Balancing hormones can be tricky business, but it can be done as long as you include supporting your liver as a key healing focus.
Your liver is THE major organ of detoxification in your body. Everything that comes into your body for absorption- food, pollutants, medications, alcohol- plus all of your natural metabolic waste products, including used hormones, will go through your liver to be detoxified and processed.
Your liver detoxifies all of these things, so they can be excreted from your body. If these by-products and toxins aren't excreted, then they build up in your body causing toxic overload and inflammation.
That sounds terrifying!
Rest assured though, you are constantly bombarded by toxins and it is your liver's favourite job to deal with them. Your liver is well equipped to carry out detoxification processes every single day of your life in order to keep you alive.
But, there's a catch.
Your liver needs support to carry out its detoxification processes otherwise these processes slow up. When the liver slows down, toxin can get backed up in your system, causing problems.
Signs you have a Sluggish Liver that needs support:
- Headaches and migraines
- Frequent nausea, especially on waking
- PMS, including moodiness, food cravings, breast tenderness and breakouts
- Period pain
- Signs of oestrogen dominance such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids and breast tenderness
- IBS or other gut inflammation (leaky gut or parasites, food intolerances)
- Adult acne
- Eczema, dermatitis and Psoriasis
Lifestyle Factors that Can Over-burden Your Liver:
- Eating a highly processed diet with low fibre intake
- Frequent alcohol intake
- Being overweight
- Frequent medication use
- The Oral Contraceptive Pill (this is a big one)
- Frequent exposure to environmental chemicals from your workplace (i.e. building sites, hairdressing salons, nail salons)
There are also genetic factors at play here for some people. Genetic variations in enzyme activity can slow down certain liver detoxification pathways. If you've done a gene testing such as Ancestry or 23andMe, you'll be able to see how your genes affect your detoxification capacity.
Your Liver and Your Hormones
Your liver processes all of the hormones that you make, and also pollutants like xeno-oestrogens which act like hormones. This process helps to keep your hormones in balance, and your body and mind happy.
Oestrogen detoxification is especially important, as healthy detox here will reduce inflammation and promote balance between oestrogen and progesterone. This delicate balance is really the key for hormonal health and a happier you.
Liver Detoxification
Your Liver undergoes two phases of detoxification to transform toxins into water-soluble, safe products that can be excreted from the body.
Enzymes are involved in both phase I and phase II of detoxification. Often, when I refer to a 'sluggish liver' it will be phase II that needs more support. However phase I can also need some support, so it's good to cover all bases.
Support your Liver Detoxification
Depending on what your diet, lifestyle and genetic makeup is, this will be slightly different for everyone. However, here are some basics that everyone can cover:
- Reduce alcohol
- Increase your fibre intake
- Reduce medication intake if possible (i.e if you're popping Ibuprofen or Paracetamol all the time for headaches and period pain, seek naturopathic support to actually get to their root cause so you don't need to rely on meds).
- Avoid processed foods that are high in fats and sugars. These place a lot of strain on your liver.
- Eat cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage), oranges, pears, garlic, onion, beetroots, turmeric and rosemary.
- Eat enough protein each day, as amino acids are needed for detoxification processes
- Supplement with magnesium and B vitamins as these are co-factors for many enzymatic reactions involved in detox.
- St Mary's Thistle is a herb that is well known to support liver health. Speak to your health practitioner regarding the dose.
- Sulforaphane is the active compound found in cruciferous veggies, particularly broccoli sprouts. It's a potent antioxidant and inducer of phase II detoxification, and can be a fantastic supplement to support your liver function.
Supporting your liver will go a long way to balancing your hormones and improving your overall health. You'll find that when your liver is supported, you'll have more energy, feel lighter, feel less achy and all around happier.
Not sure where to start? Why not work with me? Find out more here.