Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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!
Sources:
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 …
From a Naturopath Point of View Part 5 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard the saying that sleep and a good healthy diet are both the base of the pyramid of health. As a Naturopath I agree with this concept 100%! But …
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~AN INTRODUCTION TO A NEW WELLNESS SERIES
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Primary foods are an essential part of our health and wellness plan that is often overlooked and even misunderstood. While the topic of self-care in important, it definitely means something different to everyone. However, these twelve topics are lifestyle area that we can all agree can always be improved.
During the course of this series, we’ll discuss twelve topics related to lifestyle and how to incorporate tools to improve our wellness goals. These topics include Joy, General Health, Social Life, Home Environment, Spirituality, Home Cooking, Career, Movement and Exercise, Creativity, Relationships, Finance and Learning. With each topic we’ll do a deep dive to explore the topic, I’ll share what it means to me and tips on how to improve it each day. We’ll also review how to pair necessary supplements and nutrients to help enhance each topic. Some of these supplements will help address stress (L-Theanine), brain heath (Phosphatidylserine), sleep (Melatonin) and even the Immune System (Black Seed).
Studies, from such well respected institutes like Harvard and Berkeley, have shown the positive effect that healthy lifestyle choices can have on our lives. Healthy lifestyle can help improve mood, extend lifespan and even help reduce the risk of illness and disease.
One of my favorite exercises to do is to do The Circle of Life, which I learned for my alma mater The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I like to recommend doing this seasonally, as it can help you to see what areas need a little more focus, as well as to see how much you’ve changed and grown. The way this exercise to done is to go category by category and mark a small circle within the column as to where you’d rate your current grasp. The more you feel a particular category could us more attention, the closer to the middle you would put the mark. The more you feel comfortable and “mastering” a category, the closer to the outer edge would be your mark. Once you’ve evaluated and marked each category, play “connect the dots” to make your personal lifestyle circle. The wavier or smaller your circle, the more attention you may need to give to those topics. The larger and more concise your circle can show how you’ve grown with your healthy lifestyle and where certain topics come more smoothly to apply each day. This is a great guide to help with personal growth, goal setting and can serve as a resource to help you narrow your wellness areas of focus and supplement additions. As you widen your circle you may even notice such changes as better sleep, lower stress and over-all happiness, as I have over the years of doing my own circle of life.
I look forward to exploring these twelve important topics with you over the next month. Happy Healing!!
www.health.harvard.edu/blog/long-lasting-healthy-changes-doable-and-worthwhile-202109142594
www.berkeleywellbeing.com/healthy-lifestyle.html
www.integrativenutrition.com/circle-of-life
