Case Study: What Does A Fatty Liver Have To Do With Hot Flashes?
Most people assume that hot flashes in a 50 year old woman are caused by menopause. This is not always the case, as you can see in this case study.
Helen was a 50 year old school teacher who came to my clinic seeking help for several symptoms. She was approximately 40 pounds overweight and she carried most of the weight on her abdomen. She frequently suffered with indigestion and took the stomach acid blocking tablet Zantac with dinner every evening.
However, the symptom that bothered Helen the most was overheating. She was extremely sensitive to heat and would regularly burst into a sweat while at work. She could not tolerate the air conditioning; it was always too hot in the building for her, while others kept their cardigans on because they felt cold.
Helen mainly felt the excess heat in her head; her face would become red and flushed while beads of perspiration formed on her forehead and upper lip. On some occasions she sweated quite a lot, so that her hair became visibly damp. Apart from the extreme discomfort, Helen found this problem very embarrassing.
Helen naturally assumed that her hormones must be responsible for these hot flashes. She was still menstruating regularly and would probably continue to do so for a few years, since her mother and sisters all experienced a rather late menopause. Helen visited her doctor about this problem and asked for hormone blood tests. Everything came back normal and her doctor said there is nothing wrong with her hormones.
One interesting piece of information that was obtained from the blood test was mildly raised liver enzymes. Her doctor made a passing comment that she probably has a fatty liver and she should lose some weight. I agreed with that statement, but unfortunately Helen’s doctor didn’t tell her exactly how to overcome the fatty liver, nor did he explain that her liver was more than likely producing the excessive heat in her body.
Why does a dysfunctional liver cause the body to overheat?
The answer goes back to Chinese medicine which explains that when the liver is overworked or under pressure, it generates too much heat within itself. Because the liver is such a large organ this causes our whole body to overheat. The excess sweating is a reaction of the overheated body to cool body temperature and allow increased excretion of toxins through the skin. These symptoms are very unpleasant especially if you live in a hot, humid climate and the associated fatigue can be overwhelming. Often these people find it very difficult to get a good night's sleep because they feel hot and bothered during the night, wake frequently and feel completely exhausted in the morning.My recommendations for my patient
- Firstly I asked Helen to follow the eating plan in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. The eating plan is lower in carbohydrate and higher in protein. In the majority of cases fatty liver is caused by eating too much carbohydrate: sugar, flour, bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, rice and potatoes, if eaten in excess will be converted into fat by the liver. Industrial seed oil rich in omega 6 fats also promotes a fatty liver, therefore I instructed Helen to avoid all vegetable oil other than extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil and organic coconut oil. I asked Helen to base her diet on protein and vegetables – protein such as seafood, eggs, poultry, grass-fed meat and whey protein powder. The avoidance of dairy products and grains should put an end to her reflux and indigestion, hence there will no longer be a need to take Zantac.
- I gave Helen my liver tonic Livatone Plus. This contains the nutrients the liver needs for efficient fat burning and detoxification, plus the herb milk thistle helps to repair damaged liver cells. It should help to normalize her liver enzymes sooner than diet changes alone.
- I ordered a blood test for Helen and determined that she was vitamin D deficient. This was not surprising, as most of my patients don’t have enough vitamin D in their bloodstream unless they have an outdoor job. I gave Helen 5000 IU of vitamin D3 in capsule form.
- I recommended a fish oil supplement for Helen. The omega 3 fats in fish oil are anti-inflammatory and help to heal the liver cell membranes. I asked Helen to take 2 capsules twice daily with meals.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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I had no idea that it could be caused by an overworked liver. I wish my Dr had told me.
Many menopausal symptoms and hot flushes are associated with an inflammatory diet and liver congestion.
Dr Cabot has a 15 Day Cleanse - Two weeks to begin your journey toward improved liver health and function, utilising both supplements and a tasty, easy to prepare dietary regimen. Please go to www.drcabotcleanse.com to place an order.
After completing the Cleanse, we recommend you remain on this style of eating and you can then begin the Maintenance plan that is available at the same website.
To ease further menopausal hot flushes and discomfort and improve liver congestion, Dr Cabot prescribes
Femme Phase – 2 capsules twice daily. Provides herbs and phytonutrients to assist with menopausal and perimenopausal discomfort.
Livatone Plus – 1 to 2 capsules twice daily, to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC 600mg) – 1 to 2 capsules twice daily well away from food, if any upset occurs take at the beginning of your meals. As you will see from the attached pamphlet this supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get your liver better faster. This supplement is the precursor nutrient of glutathione; the body’s strongest anti-oxidant
Kind regards,
Jessah Shaw
Nutritionist
I think both intermittent fasting and KETO Diet is good - see our free e book on KETO DIET which is healthy for the liver.
When you reverse fatty liver your body temperature will normalize. see my videos on fatty liver which covers everything
Cheers
Dr Sandra Cabot
Please let us know if you have simple Fatty Liver or another hepatocellular liver disease.
Assuming it is Fatty Liver please follow the eating plan in Dr Cabot’s Fatty Liver book and begin taking Ox Bile – 1 to 2 capsules with meals daily, Livatone Plus – 2 capsules twice daily, and NAC – 2 capsules twice daily, well away from food with a large glass of water to avoid stomach irritation, and Vitamin C – ½ teaspoon twice daily.
Surgery is often unsuccessful if inflammatory processes are not addressed.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot MD
A severe Fatty Liver presents quite a health challenging scenario.
