CIRRHOSIS

What is it?

A normal healthy Liver	Liver affected by Cirrhosis

What Causes it?

• Excessive alcohol
• Chronic hepatitis B or C infection
• Immune liver diseases such as auto-immune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis
• Metabolic disorders such as Wilson's disease and Hemochromatosis
• Adverse reactions to some drugs such as methotrexate and vascular disorders of the liver.
• Untreated fatty Liver or NASH

What are the symptoms?

Signs of advanced cirrhosis may include:

• Spider naevi - spider shaped capillaries on the skin
• Excessive bruising
• Jaundice (yellow discoloration of skin and eyes)
• Altered liver size
• Enlarged spleen
• Clubbing of the ends of the fingers
• Ascites (fluid build up in the abdomen)
• Swelling of the limbs with fluid (edema)
• A flapping tremor of the hands
• Mental confusion and disorientation
• Esophageal Varices

General treatment

General recommendations

• If you want to improve liver function you must limit dairy products such as milk, cream, butter and processed cheese.  Opt for organic yogurt and cheese such as parmesan, ricotta or cottage.
• Avoid ALL margarines and similar type spreads.
• Avoid deep fried and fatty foods.
• Limit chicken and turkey that is not free range as this contains artificial growth hormones, antibiotics and steroids that increase the liver's workload.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners see www.dorway.com – use Stevia instead.

Recommended books

• "The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book"
  This book has a section on cirrhosis. This will answer many of your questions in regards to nutritional support for this condition. This book is essential reading for anyone suffering from this disease or any other conditions of the liver or bowels.
• "The Liver Cleansing Diet Book"
• This book explains the Twelve Vital principles to improve your liver function and explains natural therapies for your liver.
• "Raw Juices Can Save Your Life"
  Raw vegetable juices are a critical component of any nutritional program.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	The Liver Cleansing Diet 1007	$20.00
	Raw Juices Can Save Your Life 1012	$15.00
	The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book 1001	$20.00

Selenium tablets

Diet

Follow the principles of eating outlinedon p67-83 of  "The Liver Cleansing Diet Book"  or on p20-27 of "The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book" by Dr Cabot. Make these principles of eating a way of life. The diet should include as many raw foods as possible, as well as ensure a high fiber intake.  Fresh fish and organic poultry are good protein sources.

 

Recommended supplements

LivaTone^® Plus Capsules/Powder

When you have a liver disease it is vital to take a formula that contains the proper dosage of the active ingredients. The herbs should be standardized and pure so you know that you are getting the correct dosage.  The "Livatone^® Plus" contains the clinically proven dose of the herb Milk Thistle, which is the dose that has been proven to help repair liver damage in hundreds of European clinical trials. This must provide at least 420mg of pure silymarin daily. If you take two capsules of "Livatone^® Plus" twice daily, or one teaspoon of the "Livatone^® Plus" powder twice daily you will obtain this dose of pure silymarin.

A specific liver tonic which contains a high dose of the herb Milk Thistle with a high standardized concentration of the active ingredient silymarin. This liver tonic would also contain additional supporting nutrients such as other herbs, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and vegetable extracts to improve the liver's ability to detoxify and burn fat.

 

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	Livatone® Plus 120 Capsules 2013	$30.00
	Livatone® Plus 240 Capsules 2015	$50.00
	Livatone® Plus Powder 200g 2012	$40.00

Selenium tablets

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant mineral that works synergistically with other antioxidants to assist in protection against further damage to liver cells. You would need to consume 200mcg daily. Selenium has been found to be effective in reducing liver inflammation and is a strong antioxidant. It is important to assist in mopping up free radical production.

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	Selenium Complete 100 Caps 99913	$15.00

 

 

MSM Plus Vitamin C powder

MSM (Methyl-Sulphonyl-Methane) is an organic form of sulphur, which may assist in softening and preventing further scar tissue. Sulphur is also a vital component of healthy bile. Sulphur is needed to produce the powerful antioxidant called glutathione. Vitamin C will neutralize free radicals generated during the phase 1 detoxification pathway in the liver and reduce toxic damage and chemical overload. Toxic chemicals are far less dangerous if there is plenty of vitamin C in the liver. It also helps the liver to regulate cholesterol levels and improves immunity.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	MSM Plus Vitamin C Powder 100g 2034	$20.00

 

Magnesium tablets

Cirrhosis causes magnesium levels to be low. A magnesium supplement should contain various forms of magnesium.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	Magnesium Complete 100 Tablets 2005	$17.00

