Second only to the skin, the liver is the largest organ in the human body. It has quite a few responsibilities, some of which are more well-known than others. Some of the liver’s primary jobs include filtering the body’s blood, storing energy, and processing nutrients. Due to the liver’s many responsibilities, it is highly vulnerable to scarring (cirrhosis) and complete failure, which can lead to cancer. 

Although most people associate liver damage with alcohol abuse or misuse, other factors can play a role. In this article, we aim to highlight the various health conditions, drugs, and lifestyle habits that can damage your liver. 

Health Conditions That Damage The Liver

Various health conditions, one of the more notable ones being hepatitis, can directly damage the liver, or increase the risk of liver complications. Some of the primary health conditions include genetic diseases, obesity, and certain autoimmune disorders. 

Hepatitis

Chronic hepatitis B and C are the root cause of most liver cancer cases worldwide. Hepatitis C is the more common cause in the United States, while hepatitis B is less common because of vaccine availability. Hepatitis C is spread via contact with infected blood, e.g. sharing needles, unprotected sex, and (rarely) blood transfusions. Chronic hepatitis C is a silent killer because most people don’t know they have it. If left untreated, the condition can cause liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, and even death. 

Autoimmune Disorders

There are certain autoimmune disorders that can harm the liver. Autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by the immune system mistakenly attacking the liver. Medical experts don’t fully understand why the body turns on itself, but genetic factors may play a role. This disease usually affects people assigned female at birth, and it is more common in people with existing autoimmune disorders. Even people with autoimmune diseases can keep things under control and live a normal life if they have the right treatment and lifestyle habits. 

Lifestyle Factors That Damage The Liver

When it comes to genetics and autoimmune disorders, you may not have complete control of your risk of liver damage. What you do have control over, however, is how you live your life. Certain lifestyle habits, including the medications you take, the foods you eat, and exercise you do or don’t do, can influence liver health. 

Alcohol

Alcohol remains a major cause of cirrhosis and other forms of liver disease. Roughly 10-15% of heavy drinkers will develop liver scarring, but those with liver damage should abstain from alcohol. Drinking in moderation, or not at all, goes a long way in keeping the liver healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend no more than one alcoholic beverage a day for women and no more than two for men. One drink is considered to be 12 ounces of beer or five ounces of wine. 

Sugary Beverages And Sodas

Popular in the Standard American Diet, sugary beverages and sodas can cause weight gain and liver damage. A 2015 study found that people who drank one or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had increased markers of fatty liver disease than those who didn’t drink any sugary drinks. That isn’t to say that diet drinks are healthier; rather, it highlights that sugary beverages do more damage than you think. Additional research found that people who consumed two sugary drinks a day for six months showed signs of fatty liver disease. 

Smoking

Yet another reason to quit, smoking can increase the risk of liver cancer and cirrhosis. According to a 2013 study, smoking was linked to an increased risk of liver cirrhosis independent of alcohol intake. Additionally, the toxins in cigarettes can cause inflammation, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis. If you have hepatitis B or C and you smoke, the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma increases drastically. 

Medications That Damage The Liver

If you have ever read the “Directions” section on certain cold and flu medications, you know not to take too much. Some ingredients, like acetaminophen, in these medications can be harmful in high doses. There are many other medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, that can damage the liver. 

Acetaminophen 

Acetaminophen exists in many medications, including DayQuil and NyQuil, Tylenol, and prescription medications like Vicodin or Percocet. In high doses, acetaminophen can cause liver failure and even death. Never take more than the recommended dose of acetaminophen, or any medication for that matter. Acetaminophen is a common ingredient in over-the-counter cold and flu medications, so always check the ingredient labels and directions to ensure that you don’t exceed the recommended dose.

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Hepatitis is swelling of the liver. Hepatitis is characterized by other pathologies such as jaundice, abdominal and gastric discomfort, hepatomegaly, and dark urine (which is a sign of severe acidosis).

There are four types of hepatitis: A, B, C and D.

Causes and Risk Factors

Hepatitis A

Caused by a virus that can be acquired through eating contaminated food or water (e.g., fruits, shellfish, vegetables, ice and water), contact with the stool or blood of someone with the disease. The virus can transfer from one person to another via a surface touched by the patient, especially if they don’t wash their hands after using the restroom. Hepatitis A can also be transferred through anal-oral sexual contact.

Hepatitis B

A specific type of hepatitis caused by the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). It can be acquired through exposure to blood or blood products of the infected person including blood transfusions, tattooing, sexual contact, sharing needles, sharing personal items (e.g., razors, nail clippers, etc.). People with multiple sex partners are especially at risk.

