Spring is time for a good clean out in our bodies and lives as well as at
home
In Chinese medicine spring relates to the wood element, the colour green and liver and gall bladder energy.
The Liver is located mostly below the right breast area, yet stretches right across the body.
It has over 500 functions, including
- converting digested food into energy
- controlling fats, amino acids and glucose in the blood
- storing glycogen created from carbohydrates and release it back as glucose
- neutralising and destroy drugs and chemicals
- eliminating waste and toxins
- cleaning infections, including bacteria from the blood
- storing iron, vitamins and other chemicals
- regulating, manufacture and breakdown hormones, including oestrogens
- making enzymes and proteins for most chemical reactions in the body, including tissue repair
- producing bile
The Gallbladder is a small pear shaped sac under the liver. It stores bile, continually produced by the liver to help breakdown fats in the intestine so the body can use them. Bile is a powerful anti-oxidant, which helps remove toxins from the liver. It travels to the intestine from the liver or from the gall bladder via connecting tubes (ducts) and is excreted in faeces. Without sufficient bile you may have trouble with
- metabolising fats, deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E,K
- digesting essential fatty acids and utilising calcium
- dry skin
- excessive burping after a fatty meal
- nausea, gas or bloating
- tendency to constipation
Nutritional Support (with professional help to assess accurately)
Liver likes magnesium and zinc, gallbladder likes omega3; both like specific B vitamins and manganese.
Liver cleanse with milkthistle, bearberry, burdock root, dandelion root, fringetree bark, nettle leaf.
Gut cleanse with bentonite clay, psyllium husks, inulin and water!
Cleansing and Detox (with professional help to assess accurately)
Liver has two phases of detoxification pathways: phase 1 changes a poison, often to a worse poison, phase 2 wraps up and eliminates it. When pathways are functioning correctly specific detoxification is less necessary; cleansing when the pathways are out of kilter can leave you feeling much worse. It is important to identify and eliminate specific toxins and upregulate detoxification pathways.
There are specific naturopathic cleanses for gallbladder and stones, though care needs to be taken to avoid blocking the ducts if stones are released.
As liver and gallbladder waste is excreted through the gut, it is good to clean it too!
We are happy to advise you on your health matters. To learn about the full range of services offered by Aether Bios Clinic take a look at our website.
Lin Bridgeford DO KFRP MSCC ICAK (UK) MSc
Registered Osteopath & Kinesiologist
Aether Bios Clinic
Saltdean
Tel: 01273 309557
Mobile: 07710 227038