SAMe Supplement

SAMe is short for S - adenosyl - L - methionine. It is a precursor of glutathione, which is an endogenous antioxidant. Chronic ethanol (alcohol) intake depletes hepatic SAMe levels that are associated with impaired metabolism of methionine, a precursor of SAMe. SAMe has been shown to attenuate hepatotoxicity caused by TNF-alpha, which is known to trigger alcoholic hepatitis. In animal models, SAMe administration restored mitochondrial glutathione depletion and attenuated liver injury caused by alcohol and other hepatotoxins.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	SAME Boost _No longer Available [ TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK ] 8400	$18.00

Flaxseed Oil

High doses of flaxseed oil are essential for improving liver function. Flaxseed is an excellent, vegetarian source of essential fatty acids beneficial for damaged liver cell membranes and assists in reducing inflammation. Some people find the flaxseed oil capsules much easier to consume than the cold pressed flaxseed oil liquid.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	Organic Flaxseed Oil 99911	$15.00

 

Natural Vitamin E

At least 1000 IU daily of Vitamin E is required to protect liver cell membranes from free radical damage and possibly reduce and prevent scarring. Make sure you use Vitamin E supplements which are natural (d-alpha-tocopherol), synthetic forms (dl-alpha-tocopherol) are dervied from petrochemicals and are not well utilised by the body.

Any powdered supplements could be stirred into fresh raw vegetable juices containing carrot, celery and beet made with a juice extracting machine. Dr Cabot's book "Raw Juices Can Save Your Life" is an excellent source of juice recipes for various conditions.

Image	Name	Price	Qty	Buy
	Vitamin E 99919	$17.00

 Raw Juices

Appropriate juice recipes are:

• ‘Liver Tonic Juice'
• ‘Liver Cleansing Juice' found on p116 of Dr Cabot's "Raw Juices Can Save Your Life" book.

To prevent and reduce cirrhosis from various causes it is necessary to do several things:

