Our Livers, and How To Fix Congested Ones

One awesome piece of advise I am implementing in 2018 is Your Mess is Your Message (thank you Tracy!) What that means is, the health issues that come up for me physically can be something I can learn about and use to help others. So for personal health reasons, I'm diving again into the messy topic of the good 'ol liver. For my prior blog, go here. 

My Mess: At my last functional doctor appointment I was told I have a congested liver.


How did this happen?
If you're  picturing my red, rubbery liver coughing and blowing it's nose into a tissue, then you're at least laughing a little. Actually, a congested liver can be caused from stress (yes) overeating (guilty) fatty foods (kinda guilty, blaming almond butter all the way!) and too many toxins - even mold or heavy metals (toxins are everywhere actually! And I'm not much of a drinker so it's not alcohol!) A congested liver can also be caused from food allergies (most common ones are eggs, sugar, gluten, dairy and nuts) and really yucky thoughts that keep cycling back through your mind, stressing you out. Although, one might say that the liver can cause the yucky thoughts to cycle through the body. In other words, was it the chicken (liver) or the egg (negative thoughts)? Also, parasites could be the cause of liver burdens, but that word travels right to my gag reflex so... let's stop there.

On a physical level our liver is your detox organ that  helps clot your blood, breaks down old blood cells, breaks down fats using it's own bile (bile is stored in the gallbladder but created by Mr Amazing liver) Among other things the very busy liver does is to shed fat, remove toxins from the body (including dirty arss pharmaceuticals) and produce cholesterol. PS, Don't go hating on cholesterol, we need it to make hormones, we just don't need too much of it AND it doesn't all come from dietary things like eggs people, read some new research. AND did I mention, people with liver problems tend toward anger?

Tangent over, back to the liver; the organ actually has over 500 jobs in the body that shames your multitasking claim.  Your liver is amazin'!  So is mine, but we're not here to talk about me. Actually, we are going to talk about my liver, though. So there.

My Message: 
Liver problems in Louise Hay's book, You Can Heal Your Life, (AKA my Bible) are listed as chronic complaining, feeling bad, justifying fault finding. The affirmation to help it is: My mind is cleansed and free, I leave the past and move into the new, All is well.
That's on the spiritual/emotional end of things, take it or leave it, lovies.  

In Chinese medicine, liver qi stagnation is associated with liver problems, where headaches, a flushed face, a short temper and a sore neck/trap area are involved. It also looks like cellulite (a word dirtier than parasite) and hair loss.  AND now things are getting ugly. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, any blockage of energy (chi) will inhibit liver function and cause physical symptoms like nail and eye issues including burning, itching or dry eyes. It also means you are not going to be able to process your emotions and since your liver disperses energy, then you can get stuck in emotions like depression, frustration, irritability, and anger. 

So what does my liver congestion look like to outsiders, like my family? I still look like me (though {dramatic sigh}heavier than 2 years ago) plus I'm an irrational, irritated and angry Mom that tries to maintain her cool but loses it for meaningless reasons. As in, "who didn't clear their plate, and why are there footprints on the floor I just cleaned, or why are you wearing your shoes in the house" ( red faced and "short Mom" yells)

And then 10 minutes later, after rapid, non-speaking, angry house tidying up, I'm back to being good (saintly) Mom again. Or, if you're my husband, you know I can go for a whole day giving the almost-silent treatment, where we talk only on a need to know basis. That's what others see, but its only part of my experience.

Inside my body, it feels like a storm is brewing. Loving peace feels like a rarity inside my mind- only after exercise, during a massage or when I'm in my PJ's and the family is settled for the night. The other times of the day, I feel complete elation and excitement, cycled with crying and irrational thoughts/actions. In other words, I'm a moody bitch which is one of my worst fears come true.

So there's my story up until present. Last night, my sweet daughter, Juliet and I had a talk. She hit me with this conversation when I was tucking her into her bunk bed, "So, let's talk Mom"
"OK, what about?"
"Well, why have you been so angry lately? Your anger comes in a pattern, one minute your fine and the next you're mad."

Our conclusion was to watch less TV, eat less sugar, gluten and fats (like delicious almond butter) and to relax more. My sweet daughter  really wanted to help and even offered to do her own laundry! It was important to me, that I explain to her, the anger is not who I am, I am still her loving mother who's expressing the emotion of anger. Anger itself is not bad, anger needs to come out so it doesn't harm the body. In fact, anger feels better than depression and is a few steps up on the emotional scale. (see picture!)
Now, on for other solutions-

Solutions:

1. Eat without distractions. Consuming food is sacred and should be done in peace. No TV, no phones, no standing up while eating. When multi-tasking while eating, blood will travel more to your brain than to your stomach for digestion. It's important that the eyes be relaxed (which are linked to the liver meridian) when eating so that nutrients are properly assimilated. And overeating is less likely to happen taking away the time suckers like TV and phones, also.

2. Kundalini states to cool off the liver (which is what is needed for congested livers) by making a straw with your tongue sticking out (if you can't curl your tongue then just stick out tongue instead) and breath in through your mouth slowly. Then close your mouth and breath out through your nose only. Repeat ten of these a day for intense liver love!

For more Kundalini liver tips, go here.

3. For me, there's also some detox medicine that I will take for the next 5 months to help detox my liver. Guaranteed to work. How do I know it will work? My doctor muscle tested me for it with kinesiology. (Side note - applied kinesiology is the most incredible medical aid in my life right now!) My body told me, via muscle testing, when to take the medicine (at night) and for how long (5 months). Hopefully I'll be a new woman by June 2018, joyful and full of energy with less bad Mom moments to mention. My kinesiologist here. 

My detox dinner pills

Liver 3 acupuncture point, hold here

4. In acupuncture, you know they work with energy systems rather than Western diagnosis. If there's an energy block, then you can get stuck in emotions and toxins. (as written above)You can get a quick fix by getting an acupuncture treatment (get community acupuncture for 1/3 of the cost of a private session) or you can hold this point (liver 3, in picture) on your foot for a quickie. Hold LV 3 or massage it for 1-2 minutes, several times a day. It's always tender for me, so that let's me know it needs some extra loving.

Community Acupuncture, hell ya!

And to close let me just say - I hope this helps you. Just remember, life ebbs and flows, and there is nothing linear about our health. Having good health is not an award you win that you hang on your wall. You win sometimes and you learn sometimes, and it all has it's own benefit, even if you can't see it yet. 

Blessings to all for your journey, thanks for reading. Much love to you. (I'm in good Mom mode, can you tell?)