What is liver congestion?

The liver is an important organ which functions to conjugate (transform) toxins and biological wastes to prepare them for elimination in the urine, stool and bile. We learned about it in our last blog. When the body does not have the nutrients and other necessities for eliminating waste, the liver can get congested resulting in a back-up of toxins and other wastes in the body. A congested liver is not able to respond to stress and inflammation occurs. Symptoms of liver congestion may include itchy skin from attempts to eliminate wastes through the skin, inflammatory symptoms such as joint pain, difficulty sleeping and fatigue, acne or eczema, emotional outbursts, lack of focus or brain fog, sudden allergies to food or environment, and hormonal imbalance. 

What can I do to prevent or relieve liver congestion?

The best way to protect your liver is to prevent congestion in the first place. 

•  Drink plenty of clean water especially before and after meals helps the body flush toxins taken in through the meal. 
•  Choosing organic produce and unprocessed foods will avoid toxic exposure to pesticides and food additives. 
•  Avoid eating large amounts of sugar at one time. This can reduce the overall inflammatory load on the body.
•  Avoid alcohol! (I know… lame.) The liver views alcohol as a sudden toxic burden and literally needs to stop the normal elimination function to process the toxic effects of alcohol. 
•  Avoid environmental toxins (smoking, air pollution, dry cleaning) as much as possible. You are inhaling toxins that need to be processed out by your liver. Avoidance can limit the load on the liver.
•  Get some exercise! Sweating can help eliminate some toxins through the skin. Be sure to shower ASAP after sweating to prevent the reabsorption of wastes. Exercise (increasing the heart rate) will increase blood flow to the liver aiding elimination. Flexibility movements such as Sun Salutations (below) can help pump blood and bile through the liver to decrease stagnation.
•  Eat enough fiber and have regular bowel movements. Fiber can help move stool out of the bowel and support healthy microbiome. Decreasing inflammation in the gut prevents “leaky gut” and the introduction of lipopolysaccharides (waste from “bad bugs”) in the bowel.
•  Take supplements to support the process. Oral or intravenous (IV) nutrient supplementation of B Vitamins, Vitamin C and glutathione can aid in the process of conjugation and elimination of toxins. Check out the IV Therpy options available The Peak.  The CellCore product line (available at The Peak) also helps to support the liver and overall detoxification process. 

When the liver functions properly, your body can process the toxins efficiently resulting in decreased inflammation and allergies, better sleep, clearer skin, improved mood, and better focus. 

By Rebecca Johns, FNP-C