Tag: liver

How to Dry Skin Brush
This is one of the first and easiest additions that I have my clients and detoxers add to their daily routine. This also turns out to be one of their favorites!

What is the largest organ in the human body and releases over a third of toxins in our body? That’s right! It is our skin. Dry skin brushing is an effective daily practice to help the body detox and remove these harmful toxins, not to mention it opens and unclogs our pores.

Unlike our blood which gets pumped around the body by your heart, the lymphatic system counts on our movement to stay moving. And guess what? Many of us aren’t moving as much as we used to. Who else is tied to a chair at a desk for the majority of the day? When we dry skin brush, we are massaging and helping our lymphatic system cleanse itself. We pull waste from the body as well as remove any lingering toxins from soap, environmental factors, lotions, deodorant, and other things to help improve skin health.

The best part is that skin brushing should only take about 5 minutes per day, so it is easily fit into a busy lifestyle and has great benefits! I personally was able to completely remove the bumpy skin that lived on my thighs and the back of my arms after a month of consistently dry skin brushing. Some of the benefits include:
- Exfoliation
- Lymphatic system stimulation
- Reduce or eliminate cellulite
- Unclog pores
- Invigorating; you may feel more energized after brushing
Here are ten simple steps and tips for you to follow to help you get started with dry skin brushing:
1. Get a long-handled, non-synthetic bristle brush.
2. Remove your clothes and stand in the bathtub or on a tiled surface. You will want to do this because you are scraping off dead skin, so you don’t want that to get on your carpet or your rugs.
3. All of your brushing motions should be heart-centered, meaning you will want to have all the motions be moving towards your heart.
4. Start at your feet and use long flowing motions, again, towards your heart.
5. You will want to brush several times in the same area, overlapping your strokes as you continue.
6. For sensitive skin areas, you will want to go easy. Your skin in those areas should become less sensitive with time.
7. Once you have your whole body brushed, hop into the tub or shower. I find that the benefits of an Epsom salt bath are heightened after dry brushing.
8. Alternating cold and hot temperatures help bring the blood back to the top of the skin.
9. Continue this practice daily, but for best results, consider dry brushing twice a day; once in the morning and once before bed.
10. Remember to clean your brush at least once per week with soap and water.
Although this seems like a very simple daily detox tools, some detoxers report having detox reactions such as headaches just from dry skin brushing. If you know that your liver and lymphatic system are burdened than start slowly.

Watch this periscope replay if you want more of a visual!

Want to learn more of my favorite tips and have a group for support? Join our next seasonal detox here!!

What is your favorite daily detox tool? Leave us a comment below!!
September 14, 2015
Lemon Water Elixir

Good morning! Do you have any morning routines that you never miss?

Well, for me it’s my morning lemon water. Although I don’t always drink it in the same form, I almost always have one. Sometimes it hot, sometimes it room temperature and sometimes it is a Lemon Water Elixir with apple cider vinegar. I like to rotate the apple cider vinegar on and off, a couple weeks or a month on and then I take a break for a month. I have just found that is what personally works best for me and if I continue to drink it every single day I get really sick of it.

Why is this a good way to start your day?

The elixir stimulates and wakes up your digestion, releases toxins from the liver, jumpstarts your digestive enzymes, and is loaded with vitamin C. What else could you ask for first thing in the morning? This is a staple for the seasonal detoxes that I offer and sometime this change alone can provide drastic results.

Lemon Water Elixir

1 cup room temperature water

Juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey (optional)

1/4 in of fresh ginger root os 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I use Primal Palate spices because the quality and taste are amazing!)

If you feel nauseous or experience tightness in the chest after drinking the morning lemon elixir, please omit the Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar. This reaction can occur from the body’s releasing of bacteria and unwanted toxin. Continue to drink the lemon elixir, omitting the Bragg’s, for at least three days, and then try to re-introduce or use only ½ teaspoon of the apple cider vinegar. If the reactions continue upon reintroduction, continue to only drink the lemon water. I have had this same reaction happen for clients just by adding lemon to their morning water so you might find that you need to start with a 1/4 lemon and work up if your liver is really struggling.

Note: I have heard some dentists say that having apple cider vinegar daily can be damaging to the enamel on your teeth. If you are going to be consistently consuming this beverage you might want to consider drinking this through a straw. At our house we buy either glass or stainless steel reusable straws because who want to be sucking on cheap plastic? (Not to mention filling the landfills!)

Cheers to a healthy liver!

July 29, 2015
The Benefits of Seasonal Cleansing
It’s out with the old and in with the new for summer and the same should go for toxin build up in your body. Cleansing should occur at least once a year, but it is also suggested that as the seasons change, a good cleanse can better prepare us for the changes of the seasons. Just like the temperature, the foods we eat during each season changes. Going from spring to summer, the body is working up for some of the busiest months of the year.

Traditionally, cultures all around the world have practiced seasonal cleansing in all types of different ways. Specifically for a liver cleanse, the liver is how the body takes toxins out of the body, and that is how the liver earns the spot of one of the hardest working organs in our bodies! The liver works with many other organs in our body to detox blood, produce bile, hormone breakdowns, and acts as a storage facility for our vitamins and minerals. If the liver is not functioning properly, it affects many other areas of our body.

Some more important functions of the liver include removing old blood cells, helping the intestines process nutrients, chemical production for blood clotting, the breakdown and metabolizing of alcohol and consumed medications, and the production of necessary proteins and cholesterol.

