liver cleansing

[eric]

Any suggestions for supplements to help liver functions? There used to be a lot of talk about milk thistle but I haven't seen any posting on that for a while.

Thanks,
Eric

[Bill]

Hi Eric! I hope you and Caryn are well. I don't know anything about supplements to take to help cleanse the liver. I recall that Chrisy (and maybe others) were on some type of liver-cleansing diet/regimen though. When Nikki began having problems with her liver (mainly bilirubin issues- her functions, oddly enough were pretty good) I bought "The Pill Book" at CVS pharmacy and went through it and researched every medicine, both OTC and Rx, that she was on and eliminated or reduced as much as we could that affected her liver. It helped. Make sure if Caryn is on any pain meds that they do not contain any acetaminophen/tylenol. Hopefully someone can answer your specific question a little better. Thoughts and prayers, brother. Bill

[chrisy]

ericas you may recall I have elevated lft's from dm1. bill is right no tylenol products. I posted my liver detox diet which I think actuelly worked for me. I just don't remember where I posted it. it does include a milk thistle supp 3x/day with meals. try searching chrisy liver detox otherwise I can repost when I get to a real computer.

[goops]

I think Milk thistle is the best - another supplement that some people recommend for liver is SAMe but in one of Dr. Blaylock's newsletters he indicated that he believed SAMe caused cancer.

I did not know that tylenol products were supposed to be bad - I will have to try staying away from them. Bill (or anyone) do you know an over the counter drug that would be better - is asprin better? (I am not on blood thinners)

[Bill]

(Chrisy is posting lately from a blackberry or something and has a word-limit thing going on)
Hey Goops, I'm no expert, but I do know that the liver cannot process acetaminophen/tylenol very well at all. Ibuprofen(Advil, Motrin) is an anti-inflammatory- you could try that otc. And like you said, aspirin. It really depends on what type and location of pain you are dealing with. I was talking with our pharmacist and she recommended rotating otc pain meds periodically as your body may develop a tolerance to them. I rarely take anything, so I don't know if that actually works or not, but please try to avoid the ace/ty. Eric, sorry to "tred on your thread", but I had to.

[Mgarr]

http://her2support.org/vbulletin/sho...ht=liver+detox

Here is the link I was actually reading the other day and plan on starting this one tomorrow. My bilirubin nos. have been rising slightly. I'll let you know how it works.


Mar

[lilyecuadorian]

Eric, somebody told me that artichoke is good for the liver ,
if you put a liter of water in the bowl and after is boinling take 10 leaves from the artichoke and leave it until is cool ...and then drink the water ....like water ...dosent have taste maybe a light green color ...throw aways the 10 leaves just drink the water ....is not gonna hurt you because is just water and antichoke (I forget before you put it on the boinling water washed the artichoke ) I know somebody that liver enxime get control with that .......and of course no tylenol ...and not grease food ...

[madubois63]

I haven't looked at the link Mgarr posted, but I've had 2 bouts of near liver failure with bilirubin readings over 10 and 12 and have been greener than one could imagine would be possible. My bilirubin is now <1.

Yes, Bill is correct in saying stay away from Tylenol and aspirin - not good for the liver!!! I take milk thistle 2x a day. Dandelion has been used for centuries to cleanse the liver. You can purchase it as a tea or eat the greens. My mom always boiled it and used olive oil, garlic, salt and lemon on it. I remember the first day I had the relapse to my liver/lungs. My mom freaked out (of course) and ran to the store to get dandelion. She not only made me eat the greens, but she made me drink the juice - no sugar. YUCK!!! The greens are bitter and it is an acquired taste.

I drink lots of water and green tea - both very good for the liver.

Here is a copy of a liver cleansing diet - just some suggestions:
Liver Cleansing Diet

Free Liver Cleansing Diet Plan

The liver cleansing diet involves eating foods rich in nutrients that support the liver, while eating foods that are organic, easy to digest and rich in water and compounds that cleanse the liver. It is a great alternative to the traditional methods of liver cleansing, as it does not require you to buy specialized herbal supplements.

There are a few general thoughts and guidelines that will get you started. You'll find, for instance, that there are foods that will make your liver work harder, and thus wear them down faster. Full-fat dairy products, things that contain lots of processed vegetable oils, deep-fried foods, and highly preserved meats all fall into this category. If you do want to eat them, make sure that you counteract them by eating oats, grains and replacing your dairy products with soy and rice milk wherever possible.

Buy foods in their natural state as much as possible. That doesn't mean going to a farm and digging up the potatoes yourself, but when you visit the store, walk towards the fresh fruit and vegetables section, and avoid the packaged meals completely.

Your Liver Cleansing Foods

The first food for the liver cleansing diet is actually a drink. Water is the most important "food" you can take in during your liver cleanse, as it provides a solvent to dissolve toxins, and carry them away in the form of urine. Adding freshly-squeezed lemon, or lemon juice to your water will help the liver produce more bile, which fills the gallbladder and flushes both organs of toxins and parasites.

The second drink that's great for the liver is green tea. Green tea is rich in catechins, a form of antioxidant that protects organs from DNA damage, cancer and tumor formation. Scientific studies have suggested that the catechins in green tea can protect the liver from disease. Aim for an organic form of green tea, which hasn't been sprayed with pesticides, and you'll have an excellent replacement for regular tea and coffee, which cleanses and supports your liver at the same time!

