One of the most challenging things about healing your digestive system is the die off/detox symptoms that are typically part of the process. There is a way to find relief.
Feeling worse before feeling better is a confusing and scary experience, making people think they are on the wrong track, thus abandoning a program that’s working well.
Here is how to get through a protocol without feeling totally sick. You have to open up your detox and drainage pathways. This is the difference between die-off symptoms that are mild and manageable or wildly uncomfortable.
What are drainage pathways?
Your body’s detox pathway are made up mainly of the liver, lymphatic system and kidneys. These organs work together to funnel 80 percent of the body’s toxins into the bile ducts and out through the colon and kidneys. The remainder of toxins are stored in fat cells.
If your drain is clogged, waste will back up, recirculate and sometimes reabsorb into your system, making you feel awful. You may experience fatigue, malaise, bloating, constipation, a foggy head, nausea, flu-like symptoms, head aches, body aches or a rash.
To successfully clear bacterial or fungal overgrowth, mold, heavy metals, parasites or a virus from your system (plus the toxins they produce), drainage pathway need to be open and clear.
Open drainage will make detox or a killing protocol much more comfortable, assuring a successful completion.
How to open your drainage pathways: Liver, lymph & kidney tips
These tips to support the function of the liver, kidneys and lymph flow will open important drainage pathways.
Herbs
One of my favorite herbs/supplements for liver support is NAC (an amino acid called N-acetyl cysteine). NAC is used by the body to build antioxidants. It is a precursor and building block for glutathione, the main antioxidant responsible for healthy liver function and detox.
Hospitals use NAC in prescription strength to treat acetaminophen overdose. It is also great for clearing mucus from the lungs in cases of bronchitis.
I discovered NAC many years ago because my friends used it for hangover prevention. It helps the liver process alcohol at a greater speed.
NAC is also a biofilm buster. It breaks through biofilms, formed by pathogens like candida, h. pylori and parasites, to protect themselves from eradication. There’s debate about whether SIBO forms a biofilm.
People with SIBO should be cautious of the following liver supporting herbs: marshmallow, beet powder, artichoke, chicory & dandelion as they may add fuel to the fire.
Other powerful liver-supporting herbs are milk thistle, parsley, burdock, yellow dock, tumeric, liposomal glutathione and red clover.
Diet
Processed foods with chemicals and preservatives, alcohol, bad oils and sugar (refined carbs count as sugar) will stress the liver. Remove those first.
Instead, eat bitter greens & veggies like spinach, radish, kale, lettuce and arugula. Bitter foods like greens, cranberry and lemon stimulate bile flow and lymphatic flow.
Other liver loving veggies are cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, beets and artichoke (not FODMAP friendly). Eating lots of plants (preferably organic) will provide beneficial fiber for liver and colon detox. Berries are some of the best fruits for the liver.
If fiber is irritating to the digestive tract, juicing greens and veggies can work. If raw food is bothersome, cooked or blended greens may be easier to digest.
Foods fried in the wrong kind of oils (hydrogenated or veggie oils) can clog up the liver but olive oil, butter and coconut oil are good choices.
Red meat is ok for liver health. Moderation and picking good quality meat (organic, pastured, grass-fed) is key. Red meat contains zinc and protein to strengthen the immune system & rebuild liver tissue. Grass-fed liver is one of the best foods to eat for liver support. But if you can’t stomach it, don’t torture yourself. Choose from the foods above.
Unstable blood sugar is a HUGE stressor for the liver. Fats, fiber & proteins help balance blood sugar. It’s better for the liver to eat a small, good quality steak with spinach cooked in coconut oil, than a bowl of pasta with sugary tomato sauce.
Dairy slows down liver function, so should be eaten in small quantities, be organic and enjoyed with low glycemic veggies, instead of starches.
Detox your environment
Your liver has to detox every chemical you ingest and this slows it down. Surrounding yourself with less chemicals will help support liver function. Using chemical-free dish & hand soap, laundry detergent, air freshener (essential oils) and kitchen cleaning products is a good start.
Using chemical-free body care products is also important. Your skin absorbs everything you put on it (so you ingest your beauty products).
Some big liver stressor are over the counter and prescription medications. The birth control pills, pain meds and SSRIs take a toll on the liver (as well as the gut lining and biome). Sometimes meds are a necessity but compensate by cleaning up other sources of toxins in your life.
Organic food and no- teflon cookware are other ways to reduce your toxin exposure.
The less toxins you take in the less you have to detox out. All these changes can be overwhelming, so go slow in detoxing your life.
Beverages
Water is great for hydrating the liver, kidneys and lymph. Filtered water is best so you’re not consuming chemicals, toxins and bacteria-killing chlorine/chloramine as you hydrate.
Adding juice from half a lemon to warm or cold water will help stimulate bile and is great for the kidneys also. Lemon peel is a cancer-fighting super food, full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Lemon peel is high in oxalates, so avoid it if you have thyroid or kidney issues.
Lemon zest is a great addition to your salads or desserts or follow this simple recipe for a liver supporting smoothie.
Blend a lemon (I used an organic Meyer lemon) with two tablespoons of olive oil and a quarter cup of coconut water. It surprisingly yummy and great for the liver.
