A Comprehensive Program for Liver Support
The liver is the second largest organ in your body, and it is located under your rib cage on the right side. It weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kg), and it is shaped like a football that is flat on one side.
The liver performs many jobs in your body. It processes what you eat and drink into energy, and it stores nutrients your body can use. The liver also detoxifies harmful substances and drugs from your blood. It is responsible for correct blood clotting, sex hormones, many metabolic processes, making bile for proper digestion, as well as other functions.
If the liver is not working correctly, it can affect your overall health, energy levels, sexual functioning, mood, digestion, and many other area of your mind/body/spirit.
WHAT IS FATTY LIVER?
Fatty liver, also known as steatosis, has become an important medical problem in the United States and around the world. Fatty liver is the buildup of fat in liver cells. While alcohol consumption is the main reason for the development of fatty liver disease, the type of fatty liver disease we are addressing in this chapter is found in people who drink little or no alcohol.
Fatty liver affects up to one out of four adults, one of whom might be you. In fact, fatty liver is the leading cause of chronic liver disease. After hepatitis C and long-term alcoholism, complications of fatty liver is the third most common reason for liver transplants in the United States. There are different medical terms for fatty liver, depending on whether or not inflammation is present.
If no inflammation is present, fat stored in the liver cells is called steatosis. In people who drink little or no alcohol, this steatosis is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The word hepatitis means “inflammation of the liver.” The presence of fat in liver cells along with inflammation is called steatohepatitis. In people who drink little or no alcohol, this hepatitis is called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
According to a review in Clinical Science, it is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of adult populations in developed countries have NAFLD. NAFLD is also increasing in children. Approximately 2 to 3 percent of people with NAFLD will progress to NASH. NAFLD is also associated with an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.1
NASH is a common and often “silent” liver disease, and it affects up to 5 percent of people in the United States. Most people with NASH feel well and do not know they have liver disease. However, like other forms of hepatitis, NASH can lead to severe liver scarring (cirrhosis) and poor liver function, liver cancer, and/or liver failure.
Both NAFLD and NASH have become more common as people get fatter. Obesity is highly associated with fatty liver. In the United States alone, from 2004 to 2014, the rate of obesity doubled in adults and tripled in children according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).2 Half of obese people have fatty livers, meaning it is likely that more that 25 percent of the U.S. population has steatosis.
Obesity is defined medically as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30, and it affects up to 50 percent of the U.S. population. BMI is a measure of body fat based on dividing height by weight and applies to adult men and women. Compare this to a normal BMI that runs between 20 and 25.
TIP
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides a free body mass index (BMI) calculator at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm.
FATTY LIVER RISK, DIAGNOSIS, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME
NAFLD tends to develop in people who are overweight or obese or who have type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or high triglycerides. Rapid weight loss and poor eating habits also may lead to NAFLD. However, some people develop NAFLD even if they do not have any risk factors.
Most people with NASH are between the ages of forty and sixty. NASH is more common in women than in men. NASH often has no symptoms, and people can have NASH for years before symptoms occur. NASH is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis in adults in the United States. Up to 25 percent of adults with NASH may have cirrhosis.
Also, people with hepatitis C—the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States—who have NAFLD have an increased risk of cirrhosis of up to 15 percent. As discussed previously, if you are suspected of having NAFLD or NASH, having a liver biopsy can help you and your doctor know if you have fat in the liver as well as the level of liver damage. Fibroscan and Fibrosure are noninvasive tests that are often used instead of biopsy. However, liver biopsy is still the gold standard for determining the amount of liver damage.
Usually, the first suspicion of NASH is when you have elevated liver enzyme levels found in routine blood tests, such as increased levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST).
If liver enzyme elevation is found upon routine blood testing, you should be evaluated to determine why there are abnormal elevations. Elevated liver enzymes can come from ingesting certain medications and sometimes herbs, viral hepatitis B or C, weight reduction surgery, or excessive alcohol consumption. If there is no other reason determined for these high liver enzymes, further testing is done with X-rays, ultrasounds, or other imaging studies that may show fat in the liver.
The gold standard for determining a final diagnosis of NASH, rather than just NAFLD, is a liver biopsy. A liver biopsy can determine if there is fat in the liver, if there is hepatitis, and if you have a damaged liver and early stages of liver disease, fibrosis, or cirrhosis.