Antioxidants also protect the liver from free radicals produced during the detoxification process. A great source of antioxidants are fruits, in particular prunes, berries, citrus fruits and apples and pears. Not only do these fruits contain many micronutrients that protect and support the liver, they are water rich, which create an additional source of fluid for diluting and detoxifying the blood, and flushing the liver.

Focus on dark green leafy vegetables while cleansing your liver. Not only are these the most nutrient rich forms of vegetable, they are rich in chlorophyll, which is iron-rich, and helps the body to detoxify faster. Leafy vegetables such as spinach, dandelion and kale, are a rich source of antioxidants, magnesium, iron, folic acid and vitamins A, C, E and K.

If you can prepare these vegetables raw in a salad, that's even better for your liver health. The second-best alternative is steaming the vegetables, and if you prefer cooked vegetables during your liver cleanse, opt for the cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, bok choy, kale and watercress. Not only are vegetables rich in fiber and vitamin C, they also contain anti-tumor and anti-cancer compounds, such as selenium.

Other vegetables that are good for the liver include artichokes, which stimulates the production of bile, beets which cleanse the blood, and put less stress on the liver, and sulphur-rich foods such as onions and garlic, which support the liver in detoxifying heavy metals and excess hormones.

While you would benefit from avoiding fatty foods, essential fatty acids are vital for your liver cleansing diet. These include foods such as flaxseed oil, olive oil, hemp oil, rapeseed oil and fish oils. Pour them over your cooked vegetables, take them as supplements or transform them into salad dressings to stimulate bile production and lubricate the liver and gallbladder.

Another superfood for the liver is spirulina. This is a form of algae which comes from lakes and ponds, and is used by vegetarians as a complete protein source. It is easier to digest than animal proteins, and helps the liver because its rich in nutrients such as selenium, essential fatty acids, manganese, copper, zinc, beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins and vitamin E. Recent scientific reports have linked the spirulina with protecting against liver damage.

The liver cleansing diet can be done at home, alongside a herbal detoxification program. A herbal liver detox, combined with the healthy liver cleansing diet simply amplifies the benefits your liver - and the rest of your body will receive.

[eric]

Thanks all. Bill you can't "tred on my thread" as I hope others benefit as well.

MaryAnn - what dosage of milk thistle do you take?

[chrisy]

thanks maryann, sounds like a great regimen and of course you are an expert! probably not what you aspired to n your childhood, but an expert nonetheless. this is pretty consistent dietarily with what i've ben doing, but it is so helpful to get more of an 'explanation of what the various factors are impacting.by the way, I think the active components in artichoke and milk thistle are the same (silymarin) and for me artichoke tastes better than dandelion...especially with lots of garlic and some olive oil!As a suppement, I take 259mg 3x/day with food.

[naturaleigh]

I subscribe to the "Eating Well" magazine. This months issue was talking about the Mediterranean diet and the health benefits of it. This it is not liver detox, but thought that might be a plan for healthier eating. Does anyone here go by this diet? I wish I was at home so I could list the daily, weekly and monthly foods to eat.

[ElaineM]

I have taken milk thistle for almost 10 years. I have never had trouble with liver function, so I guess it helps.

[hutchibk]

Chrisy - I saved your detox diet to my desktop! so here it is:
*******************************

My 'liver cleansing' diet is to include the following daily for 7 days:

1C carrot salad (pulp from juicing or just ground up fine in food processor + 1T each olive oil and lemon juice)

1-2C 'green soup' (equal amts celery, zucchini, green beans simmered till just tendered then pureed in a blender, add 1T each parsley and butter). I also have been adding artichoke, and you can season this with whatever spices you want

2 glasses of Green Drink (juiced from any green veggies, then mixed with equal part of mild juice made from fruits). Technically you're sposed to juice this all, but I usually make a smoothie from carrots, "green stuff" like lettuce or greens, cucumber, protein powder (chocolate flavor of course!) blueberries+/- other fruits, and beet juice. DELICIOUS might be a stretch, but if you get good proportions it can be quite tasty. You also need to add some water of course, and if you don't add enough it looks like polyjuice potion from Harry Potter.

3 oz fresh beet juice (total, not in addition to if you put it in the polyjuice potion). Since this is such a mess to make, I juice a bunch of it and freeze it in an icecube tray, each cube is about 1oz.

1 tablet milk thistle/silymarin with each meal.

This is NOT all I eat, I fit this in with other meals - - lots of veggies as was suggested by others.

-- Chrisy's Liver detox diet

[SoCalGal]

Hi Eric-
My integrative oncologist (at UCLA) was very excited yesterday about a particular product ONLY from Douglas Laboratories called Wobenzym N. Formula #99975.

I ordered a bottle of (800) of them and will be taking them to boost my immune system. I cannot type all that he told me yesterday but I have been seeing him for 16 months on a weekly basis and trust and respect him 100%.

I don't know if they are liver specific but he told me that one patient who is also on chemo had a huge liver involvement from bc - with elevated enzymes and in two months is NED with normal blood work. He also told me that if nothing else it is a well known and documented immune booster- used in Europe for 80 years.

I will be taking (3) pills 3x a day on an empty stomach - to start. Hope that helps.
Flori

[eric]

Thanks everyone. Flori - love the sound of that. I'll look into it. Thank you! Eric