Detoxify Yourself!
Did you know that there are up to 4,000 different chemical compounds present in your body? In fact, an estimated 60 to 80 percent of all cancers are a direct result of chemicals in our air, water and food, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those are alarming statistics indeed. But if you regularly use any cleaning agents, cosmetics and hairspray, or eat processed foods, you are exposed to significant levels of potentially toxic compounds. In addition, the air you breathe is most likely polluted to some extend and the produce you eat is most likely grown in contaminated soils or sprayed with pesticides and insecticides, if not organic.
One of the major functions of your liver is to screen out these toxins or neutralize them so that they are no longer harmful. But due to the incredible amount of toxic chemicals that we are exposed to today, our livers are working overtime – and they need help.
Many of us know about the importance of taking care of our hearts and watching our weight, but we really don't give a second thought to our livers. A properly functioning liver is vital for good health.
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Although we cannot avoid exposure to environmental toxins altogether, there are steps you can take to reduce your exposure as well as reduce your risk of disease and help your liver perform more efficiently. For instance:
• Become better informed about what toxins are and where they come from.
• Test the air and water quality in your home. (Consumer Reports has the names of top-rated models of test kits and filter devices.)
• Remove toxins from your environment as well as offending foods and additives from your diet. Take a sauna whenever possible so that you can sweat out toxins that are stored in the body's fat.
• Eat organically. According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, organically grown fruits and vegetables have 19 to 59 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. Researchers say that when chemical pesticides or herbicides are applied to crops, plants refrain from producing naturally pest-resistant antioxidants. Be sure to wash off any surface dirt or dust before eating or cooking. (Dust is a common source of dangerous levels of lead and cadmium.) Also avoid buying waxed produce, since paraffin can serve to trap these and other toxins.
• Take antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and green tea extract along with a supplement that contains the proper nutrients that support liver function, such as milk thistle, artichoke and sarsaparilla. (The special herbs and nutrients in Liver Support help keep your liver – the body's refinery – operating like a well-oiled machine, supporting its vital functions and protecting it from damage.)
Milk Thistle for the Health of Your Liver
Toxins today are everywhere in our environment, and long-term exposure has been linked to cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and even psychological or behavioral disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder… and the list goes on.
When toxic agents get into your body, your liver has the responsibility of removing them and purifying your blood. Unfortunately, chronic overexposure to toxins can overwhelm your liver, possibly causing it to fail. So what can you do to protect your liver from this chemical assault?
First and foremost, try to minimize your exposure to foreign chemicals, both at home and in your workplace. Second, I recommend that you saturate your body with the natural substances known to protect your liver. One of these natural substances is silybum marianum, commonly known as milk thistle. This amazing herb has a long history of traditional use. In Roman times, it was used for such conditions as jaundice. Also, the famous Elizabethan herbalist Nicholas Culpepper expounded on milk thistle's effectiveness in removing liver obstructions.
Today, more research has been done on milk thistle than any other herb used for liver health. The results of hundreds of scientific studies show that milk thistle's active constituents, a group of flavonoids collectively known as silymarin, protect the liver by:
• Enhancing key liver detoxification pathways.
• Controlling inflammation in the liver.
• Inhibiting the development of liver fibrosis.
• Preventing free-radical damage to liver cells.
• Supporting local immunity within the liver.
• Stimulating liver cell regeneration.
Milk thistle has also been used in Germany for several decades to treat liver diseases. Also, a favorite national pastime in Germany is mushroom collecting – a practice with inherent risks, such as the accidental ingestion of Amanita phalloides, the Death Cap mushroom. Consuming the Death Cap mushroom results in severe, usually deadly, liver damage. In fact, those that survive Death Cap poisoning have been so badly damaged that they most often require liver transplants to continue to live. Fortunately, silymarin binds to liver cells, preventing the mushroom poisons from binding, and thus blocking their poisonous effect. The silymarin is also able to directly neutralize the poison itself, making it effective even if it is taken after the mushroom poison has been ingested. For this reason, an ample supply of milk thistle extract is kept on hand in German hospitals where it is administered on an emergency basis for treating otherwise fatal Death Cap mushroom poisoning.
Milk thistle has such a profound influence on improving liver health that the National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is collaborating on a study to examine its efficacy to treat hepatitis C patients. Milk thistle is undoubtedly the premier herb for enhancing liver health.