When symptoms occur, they are not necessarily specific or severe. Fatigue, aching or pain over the area of the liver, and general weakness are examples of the symptoms associated with NAFLD and NASH.
The good news is that NAFLD is a reversible condition. Having NAFLD alone, before any disease progression, is a good sign. NAFLD can be reversed with weight loss, dietary changes, exercise, and eliminating medications and substances that might have caused the fat to accumulate.
The treatment of NAFLD and NASH depends on the possible causes. If you are overweight, losing weight can usually normalize elevated liver enzymes, decrease inflammation, and decrease liver fat. If weight loss is undertaken when there is just NAFLD, you can generally prevent cirrhosis. It is best that you do not attempt a severe weight loss diet, but rather lose weight gradually using a controlled plan of diet and exercise. Very fast weight loss can cause an advancement of liver disease. Also, weight loss must be maintained, or the disease may return.
METABOLIC SYNDROME
Fatty liver can be part of a complex of symptoms called “metabolic syndrome.” Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that puts a person at risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
A consensus between the International Diabetes Foundation and the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute defines metabolic syndrome as the presence of at least three of the following symptoms:
• Increased waist circumference of ≥40 inches (102 cm) in men and ≥34 inches (88 cm) in women
• Elevated blood pressure of ≥130/85 mmHg
• Elevated blood sugar of fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL
• High triglycerides of ≥150 mg/dL
• Low high-density lipoprotein of 40 mg/dL or less in men and 50 mg/dL or less in women
You may also suffer from this in addition to having liver disease. This syndrome is more prevalent in people with advanced liver disease.
The questions to ask yourself are:
• Are you gaining belly fat around the middle?
• Are you fatigued after you eat?
• Do you have a family history of diabetes or elevated glucose levels?
• Do you have “borderline” high blood pressure?
• Are your cholesterol levels elevated?
• Do you have liver disease?
If you recognize some of these issues as your own, you are most likely suffering from metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome affects one in three people in the United States, and it occurs more frequently with age. Metabolic syndrome is also known as metabolic syndrome X, syndrome X, and insulin resistance syndrome.
Discontinuing any medications or substances that can cause fat to accumulate in the liver can reduce progression of disease. If done early enough, it can prevent liver damage altogether. In type 2 diabetes, reducing glucose levels is not enough. Weight loss is key for overweight people to reverse liver damage.
Unfortunately, for people who are not overweight and for whom NAFLD or NASH is not associated with intake of substances, there is currently no recommended Western treatment.
PART ONE: SELF-CARE PLAN FOR PREVENTION AND THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT
The following comprehensive program offers a way for you to use self-care and assemble a team of practitioners to support your healing efforts.
Step One: Adopt the Comprehensive Program for Strengthening Organ Qi and Protective Qi
A general, preventive health care routine that includes a balanced diet, regular exercise and meditation, self-massage, and other stress-reduction techniques is essential for a healthy liver. The liver health comprehensive program integrates the Comprehensive Program for Basic Good Health and a Strong Immune System (see page 223) with additional liver support.
If you have NASH, you should consider the following additional targeted therapies.
Step Two: Expanding Your Daily Journal
When starting a Comprehensive Program for Liver Support, the first step is to expand your daily journal. The journal will help alert you to the development of any disharmonies. If you are currently working to remedy an imbalance, it will alert you to triggers and help you track your improvements.
THE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP CONNECTION
In July 2006, Raphael Merriman, M.D., a hepatologist specializing in fatty liver disease at the University of California, published an article for the American Liver Foundation called “High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Its Potential Role in Fatty Liver Disease.” Here is an excerpt:
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by fat in the liver, causing variable amounts of inflammation and scarring in people who drink little or no alcohol. Obesity is a major risk factor for NASH, which is becoming increasingly common in adults and children. Obesity is also the major risk factor for insulin resistance. Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, helps the body use glucose (blood sugar), allowing it to enter muscle and liver cells for use as energy or storage. Insulin resistance occurs when those cells are less sensitive to normal amounts of insulin, causing the pancreas to increase secretion. This can lead to diabetes and elevated cholesterol, both of which are also strongly associated with NASH. Therefore it is not surprising that insulin resistance has recently emerged as the main underlying metabolic abnormality in NASH.
