The liver
& the importance of detoxification
Last week in the Supplement Series we looked at NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) and how it supports detoxification. Optimal detoxification is essential when it comes to hormonal balance and overall health. The liver plays a leading role in detoxification and luckily, there’s lots we can do to support it!
First, let’s understand why detoxification is so important for our (hormonal) health and why it’s something women often struggle with. Things like poor diet 🍭, toxin exposure ☣, stress 😩, excessive weight ⚖️, etc. can all lead to a build up of estrogen in the body. Estrogen dominance is often responsible for irregular periods 🗓️, mood swings 🎢, trouble sleeping 🛏️ and other PMS symptoms in the short term and can contribute to cancer, Alzheimer’s and autoimmune diseases in the long term. Therefore, we want to be doing everything we can to help our bodies flush excess estrogen from our system. This is where the liver comes in.
*Image from https://ezra.com/blog/the-liver-its-anatomy-and-functions
There are two main sources of toxins that the liver deals with: 1️⃣ those created inside the body and 2️⃣ those from outside the body. Our bodies naturally produce estrogen but unfortunately, there are also environmental toxins in everyday products like🧴skincare, 🛏️ mattresses, carpets, 🛋️ sofas, 👚clothing, plastic, etc. that interfere with and mimic estrogen in our bodies. Because of this our livers are basically overloaded and cannot detoxify as much estrogen as is necessary.
How to support your liver & detoxification
🥦Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables & bitter greens
🍸Avoid alcohol
🥵Sweat regularly
💊Only use medication when necessary (obviously)
These are just a few ways to get you started! Luckily, there’s plenty we can do to support our liver and detoxification. Let me know if you’d like a Part Two.
Warm regards,
Donelle