The Gallstones are very likely due to your liver having been in a poor state of health for a considerable time.
For your health’s sake we strongly recommend you begin Dr Cabot’s 15 Day Cleanse and Maintenance Program and remain on it for an extended time.
Unfortunately, we see many people now who have cirrhosis and have never had a drink in their lives due to increasingly severe Fatty Liver from a high carbohydrate and/or processed food diet.
It is a slippery slope from there to the possibility of liver cancer.
Supplementation is necessary at the same time and Dr Cabot prescribes Ox Bile, Livatone Plus, and NAC.
When your liver is healthier, you may find that your hot flashes are a thing of the past.
Many women are still menstruating into their 50s, with the upper end of the age range being 55.
If your flashes remain, we recommend you begin taking Femme Phase.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot MD
Your whole nervous system seems to be very highly inflamed and if you are continuing to require Tagamet for acid there may be considerable stomach problems and your present diet may be significantly contributing to this.
Your burning may be, in some part, due to the Tagamet because it may be causing a Vitamin B12 deficiency which often results in nerve pain.
To change your diet as easily as possible we recommend Dr Cabot’s 15 Day Cleanse and Maintenance Program.
It is important to ensure you have sufficient Vitamin B12 each day.
If you have been taking Tagamet for a long time you may have a Helicobacter pylori infection and if this is shown to be the case Dr Cabot prescribes Bacto Clear and NAC.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot MD
I have suffered for years sweating since losing weight it has helped a little but I have noticed after I eat the sweats seem to come especially if there natural suger in like fruit . I only drink decaf and low carb drink
I have lost weight over two stones I am on a low carb diet no rice or bread and a dish of berries with low carb yoghurt and occasional piece of fruit and soya milk o carb one
But now I seem to have an issue losing more I've tried but I seem to have stuck still. Could my problem liver be causing me not too lose weight . Is it messing with my metabolism, I have also started to have a itchy back looks like eczema but have never suffered with it before.
Can this all be my liver or am I going around the bend
Your symptoms are very typical of Fatty Liver and Dr Cabot prescribes Livatone Plus, NAC, and Vitamin C.
Many of your symptoms are indicative of Leaky Gut, and this can make Fatty Liver more persistent.
Most artificial sweeteners are very stressful on the liver and digestive tract. Ensure you only use Nature Sweet or a Stevia product.
To heal a leaky gut we recommend you begin Dr Cabot 15 Day Cleanse and Maintenance Program to introduce a highly anti-inflammatory dietary regime and supplements to restore liver health, alkalize your body and calm, soothe and heal your digestive tract. Bacto Clear is beneficial to clear non beneficial species of gut microbes from your digestive tract.
We recommend you have both an abdominal ultrasound and a DEXA bio impedance scan to determine the ratio of muscle mass to fat tissue.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot MD
Yes bariatric surgery would definitely help your liver. However, there are risks involved and it is possible to regain the weight years later.
The information on this page has helped a great number of our customers:https://www.liverdoctor.com/reversing-fatty-liver-video/
Kind regards,
Margaret Jasinska
Naturopath for Liverdoctor.com
Could this hot flushes be linked to menopause?
Many menopausal symptoms and hot flushes are associated with an inflammatory diet and liver congestion.
Dr Cabot has recently released her 15 Day Cleanse - Two weeks to begin your journey toward improved liver health and function, utilising both supplements and a tasty, easy to prepare dietary regimen. Please go to www.drcabotcleanse.com to place an order.
After completing the Cleanse, we recommend you remain on this style of eating and you can then begin the Maintenance plan that is available at the same website.
To ease further menopausal hot flushes and discomfort, Dr Cabot prescribes
Femme Phase – 2 capsules twice daily. Provides herbs and phytonutrients to assist with menopausal and perimenopausal discomfort.
You may purchase these supplements and Dr Cabot’s books athttps://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Kind regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritionist for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend you read this article for further information:https://www.liverdoctor.com/hot-flashes/
There are also excellent dietary principles in this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/menopause/
Alternatively, you can read Dr Cabot's book 'Hormone Replacement - The Real Truth'.
You may benefit from taking
Femmephase 2 caps twice daily with food which can relieve hot flashes and balance hormones naturally.
This can be purchased here:http://shop.liverdoctor.com/femmephase-120-capsules.html
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritionist for Liverdoctor.com
The standard serving size of Livatone Plus which is 2 caps, contains 210 mg of Silymarin which is the active component of milk thistle.
It can be purchased here:http://shop.liverdoctor.com/livatone-plus-120-capsules.html
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritionist for Liverdoctor.com
It would also be good to source your protein from other vegetarian sources such as legumes (lentils, peas and beans), nuts, seeds and whey protein powder.
We have an excellent whey protein powder called Synd-X which is classified as a first class protein.
It can be purchased here:http://shop.liverdoctor.com/synd-x-protein-powder-400g.html
You would benefit from taking
Livatone Plus 1 cap twice daily or 2 caps twice daily for optimal liver function and detoxification which may help to boost energy levels and reduce hot flushes.
This can be purchased here:http://shop.liverdoctor.com/livatone-plus-120-capsules.html
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
Livatone Plus can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
We recommend you eliminate grains, sugar, processed food and takeout meals from your diet.
There is an excellent eating plan in Dr Cabot's book: 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It'.
We recommend you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
NAC can be purchased here:http://shop.liverdoctor.com/nac-n-acetyl-l-cysteine-600mg-90-capsules.html
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com