Sitting on the right-hand side of your abdomen, just below your diaphragm and behind your ribs this reddish-brown organ we call the liver is an extremely important player in your bodies well-being! This incredible organ may be hard to appreciate if you don’t understand it though.

In case you didn’t know, here are a few important roles our livers play for us daily:

• Processes & breaks down hormones and old blood cells
• Clears the blood of toxic waste products, hormones, drugs and other harmful substances
• Makes, stores and releases sugars and fats
• Stores and supplies vitamins, minerals and iron to parts of the body where they are needed
• Produces essential proteins, including blood clotting factors and enzymes
• Aids digestion by assisting of the release of bile to break down food

What can damage your liver?

Damage to your liver may result from excessive consumption of alcohol, hepatitis viruses, poor diet and toxins from substances such as drugs (prescription or street), tobacco and other environmental exposures. Once damaged, your liver requires extra care and can be addressed by limiting alcohol consumption, exposure and intake of toxic substances all while implementing a proper, nourishing nutritional and supplemental approach to help.

To really show love to your liver, it helps to first know what toxins and foods to avoid.

Here are some heavy offenders of our livers:

• Alcohol
• Cigarettes
• Street drugs
• Large doses of vitamin A
• Some prescription medicines
• Some over-the-counter medications
• High levels of saturated fats
• High calorie intake/obesity
• High salt intake (regular/table salt)

Elevated liver enzymes simply referred to as ALT and AST, may indicate inflammation or damage to cells in our livers. Inflamed or injured liver cells leak higher than normal amounts of certain chemicals, including these liver enzymes, into the bloodstream. This in turn can result in numbers on lab results. These elevated liver enzymes ALT and AST we are referring to here are Alanine Transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST) in their full names.

If and when elevated ALT and AST may be discovered on blood tests, the majority of the time levels are only mildly and temporarily elevated or at high end of normal in many cases, and it isn't a big deal. Most of the time, slightly elevated liver enzymes don't pose a chronic, serious liver problem. If they are however quite dramatically high, it could require some attention to ensure the health of your liver is being addressed and cared for.

Over the last 100 years or so, the workload and demand on our livers has increased significantly.  A plethora of chemicals are now in everyday use and all of these must be processed and neutralized by the liver. These chemicals come in the form of pharmaceutical drugs, household cleaning products, cosmetic and personal care products as well as household furnishings and building materials, to name just a few.

When our livers are “beat up” and their ability to function properly is diminished, our health and bodies can suffer. This of course, is not what anybody should want or let get out of control for many obvious reasons in association with all the important roles our liver plays to keep us healthy, as mentioned previously.

Natural Detoxification and Liver Health Support:

Just as it is important to steer away from harmful substances that are known to hurt our liver in the first place, it is equally important to incorporate foods and nutritional supplements to support, help heal and/or keep them healthy.

Here’s a few top notch, fresh foods that are known to support a healthy liver (and our body):

1. Cruciferous Vegetables (like broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts)
2. Beets
3. Green Tea
4. Leafy Greens
5. Garlic
6. Lemons
7. Turmeric

In addition to the helpful food choices above, implementing a few key nutritional supplements containing concentrated amounts of beneficial compounds can help quite nicely as well. The nutritional supplements we are about to mention have shown to have medicinal value and are often extremely helpful to many that have stressed or damaged livers.

Here are a couple highly valued nutritional supplements to aid in having a vibrant liver:

1. Milk thistle: This herb, which has been used for hundreds of years is a safe non-toxic plant. The active part of this herb called Silymarin is known to protect the membranes of liver cells with its powerful antioxidant properties and stimulates the production of new healthy liver cells. It also supports the liver’s “filter” which removes dangerous toxins. To get the best benefits from this herb’s active compound Silymarin, Milk Thistle should be in a standardized extract coming from a reputable source and notating this active compound on the label. Consuming just “milk thistle” plant isn’t quite the same thing.

• Silymarin may help to prevent tissue scarring, and it’s thought to act as a “Destroyer of toxic invaders agent” by inhibiting the binding of toxins to liver cell membrane receptors. This in part is due to its affiliation with elevating Glutathione production and levels in the body, which we will touch on next.

2. Glutathione: Is classified as an amino acid and is a peptide produced in the body and plays many critical roles in keeping our liver and bodies, healthy. It is said that the health of the liver is the direct result of the concentration of Glutathione in the liver. This means that if we have adequate Glutathione levels, the liver has the capacity to detoxify harmful chemicals and toxins. Typically, when we are exposed to chemicals like alcohol and pollution we consume, the concentration of glutathione in the liver is substantially reduced. This reduction makes the liver susceptible to damage.

Unfortunately, just taking a pill containing Glutathione won’t quite help create the desired benefits we want. Its absorption from the gut is actually very poor and its efficacy has little value from oral administration. In many studies, administration of glutathione via injection was found to be highly effective in patients with chronic liver disease, suppressed immune system disorders and more and is the superior method of elevating and optimizing one’s glutathione levels.

You can read more in depth about Glutathione here:

http://blog.youth-rx.com/glutathione

Be Mindful and Caring of Your Liver!

Depending on the results of your last lab results reflecting your liver health and if they are concerning, you may be advised by your doctor to implement a plan of care for your liver. Discussing lifestyle changes and therapeutic treatment plans that can benefit your liver and your body is and should be, of utmost importance.

You are here visiting us today for a reason. You are likely a bit ahead of most in regards to addressing and wanting to take care of your health and well-being. Looking for and finding the right answers can be quite a task but we are here to assist you with finding the right solution to look and feel your best.

If you are a new visitor and interested in knowing more about our programs and services, fill out our health history form at the link below and let one of our highly experienced consultants know a good time to discuss the process and more.

Submit the on-line health history form here >WWW.YOUTH-RX.COM/FORM 

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Request a quote for Glutathione or Silymarin? If you are a current client on a program and would like a quote on a vial of injectable Glutathione or Silymarin capsules, simply respond to this email and we will get one out to and for, you.

Best in health,