charge of the things you can. Filter your water, buy produce and meats/dairy that are clean. Check your skincare and cleaning products. Sweat, through exercise and sauna or other heat exposure. The effects on decreasing all-cause mortality via heat are incredible. Use your castor oil, topically. Move lymph with mini trampolines, skin brushing, or vibration plates. Good old calf raises work great as well! Emotional stressors like social media and the anxiety-inducing news are major toxins. Stop consuming all the things that harm you. It is meant to create division, distress, and distraction. Opt out.

• Come and see me so we can do a thorough set of labs, create a unique treatment plan just for you, and get some stress reducing acupuncture under my infrared heat lamps.

In the meantime, consider these additions:

Bitter greens like arugula, parsley

Bitter herbs like burdock before meals

Phosphatidyl choline (ideally sunflower sourced, non-GMO)

Artichoke leaf and milk thistle

N-acetyl cysteine

2 TBS ground flaxseed daily

Bergamot and berberine

Fat soluble vitamins: D3, A, E, K2 (caution with blood thinners)

Vitamin C, methylated B vitamins

Check my Fullscript for some excellent options under my fatty liver protocol.

Making some simple, regular changes in your lifestyle can have exponential healing repercussions. Not only will you feel better, you will improve your quality of life, which has a ripple effect on everyone you love. Self-care is more important and empowering than ever. Please reach out anytime, as I am here to support you.