Functioning Liver

Maybe the answers to getting well have been here all along! Healthy liver = healthy body,& mind.


consider this.... some people can tolerate huge amounts of toxins, while others get sick justing thinking about them... why?

some would say genetics, and that may play a small part. but my own opinion is that the overall condition of the body, including especially the liver, is the critical difference. a strong functioning liver can overcome a lot of problems that would cripple someone with a clogged up poorly functioning liver.

Agreed!


Sorry to disagree, but the discussions are rather misleading and in some cases incorrect. Liver detoxification and dysbiosis are very closely linked. Its not a matter of Dysbiosis or Liver problems. You can have a perfectly healthy liver yet Dysbiosis can wreak havoc with the liver's detoxification pathways.

The liver is like a chemical factory capable of hundreds of different reactions. Detoxification happens in 2 phases. Phase 1 takes a toxin molecule and either adds or removes an electron (oxidation or reduction), making it highly reactive. Phase 2 takes another molecule and combines (conjugates)it with the intermediate reactive toxin, making the toxin molecule larger, less reactive (and therefore less harmful) and water soluble. The toxin can then be excreted via the aqeous phase of the GI tract or kidneys.
Phase I liver detoxification is carried out by a collection of over 60 enzymes called Cytochrome P450. Over 60 key forms are known, with hundreds of genetic variations possible, producing a wide variety of susceptibility to specific toxins. As the saying goes, "One man's meat is another man's poison".

Enzymes are proteins which require co-factors (electron donors and conjugation molecules) in order to work correctly. These co-factors are provided by the diet and consist of trace elements, minerals, vitamins and other compounds like amino acids glycine, cysteine, glutamine, methionine, taurine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid. One of the main conjugation pathways uses the glutathione molecule.
In cases where phase 1 detoxification is more active than phase II, a build up of reactive intermediate metabolites can occur which in turn can lead to tissue damage and disease. These people are referred to as "Pathological Detoxifiers".

So what can cause imbalance or impairment of the detoxification processes and illness?
- Chronically bad nutrition can fail to provide the necessary co-factors
- Constant exposure to a particular toxin in the environment can cause the body to run out of critical co-factors like Glutathione
- Heavy metals or antibiotic overuse can destroy the gut's micro-flora, causing dysbiosis, which impairs the absorbtion of minerals and vitamins, leading to severe deficiencies.... when co-factors are absent, detoxification stops, leading to a build up of toxins, cell damage and illness.

In summary, impaired liver detoxification is almost always the result of another problem and liver flushes and the like represent short term treatment rather than cure


I am confused (nothing new there!). How do we get balance between all this liver pampering and killing candida. What should we be doing first or should we doing both at the same time or if we pamper our livers does candida die off anyway?
Amanda


Excellent post Steve...

A couple of follow up questions. I do have a fast Phase One yet I have not been on antibiotics for three years. My
diet is organic and I don`t consume alcohol or drugs. The only pathway that
looked weak is Glucorodinatoin...
What would you suggest.

I think one of my problems is poor protein absorption..my bloodword shows
low aminos....I wonder why I absorb
protein so poorly....what do you think.

Oddly enough, my Gsdl test showed low
in candida and no gut bugs, yet I do
think dysbiosis is the key to my off
balance liver...what else should I look
for.

Second question..do you think that a person who has a fast Phase One would be harmed by the Liver Flush.


Glucuronidation removes several toxic and potentially toxic chemicals from the body. It also removes hormones that are produced naturally by the body. Glucuronidation is the main pathway for converting many drugs, steroids and many toxic and endogenous substances to water soluble metabolites that can then be excreted via the GI tract or Kidneys.

What can disrupt Glucuronidation?
Drugs or toxic exposure disrupts phase 1 or phase 2 function
Accidental ingestion of toxic substances (such as plants, poisons, drug overdose, mercury)
Intentional ingestion of substances which overload detox pathways (such as nicotine, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, xenobiotics, therapeutic glycosides, etc.
Chronic exposure to environmental xenobiotics or mycotoxins could eventually exhaust the Glucuronidation pathway

I have never tried nor have any experience with liver detoxification.


Which came first: Impaired Liver Detox or Gut Dysbiosis?

One example: If antibiotics are to blame for GI problems, then why, don't things return to normal when you stop taking them. That's the case for some people, but not all. What's the missing factor.

WHy don't things return to normal after a mold issue is resolved in your environment?

Why do you feel better temporarily when the right nutrients are available?

Why is the health restored when mercury is removed and chelated and others don't?

Something is missing....but what?


- Immune system status
- Gut microflora status
- P450 cytochrom genetics
- Nutritional status
- Allergy status
- External confounding factors e.g xenobiotics


What I think about the discussion that is excellent is the feedback on what can help and hinder the detox pathways. This type of information is very rare for the sick lay person!


I agree with you on this.


I agree with the thrust of what you say. Toxic overload is circular and the key is to find the underlying cause.

Whilst supporting the circle as you remedy the cause.


Sorry Simon. I had completely missed your last post and I think this answers my question.
Amanda


, I agree 100% and have always said that flushing the liver is short term help unless you correct the issues that led to liver congestion in the first-place. Andreas Moritz in his book amazing liver flush goes on at great length regarding the factors that effect liverflush, and how to avoid them. he never implies that simply liverflushing will end your problems without diet and lifestyle changes. That being said, you can't write the whole book in a single post.

here are a few people other than myself who have experienced some benefits (and a few bad experiences as well):

http://www.curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=565&t=51736

i'm sorry if i have given anyone the impression that liverflushing alone will solve all their health problems. Its funny in a way, because when I first posted all the things i did to get better, several people considered my approach totally unrealistic because it included too many different things/aspects... ie, too much work. now it appears i have given the opposite impression (the magic bullet). i guess you can't ever get it quite right, but i always considered myself very anti magic bullet.

if i had to sum up what i believe about recovering health, i believe in holistic treatment: cleansing (yup, the liver flush), diet (not the candida diet, but a healthy diet), exercise (love the 5 tibetans)and avoiding repolluting the body. there are many different ways to accomplish this... in fact, i know of at least 5 different liverflushes alone, including the one Pace just did. done correctly, it seems like common sense that if something clears toxins or blockages out of the body, there will be benefit. It may not be very everyone, but that's why this forum is here, people can read about the different approaches and trythings they believe will work for them. beats waiting for some doctor to tell you how to get better because, as most here probably know, you might be waiting around for awhile for that advice to arrive.