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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PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~HEALTH By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT HEALTH seems like a no brainer when discussing wellness and lifestyle. However, what does it really mean? Let’s break this down and I’ll go over what this means to me as it …
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~SOCIAL LIFE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Many people don’t think of having a social life as being part of a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t either for a long time. However, like many of us, my mind was …
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 blog. To start at the very beginning what even is NAFLD? Well it stands for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. As the name implies this is a type of liver disease that occurs in people who drink little to no alcohol. Basically what happens in this situation is that too much fat begins to build up in the liver. Over time as the fat begins to accumulate it cause’s the liver cells to swell and become damaged. As the disease progress’s it progress to NASH, this stands for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. So to sum things up for you NAFLD and NASH are both conditions where excess fat accumulates in the liver. NAFLD does not involve liver damage but can progress to NASH which does involve liver damage. (1) Please see the attached picture. (2)
How you are normally diagnosed with NAFLD? Well there are some blood tests that can rule out other diseases as well as determine if any liver damage is present. These tests can include a CBC (complete blood count), iron studies, liver enzyme and liver function tests. Other tests can include testing for hepatitis A, C and others. It is also important to test for celiac, fasting blood sugar (Including HA1C) and a lipid profile. In addition to blood work there are a number of imaging tests that can be done. These include abdominal ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, transient elastography and magnetic resonance elastography. Lastly depending on the results of other tests your doctor may recommend a liver biopsy. (3)
What are the symptoms of NAFLD and/or NASH? Well as the disease progress’s your symptoms will also become more severe. To start you may experience fatigue. You may just “not feel good” or have a feeling of malaise. Lastly there may be pain in the upper belly area. As the disease progresses to NASH and even eventually cirrhosis symptoms will also progress. You will start to notice itchy skin, red palms and even yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice). You may notice abdominal swelling (ascites) and swelling in your legs. You may experience shortness of breath. Spider veins may also develop. There may be enlargement of the spleen. (1) In addition to these symptoms there maybe rapid weight loss. (4)
Now moving on what are the risk factors for fatty liver? While the exact reason that some people develop fatty liver is not well understand there are some known risk factors. For example both NAFLD and NASH are linked to genetics, and being overweight or obese. Having insulin resistance, diabetes and high cholesterol all increase your risk. Other risk factors include metabolic syndrome, PCOS, sleep apnea and either hypothyroidism and/or hypopituitarism. Growth hormone deficiency can also increase risk. Lastly being over 50 can increase risk of NASH. (1)
Fatty liver can have severe complications. Let’s start with some of the more serious complications of NASH. Approximately 1 in 5 people with NASH will develop cirrhosis. Additionally 1 in 8 with NASH and cirrhosis will develop liver cancer. NASH is also the leading cause of liver transplants in women and the 2nd leading cause in men. NAH may shorten life expectancy. (5) Other complications can include swollen veins in the esophagus, which can rupture and bleed. You may have hepatic encephalopathy which presents as confusion, sleepiness and slurred speech. Your spleen may become overactive which can lead to a reduction in platelets. Lastly as previously stated you may develop ascites. (1)
How to reduce fatty liver?
Next up our product highlight will be Daily Detox powder!
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