Your liver is a very hard working organ. Some of its major functions include regulating your metabolic rate as well as cleansing and detoxifying your bloodstream.

Unfortunately compromised liver health is incredibly common. Around one in five Americans and Australians has a fatty liver and many of them don’t even realize. However there are several outward telltale signs that your liver may not be in great shape.

Some of these signs include:

  • Dark circles under the eyes
  • Lumps of fat in the skin, particularly on the eyelids
  • Skin rashes
  • Red cheeks
  • Pot belly
  • Cellulite
  • Yellowing of the whites of the eyes
  • Coated tongue
  • Bad breath
  • Fluid retention
  • Excessive sweating, particularly from the face and feet
  • Itchy skin
  • Red, swollen, itchy (allergic) eyes
  • Acne
  • Brownish spots and blemishes on the skin
  • Dilated facial blood vessels (red capillaries)

These signs can be very distressing if you do not know how to treat the cause and most people do not realize that their fatty liver is the cause!

Fatty liver is usually caused by the consumption of too much carbohydrate foods in the diet, especially things like sugary foods, bread, cookies, pastries, pasta, breakfast cereals and flour based foods.

Eventually the excess carbohydrate raises the blood sugar and this sugar is turned into fat. This fat is stored in the liver, the abdominal cavity and under the skin.

The fat underneath the skin builds up and lumpy deposits can start to form known as cellulite. This usually occurs in women with too much estrogen in their body relative to progesterone. We refer to this condition as estrogen dominance.

Interestingly your liver is continually trying to break down estrogen and excrete it through your bowel movements. Women with a sluggish liver and bowels do not excrete estrogen adequately; therefore it gets recirculated in their body.

In addition to cellulite, excess estrogen can cause fluid retention, painful breasts and mood changes before menstruation. Not enough women realize that the key to balancing estrogen and progesterone is to improve liver function. The eating plan in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It will help you achieve that.

Your liver has a high requirement for sulfur. It is necessary for the production of glutathione and phase two detoxification. Sulfur is also needed for healthy joints, hair, skin and nails. MSM is a natural form of sulfur that helps to replenish this important nutrient. Sulfur is also found in eggs and vegetables such as onion, garlic, cabbage, kale and broccoli.

The liver also plays a vital role in the metabolism of thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland predominantly makes a hormone called T4. This is not an active hormone and it must be converted into the active version called T3. Most of that conversion occurs in the liver. Therefore symptoms of sluggish thyroid function can actually be attributed to poor liver health and this is common in those with a fatty liver.

Symptoms of thyroid hormone deficiency include fatigue, weight gain, depression, dry skin, heavy menstrual periods and scalp hair loss. If you suffer with these symptoms and your doctor has given you a blood test and declared there is nothing wrong with your thyroid, it may be your liver that’s responsible.

If you eat excess carbohydrate you will find that your blood sugar levels will rise and this will make you more susceptible to skin infections such as fungal rashes and pimples. Fungal infections in the skin may cause brownish or pink blotches or red rashes which can be very itchy.

The good news is that we can reverse these problems by improving our liver function.

Most people only consider doing a detox or improving their diet because they want to lose weight.  If that has always been the case for you, why don’t you change your perspective and keep an eye out for the other benefits you’re sure to experience: clearer skin, brighter eyes, improved mood and ability to concentrate, better sleep and more energy.

Dr Sandra Cabot’s 2 week liver detoxification program

Here are the principles of the program –

  • Drink 10 glasses of water daily – drink it throughout the day
  • Start the day with a glass of water containing the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon or lime

Eat only the following during your 2 week detox –

  • Fruits and vegetables - the fruits and vegetables can be raw and cooked.  You may have any vegetable you want including starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot, parsnips and turnips. To cook the vegetables, you may use the following methods - steam them, roast them or stir fry them with coconut oil. If you can afford it, purchase organic fruits and vegetables.
  • Salad dressing ingredients – you may use cold pressed olive oil or macadamia oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, fresh lemon or lime and fresh or dried herbs. Mix ingredients in a jar and shake or whisk with a fork or blend in a blender.
  • Raw nuts and seeds – you can choose any seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds) and any raw nuts.
  • Tahini and hummus are allowed and make a nice dip with avocado and lemon
  • Milk – only coconut or almond milk is allowed
  • Drink 8 ounces to 10 ounces (250 to 300mls) of raw vegetable juice daily – best ingredients to juice are parsley, basil, mint, carrot, beetroot, green apple, lemon, orange and ginger. You can also add a cruciferous vegetable to the juice such as kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower. You can find many juicing recipes and ideas in my book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life.
  • Livatone Plus – 2 capsules twice daily.
  •  Dr Cabot's 15 Day Cleanse is a newly released plan to make cleansing and detoxifying your liver and whole digestive system as easy as it is possible to achieve.

You may want to do the 15 Day Cleanse or this detox diet several times during a year to keep your liver happy and your body healthy.

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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