As obesity has escalated to epidemic levels, there has been an increase in both total caloric consumption and the consumption of certain substances in the typical American diet. The nutrition labels of most processed foods will show the near ever-presence of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is made by converting inexpensive cornstarch into a high fructose mix. Fructose is nearly twice as sweet as ‘regular’ sugar (sucrose), and it now accounts for over 40 percent of caloric sweeteners added to food products. HFCS has largely replaced sucrose in sodas, fruit juices, dairy products, most baked goods, and numerous processed products. For example, 60 percent of the calories in apple juice come from fructose.
But why has concern been expressed about HFCS? Is it simply that we are consuming more calories (and added sweeteners) in larger portion sizes? Though that also appears true, recent research indicates a more troubling side of HFCS. The metabolism of fructose is substantially different from that of the main human sugar, glucose. Unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin release from the pancreas or leptin release, another hormone important in regulating appetite. As a result, the brain does not sense the need to limit food intake. This leads to further caloric intake, weight gain, and obesity. Of even greater concern, when large quantities of fructose are consumed, it bypasses the usual control mechanisms and is preferentially converted to fat, leading to liver fat accumulation and high cholesterol. Additionally, the long-term consumption of HFCS-laden diets has recently been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Therefore many aspects of HFCS use point to its potential role in the development of NASH.
Recent research has supported this hypothesis.3
The journal should include additional information on the following:
• Food cravings or times when you lose your appetite for specific foods or food in general
• Alcohol and caffeine consumption
• Energy levels and ability to exercise
• Times when fatigue, abdominal pain, digestive problems, depression, or weakness make it difficult to exercise or to work
• Physical symptoms you suspect are associated with your liver, such as fatigue, headaches, blood sugar problems, changes in sleep patterns, swollen legs, swollen abdomen, and pain over the liver area
• Cognitive problems, such as “brain fog,” feeling sleepy during the day and wakeful at night, excessive forgetfulness, changes in moods, irritability, or anger
Paying close attention to this information over time can reveal very important information about your liver health as well as overall health. This information indicates how you can control or eliminate some of the troubling symptoms as well as whether there is disease progression or regression. This will help you report to your Chinese medicine practitioner as well as your Western providers about improvement or worsening of symptoms.
Step Three: Implementing a Dietary Program
In addition to the diet guidelines outlined in the Comprehensive Program for Basic Good Health and a Strong Immune System (see page 223), you may tailor your diet to remove Dampness, promote a balanced flow of Qi and Xue, improve insulin sensitivity, and lose weight. Consider the following:
• Eat a diet of warm, cooked foods. Reduce cold and raw foods to a minimum unless you have Excess Heat.
• Eliminate or drastically reduce dairy products to decrease Dampness and strengthen the Spleen. Eliminating dairy products can help increase weight and fat loss.
• Eliminate alcohol completely.
• Reduce caffeine if it increases your symptoms.
• Eat less fatty foods. A fatty diet can also increase Qi Stagnation and Dampness and increase weight.
• Eat a diet high in protein, especially fish and vegetable protein. People with liver disease should eat 90 to 100 grams of high-quality protein every day. If it is difficult to eat the full amount in a normal diet, you can add protein powders (with no sugar added), such as organic grass-fed whey protein (contains dairy) or hemp protein, to your diet by combining with other foods or creating shakes that are not cold and do not have added sugar.
• Adopt a diet focused on balancing high-glycemic foods with lower-glycemic foods and proteins. Visit www.glycemicindex.com and www.nutritiondata.com/topics/glycemic-index for glycemic index information on all foods; use this as a guide for keeping your meals on the low end of the glycemic index. In general, adopt a diet focused on balancing high-glycemic foods with lower-glycemic foods to reduce issues with metabolic syndrome.
• Try to eliminate any foods that contain high fructose corn syrup.
• Eliminate excess salt from your diet to reduce fluid retention. Pure foods contribute enough salt to the diet to maintain health. Eating processed and packaged foods and adding salt to home-cooked meals is unnecessary, and it can be detrimental to your health. According to Five Phases diagnoses, excess salt injures the Kidney Water, counteracts Earth, and injures the Spleen.
