3 ways to tell if your liver needs some love
How much love do you give to your liver?
None? Your liver has so many different functions within the body, it deserves some loving from time to time.
Your liver is the 2nd biggest organ within the body, and is responsible for metabolising and breaking down all sorts of toxins within the body. Alcohol, caffeine, the oral contraceptive pill; they are all broken down by the liver.
The liver is also vital for aiding in the bodies digestive processes, helping with the production of bile and aiding the breakdown of fats within the digestive tract. Because of this action it is also responsible for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, A, E and K.
So how do you know if your liver needs some loving? Your body will be dropping little hints all the time, its just a matter of looking for them! Below are some common signs that your liver needs a little bit of extra support.
1. No appetite in the morning and nausea throughout the day
This is such a common one which I hear. There are a few different theories as to what contributes to this low appetite and increased need for liver support. One theory is a functional perspective. The liver is responsible for producing bile, which is vital for breaking down fats in the digestive tract. If the liver is not functioning optimally, then foods cannot be broken down 100% and therefore digestive discomfort can occur. By the body not feeling hungry it can almost be a protective mechanism against this digestive discomfort. Another theory is that the bodies satiety hormone ‘leptin’ has been found in high amounts in people suffering from fatty liver disease. Now, I’m not saying that if you have no appetite in the morning that you have fatty liver disease, but it would be feasible to think that the this low appetite could be a symptom of the starlings of some form of liver condition.
2. Inability to tolerate rich fatty foods
As stated above, the liver is responsible for producing bile. Bile acts like dishwashing detergent, as it helps to breakdown fats. If you're someone who cannot tolerate rich fatty foods such as deep fried foods (ie fish and chips) it may be because these fats aren't being broken down properly and causing digestive issues as they pass through the body (or fly through the body in some cases). Supporting the liver will help the body to produce healthy bile and enable optimal breakdown of these fats, and reduced burden being placed on the digestive system.
3. Waking up between 1am and 3 am
In Traditional Chinese Medicine practices the 24hr organ clock shows us what times particular parts of the body are the most active. For the liver it is 1-3am. When your liver is under-functioning, this time period can stir up a lot of things in the body, as the liver is working overtime. This often causes people to wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep. if this is you, then doing some gentle liver support under the guidance of a practitioner will help to reduce the likelihood of you waking up during this time, allowing the body to get better quality sleep.
So it is time to listen to your body, as it is telling you things all the time! If you think your liver needs a bit of loving then it’s best to discuss with your practitioner before starting any form of treatment.
