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How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: Update to the Two-Month Liver Detox Challenge
As of today, we’re a month and a few days (give or take, depending on when you started) into the Two-Month Liver Detox Challenge. That means about three more weeks to go. I just want to offer a few reasons to keep at it, for those who are participating. For those who aren’t, it’s never too late to get on the detox bandwagon. Let’s remember why we’re doing this in the first place and why we, as thyroidians, even give two shits about the liver: it processes thyroid hormone. , A weak liver, or a liver too busy and distracted by chemicals and toxins in the body won’t be able to ensure our thyroid hormones are distributed properly. That’s a big deal because no matter how many times Mr. Endocrinologist ups the dose, a toxic liver still won’t be able to distribute that pill’s contents.
The past month, for me, has been spent eating healthy (whole and organic) detox foods; things like avocados, onions and garlic, lettuce, celery, parsley, ginger, squash, peas, broccoli and cabbage (sparingly and/or cooked thoroughly), wild-caught fish, seeds, sea salt and herbs and spices, anti-inflammatory oils like olive and coconut and palm, and tons of purified water and lemon. I’ve also included an herbal tea that supports liver function, as well as a supplement that contains liver-stimulating herbs and amino acids.
The first two weeks, the noticeable difference was that, apparently, detoxing makes you have to use the bathroom alot (in more ways than one). It also ended up making me extremely thirsty. But, once I got over those difficulties (they did go away), I actually have ended up with more energy. Trust me, it’s not miraculous; I’m not running marathons or drafting my memoir. But, there has been an increase in my mental and physical energy. I have been able to concentrate more, and I don’t get tired as easily in the mornings and afternoons. Even if the improvement has been small, it is still worth celebrating in my book. , And if I had to make a judgement about the future, I have a feeling I may even stay at this after the two-month marker, just because I will take all the mental and physical stamina I can get. , Also, since most everything in our food supply and environment and personal beauty products contain toxic chemicals (and don’t forget the untested synergies), I’m pretty convinced that one can never do enough purifying — our immune systems, organs, and brains are constantly bombarded with these toxins. (Side note: a great book that addresses this very issue of toxins in our food, water, environment and homes, and the chemical synergies that result and damage our bodies is The Hundred Year Lie. I would highly suggest buying it. I own it. It’s amazing. It’s loaded with info on endocrine disruptors).
For those who are partaking in this challenge with me, and even for those interested in learning more, here are some great resources on detox and the liver — great incentives to keep at it. These are taken directly from the Two-Month Detox Challenge blog:
- Probiotics May Protect Your Live
- Foods to eat and avoid on a detox diet
- Ten Alternative Plants that Cleanse the Liver, Part I
- What are Toxins in my Body? Detox 101. Facts and Myths.
- Fast Track Liver Detox: Part One
Until Next Week,
Love Always,
Liz
Have a question, comment, story, love letter, or rant/rave to send me?: Liz@DearThyroid.com
Tags: liver detox challenge thyroid patients, liver process thyroid hormone, Liz Schau thyroid nutrition writer, thyroid patients liver issues
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8 Responses to “How To Kick Your Thyroid’s Ass: Update to the Two-Month Liver Detox Challenge”
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One c0mment I have about this is the part about wild caught fish. Given the state of the world’s fisheries, this is becoming more and more like insisting on fruits and vegetables picked growing wild. If we eliminated all the farmed fish and substituted wild caught fish for all the farm fish, most of the fish species we eat would soon be on the verge of extinction.
Not that I’m against eating wild caught fish. I eat them and also wild caught red meat (venison, elk, moose and so on) which do not have many of the problems that even free range beef and pork have.
Of course for a vegetarian this is a non issue. But for those of us who eat meat and fish, the answer is not to shun farmed foods but to push for better farming practices. Lets face it, the world just can’t support a population of hunter gatherers anywhere near the current population.
I also wondered why frozen fruits are okay but frozen vegetables are not-I eat a lot of frozen vegetables.
Zari
hey liz, it’s just me again. enjoying your posts on this topic very much. in fact doing this is changing my whole approach to food and all my habits. i now look at what i eat not just as a pleasure thing (which it still is!) but i now look at food as medicine. and it definitely is that. i gotta figure, if i can feel this good after three surgeries and still manage to lose weight, there’s something amazing going on inside me. i want to stand up and shout to the world about this, i feel so good. and i’m healing so fast and effectively that my doctors and physio think i’m a freak!! maybe i have the zeal of the newly converted, but converted i AM!
keep up the great work liz. you’re making a difference.
I have just found your entertaining and very informative blog from my Google Detox alert.
Congratulations for sticking to your liver detox. It is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do for any health problem because the liver has so many functions.
We are all subjected to and retain toxins in our bodies regardless of how careful we think we are.
A liver detox cured my chronic fatigue. I know it works. I look forward to many more great posts.
Liver Function and Thyroid
A few years ago I was watching Valerie Saxion on her television program, where she mentioned lack of hair on the top of the head can be indicative the liver needs to be cleansed, and on that show she said the better functioning the liver is, the better functioning the thyroid will be. http://www.valeriesaxion.com/showNotes.html
Also a few years ago I heard Teresa Tapp in a seminar stating in Germany milk thistle is used for liver detoxing, and there has been lots of research in Germany regarding milk thistle. https://store.t-tapp.com/categories/Seminars/ If I remember correctly, this information is on the Personal Profile Seminar CD.
Tonight I found these two articles.
http://www.springboard4health.com/store/iyb_8_98.html mentions the liver converts the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) into its more active form, triiodothyronine (T3). Inadequate conversion may lead to hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor memory and other debilitating conditions.
http://heartspring.net/detoxification_liver_health.html discusses liver health and milk thistle.
Hi Liz,
I have had high liver enzyme values for the last ten years, and many of the doctors that I ran into just told me to curb my drinking. While I drink a bit, I don’t consider myself a heavy drinker, so I was always annoyed when the doctors would say this. More to the point, they never did anything about it, despite my increasing blood pressure.
When I first visited our thyroid specialist here in Germany, he did an ultrasound on my thyroid (noting its enlargement), and also did one of my liver. While he took blood tests to confirm everything, Dr. Neufeldt pointed out the wide strip of fat on my liver, and said due to its appearance as a strip, it was caused specifically by the thyroid.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s when the blood tests came back, and also with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which was causing liver hypertension (and increasing my blood pressure). Dr. Neufeldt said that he tested for three liver enzymes (GGT, SGOT, SGPT) and all three were very high. Knowing all three levels would indicate if one does drink too much, or consume too much fatty food, have thyroid related fat, or indicate that one might have a liver virus (Hepatitis).
I think an interesting medical website describing the values and interactions is: http://www.medicinenet.com/liver_blood_tests/article.htm
Due to my liver issues, Dr. Neufeldt immediately put me on a T3/T4 combination as my liver condition would inhibit impaired T3 production. He also put me on Lagosa, which uses an extract of the milk thistle plant. The specific active ingredient(s) is Silymarin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silibinin
I’ve been taking the Lagosa now for three full months, and after upping the dosage, my liver enzyme values are starting to decrease finally. Luckily so, otherwise Dr. Neufeldt would have put me on a transfusion. I hope that with lower enzyme levels, the strip of fat and my high blood pressure will recede as well!
While my thyroid values are now in line, I am still a bit tired. Dr. Neufeldt says that it is probably the liver dysfunction, and I should start feeling more energetic when the liver is functioning properly. After the liver enzyme values are in check, he’ll look once more at thyroid function.
-Corey