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Detox for Life

by Dr. Susan Lark

Published 02/04/09

People often think good health is the absence of disease—a sort of medical neutral zone. And as evidence of their healthiness, they proudly point out how long it’s been since they had a cold or the flu. However, in my experience, truly great health is a far cry from neutral. It’s an energetic, luminous state that practically sparkles with vitality. Most people have it when they’re too young to appreciate it, then pine for it when they think it’s too late to get it back. By middle age, in fact, the absence of disease may seem like a pretty good consolation prize.

But don’t believe it. In most cases, you can have improved health practically overnight, and watch it elevate to great health in a matter of a few months, simply by taking targeted care of the one organ in your body that works tirelessly, every day of your life, to take good care of you—your liver.

Neglect it, and it may continue working hard for you, but “neutral” health will be the best it can deliver. Help it, and it can elevate you to vibrant, brilliant health so vital that you’ll be able to feel it, and see it in the mirror. So, ask yourself this question: How healthy and toxin-free are you?

The Original Multi-Tasker

Your liver has lots of jobs, such as helping you metabolize fats, carbohydrates and proteins; storing extra blood and key nutrients for use when they’re needed; helping manufacture and balance your hormones; and—as I mentioned earlier—detoxifying and eliminating poisonous wastes and byproducts. Unfortunately, modern life, which is supposed to have made life easier for all of us, makes things significantly harder for our livers.

That’s because we’re practically marinating in toxins our livers were never designed to handle, such as toxic fumes leaking from carpets, upholstery, insulation, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc., as well as medications, drugs, cosmetics, relentlessly-elevated cortisol levels from your own adrenals (thanks to chronic stress), and poor food choices that are tough for your liver to metabolize, provide no real nutrition to fuel needed repairs, and burden it with toxic byproducts.

Toxic Backwash

Your overworked liver gradually loses its ability to break down and eliminate the toxins your bloodstream constantly delivers to its doorstep. Over time, toxins that are only partially broken down (and thus still somewhat poisonous) begin accumulating in your liver’s cells and ductwork, sickening the organ, and setting it up for inflammatory disease, such as hepatitis. Stockpiled toxic waste begins spilling out of the liver, and your whole body becomes increasingly toxic, scrambling to eliminate toxins through less efficient, less reliable, secondary routes—for example, excreting still-toxic wastes through the pores of your skin, into your urine, and into your stool.

As a result, your skin becomes more sensitive, more easily inflamed, and increasingly prone to severe sunburn. You may experience increased oiliness, clogged pores, dryness, flakiness, a blotchy, blemished, “ruddy” complexion on your face and other exposed areas, thinned “older looking” skin, or a tired, sallow appearance. Your digestive tract may also begin to lose some of its ability to handle food efficiently, leading to indigestion, gas, unexplained weight gain, and a sensitive, overreactive gut that leaves you reluctant to eat out without easy access to a private bathroom. Plus, your kidneys can become stressed, leading to retained water and bloating, rising blood pressure, and increased vulnerability to vaginal, urinary tract, and kidney infections.

As a result of all this toxic backwash, you may begin to feel chronically fatigued, prone to headaches, bloated, irritable, emotionally reactive, and mentally foggy—eventually feeling as though you can no longer rely on your body or your mind.

Invest in a Liver-Insurance Policy

Now that you understand how important your liver is, you can start taking steps to clear out the toxins it has accumulated, as well as those that may have been diverted to your secondary organs of detoxification, including your skin, lungs, intestinal tract, and kidneys. Detoxifying your body pulls stashed toxins out of hiding in your liver and elsewhere, bringing them into the blood and lymph circulation where they can be properly eliminated.

In the process, their brief presence in your circulation can make you temporarily more toxic—until your detox program successfully eliminates them. This is immediately accompanied by significant improvement in the way you look and feel, and this improvement escalates as your liver repairs and regenerates.

Although I do advocate bi-yearly or even quarterly intensive liver-detox programs, I believe it makes more sense for most women to start with a gentler, daily program they can maintain as part of a healthier, liver-friendly lifestyle that constantly nurtures and supports their liver. Don’t mistake “gentle” for “less effective”—this program will begin reaping benefits immediately. And, when more intensive, “purge”-type liver cleanses are done within an already liver-loving daily lifestyle, their effects are less harsh, less likely to cause uncomfortable side effects, because there are fewer toxins to liberate. This is a much healthier and more effective approach than living a liver-abusive lifestyle, then trying to play “catch-up” to redeem liver health with periodic and harsh major cleanses.

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