Working on your liver in autoimmunity

Did you know…?

…the liver has not one, but six very specific detoxification pathways?

Why is this relevant to autoimmunity?  Well, we pay particular attention to our detoxification ability in autoimmunity, because it is usually compromised.  This is a result of trying to cope with excessive inflammation, as well as other common issues, such as poor blood sugar balance, chronic infections and hormonal dysregulation. 

When I work with clients, supporting their liver function can often be the intervention that moves the needle the most for them. Poor liver function can actually contribute to inflammation.

So, we look at these six pathways.  Each pathway handles particular substances.  For example, the methylation pathway detoxifies certain medications, heavy metals, certain hormones such as adrenaline, and histamine.  It uses specific nutrients for this process, including B12, B6, folic acid, magnesium, choline, betaine and methionine.

Testing and case history can help to identify when one or more of these six pathways is struggling.  A struggling pathway can often be at the root of symptoms.  So using the example above, if the methylation pathway was overburdened, we might consider using a water filter to reduce heavy metal intake, regulating lifestyle to reduce adrenal load, asking the GP to review medications, and reducing histamine foods.  We would also optimise levels of the nutrients required for this pathway. 

This is another example of where personalised nutrition advice can offer so much beyond generic public health advice.  I think it’s really important to be aware of this distinction.

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