Step Four: Implementing an Exercise Plan
Excessive exercise can trigger a flare-up of symptoms for anyone who has liver disease. If you are already suffering from fatigue, it is particularly important that you don’t overtax yourself. On the other hand, it is vital to oxygenate your system and maintain muscle tone if you are to stay as healthy as possible. Exercise should really be according to your level of disease and energy. To regulate and move Qi and Xue so they flow smoothly, avoid excessive aerobic activities. Use the Qi Gong warm-up exercises (see page 182) and walking to stimulate balanced flow.
If you need to lose weight, you can walk 10,000 steps per day to meet the exercise goal. For example if you walk a lot at work or to and from work, you may want to wear a pedometer (such as a Fitbit) to monitor your walking. This will help in your weight loss goals.
To support your Spleen and prevent further Deficient Spleen Qi and Dampness, weight lifting should be done a maximum of three times a week.
You may practice Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or moderate Yoga exercises every day to increase muscle strength, improve balance, and support all of your Organ Qi.
THE GLYCEMIC INDEX
The University of Sydney Human Nutrition Unit has been the world leader in the development of the concept known as glycemic index. In their own words from their website:
The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low-GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended that people in industrialized countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Step Five: Implementing a Meditation Plan
Meditation can alleviate the stress and diminish associated symptoms. First, just start with taking a deep breath. Then use the Buddha’s Breath exercise (see page 179) to help ease Stagnation. Regular practice of the longer Qi Meditation (see page 186) can produce constitutional improvements that will do much to restore harmony. Even if you have severe fatigue, Qi Gong breathing and Qi-stimulating movements can be done with minimal effort and still produce great results. (You can even lie down to do them!)
As your strength returns, you can increase your routine. Add Zen walking and more aerobic activities for ten minutes a day. Always include the breathing exercises. To decide if you are strong enough to add more vigorous exercise, ask yourself, “Could I walk comfortably at a steady pace for ten minutes? How about for twenty minutes?” If the answer is yes, a daily ten- or twenty-minute Qi Gong workout can provide the Qi nurturing and stimulation you need.
Step Six: Using Self-Massage and Moxibustion for Preventive Care
Massage and acupressure are extremely helpful for liver support. For example, Qi Gong abdominal massage (see page 194) is effective in dispelling Stagnation and Dampness.
You may also use reflexology on the hands and feet, particularly on the liver points (see pages 210 and 211).
For reducing symptoms associated with Stagnant Liver Qi, you may perform acupressure on Liver 3 (see page 206). For support of the Stomach and Spleen Qi and to reduce fatigue and digestive problems, perform acupressure on Stomach 36 and Spleen 6 (see page 163).
For swelling in the extremities and abdomen, you may perform acupressure on Spleen 9, Ren 9, and Kidney 3 (see pages 36, 40, and 206).
Ear massage is also very helpful for supporting digestion as well as decreasing fatigue and hunger. Follow these suggestions for a total of ten minutes once a day. For fatigue relieved by activity and for Stagnant Liver Qi, use Ear Liver, Ear Sympathetic, and Ear Lung. For fatigue with digestion problems, use Ear Stomach and Ear Spleen. For fatigue related to negative side effects of medications, use Ear Liver (see the ear chart on page 203).
Step Seven: Using Soaks, Saunas, and Compresses for Self-Healing
In general, warming compresses and brief soaks can ease some of the discomfort associated with abdominal pain and swelling. Don’t make the water too cold or too hot, especially if you have later stage liver disease.
Use Sleep Ease for relaxation (see page 213). Enjoy this soak for up to half an hour. You can also prepare and use ginger soaks and compresses. (For instructions, see “Comprehensive Program for Digestive Disorders” on page 96.)
Step Eight: Taking Nutritional Supplements
To support liver health, you should adopt a daily supplement program. Ask your practitioner for specific dosing recommendations because individual needs are different for different people. Also, different stages of liver disease require different types of supplementation. Your regimen should include omega-3 fatty acids, as well as eating healthy sustainable seafood. Visit www.seafoodwatch.org for accurate health and ecological information on seafood. You may take krill oil for your omega-3 fatty acids. Evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with progression of steatosis into NASH.4Vitamin D is generally prescribed from 2000 IU to 10,000 IU. It is best to dose this according to lab results, although 4000 to 6000 IU is the average.