Hepatitis C

Most commonly acquired through sexual contact, exposure to blood at work (e.g., healthcare workers), sharing needles, tattooing with unsterilized instruments, born to a mother with Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis D

This type of hepatitis is only found in people with Hepatitis B. It affects about 15 million people worldwide, or about 5% of Hepatitis B patients.

Symptoms

Hepatitis symptoms generally include:

• Abdominal swelling
• Fever
• Persistent tiredness or fatigue
• Dark urine
• Jaundice
• Nausea and/or loss of appetite

Healing Hepatitis Naturally

Excellent hepatic or liver herbs include:

• Milk Thistle seeds
• Dandelion Root
• Boldo leaves
• Artichoke
• Turmeric
• Oregon Grape
• Barberry
• Goldenseal root
• Bupleurem
• Gentian
• Fenugreek seed
• Chanca Piedra
• Fringetree bark
• Wahoo bark
• Liverwort
• Blue Flag
• White Peony
• Celadine
• Agrimony, and
• Quassia Chips

By far, the three (3) best herbs for the liver are Milk Thistle seeds, Dandelion root, and Boldo leaves.

Coffee enema

The coffee enema works wonders for the liver. It can be performed once a month. Coffee (organic, of course) makes the liver dump off toxins like a dump trunk. This process is one of the best healing methods for a toxic liver. Worried about caffeine? Well, when coffee is administered through the rectum, caffeine is not absorbed in the body. Caffeine is only absorbed when coffee is drunk via the mouth. Singer Janet Jackson performs coffee enemas. Janet knows something very beneficial about coffee enemas. Also, coffee enemas are great for overcoming hangovers and migraine headaches.

Castor oil pack

The castor oil pack process is one of my favorite liver cleansing methods. You apply castor oil on your liver (externally, of course) and then put a piece of plastic over it (gets very sticky) and then you place a hot pack over it and let it sit for about two (2) hours. This process is performed lying down and under a towel or some newspaper as the oil will slide down on the side of the body. The castor oil pack process can also be performed monthly or every 3-4 months.

Dietary Intervention

Activated Charcoal (Carbon)

Carbon or Activated Charcoal can be helpful with hepatitis because it cleanses the body in general and the liver in particular of toxins. Carbon is some very powerful stuff! It is very alkaline and neutralizes toxins, heavy metals, and harmful gases 2,000 times its own weight.

Olive and Castor Oil

Olive oil lubricates and purifies the liver and helps dissolve hardened calculi (stones) such as kidney, bladder, and gallstones. A tablespoon of olive oil can be consumed daily or as needed. Castor oil performs the same function as olive oil but is also anthelmintic (anti-parasitic) in nature as castor oil suffocates worms and parasite in the colon and liver.

Fasting

Fasting is also a good choice and method for cleansing the liver. Fasting purifies the bloodstream which in turn purifies all the organs in the body, especially the eliminative organs (colon, liver, kidneys, lungs and skin).

A note about Vitamin C

Many people consume synthetic Vitamin C, which provides limited benefit. In fact, most Vitamin C sold commercially is nothing but ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is known to toxify and tax your liver. Real Vitamin C is found in Nature (Rose Hip seeds, Hibiscus flower, Acerola cherry, Camu fruit, Alma fruit, Capsicum fruit, etc.).

Dherbs Solutions

Dherbs.com products that can help include:

• Full Body Cleanse
• 10 DAY SUPREME LIVER CLEANSE
• Liver and Gallbladder
• Vitamin C

Thank you for reading!

This article is compliments of Dherbs.com

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The liver is the largest internal organ and gland in the human body and it is the body’s major filtering organ. It’s the body’s first line of defense, when it comes to toxicity. The liver’s primary function is to limit the amount of toxins that enter the human body. The thing about these toxins is that they are typically consumed voluntarily. Examples of these toxins are below:

• Alcohol consumption
• Drug use (legal and illegal)
• Smoking
• Eating processed foods
• Ingesting chemicals such as:
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • MSG
  • Aspartame
  • Sodium nitrate
  • Propylene glycol
  • Lake dyes
  • Saccharin
  • And many, many more.

A healthy liver helps you live a healthy life. The liver has to work hard, having over 500 responsibilities. It is served by two blood supplies. The hepatic artery conveys oxygenated blood to the organ, while hepatic portal vein conveys nutrient-filled blood from the stomach and intestines. The liver typically holds about one pint of blood, or about 13% of the body’s total blood supply.

