Irina is a patient I recently saw who had a list of symptoms that made me think of her liver. Her liver enzymes were abnormally high reflecting liver inflammation and her liver ultrasound showed a fatty liver. She also had above normal levels of ferritin in her blood test, which is a typical sign of fatty liver. She was extremely frustrated at not being able to lose weight despite not eating much. I told her the reason she could not lose weight was that her liver was inflamed and overworked.

Irina had the following symptoms: Inability to lose weight, hot sweats and overheating, fatigue, indigestion, bad breath and occasional nausea. She did not have a bad diet, she did not drink excess alcohol and she did not smoke. She did not have hepatitis or any other causes of liver disease. Irina came to see me because she felt chronically unwell and uncomfortable in her body.

A prolapsed disc in her spine a year ago caused a lot of chronic pain and Irina had taken anti-inflammatory drugs and codeine every day for many months to quell the pain. I explained to her that if someone overloads their liver with such strong drugs, their liver has to work too hard to break down these drugs, and there is less energy left in the liver to burn fat. The liver is the major fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat metabolism. A healthy liver burns fat whereas an overloaded liver stores fat.

My recommendations for my patient

A blood test showed below normal levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can make pain and inflammation worse. Since it was winter at the time of the consultation, the sun was too weak to replenish Irina’s vitamin D level. I gave her a vitamin D supplement. I also recommended Magnesium Ultra Potent Powder to strengthen the muscles and reduce nerve pain. Other supplements that can reduce inflammation in the spine are Serrapeptase and fish oil.

To repair the inflammation in her liver I prescribed Livatone Plus and N-Acetyl-Cysteine capsules and raw vegetable juices containing mint, parsley, ginger, cucumber and celery.

Because she was post menopausal and carried excess weight on her torso, Irina was significantly insulin resistant. That meant she only had to look at carbohydrate and her liver already turned it into fat. Berberine is excellent for reversing insulin resistance, getting insulin down and enabling weight loss from the torso. It speeds up the results of a low carbohydrate diet.

Irina followed my advice and after 6 months was in much better health. Her liver function was now normal and she had lost 16 pounds in weight. She allowed herself to indulge in her favourite chocolate and ice cream once or twice a week and was able to maintain her healthy weight and healthy liver function. If carb cravings got the better of her, she took Glicemic Balance capsules. They contain herbs and nutrients to balance blood sugar, reducing cravings for carbohydrate and sugar, making it easier to stick to a healthy diet.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.