NASH guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease include the following recommendations for vitamin E:
• Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) administered at a daily dose of 800 IU per day improves liver histology in non-diabetic adults with biopsy-proven NASH, and therefore it should be considered as a first-line pharmacotherapy for this patient population.
• Until further data supporting its effectiveness become available, vitamin E is not recommended to treat NASH in diabetic patients, NAFLD without liver biopsy, NASH cirrhosis, or cryptogenic cirrhosis.5
People with compromised livers should never take iron supplements or vitamin A unless prescribed by a doctor after being tested for deficiencies.
Daily Lactobacillus acidophilus can also be taken to keep your digestive tract healthy. Probiotics are also used in liver disease to reduce brain swelling (encephalopathy) through reducing toxins.6 The Mayo Clinic recommends that “1 × 109 living L. acidophilus cells by mouth in divided doses daily is an adequate dose for most people.”7
PART TWO: ASSEMBLING THE TEAM
When it comes to liver health, you need to include both Western-trained and Eastern-trained practitioners to optimize your preventive and therapeutic health care plan. When you use practitioners of both types in concert, it will give you the opportunity to create an individualized comprehensive treatment plan, share diagnoses, reduce side effects, make better choices for treatments and self-care, and attain the best outcomes.
Western Medicine
Everyone in the United States should be tested regularly for liver enzymes. Remember, the vast majority of people found to have NAFLD and NASH have elevated liver enzymes upon routine lab testing. Also, checking your blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose levels along with calculating your BMI will help determine if you have metabolic syndrome.
GRACE’S STORY
Grace told me this is how she felt when she came to see me for the first time: “Everything was a problem because I was so sick and tired. Physically, my 20+ years of symptoms went up and down in severity and were generally flulike symptoms, exhaustion, muddy thinking, chemical and food sensitivity, nausea and poor digestion, chronic gynecological problems, irritability, fevers, sores, insomnia, headache, and depression. After several years, I realized I was on a gradual slide toward full-on chronic symptoms. I found myself unable to push through it physically, emotionally, or mentally, and the biggest problem became my attitude of complete and utter demoralization.
“When I left after my first acupuncture treatment, I felt like a huge weight of anxiety and indecision had been lifted for me. I knew that I had found the right treatment for myself.”
Eastern Medicine
Chinese medicine is particularly effective for treating the symptoms associated with liver disease as well as helping to maintain metabolic balance. Fatigue, weakness, brain fog, swelling, and other issues are often improved or resolved with Chinese medicine treatment and self-care along with Western therapies for metabolic issues.
Step One: Obtaining a Western Baseline
Everyone in the United States should be tested regularly for liver enzymes during regular medical visits (see page 308). If there is elevation in the enzymes, your doctor needs to rule out whether you are taking a medicine or substance that can cause high enzyme levels, if you have viral hepatitis or another form of hepatitis or liver disease, or if it could be caused by overconsumption of alcohol. If these are all ruled out, you should have imaging tests such as an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see if you have fat in the liver. If the imaging reveals any indication of fat, you should see a hepatologist and have a liver biopsy to determine if you have NAFLD or NASH, and if there is liver disease, what the stage of disease might be. Also, if you already have cirrhosis, you should have regular scans for liver cancer.
If you are overweight, creating a weight loss and weight management program is the best step toward reducing fat in the liver. You can normalize your liver enzymes and reduce symptoms by losing weight alone. To be able to lose weight effectively, you may need a medical program, a program such as Weight Watchers or Overeater’s Anonymous, therapy groups, individualized therapy, a structured exercise program, or any combination of these. You may add Chinese medicine to these therapies to support you.
Always tell your Western doctor that you are seeking Chinese medicine therapy or other treatments that may affect your overall treatment plan. By seeing a Chinese medicine doctor, you can benefit from the balancing powers of acupuncture, herbs, and other Chinese medicine therapies.