• Increase antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals. These are natural vitamin E 1000 IU daily (some people may need 2000 IU), vitamin C 1000 mg three times daily and selenium 200 mcg daily. Vitamin E is able to reduce the ability of the stellate cells to manufacture collagen and so reduces scar tissue production. Vitamin E can also soften existing scar tissue and therefore improve blood flow to the liver, which is essential for regeneration of the liver cells. Vitamin E assists in the maintenance of high levels of glutathione, which is the most powerful liver antioxidant to prevent cirrhosis. A clinical study of hepatitis C sufferers not responding to interferon therapy, showed that nearly 50% improved dramatically with 800 IU daily of vitamin E. These are the reasons why a high dose of vitamin E is required. Use only natural vitamin E which is known as d-alpha tocopherol. Natural beta-carotene is another antioxidant that is able to improve liver function. This may be found in orange colored vegetables such as carrots - a fresh vegetable juice with carrot juice as a base is beneficial to consume daily. It is vital to obtain plenty of beta-carotene and its related carotenoids from eating a wide variety of raw brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene is converted in the body to vitamin A. Beta-carotene, other carotenoids and vitamin A exert a vital anti-cancer effect in those with cirrhosis. This will reduce the risk of cirrhotic livers developing cancer. Those with liver disease need to be careful not to take excessive amounts of vitamin A and should not take more than 10,000 IU daily. Beta carotene is a much safer option as the body will only convert what it requires into vitamin A.
• Take a liver tonic that contains the essential nutrients to support the liver's ability to break down and excrete toxins. This will reduce the damage that toxins can inflict upon liver cells. For cirrhosis, I would recommend one of my Liver Tonics. Livatone Plus will help your liver to detox and to repair damage to the liver. Regular Livatone will help your liver to detox faster.
• Many people with cirrhosis have a problem with bruising or excessive bleeding because the liver does not manufacture sufficient clotting factors. This can be helped by the daily consumption of a fresh juice made with a mixture of raw dark green leafy vegetables. Good vegetables to use for this purpose are spinach, kale, beetroot tops, parsley, mint, watercress, wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts, which are all high in vitamin K. Vitamin K will help to reduce this deficiency of clotting factors and will reduce bruising and bleeding. For appropriate juice recipes see Dr Cabot's "Raw Juices Can Save Your Life" book.
• Minimize the use of all medications, especially liver toxins such as alcohol, analgesic drugs (especially acetaminophen and narcotics), anti inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. Avoid using household and workplace chemicals such as insecticides, pesticides, chlorine, bleach, paints, glues and solvents.
• Obtain your protein by combining grains, raw nuts, raw seeds, sprouts and legumes and use of a quality whey protein powder which also contains taurine - an amino acid required for efficient detoxification in the liver. The cirrhotic liver cannot handle large amounts of concentrated protein and for this reason minimize, or even better, avoid the consumption of red meat and poultry. If you eat too much animal protein ammonia levels will build up in the blood stream causing mental fatigue and confusion.  Follow the vital principles of the Liver Cleansing Diet. These are a good guideline to follow. If your liver function is very poor you will have to avoid the recipes in this book that contain meat and poultry. You may have to avoid all animal protein (including eggs, seafood, red meats, white meats, and dairy products), and confine your protein sources to legumes (beans, peas, lentils), grains, cereals, seeds, sprouts and nuts. In this situation you will need to take supplemental taurine 1000mg twice daily, and vitamin B 12 100 mcg daily. Small doses of the amino acids glutamine, cysteine, and glycine can be taken in the form of a liver tonic to increase glutathione levels. Glutathione and glutamine improve leaky bowel syndrome and this helps to reduce absorption of toxic ammonia from the bowel. Large doses of amino acids should be avoided in those with end stage cirrhosis and liver failure. Make sure that you remain under the supervision of your specialist and a good dietician.
• Avoid constipation by consuming plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, grind fresh seeds (flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc) and almonds and mix with oat bran to increase intestinal fiber. This fiber will speed the passage of toxins out of the bowels and reduce the ability of these toxins to recirculate back to the liver. A fiber supplement which contains soy fiber, rice bran, vegetable powders, slippery elm and peppermint will directly address this problem. For extra help, use Dr Cabot's fiber formula Fibertone Powder 300g.
• Drink at least two liters (4 pints) of water daily to increase excretion of toxins through the kidneys. This will reduce the workload of the compromised cirrhotic liver.
• If the bowel function is poor because of constipation and excess populations of unhealthy bacteria, this can lead to excessive fermentation of the bowel contents, which will increase absorption of toxic ammonia and other nitrogen compounds from the bowel. A healthy liver can convert nitrogen into urea, which is excreted in the urine. In patients with end stage cirrhosis and very poor liver function, the liver is not able to handle these high levels of ammonia and toxic brain symptoms may occur. In this situation bowel function should be improved by increasing raw food fiber and taking supplements of the healthy lactobacillus bacteria. Enemas and colonic irrigations can also help if there is severe constipation and auto-intoxication from the bowel.
• Fifty percent of your diet should consist of raw vegetables and fruits. Dressings can be made with organic vinegars (balsamic, apple cider vinegar, etc) and cold pressed vegetable oils. Drink one or two glasses of raw vegetable juices daily.  Replace regular coffee with dandelion or cereal coffees.
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), garlic and onion to help the detoxification ability of the liver.
• Make sure that you are not consuming excessive iron and that your body's total iron content is within normal limits. This can be confirmed with a simple blood test known as "iron studies". Post menopausal women and men may have an excess of iron, which even if slight, can increase liver damage. Hepatitis viruses thrive in high-iron environments and surplus iron can cause immune dysfunction. Reducing iron intake can increase the success rate of interferon therapy.  Avoid iron-enriched cereals, vitamin pills containing iron, liver, red meat, and molasses and meals cooked in iron pots (such as 'balti "curries).
• Take lecithin in the form of granules (must be fresh and refrigerated) with your cereal in a dose of 2 to 3 tablespoons daily. Lecithin can also be taken as part of a liver tonic and in capsule form. Lecithin will increase choline levels in the liver. Choline increases the liver enzyme called "collagenase" which is very effective in breaking down collagen (scar tissue), which prevents and reduces cirrhosis. Lecithin has been proven in controlled animal studies to prevent alcoholic induced cirrhosis. Trials are now being done in humans to try and reproduce these exciting effects.
• Alpha-lipoic acid 300mg to 600mg daily.

Other nutritional therapies that are still being studied and show promise are:

• 8 cups water
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil
• 2 potatoes, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 beets, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery (including the tops), chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 inch finely chopped and peeled ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 bunch sliced kale or beet greens
• 2-3 fresh artichoke hearts
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, fresh or reconstituted, sliced
• 1 whole reishi mushroom (remove when cooked)
• ¼ cup arame or wakame seaweed, chopped
• 1 cup cooked beans or lentils