When people hear ‘liver disease’ they typically think of alcoholism, but that is not the only cause of liver disease or liver failure. Some other risk factors associated with liver disease include low potassium levels, drug use, exposure to certain chemicals, obesity, processed foods, viral infections and autoimmune diseases.

Some things you may notice if your liver is not performing at its best include gas or bloating, constipation, heartburn, acid reflux, yellowish tint to skin and eyes, high blood pressure, difficulty losing weight, cognitive difficulties, dark urine, chronic fatigue, poor appetite, and chronic fatigue.

If you want to support your liver there are certain foods you should focus on. These foods include beets, carrots, tomatoes, grapefruit, spinach, citrus fruits, cabbage, turmeric, walnuts, avocados, apples, brussels sprouts, garlic, dandelion root, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green tea, artichoke, olive oil, and alternative grains like quinoa, millet and buckwheat.

There are many diets, supplements, and programs available to detox; you need to find the one that is best for you. Consult your doctor if you have concerns or questions. Below are some general tips that have worked for me:
- Hydrate!
- Eliminate common food sensitivities
- Eat clean and organic
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a diet high in fiber
- Take a probiotic
- Eat light meals more frequently
- Get the proper amount of sleep
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco products
- Avoid processed foods and whole grains
You will find that when you are done with your detox, you should notice that you have much more energy, your digestion has improved, and your skin looks younger and brighter. You will also have better mental clarity and cognitive functioning, along with a boost to your immune system and more balanced blood sugar levels.

Interesting in removing toxins naturally? If you’d like to shed unwanted weight than join us for the next Seasonal Detox!

Health Hormones Group Program starts September 15th (some spots available now)

If you have been considering joining our Healthy Hormones Group Program starting September 15th, I highly suggest that you start with the seasonal detox. My clients who have focused on their detoxification pathways and liver health for a month or two before trying to balance hormones and support adrenals have been much more successful. One of the liver’s many jobs is to get rid of excess hormones, so this is an important player in the balancing process.
July 21, 2015
Is your clogged liver making you fat?
Talking about the liver is one of my favorite topics. I don’t think the liver gets enough press, I mean this organ is pretty darn cool.

The liver is the largest solid organ in the body and weighs approximately 3.5 lbs! It is a HUGE filter.

Important functions of the liver:
- Detoxifies the blood to rid it of harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs.
- It makes and secretes bile to help your body absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).
- It metabolizes and stores carbohydrates, fats, sugars, vitamins (and other nutrients obtained from the foods we eat) for energy and brain function.
- It breaks down harmful chemicals (bilirubin and ammonia) produced by the body and keeps the body regulated and healthy.
- It manufactures proteins to help maintain blood purity and proper flow.
What does this have to do with weight gain?

If the liver is overburdened with toxic substances day in and out, other important functions such as metabolism will be compromised. The liver is responsible for helping to metabolize fat through the production of bile. A compromised fat metabolism leads to weight gain as well as feeling bloated and sluggish.

Anger and the Liver

Did you know that anger is the emotion tied with the liver? Have you ever noticed that alcoholics or people who regularly abuse their liver tend to be angry?

Signs that your liver can’t keep up with the junk you are sending it:
- Headaches
- Don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning
- Food allergies and chemical sensitivities
- Dark urine
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea, and light colored stools
- Enlarged blood vessels, easy bruising
- Anxiety and depression
- Mental confusion
- PMS
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin
- Impaired libido (sex drive)
If the signs above point to a clogged liver and you would like to confirm that, there is a lab test we can run. This lab would also make sense if you have been making a lot of effort to reduce stress on your liver and want to see your progress.

How will I know if my liver is congested?

As a Certified Functional Nutrition Practitioner, examining liver function is one of the first 2 lab tests that I complete with a client. The BH 101 collects data on digestive and detoxification functions by looking at the Urinary Bile Acid Sulfates (UBAS). When the liver cannot filter efficiently the bile acid sulfates spill over and are present in the urine. A high UBAS is a clue into what is going on within the body.

How can you support the liver?

1)      ½ Lemon in 16 oz water in the morning (warm or room temp) – the lemon water will help flush out the liver.

2)      Increase your intake of greens – dandelion greens, kale, parsley and collards

3)      Herbs that support the liver – milk thistle, dandelion, burdock root & turmeric (curcumin).

4)      Avoid eating out– the added chemicals, “natural flavors” and additives in restaurant food (even healthy restaurants) are much higher than in any home cooked food.

5)      Eat liver – The Native American cultures believed that if you want to support an organ you should eat that organ of an animal. With 2 wise Native Americans in my house, I am going to take this advice to be true! If you are into eating odd, squishy foods, go for it. Get yourself some liver and chow down. Are you grossed out by the idea of eating liver? You can also get desiccated liver capsules by Radiant Life and take them first thing in the morning.

6)      Give the liver a break! Limiting your intake of highly processed foods, dairy and meat and replacing that with vegetables, fresh juices and soups for a few weeks (if not always!). I like to do this at the change of the seasons.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is the time of the Liver and the Gallbladder. This is why every Spring I like to give the liver a break from the toxins, chemicals, alcohol and processed foods. During my 2 week cleanse I also support this liver with herbs, chlorophyll rich foods, and a special detoxifying beverage!

Resources: liverfact.com
March 24, 2014