Is Liver Detox the Missing Piece to Your Autoimmune Flares?
Is Liver Detox the Missing Piece to Your Autoimmune Flares?
Written by: Amanda Runnels, NTP, RWP, AIP Certified Coach.
Medically reviewed by: Melanie Swackhammer, BA
Est. reading time: 9 minutes.
Have you wondered where those mystery autoimmune flares come from?
If you struggle with autoimmune disease, you know how debilitating a flare can be, right?
You may even find yourself in the same boat that I’ve been in a time or two – weeks of feeling amazing and totally able to take on the world, just to find that one morning, out of nowhere, you wake up and feel like a truck has run you over. Can you relate?
When it comes to autoimmunity, there are multiple triggers that can send us into a flare and often with little warning. It can feel like a bit of a puzzle figuring out what’s triggering yours!
What comes to mind when you hear “autoimmune trigger”?
Well, when managing an autoimmune disease, it’s important to learn what your triggers might be.
If you’ve been at this for awhile, you probably already have a few that pop into your mind when you hear “trigger”. Maybe it’s:
- Stress
- Gluten
- Sugar
- Sleep
- Nightshades
- Environmental toxins
- Inflammation
- Leaky Gut
Do any of those ring true for you? They do for me, too!
I want to share with you, though, that there is something even deeper that could be setting you up for a flare – if not stalling your progress altogether.
Is your inflammation of the liver sabotaging you?
The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body. It carries out more than 500 vital functions – at the same time, all day, every day! So, it’s extremely important that we give our liver as much T.L.C. as possible. Makes sense, agreed?
Some of its most critical functions in the arena of autoimmunity are bile production, hormone clearance, and detoxification.
Let’s break each part down just a bit:
Bile production:
Bile is a necessary ingredient when it comes to an important topic…poop.
You see, without proper bile production, dietary fats will not get broken down appropriately, and eventually, this leads to the bottleneck of constipation.
If you aren’t pooping…you aren’t eliminating waste, and this helps to create the setup needed for some of those classic triggers…leaky gut, and inflammation.
Hormone Clearance:
Estrogen is one of the main hormones that the liver clears from the body.
You see, if estrogen isn’t being effectively removed from circulation by the liver, it becomes elevated. When estrogen is elevated, it is thought to increase inflammation which then causes the immune system to move into overdrive.
For someone with autoimmunity, we want the opposite…the immune system needs to calm down, not ramp up.
Liver Detoxification:
The liver is the body’s primary filtration system. Amazing, right?
With help from the kidneys, intestines, and lymphatic system, it cleans toxins from the bloodstream and turns them into waste which we then eliminate…it all goes back to that topic of poop!
But when the liver is under stress, its ability to filter toxins out is compromised. So, those toxins remain in circulation and not only create cell damage, but also increase inflammation.
Importantly, it is also believed that toxins may impair the thymus, a vital player in the immune system that provides protection against the development of autoimmune disease.1,2
So, keeping the liver happy is a huge puzzle piece in supporting overall health AND diminishing autoimmune flares!
Would you love to know how you can use Castor Oil Packs to support liver detox?
Wanna know how you can show your liver some love with liver detox?
Of course you do! You’re a smart cookie…otherwise, you wouldn’t be researching ways to take charge of your health!
There are lots of ways to support your liver and help it perform its job of detoxing. One of the most powerful, yet simple ways that I’ve found is the Castor Oil Pack for Liver, and Queen of the Thrones® makes it easy (and clean!) to use.
Absorbed through the skin, castor oil helps to accelerate the removal of toxins through better bowel movements, stimulate bile flow, move the lymphatic system and decrease inflammation.3, 4, 5
So, this is why I use and recommend Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Packs for Liver to my clients; to date, it’s the easiest, cleanest delivery method I’ve found for using Castor Oil Packs!
Plus, I know the quality of Castor Oil I’m getting is superior – all organic and no junk diluting it! Sounds wonderful, agreed?
I also recommend a few other easy-to-incorporate supports:
1. Eat your (bitter) greens!
Veggies like dandelion roots and greens, arugula, radicchio, mustard greens and burdock are great supports for the liver.
