Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
What exactly is Liver Cirrhosis? Part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND This is part 2 of our discussion on cirrhosis. If you haven’t read the first part I suggest you do that first since it will contain important background information. In this blog I …
What exactly is Liver Cirrhosis? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my experience as a Naturopath cirrhosis of the liver is one of the most confusing disorders that people can experience. What exactly even is cirrhosis? What cause’s it? What are the symptoms one might experience? …
Daily Detox- The Power to Cleanse your Cells
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I like Invite Health powders! In this blog I will be talking about one of my absolute favorites, Daily Detox powder! This powder is full of nutrients that are good for your liver and even your kidneys. Let’s review just a few of the top nutrients found in our Daily Detox, shall we?
Let’s start with something that most people may have heard of, that is Milk Thistle. What do the studies have to say about Milk Thistle? Well a 2021 study found that using Milk Thistle helps to improve liver function in those with NAFLD. One theory proposed for how it works is by reducing inflammation and thus helps to reduce the liver damage. (1) In a 2014 study it was found that using milk thistle may help to extend life expectancy in those with cirrhosis. (2) While most people have heard of using milk thistle for liver health I bet you haven’t heard that it is also good for our kidney health! In fact studies have found that milk thistle has beneficial effects in those with diabetic nephropathy! (3) Preliminary studies have also found indications that milk thistle may help with memory, bone health and even our blood sugar. (4) As you can see milk thistle has a number of benefits for our overall health.
The next nutrient in Daily Detox is MSM. Studies have found that using MSM can help to reduce liver changes that are associated with NAFLD and even hepatic steatosis. MSM has also been found to help with blood sugar in diabetics. Controlling blood sugar when you have diabetes is important for many reasons, including our liver and kidney health. (5)
Another important nutrient in Daily Detox is dandelion root. I bet that you’re thinking but Dr. Claire isn’t that a weed that grows in my yard?? Well technically yes it is however it also has benefits for our overall health too. In fact studies have found that dandelion can help with certain GI disorders including but not limited to liver disease, gallstones and even pancreatitis. (6) Studies have also found that dandelion use can improve kidney health in those with damage caused by diabetes. (7) As you can see while dandelion may be “just a weed” that grows in your yard it is a fantastic nutrient four our health.
Chlorella is another nutrient in Daily Detox. Chlorella has been found to help with detoxing heavy metals from our body. (8) Another nutrient that helps with detox is watercress. Studies have found that watercress can help detox environmental toxins out of our body. (9)
Other nutrients in Daily Detox include Green Tea and NAC. Both of these have been blogged about by me before so I’ll just refer you to those blogs! Other nutrients that are good for our liver health and detox that are found in Daily Detox include Glycine (10), Ellagic Acid (11) and DL Methionine. (12)
As you can see Daily Detox is just chockfull of powerful nutrients! But how do you even use it? Well just like with any of our other powders you can simply mix it into water or you can simply mix it into any milk of your choice for a yummy strawberry flavored drink. You can even add it to yogurt or applesauce for a treat. As I always say get creative and have fun!
Our next blog will be on cirrhosis.
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Deep Dive into Fatty Liver Disease: NAFLD and NASH Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One of the most common concerns that people call about is fatty liver. Since NASH is a progression, or worsening of NAFLD I wanted to talk about them both in one …
Glutathione-The Antioxidant for Liver Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Glutathione drips or in other words IV glutathione is a well-known treatment in holistic medicine. However many people are afraid of needles. Invite Health’s Glutathione Lozenges are an easy to use form of glutathione. You may …
Liver Function Tests
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
The Liver Basics!
As an Invite health nutritionist one of the most important parts of my job is to help people understand their blood work. In general I find that when it comes to blood work liver function tests tend to be some of the most confusing. But just what are the markers on your blood work that test for liver health? In other words what even is a liver function test? Well let’s get into this important topic, shall we?
Liver function’s tests are tests that are used to help monitor the health and function of the liver. The first test is ALT. This is an enzyme that is found in the liver. When the liver cell is damaged this enzyme is released and blood levels will increase. Another enzyme that is found in the liver is AST. AST is also found in muscle cells. If the levels are elevated it can indicate possible damage to either the liver or muscles. ALP is an enzyme found in both the liver and bones. If it is elevated in the blood it may indicate liver damage or disease. It may also indicate bone disease. In addition to testing enzymes that are active in the liver the liver blood tests also look at enzymes that are made by the liver. For example Albumin is a protein that helps to fight infection. Lower levels of albumin and even total protein may mean your liver isn’t healthy enough to produce them. Another job of the liver is to process Bilirubin. Normally this is passed through the liver and excreted in the stool. In certain types of liver disease this process is disrupted and bilirubin levels can increase in the blood. PT is a marker of how fast your blood is able to clot. Increased PT can indicate liver damage. However I just want to mention that certain medications can affect PT. Other tests can include GGT and LD. (1)
In addition to blood tests there are certain imaging tests that can help look for liver damage or disease. Imaging tests can include ultrasounds, CT scans or even getting an MRI. One test that can be important in monitoring liver health is a liver biopsy. (2)
These liver function tests may be abnormal for a number of reasons. For example you may have a virus, tumor, diabetes or other liver disease. (2) Throughout this series will be reviewing a number of these conditions. For example we will be reviewing disorders such as NASH, NAFLD, cirrhosis, and even hepatitis. We will also be talking about the gall bladder since it is so closely linked to the liver. Additionally in this series will be talking about how and when to detox. Lastly we will be talking about another important organ, our kidneys!
But what does the liver even do for our health? Well the liver has a number of important jobs. I’ve attached a picture detailing all the functions of the liver! Please take a look the attached picture. (3)
Since the liver is important for so many aspects of our overall health there are many studies on supplements that can help with liver health and function. Throughout this series we will be reviewing many of these nutrients. These nutrients include NAC (4), Milk Thistle (5), Dandelion (6), and even Catalase. (7) Other supplements that help fight infections that will be included will be nutrients such as Olive Leaf (8) and even Probiotics! (9) All of these important nutrients are available from Invite Health. I hope you find this topic as important as I do.
Our product highlight will be Glutathione lozenges!
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