|
Newsletter: October 2010
So, you already know your liver is one of the most important organs in your body. But do you know HOW important it is, what its function is, and how many “things” it controls to keep your body functioning optimally and in good health? What are the affects of “sub-optimal” liver functioning?
Good questions, I hear you remark. I’ll try to provide the answers to these questions in this month’s newsletter.
The Physical side of the liver
Symptoms Associated with Liver Dysfunction
Abnormal metabolism of fats
- Abnormal amounts of the bad fats, LDL (“bad” cholesterol) in the body (elevated) against the good fats, HDL (“good” cholesterol). Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup in the level of fats in the blood stream
- Arteries blocked with fat, leading to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes
- Build up of fat in other body organs (fatty degeneration of organs)
- Inability to lose weight even while dieting
- Sluggish metabolism
- Cellulite
- Fat around the belly or upper abdomen
Digestive problems
- Indigestion
- Reflux
- Haemorrhoids
- Gall stones and gall bladder disease
- Intolerance to fatty foods and/or alcohol
- Nausea and vomiting attacks
- Abdominal bloating
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Pain over the liver - (upper right corner of abdomen & lower right rib cage)
Blood sugar problems
- Craving for sugar
- Hypoglycaemia and unstable blood sugar levels
- Mature onset diabetes (Type 2) is common in those with a fatty liver
Nervous system
- Depression
- Mood changes such as anger and irritability
- Metaphysically the liver is known as the "seat of anger"
- Poor concentration and "foggy brain"
- Overheating of the body, especially the face and torso
- Recurrent headaches (including migraine) associated with nausea
Immune dysfunction
- Allergies - sinusitis, hay fever, asthma, dermatitis, hives, etc
- Multiple food and chemical sensitivities
- Skin rashes and inflammations
- Increased risk of autoimmune diseases
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Increase in recurrent viral, bacterial and parasitic infections
External signs
- Coated tongue
- Bad breath
- Skin rashes or Itchy skin (pruritus)
- Excessive sweating or offensive body odour
- Dark circles under the eyes or yellow discoloration of the eyes or red, swollen, itchy eyes (allergic eyes)
- Acne rosacea - (red pimples around the nose, cheeks and chin)
- Brownish spots and blemishes on the skin (liver spots)
- Red palms and soles which may also be itchy and inflamed
- Flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels (capillaries / veins)
Hormonal Imbalance
- Intolerance to hormone replacement therapy or the contraceptive pill (eg. side effects)
- Menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes may be more severe
- Premenstrual syndrome may be more severe
Common Causes for Increased Risks of Liver Toxicity
- Poor diet with deficiency in vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc
- Using drugs
- Prolonged exposure to environmental toxins
- Regular, excessive consumption of alcohol
- Lack of proper exercise
On the physical side, we have to start healing our body through diet, herbal and vitamin supplements, deep breathing and exercise.
A very good remedy to assist the liver with detoxification is Milk Thistle; however if you are on medication or suffer from a medical condition, please check with your doctor first. Another good option is onions and garlic.
The Emotion side of the liver
The liver is the seat of anger, and it stores not only your anger but the anger from others. This influences the livers function and can contribute to the cause of some headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, and mental confusion. Irritability, a short temper, and outbursts of anger further damage the liver and create a cycle of disease and destructive emotional energy.
They say laughter is the best medicine for good reason. Our emotional states affect our physical body. The liver represents our desires and creativity. When healthy, we can respond to changes in a flexible manner; when impaired, we have a tendency to be over-controlling or under-controlling, rigid, inflexible, irrational, irritable and short-tempered. Bio-feedback allows your mind at an emotional level to change your body’s physical state.
The mind can be a great builder or destroyer. Our brain is much like a computer. Those recordings of our past experiences will play a major role in our perceptions of events and our behavior. When there is another similar event, our recordings of the past begin to play, and we have a predictable outcome, which we have perpetuated through our conditioned, repetitive thoughts. We also see ourselves as victims of all things - childhood, parents, husbands, wives, bosses, society, and events. We learn to react to those things in a very predictable way.
Unfortunately, we can't just erase the psychological memories/experiences, but we can write over them. For example: If I have a mind set of lack, I have lack. If I believe I'm unloved, then I'm unloved, etc. Our experiences helped create that knowing, so we have to change our experiences to new ones that have positive outcomes. We start by learning not to react as we always did, but rather recognise our past reactions and replace them with more positive ones; even the slightest change can make a big difference. Create the event mentally by seeing it with a filter. This filter cleans out the old thoughts and leaves only the event as it is, without the tainted projections, assumptions, interpretations, or justification. The event just is!
Create a picture of the event(s) with different outcomes, then use positive affirmations, like "I choose to break free of my past and experience life from a positive perspective."
Until next month,
Lucille
Sources:
http://healingtheself.com/p157d.htm <http://healingtheself.com/p157d.htm>
http://www.liverdoctor.com/index.php?page=symptoms <http://www.liverdoctor.com/index.php?page=symptoms>
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/Good-vs-Bad-Cholesterol_UCM_305561_Article.jsp
|
|