Step Two: Obtaining a Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment
To ascertain your liver health, a Chinese medicine practitioner may or may not directly examine your liver. However, palpating your abdomen is a normal part of the Chinese medicine examination. The Chinese medicine practitioner will conduct an interview and use the Four Examinations (see page 76) to determine which disharmonies are present and to find out what symptoms are troubling you. Using this set of traditional diagnostic techniques, the practitioner will design a course that will restore harmony to your Organ Systems and Essential Substances and, as a consequence, alleviate your symptoms, support your liver health, help you lose weight, and improve your metabolic health. In addition, it is best if your Chinese medicine doctor can also read the lab tests, imaging reports, and biopsy reports from the hepatologist or other Western physician for information on your liver health from a Western medicine perspective.
Treatment for severe fatigue and other symptoms associated with liver disease must be tailored to an individual diagnosis, but in each case an intensive routine for several months is recommended. Your practitioner will help you determine the frequency of treatment to maintain strength and vigor as well as support your liver. Moxibustion will follow the individualized diagnosis that guides acupuncture.
ACUPUNCTURE
Treatment to strengthen the Spleen and Stomach Qi are very important for liver support, especially when there is Dampness involved. This is often the case with metabolic syndrome. Treatment of the Liver and Gallbladder is essential as well. NAFLD and NASH are often found in conjunction with other problems, such as high blood pressure and obesity. Your practitioner must be able to understand all the complexities to diagnose and treat correctly.
If you have liver disease, it would be a good idea for you to ask your practitioner how much experience he or she has in treating people with liver disease; how much Western knowledge he or she has of lab reports, imaging, and other testing; and if he or she will communicate with your Western practitioners.
MOXIBUSTION
To support the Liver, you can moxa over the liver at Liver 14 and Gallbladder 24. For Deficient Spleen and Stomach Qi with Dampness, you can apply moxa to Stomach 36 and Ren 12. If there is abdominal swelling, you may use Ren 9. For leg or ankle swelling, use Spleen 9 and Spleen 6. Your practitioner might teach your partner, family member, or friend special acupuncture points on your back that he or she can treat for you at home. See The Hepatitis C Help Book, revised edition, for more specific information on hepatitis.8
HERBAL TREATMENTS
Most herbal formulas are generally designed to treat specific disharmonies that are diagnosed by your Chinese medicine practitioner. Your practitioner should be able to determine any drug-herb interactions as well as know if there are any herbs that are contraindicated during your stage of liver disease.
EXAMPLES OF CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS FOR LIVER SUPPORT
|
FORMULA |
CHINESE FUNCTION |
INDICATIONS |
|
Chai Hu Su Gan San (Bupleurum Powder to Spread the Liver) |
Regulate Liver Qi, vitalize Liver Xue, ease pain |
Abdominal distension, hypochondriac and chest pain, indigestion, depression, constipation, belching |
|
Ecliptex |
Vitalize Qi and Xue, tonify Kidney and Liver Yin, tonify Xue |
Protects liver from damage from environmental chemicals, drugs, and alcohol |
|
HepatoPlex One |
Regulate Qi, invigorate Xue, tonify Qi, Kidney, and Spleen, clear Damp Heat |
Hepatitis symptoms, particularly viral hepatitis |
|
Cordyceps PS |
Tonify Kidney Yang, nourish Lung Yin, strengthen Wei Qi, stop cough and transform Phlegm |
Fatigue, immune weakness, post-illness weakness, chronic cough, health maintenance, general tonic, supports athletic performance |
|
Cordyseng |
Tonify Qi and Yin through Fu Zheng action; strengthen Lung, Spleen, Stomach, and Kidney |
Fatigue, recovery from serious illness or operation, support immune function, support lungs, improve athletic performance |
|
Tremella American Ginseng |
Tonify Yin, Qi, Xue, and Jing; Clear Heat Clean Toxin; strengthen Wei Qi; strengthen Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Kidney |
Fatigue, immune dysfunction, frequent colds and flus, chronic viral illness, afternoon night sweats and fever, chronic dry cough |
|
Xiao Yao San (Rambling Powder) |
Spread Liver Qi, relieve Stagnation, tonify Spleen, nourish Xue |
Irritability, depression, moodiness, fatigue, headache, dizziness, breast distention, irregular menstruation, menstrual pain |
|
Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum Decoction) |
Harmonize Shao Yang Stage Disorders, harmonize and tonify Middle Jiao |
Alternating chills and fever, dry mouth and throat, bitter taste, irritability, dizziness, fullness and discomfort in the hypochondria and chest, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, heartburn |
STEP THREE: BRING IN OTHER MODALITIES
Your treatment plan can be expanded in several ways. You may want to include other forms of Eastern meditations, biofeedback, hypnosis, or psychotherapy. To alleviate digestive problems, some people adopt an Ayurvedic diet or other diets such as Paleo to dispel the imbalances. Japanese abdominal massage can also ease digestive problems and alleviate pain associated with liver disease.