Liver Problems

Now, let’s take a look at a few common ailments of the liver.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, and about 300 million people worldwide are affected by hepatitis C. Roughly 3.9 million (about 1.8 percent of the population in the US) people in the US have chronic hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B Statistics In the United States

• 12 million Americans have been infected (1 out of 20 people).
• More than one million people are chronically infected .
• Up to 100,000 new people will become infected each year.
• 5,000 people will die each year from hepatitis B and its complications.
• Approximately 1 health care worker dies each day from hepatitis B.

Hepatitis is caused by excess mucus accumulation in and around the liver due, which is primarily due to acidity (from acid-forming food and beverage consumption). The liver becomes enlarged when it is inflamed, just like every other organ in the body. Hepatitis is mainly caused by poor or an insalubrious diet (excess meat and dairy consumption; refined and processed food products) and intake of drugs, especially pharmaceutical drugs (which include pre-natal pills, explaining why so many American babies are born with hepatitis or jaundice).

Pharmaceutical drugs, unlike all natural herbs, cause LIVER TOXICITY (liver disease). It’s a shame that hospitals (and OBGYN’s) have women ingesting toxins under the guise of pre-natal nutrition. Commercial and pharmaceutical grade pre-natal tablets/pills are toxic and poisonous.

Jaundice

Jaundice, also known as Iciterus, refers to the yellowish appearance of the skin or whites of the eyes. If there is too much Bilirubin (pigmentation) in the blood, then the skin or whites of the eye will have a yellow tinge. Bilirubin is naturally in the body, but the liver usually gets rid of it, in addition to old red blood cells. Jaundice is not a disease, rather, it is usually the result of an underlying liver disorder.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the Liver is an abnormal condition where permanent scarring is done to the liver. The most common reason for Cirrhosis is Alcoholism, but it can also result from Hepatitis and other conditions. The liver helps detox harmful substances from the body, cleans the blood, and makes vital nutrients. When the liver is injured it attempts to repair itself, ultimately creating more and more scar tissue. The progression of Cirrhosis makes it difficult for the liver to function.

Melancholy and the Liver

Melancholia is the result of the production of black bile from the liver instead of green bile. Many people who drink alcohol become depressed during or after drinking. Intoxicants causes the liver to release black bile and shortly after, extreme sadness or depression can follow.

The Liver and Anger

Ever organ can house a negative emotion, and the liver hold the negative emotion of anger. Yes, our anger is stored in our liver. This is why cleansing can induce some agitation. Alcoholic beverages cause stored anger in the liver to be released. Inebriated people can become angry quickly. It’s not so much that it is the liquor, but rather the effect of the liquor on the liver, or what it causes the liver to do.

Dietary Intervention

Changing your diet can improve liver health. Liver-toxic foods like alcohol, coffee, processed foods and excess fats need to be avoided.

Natural Healing Solutions

Herbs

Great hepatic (herbs with an affinity for the liver) herbs include:

• Milk Thistle Seed
• Dandelion Root
• Boldo Leaf
• Chanca Piedra
• Peony Root
• Quassia Bark
• Fumitory
• Gentian Root
• Bupleurem
• Fenugreek Seed
• Goldenseal
• Barberry
• Oregon Grape
• Fringetree Bark
• Wahoo Bark
• Chicory
• Artichoke
• Tumeric
• Cascara Sagrada
• Black Root

Olive Oil

Olive oil also helps the liver. Olive oil pulls toxins from the liver. Olive oil is also a mild chologogue (see Dherbs.com Herbal Glossary) and enhances and increases the natural secretion of bile.

Coffee Enema

Coffee enemas are great for liver cleansing purposes. Coffee when entered via the rectum causes the liver to dump off toxins like a dump truck. The caffeine does not enter the bloodstream like it does when ingested via the mouth when entered through the rectum. A coffee enema can be performed once a month or whenever you feel like performing one. Make sure you use organic coffee beans (which you can find at a good health food store such as Whole Foods Market).

Castor Oil Pack

The castor oil pack application works wonders for cleansing the liver. You take castor oil (which you can warm up if you like), apply it to your skin (above the liver, located on the right side of your body). Next, take some plastic (the kind you get at the dry cleaners – the thin, clear kind) and apply it over the oiled skin. Then, apply a hot pack (preferably a cotton flannel pack) over the plastic. This process works by allowing the castor oil to penetrate the skin and enter into the bloodstream that eventually finds its way to the liver whereby it stimulates cleansing of the tissues of the liver.

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