When You think liver, the first thing that comes to Your mind is detox...and that's a very good association.
You see, the liver detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. It removes toxic chemicals through its capacity to convert them into more water-soluble metabolites which can be efficiently eliminated from the body via the urine.
These reactions and conversions are essential to our lives and when the liver is not working properly, problems arise.
One of the common problems is the poor conversion of thyroid hormones, which mimics hypothyroidism and gives You very similar symptoms.
This happens, because if your liver is impaired, your body may be unable to correctly convert T4 to the active T3 hormone.
The T3 hormone is the active form, which tells our body to boost metabolism, create more energy, burn fat tissue, grow hair, regulate body temperature and muscle tension.
This means that if You have a liver problem, Your levels of T3 will most probably be decreased and You will suffer from hypothyroid like symptoms.
So how can we check liver health?
Liver function tests are blood tests used to help diagnose and monitor liver disease or damage.
The tests measure the levels of certain enzymes and proteins in your blood:
Alanine Transaminase (ALT)
Aspartate Transaminase (AST)
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT)
Prothrombin time (PT)
L-lactate dehydrogenase (LD)
Bilirubin
Albumin and total protein
Okay, so let's simplify it for You. The ones that You should look at first are ALT and AST. If levels of ALT and AST are increased, You will probably have a conversion problem of T4 to T3.
What are the most common causes of ALT and AST elevation?
1. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
2. Alcoholic liver disease.
3. Some medications.
4. Certain supplements.
5. Autoimmune hepatitis.
6. Viral hepatitis and other viruses diseases like mononucleosis.
7. Copper and iron overload syndromes.
8. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
How to heal your liver naturally?
Your main goal should always be to find the root cause of your elevated liver enzymes. When you know the cause, you can adapt the treatment to the specific problem.
For example:
The most common cause of elevated AST and ALT in the world is a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD affects between 20-30% of Americans and Europeans and approximately 25% of the Asians.
Who develops it?
Obese people (over 90%), diabetic (60%) and also normal-weight people (up to 20%).
What is causing NAFLD?
Its main cause is insulin resistance and it can be preventable!
How to naturally treat NAFLD?
Treatment should then be focused on weight loss, dietary modifications, regulating blood sugar, exercise, supplements, herbs, and specific medications.
Weight Loss: Helps to reduce AST and ALT levels and reverse liver damage.
Dietary Modification: Diets like the Mediterranean, Ketogenic, and Paleo can help to regulate blood sugar. (We've modified them specifically for Thyroid Patients, here is the link if You're interested: https://www.thyroidboss.com/services).
Exercise: helps to increase insulin sensitivity and helps with losing weight.
Supplements: Certain supplements help to reduce the inflammation, insulin resistance, inflammation and liver damage in people with NAFLD:
Vitamin E and vitamin C are antioxidant agents, which can help to combat oxidative stress in NAFLD.
Selenium is also a very strong antioxidant. Especially important for thyroid patients.
Vitamin D deficiency can result in insulin resistance and NAFLD.
Omega-3 fatty acids showed efficacy in the prevention and therapy of cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome.
Probiotics and prebiotics are important for SIBO treatment, which is often present in NAFLD.
Herbs and spices: The ancient herbal combination has been used for centuries in liver disease treatment:
Milk thistle is an herb known for its liver-protecting effects.
Curcumin may reduce fat deposits in the liver. It may also prevent fatty liver progression with its “potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Berberine exerts anti-hyperglycemic (helps to reduce blood sugar) and anti-dyslipidemic (optimizes lipid profile) effects.
Dandelion root has long been used by herbalists to treat liver conditions.
Artichoke leaf extract may protect your liver from damage and promote the growth of new tissue.
Ginger may help to prevent NAFLD and slow down its progression.
Cinnamon may improve insulin resistance and oxidative stress. It gives additional liver protection.
Medications: Medication have their place and time and can be effectively used as a treatment for some patients
Metformin, GLP-1 agonists, carb blockers and SGLT-2 inhibitors may be used to reverse insulin resistance to help with weight loss. Remember to always consult Your doctor first.
To sum up, you should never ignore high liver enzymes, as they may indicate an arising problem in your organism.
It's important to take care of elevated AST and ALT levels (if present) and support your liver in a natural and/or conventional way.
Believe us, taking care of liver health is essential to feel more vigorous, get rid of hypothyroidism like symptoms, lose weight and feel young again!
