Part VI of Oxidative Stress and Recovery: Liver Detoxification

This series of articles is based on the premise that the lack of progress in recovering lost health is due to a sustained level of oxidative stress that our body is unable to manage. Unmanaged oxidative stress keeps our bodies in turmoil. In this condition, our body's defenses are in retreat and we are fighting with a rear guard action. If we are unable to hold our ground, we are not able to maintain or achieve hemodynamics/homeostasis. Even a weak body that has reached hemodynamics, can begin getting well and taking back the ground it lost. In previous issues, I listed seven areas of oxidative stress that are primary offenders. One of those offenders is "the compromised liver detoxification" of internal and external toxins.

The liver is the largest metabolically active organ in the body, and the primary organ in charge of the body's detoxification system. It converts food to stored energy and filters toxins form the blood converting them into harmless water soluble substances that the body can then eliminate. It processes foods, drugs and medications absorbed from the digestive tract enabling the body to use them effectively and finally dispose of them. It makes substances like bile, cholesterol, triglycerides and albumin for use elsewhere in the body. To sum this all up, the liver functions as the body's "garbage collector and recycler".

Last March, in Los Angeles, the police were out-gunned by two armed robbers. The criminals were using high powered automatic weapons while the police were limited to standard issue pistols and shotguns. The robbers were able to hold the police off and proceed toward getting away until the police obtained comparable weapons and then overpowerd the criminals.

Everyday, you and I are assulted by high-powered toxins. They are in the air, the food we eat, the medicine we take, and the metabolic by-products of energy production in our bodies. Like the Los Angeles police, if our ability to ward off this assault is impaired because our liver's are depleted in the weapons they need to detoxify, then we are going to be "out-gunned by the toxins". That means we are going to get sick or stay sick.

Our livers can be depleted of the needed weapons by use of certain prescription and over-the-counter medication, or alcohol indulgence, or fasting, or chemical exposure, or even our genetic profile (genotype). There are many such chemical and genetic criminals that can assault us.

How do we know if we are "out-gunned" in the area of "liver detoxification"? The liver detoxifies in a two phase process and the hand-off between Phase One and Phase Two of this process must be balanced. If Phase One is overactive and or Phase Two is underactive, there will be a toxic build up of Phase One intermediaries and trouble. In order to make sure you are able to handle the assault of toxins, you should have a "Liver Challenge" test. This is an easy, non-invasive method to clinically measuring how well "armed" your liver really is. With the information from this test, you can see where the weaknesses are and devise a plan for correcting the deficiencies with the proper nutriceuticals.

What are some nutrients that can help repair and restore the "liver's detoxification system"? One of the most useful nutrients for improving liver detoxification is N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor for glutathione'an essential detoxifier and an important antioxidant. Taking NAC restores glutathione (GSH) and protects the liver against a wide range of toxins. Vitamin C can also helps elevate GSH levels by protecting GSH from being destroyed. Eating cruciform vegetables (cabbage family, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, green onions and kale) directly stimulate the activity of a liver enzyme important in detoxification. An ancient herb, milk thistle, protects against liver toxins. This is a general list, however, proper testing can provide more specific nutrients for improvement of your liver's detox functions.

If you are intolerant of sulfur containing foods, nutrients or drugs, this is indicative of a special problem with liver detox and treatment should be overseen by a physician. Find an alternative health care physician who can help you with this problem. Great Smokies Laboratory can refer you to physicians in your area.

Hot Breaking News:

"We know a great deal about risk factors for atherosclerosis and heart attacks, but not the actual causes," Dr. Mark Herzberg, a professor of preventive sciences at the University of Minnesota, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February. Dr. Herzberg's team of researcher's have demonstrated a relationship between bacteria found in gum disease and a protein that can cause blood cells to clump together triggering a heart attack or stroke. The study found that bacteria in dental plaque can cause blood platelets to clump together -- the first stage toward a blood clot that could cause a heart attack or stroke. Some studies have already shown that controlling gum disease can lower stroke and heart attack risk by 80%. Further research in this area in currently underway and being funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Action Plan:

I highly recommend Dr. Leo Galland's book, the "Four Pillars of Healing", Random House, 1997. It is a remarkable book that everyone interested in their own health should read. Dr. Galland recognizes the all-encompassing relationship between patient-physician, the environment, and the patient's own desire for wellness. You can order Four Pillars of Healing  here. Also, consider Dr. Morrison Bethea's book entitled "Sugar Busters". Dr. Bethea discusses in easy to read and comprehensible language the problems of insulin insensitivity, fat and sugar metabolism and diet. I believe this is a book you will want to give to friends and keep in your library. Order Sugar Busters  Today!

Finally, it would be worth you time and energy to go to your local library and look up the Nov. 17th, 1997 issue to Newsweek Magazine. An article entitled "Gut Reactions" on page 95 by Wendy Marston is the best widely published article on the "leaky gut" syndrome that I have yet read. It is worth the effort just to see the graphics demonstrating what a "leaky gut" looks like.

Next Issue: The Mitochondria and Energy Production

You can send your questions to me at NutriDent, Ltd. 4707 Everhart, Rd., Suite 101, Corpus Christi, TX 78411 or FAX them to 512.853.8561. My email address is dlowrance@mail.interconnect.net and internet homepage address, http://www.interconnect.net/dlowrance. Previous articles in this series are available from DAMS, or you can download them off the internet by using my homepage address and then one of these 5 additions:

/detoxification_protocol.html

/part_I.html
/part_II.html
/part_III.html

/part_IV.html
/part_V.html