Other liver-supporting beverages are: a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water, green tea, Tumeric tea (coconut golden milk), nettle or dandelion tea, beet powder lattes or a detox cocktail made from a dropperful of chlorophyll and a teaspoon of cranberry concentrate (supports both the liver and kidneys.)
Find time for rest
The liver does not like non stop activity or an overly busy schedule. It, like you, needs downtime. When it gets irritated from lack of rest, it complains with symptoms like PMS, constipation, headaches, anger, break outs, etc.
We glorify busy in our society but if your liver is always processing “demand” hormones like cortisol & adrenaline, it can’t catch up, clean out and recharge.
Laying down and doing nothing is very important for the liver. If you find the idea of a “liver break” unbearable, you probably REALLY need it.
Downtime is for digesting and processing food, emotions, experiences & thoughts. To do this you must unplug your nervous system. That means turning off the TV or phone. While watching a movie may be relaxing for your mind, your nervous system is still firing.
Yoga nidra (a guided meditation done laying down) is a great practice to switch on the “rest and digest mode” of the nervous system.
You can also keep it simple. Sitting and staring out the window while deepening your breath can also work. So can laying on the floor and elevating your legs. Laying outside is particularly beneficial. This switches on the body’s relax mode, which is crucial for healing.
It is almost impossible for your body to heal when you don’t find time to unplug.
Rest is powerful. It will help balance the liver, which will in turn help balance hormones, support digestion and improve mood.
Detox practices
Detox practices can help the body release more toxins than it would on its own. Here are some of my favorites.
My very favorite liver detox practice is sauna. Dry sauna or infrared saunas are both great at making you sweat, releasing toxins in the process and stimulating lymph flow. The later works better for heavy metal detox and is not as hot as a traditional dry sauna. Steam rooms are ok, but the steam may be full of chlorine or chloramine, reducing the detox experience.
Coffee enemas are a powerful way to open up bile flow and encourage the liver to make more glutathione, its main detox antioxidant. Coffee enemas are typically done at home, with an enema kit, warm organic, low acid coffee and is retained for 15 minutes in the colon.
Castor oil packs are another powerful way to draw toxins from the liver. It involves putting a flannel soaked in castor oil on top of the liver, then putting a heating pad or hot water bottle on top and leaving it for about 40 minutes. Not only does this detox the liver but it also relaxes the nervous system, forcing you to slow down.
Acupuncture is another great practice for liver detox and lymph/ kidney support. It helps move blocked energy and tensions that impedes the flow of waste out of the body.
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting refers to eating your food within a designated window each day. It can be an 8-hour eating window, 10 hours or 12 hours. It’s up to you.
The idea is to give your body a continuous break from digesting food so it can focus on self-cleaning and motility. Digestion diverts most of your body’s energy away from cleaning and self maintenance.
Not everyone should practice fasting for 16 hours, especially those who are under weight, have nutritional deficiencies or blood sugar issues. A 12 hour fast is more reasonable. For example, eating from 7 am to 7 pm.
What you eat is key, but when you eat also matters.
The liver cleans itself between 1 am and 3 am. If you eat a late or heavy dinner, your body will spend that time digesting rather than detoxing.
It’s best to stop eating about 3 to 4 hours before bed time. Stopping eating at 7pm or 8 pm ensures your liver recovers properly each night.
Snacking and grazing throughout the day may not be the best strategy for liver repair and should be avoided if it’s not necessary to mange unstable blood sugar.
Intermittent fasting actually helps to balance blood sugar in the long run but if you have unstable blood sugar to begin with you have to take it very slow in the beginning, fasting for shorter windows and building up.
Movement
Movement is particularly important for the lymphatic system, which unlike the heart, does not have a pump to help it flow. It relies on movement.
Gentle movement is more than enough to ensure healthy lymph flow and liver function. Rebounding (jumping on a small trampoline) is great for lymph drainage. Walking, yoga or leisurely biking will get the fluids in your body moving.
If you can’t exercise or walk, you can promote lymph flow through massage, dry skin brushing, sauna sessions and contrast showering (switching back and forth from hot water and cold water).
The liver and emotion
One last, but interesting, thing about the liver is that it has a big influence on your emotions.
The liver is involved with the emotion of anger. A sluggish liver can cause irritability and anger. And conversely, lots of angry emotion can highly irritate the liver.
Dealing with psychology and emotion is not my expertise. But I know that processing anger and resentment (feeling it fully and letting it go) can help ease liver congestion.
Also, applying any of the tips above can help release congestion from the liver and take the edge off angry feelings.
We feel anxiety in our gut, but anger is felt in the liver. Working with emotions like anger, can have a profound effect on digestive health through clearing liver pathways. Boosting organ function can increase feelings of happiness and peace.
Use the tools that speak to you
You don’t have to do drastic cleanses to clear the liver pathway. The tips above are gentle and steady and just as effective as something more drastic.
I have given you lots of tools, and obviously you can’t do everything. Focus on the tools that really speak to you.
Adding the right supplements, drinks and foods to your protocol, along with rest and detox practices will greatly improve drainage and keep die off at a minimum.
Don’t be surprised when giving the liver some love improve digestion, elimination or clears up random symptoms you never thought were related.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.