Ten Steps Towards Long-Term Liver Health
“The best way to help your liver perform with hepatitis C is to reduce all other challenges to the Liver.” Lorren Sandt in HEPATITIS C CHOICES www.hepcchallenge.org
- Maintain a positive attitude. Find and maintain hope. Create thoughts that produce and focus energy towards wellness. These in turn bring about more positive outcomes. (See “the secret” if you haven’t yet.)
- Get enough sleep – it’s the cheapest stress management there is! . For those who sleep well, nighttime is easy. For those who have trouble sleeping it can be some of the longest hours ever lived. The body uses nighttime hours for a number of biochemical and hormonal processes that are very important for maintaining health. The mind also uses these hours and the dreamworld to integrate daily events between the conscious and subconscious minds. Without the time to have these processes, there can be a severe impact on short term and long-term health.
- Exercise regularly. The key here is moderation. Exercise releases endorphins, boosts the immune system, benefits sleep and prevents osteoporosis. Drinking water and getting massage therapy after will increase the release of toxins and further benefit your system. Qi gong, tai chi and yoga are examples of low impact exercises that are very beneficial for those who feel weak or low energy.
- Weight management: There are happy fat cells and unhappy fat cells. Some body fat is normal and healthy, but when it becomes excessive it starts to take a toll on your health. Unhappy fat cells are overly engorged and release inflammatory signals that then initiate damaging inflammatory cycles in the body. These can manifest as pain, heart disease, GIT problems. skin disorders, gall bladder disease, autoimmune disorders and cancer. The liver has to metabolize or break down all fats you ingest as well as create and metabolize all of the body fats/cholesterols. Managing your weight pushes the ratio towards happy fat cells, which release positive signaling to your other body systems, and decreases overall inflammation.
- Be a sexual being. A healthy sex life provides connection and intimacy with self and others. It burns calories, connects mind/body/spirit and feels good!
- Stress reduction: our body doesn’t differentiate between family stress, work stress, physical stress, relationship stress, etc. Stress is a ubiquitous experience – what matters is how we individually cope with it in our life. Some coping tools include warm baths, meditation, yoga, visualization exercises, and journaling. Find ways to soothe your own soul - what makes you truly feel good? Find that thing and make space for it in your life. Drugs and alcohol are no longer viable options for stress reduction. Support networks are integral for successful stress management – evaluate yours and build them up where they are weak: look towards family, chosen family, friends, romantic partners, therapy, support groups, and religion.
- Quit smoking: there are over 4000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. These are metabolized by your lungs and also your liver. Smoking creates an immense toxic burden on your already overloaded system. Consider nicotine replacement therapy with long standing addiction. The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has a nicotine dependence clinic, and there are several Toronto Public Health support services for smoking cessation as well.
- Consider HAV and HBV vaccination if you haven’t had it yet.
- Practice good nutrition. Take your vitamins. Let your food be your medicine.
10. Try Acupuncture. Acupuncture is an excellent adjunct to HEPC care –
there is a long history if its use for liver health and wellness. It’s an excellent treatment for the side effects of medications as well. An additional benefit is it’s not something you have to “take.” Instead it’s an opportunity to physically and energetically rebalance and rejuvenate in a window of time that is reserved just for you and your health.
For more information on Naturopathic Medicine
please see our website www.360healthcare.com.