2. Add in liver-loving foods and consider an anti-inflammatory diet.
Bone broth, beets, artichoke and garlic are a few go-to foods for supporting the liver. If you have a diagnosed autoimmune condition, you might consider a therapeutic diet such as the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol (AIP). This has been instrumental in my own healing journey.
3. Reduce toxic exposure.
Removing plastics from your kitchen is a great place to start eliminating toxins. Cleaning up your personal care and home care items is important, too; the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a fantastic source for rating the toxicity of your personal and home care items.
4. Incorporate “adjunct” liver detox strategies.
I’m a huge fan of infrared sauna sessions for stimulating liver detox. I use these in conjunction with my Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Liver Pack and dry brushing (not all at the same time).
Other great strategies to include are movement, Epsom salt baths and lymphatic massage.
Putting together your autoimmune “puzzle”
With autoimmunity, some days can feel like “optimal health” is a giant jigsaw puzzle that’s been dumped out onto the floor. Does this sound like you?
But, as you begin to pick those pieces up and put them together, you might find that one is missing and that the picture just isn’t coming together… and it could very well be that your liver needs attention. It’s ok, you’re still in the right place.
So, I say start supporting liver detox simply with a method that’s been proven to be effective. Strap on a Queen of the Thrones® Liver Castor Oil Pack and get to detoxing! Your liver will thank you!
Author Bio:
Amanda believes that the rest of your life can be the best of your life! She is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Restorative Wellness Practitioner and AIP Certified Coach who focuses on women’s health and issues related to autoimmune disease. Diagnosed in 2014 with multiple Autoimmune disorders, she knew she had to make the decision to be proactive about her health and learn new ways of doing things.
Amanda quickly implemented dietary and lifestyle changes including using the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol, enhanced liver support and stress reduction; within months, she began seeing and feeling improvement in her health. Inspired by her own experience, she’s made it her mission to tell others that it’s possible to live your best life, even with an autoimmune disease! You can find her autoimmune adventures as well as her catalog of anti-inflammatory recipes at www.unrefinedjunkie.com or connect with her socially at @unrefinedjunkie
Learn more about how Castor Oil Packs work and why you need the compress with the oil to truly start waking up like new.
Are you a practitioner, health coach or wellness influencer? If you’re interested in…
- Recommending our easy-to-use tools to the people you serve.
- Practically applying them in your health and wellness professional practice in clinic or online.
- Or becoming a Wholesale Partner
Contact us at: royalty@queenofthethrones.com
Click here for references
1. Schuurman HJ, Van Loveren H, Rozing J, Vos JG. Chemicals trophic for the thymus: risk for immunodeficiency and autoimmunity. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1992 Apr;14(3):369-75. doi: 10.1016/0192-0561(92)90166-i. PMID: 1618591.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1618591/
2. Marx A, Yamada Y, Simon-Keller K, Schalke B, Willcox N, Ströbel P, Weis CA. Thymus and autoimmunity. Semin Immunopathol. 2021 Feb;43(1):45-64. doi: 10.1007/s00281-021-00842-3. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PMID: 33537838; PMCID: PMC7925479.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7925479/
3. Vieira C, Evangelista S, Cirillo R, Lippi A, Maggi CA, Manzini S. Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8. doi: 10.1080/09629350020025737. PMID: 11200362; PMCID: PMC1781.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781768/
4. Vieira C, Evangelista S, Cirillo R, Lippi A, Maggi CA, Manzini S. Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8. doi: 10.1080/09629350020025737. PMID: 11200362; PMCID: PMC1781768. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11200362
5. Grady, Harvey. “IMMUNOMODULATION THROUGH CASTOR OIL PACKS.”.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors. Neither Queen of the Thrones® nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. This communication does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Information provided does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you happen to purchase anything we promote, in this or any of our communications, it’s likely Queen of the Thrones® will receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, we only promote content and products that we truly believe in and share with our friends, family and patients. If you ever have a concern with anything we share, please let us know at care@queenofthethrones.com. We want to make sure we are always serving Our Queendom at the highest level.
Victoria Williams R.H.N.
