5 Ways to Detox the Liver & Gallbladder
Do you need to cleanse your liver? First, it's important to understand the role and importance of the liver and gallbladder when it comes to your overall health.
What does the liver do?
Located in the upper right abdominal cavity under the ribs and below the diaphragm is one of the largest organs in the body- the liver. It is estimated that the liver performs more than 500 vital metabolic functions, including blood filtration, nutrient processing and storage, foreign substance detoxification, and protein synthesis, just to name a few (1).
After food is digested by the gastrointestinal tract, it is absorbed into the blood and processed through the liver. The liver then filters this blood and breaks down nutrients and toxic substances carried by the blood. Blood flows into the liver through two main sources- oxygenated blood from the hepatic artery and nutrient-rich blood from the hepatic portal vein (2). The process of blood filtration enables the liver to carry out various important tasks, such as:
Converting excess glucose into glycogen for storage
Cleaning the blood of drugs and other toxins
Blood clot regulation
Iron and vitamin storage
Bilirubin secretion
Bile production to help remove waste from the body
Cholesterol and special protein production to help transport fats through the body
Making immune factors to resist infection and remove bacteria and other pathogens from the blood (3)
What does the gallbladder do?
Located directly underneath the liver is the gallbladder, a pear-shaped sac that stores bile from the liver. Bile is a liquid that helps break down and absorb fats. Once bile moves from the liver to the gallbladder, it is then released into the small intestine, where it helps the body digest fats from food (4).
How do the liver and gallbladder become overburdened?
We are constantly exposed to toxins from all around our environment, whether it be the air we breathe, cleaning and cosmetic products, cookware and dishware, processed foods, pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and more (read more about toxins in our blog post, 3 Detox Methods You Might Have Missed.). The buildup of toxic chemicals in your body from your environment and lifestyle choices can jeopardize the way your body functions and have a serious impact on your health.
Various other factors can affect your body’s ability to eliminate toxins, such as genetics, diseases, overall immune function, upbringing, alcohol consumption, and stress. If your body is not detoxing properly for whatever reason, then the liver can become overburdened and inefficient at removing toxins, and its overall ability to function can be impaired. Furthermore, just because your liver is detoxing does not mean the rest of your body is detoxing properly. In order for your body to detox properly, other elimination channels, such as your digestive system, integumentary system, and kidneys, must also be functioning well.
Additionally, when the liver isn’t functioning properly and causes bile to become too thick, it can stick around in the gallbladder for too long and cause it to be sluggish. When the bile stays in the gallbladder too long, this can also lead to gallstones because the bile isn’t getting used.
Liver Detoxification
Out of all the detoxification pathways in the body, the liver is one of the primary detoxifying organs. It uses various enzymes in order to break down toxins. There are three enzyme system phases involved in the detoxification of the liver. The main function of these phases is to transform lipid-soluble toxins into water-soluble molecules to make them easier to be excreted from the body.
Phase I detoxification system involves a group of enzymes called cytochrome p450, which helps convert lipid-soluble toxins into less harmful, more water-soluble products, making them easier to excrete. Processes involved in this phase include oxidation, reduction, hydration, dehalogenation, and hydrolysis. Phase II detoxification involves the process of enzyme conjugation, where the liver attaches phase I by-products to a chemical that makes them even more water-soluble (5). Processes involved in this phase include glutathionylation, methylation, glucuronidation, sulfation, and acetylation (5). Phase III involves a transport system of proteins that help to move toxins out of the cells and into the detoxification organs.
Signs and symptoms of an overburdened liver and gallbladder
You might notice various signs and symptoms if your liver is overburdened. It’s important to listen to your body and be aware of any symptoms that could be your body telling you it’s time to detox. Here are several signs that your liver is stressed, including (6):
Fatigue
Brain fog
Metallic taste in the mouth
Acne and skin rashes
Digestive issues
Gas, bloating, and abdominal discomfort
Allergies
Blood sugar imbalances
Elevated cholesterol levels
Overwhelming stress
Depression
Mood swings
Sleep apnea or sudden snoring
Nutrient deficiencies while on a healthy diet
Signs of a sluggish gallbladder include nausea, bloating, indigestion, and clay-like stool.
Remedies to assist your liver and gallbladder in detoxification
There are several ways you can take action to get your liver and gallbladder in optimal health. While the liver does a great job of detoxifying itself in healthy humans, there are gentle, natural liver detox methods that can support its ability to function optimally.
Minimize your exposure to toxins. Whether it means buying more organic foods, tossing chemical products in your house and switching to nontoxic cosmetics, bath and body care, and cleaning products, or using glass containers and nontoxic cookware, minimizing the number of toxins your liver has to process will help it function more efficiently.
Switch to a liver-supporting diet. That means cutting out sugar from your diet and sticking to foods that nourish the liver, such as high-fiber foods, complex carbohydrates like cruciferous vegetables, high-quality proteins like fatty fish, healthy fats like olive oil, and other healthy, anti-inflammatory foods such as grapefruit, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, pears, and beetroot juice, just to name a few.
Supplementation. Additional targeted support may be needed to address deeper nutritional deficiencies. Common liver detox ingredients like milk thistle, dandelion, and turmeric have been shown to reduce liver inflammation or protect against liver injury. Here at Living Health, we use ART (Autonomic Response Testing) to identify nutrient deficiencies in the body that may be affecting your liver and gallbladder. With ART, we are able to develop a treatment plan using supplements from our holistic pharmacy. Some of the supplements we carry to help with a liver/gallbladder detox include the Liver Detox kit by Quicksilver, Liver Life by BioRay, Milk Thistle by Quicksilver, Stone Breaker by Herb Pharm, and Gallbladder ND by Premier Research Labs.
Liver and gallbladder flush. This type of cleanse will help to clear toxins from the liver and gallbladder, as well as flush out kidney stones. With a quick Google search, you will find many different types of liver and gallbladder cleanses. Ask us for a copy of the liver and gallbladder flush we recommend here at Living Health or for additional information.
Colon Hydrotherapy and coffee enemas. Cleaning the colon out with colon hydrotherapy and coffee enemas can keep your liver healthy and your gallbladder in tip-top shape. At Living Health, we include a coffee enema during our colon hydrotherapy sessions. Why coffee in an enema you might ask? A fatty acid called cafestol palmitate is a compound in coffee that stimulates the liver to release an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase. This enzyme causes the bile duct in the liver to open up and increase bile flow. In turn, the bile makes the excess toxins release and evacuate from the body (7).
It's important to note that long-term liver damage can't be reversed by a cleanse. The best way to keep your liver, gallbladder, and other organs healthy is through preventative measures like leading an active lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight, and working with your practitioner and doctors to monitor and take control of your health.
References:
