Your liver is one of your most faithful and hardest working friends. Think of your liver as a built-in, ultra-efficient purifying system.
It’s also your body’s most complicated organ, so don’t forget to take care of it. With everything your liver does for you, you don’t want to abuse it.
Here are 6 signs to watch out for, so that you know if your liver is calling for help!
1. Pain around your liver
A sore feeling at the upper and right area of the abdomen can be a sign that your liver may be in trouble. Usually it’s a dull pain, but sometimes it becomes quite intense.
Keep in mind that the liver’s task is to detoxify and help the body to filter waste, as well as facilitate the body to digest nutrition. When the liver is affected by a disease, it can not work effectively and then it can hurt.
2. Swollen ankles and joints
When you hurt your body, your poor liver tries to repair itself at the expense of scarring. The more scar tissue there is, the harder it is for the liver to function. Swollen feet can be a sign of cirrhosis.
This can affect your legs, hips or thighs. Gravity means that swelling is usually most visible in the lower part of the body. The good news is that the swelling is usually painless.
3. Weight gain
Liver fat is quite common and usually harmless, but in the long run it can lead to cirrhosis and an increased risk of liver cancer.
What happens is that the liver can not handle all the toxins that come in alcohol, artificial sweeteners, a high fat diet, some medicines, etc.. The liver cells convert the alcohol or sugar to triglycerides, a kind of fat.
When too much fat accumulates in the cells, their functions are disturbed. The only thing your liver can do in response is to store unfiltered toxins in fat cells, reports United European Gastroenterology, UEG.
4. Itching
Your liver should clear your blood of waste products and the toxins should be separated with the bile, which empties into the intestine.
For various reasons, the gallbladder can become hindered and your body will not get rid of all the toxins.
The result can be an irritating itching. It’s usually worst on your palms and the soles of your feet, but in severe cases it can cling over the entire body and patients describe itching in the ear canal, nose and even behind the eyes.
5. Yellow skin and eyes
If the liver’s cells and bile ducts contract certain acute diseases, a dye, bilirubin, may accumulate in the blood.
This causes your eyes and skin to turn yellowish (jaundice) and urine becomes dark.
6. Chronic tiredness
Chronic fatigue syndrome resembles an extended flu-like disease.
The liver contributes to a large extent to the energy supply in the body. If we have any kind of liver damage, we will usually feel very tired.
Bonus tips: Here’s how you repair your liver!
The good news is that the liver is a very forgiving organ that can heal itself, even though it has its limits. There are many things you can do to keep your body’s cleanup station fresh. Exercise and moderate alcohol intake is good, but you can also eat some things to make your liver extra happy.
Here’s a list of food that’s good for your liver,according to nutritionist Hermeet Suri:
- Garlic (Helps your liver activate enzymes that can “rinse out” toxins. Also contains high levels of allicin and selenium that help to purify the liver)
- Grapefruit (Contains high levels of vitamin C which is a strong antioxidant)
- Spinach (Has the ability to neutralize heavy metals and pesticides)
- Turmeric (believed to help the body break down fat)
- Walnuts (Must be rich in glutathione and omega 3 fatty acids, which helps the liver during the purification process)
Remember that many people with liver disease don’t experience any symptoms.
Help us share this article so that more people can be aware of their body’s warning signals and react in time – it will increase their chances of a long and healthy life!
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