Information » Diseases » Liver disease

Liver disease

To many people, the liver is a mystery. You may not be sure exactly what it does, but if you have a problem with your liver, you should definitely not ignore it. There is a frightening epidemic of liver disease taking place - it is growing at an unprecedented rate and the only treatment is a liver transplant. Eventually this will be making headlines, but in the meantime it is important for you to understand what is going on and what you can do about it.

The Coming Epidemic

The epidemic is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. In its more severe form, it is called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis - NASH - also called fatty liver. Traditionally, liver damage has been almost exclusively caused by alcohol or other toxins, or by viruses - the most common are called hepatitis A, B and C. Recent research, however, suggests that up to 40% of the population has a fatty liver - including 10% of children. Over time, this fat damages the liver and leads to NASH, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis and death.

This might seem like a lot of doom and gloom, but the good news is that if caught early enough, this problem can usually be fixed. Whether the trigger is alcohol, viruses or other toxins, the pattern of damage is the same. While your doctor may have told you that there is no treatment available, this may not be the case. While none of the treatments discussed here are supported by the massive, double-blind studies that modern medicine requires as "proof", there is evidence to support their use. Read on.

First step: stop the damage

The first step in healing the liver is eliminating the source of the damage. If it is alcohol, you have to stop drinking. Counselling and AA can help, but we favour an acupuncture approach called acu-detox that is in widespread use in North America. 

Other liver toxins should be kept to a minimum. The most important drug to avoid is Tylenol, which is the most common cause of acute liver failure in North America. Other medications should be carefully scrutinized by your pharmacist for possible liver toxicity.

If your doctor has told you that blood tests of your liver are "a little high", take note - you may be at risk for NASH. This problem must be addressed by treating the major source of the problem - your digestive tract.

The gut is not just a hollow tube - it is literally a cauldron of chemical activity. Trillions of bacteria and yeast that ferment and process our food wastes into hundreds of toxins that eventually make their way to your liver. Its job is to detoxify them so they can be eliminated, so an important part of healing the liver involves healing the gut. This includes:

  • Avoiding sugar, which becomes toxic bile acid and slows the elimination of other toxins
  • Avoiding meat, which stimulates certain enzymes that produce toxins
  • Finding out if you are sensitive to gluten - and avoiding it if you are
  • Identifying other food allergies with specific antibody testing or other methods
  • Taking probiotics - the good bacteria that are essential to restoring a healthy gut
  • Increasing fiber intake
  • Finding out if you have bacterial overgrowth - and treating it with antibiotics if you do
  • Repairing the lining of the intestine with glutamine and other specific supplements that repair

Next: heal the liver

In addition to repairing the gut, it is important to make sure your liver has everything it needs to do its job. The first step in the vicious cycle of liver damage is stress placed on mitochondria - the engines that power everything the liver does. When our mitochondria are under stress, they cannot use fatty acids for energy. This critical problem leads to fats accumulating in and damaging the liver.

Here are a few effective strategies for supporting liver function:

  • Losing weight is the single most important step in healing your liver. Obesity is the biggest risk factor for NASH, because fat affects insulin function, stores toxins and leads to a lot of inflammation. Even ten pounds will make a difference.
  • Boosting glutathione is critically important, because it is the major antioxidant in mitochondria. We favour intravenous glutathione and use it in our clinic - since it is not absorbed orally. There is also evidence that NAC (N-acetylcysteine) and SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) prevent liver injury by raising glutathione levels.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids, the super-healthy fats that have a profound anti-inflammatory effect and are useful for many health problems related to inflammation.
  • Milk thistle. This plant contains silymarin, a substance whose healing effect on the liver has been studied in alcoholic and viral hepatitis. It is standard treatment for Amanita mushroom poisoning.
  • Other medicinal plants with less clinical evidence but supported by centuries of traditional use include Phyllanthus niruri, dandelion root and artichoke.
  • Turmeric. This is a potent healing food containing curcumin from India with a long history of use in ayurvedic medicine and a growing body of impressive modern science to support it - best used in its natural form with black pepper to increase absorption.
  • Sulfur-containing foods, such as onions, garlic and eggs, which support methylation, an important function of the liver.
  • CoEnzyme Q10, which is a critical antioxidant that is naturally present in mitochondria and can be depleted by cholesterol-lowering medications and toxic overload
  • B vitamins and Selenium, which are critical for much of the detoxification that the liver is responsible for

If you have liver disease, this information is incredibly important. The relatively recent epidemic of liver disease has not found its way into the public consciousness yet, but you do not need to wait to take action. A comprehensive plan that is tailored to your specific situation has the potential to reverse this dangerous situation.

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