AT A GLANCE: COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR LIVER SUPPORT
|
SELF-CARE PLAN |
|
|
Evaluation |
Before starting a self-care plan, with possible liver disease, make sure you first have a baseline Western evaluation and a Chinese medicine evaluation. Lab tests, imaging, and examination can rule out or determine serious liver disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues and determine a proper weight loss plan. |
|
Self-monitoring |
In addition to the general guidelines, your daily journal should make note of your sugar and carbohydrate intake and the glycemic values, energy levels and fluctuations, signs of cognitive problems, increased abdominal or extremity swelling, physical activity, along with body rhythms, including sleep disruption, changes in elimination, and mood changes. If you are diagnosed with liver disease, ask your doctor what he or she would like you to monitor. |
|
Diet |
In addition to the First-Step Dietary Therapy Program that removes irritants and toxins and soothes the system, add the concepts of glycemic index and weight loss techniques. Adopt a low-glycemic diet. Eliminate all alcohol. Reduce or eliminate sugar intake. Eliminate all high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Keep your sodium levels low. Reduce caffeine intake. To support your liver, your daily protein consumption should be 90 to 100 grams of protein, primarily from vegetable and sustainable fish sources. Use the Chinese medicine diagnosis given to you by your practitioner to modify your dietary choices. |
|
Exercise |
Exercise should be focused to move Qi and Xue. If you can, start some moderate aerobic movement. Mild weight-bearing exercises will improve your muscle tone. Use Qi Gong warm-up exercises and walking to stimulate balanced flow. For weight loss, you can walk up to 10,000 steps per day, using a pedometer (such as a Fitbit), and walk instead of driving or taking the bus. Do not do excessive exercise. |
|
Meditation |
Use the Buddha’s Breath exercise to ease Stagnation. Regularly practice the Qi meditation. If you can, begin Zen walking. With severe fatigue, you may start with sitting and lying Qi Gong movements. |
|
Moxibustion |
Moxa supports the liver, strengthens the Spleen and Stomach Qi, and regulates the Liver Qi. |
|
Massage |
Start with Qi Gong abdominal massage to dispel Dampness and Stagnation. Perform acupressure on Liver 3, Spleen 6, and Stomach 36 to reduce Stagnant Liver Qi and strengthen the Spleen and Stomach. Use ear massage to support digestion and decrease fatigue. |
|
Soaks and saunas |
Saunas, soaks, and compresses are all effective ways to decrease abdominal discomfort and keep the Qi and Xue flowing harmoniously. |
|
Nutritional supplements |
Follow the nutritional supplement plan with the modifications made in this chapter. Make sure you take a regular dose of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Especially focus on vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid intake. Unless prescribed by your doctor for true deficiencies, do not take iron or vitamin A supplements. |
|
ASSEMBLING THE HEALING TEAM |
|
|
Obtaining a Western baseline |
If you are overweight, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or signs of metabolic syndrome, make sure you have regular liver tests and other examinations. It’s important to rule out serious liver disease, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. If you already have later stage liver disease, see a hepatologist for any other examinations and treatment associated with your stage of disease. |
|
Obtaining Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment |
When you go to a Chinese medicine practitioner, it’s important to establish communication between the Chinese and Western doctors. Preventive and therapeutic routines may include acupuncture, moxibustion, acupressure, and herbal medicine. |
|
Bringing in other modalities |
Support your liver and whole mind/body/spirit through regular massage, nutritional and dietary counseling, liver support groups, and exposure to other Eastern and Western healing traditions. |