9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Liver

The liver is the body’s main fat-digesting and detoxification organ.  Every molecule of fat that you eat must pass through your liver, but if your liver is overburdened by its more than 500 other essential activities, it can become sluggish.  Here are ways to boost your liver function:

1.  Since the liver requires high amounts of vitamins and minerals to perform its many functions, your diet should be high in fruits and vegetables and nutrient-rich foods.

2.  Because food additives and preservatives need to be filtered by your liver, your diet should be free of processed foods, artificial food additives, colors, and preservatives to take the load off your liver.  Additionally, choose to eat a diet low in refined sugar and synthetic sweeteners.

3. You should definitely be avoiding margarine, shortening, commercial oils (choose unrefined oils from the refrigerator section of your local health food store).  Avoid eating animal fat and fried foods as well.

4. Drink between eight to ten glasses of pure, filtered water every day.  This is the only way your liver can flush toxins out of your body.

5.  Better yet, start every day with a large glass of water with the fresh juice of one-half to one lemon added.  Lemon helps bolster you liver’s detoxification abilities.

6.  Eat plenty of liver-rebuilding foods, including: carrots, beets, leafy greens, and other green vegetables.

7.  Eat lots of garlic, onions and broccoli since these foods contain sulfur that is required to increase the liver’s detoxification ability.

8.  Detoxification in the liver requires considerable amounts of nutrients to function properly so be sure to take a high quality multivitamin and mineral supplement.  Even a single nutrient deficiency can seriously disrupt natural detoxification processes.

9.  While lying flat on your back, you can gently massage the liver/gallbladder area, which is located along the lower rib area on the right side of your body.  This helps improve circulation to the area.

Always consult your physician prior to making dietary changes or taking nutritional supplements.

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How Not to Wreck Your Liver

Your liver is a key player in your body’s digestive system. Everything you eat or drink, including medicine, passes through your liver. 

“The liver is a vital organ and not something you can live without,” says Rohit Satoskar, MD, of the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute. “It’s an organ you could easily trash if you don’t take good care of it, and once you trash it, it’s gone.”The liver is the second-largest organ in your body (the skin is the largest). It's about the size of a football and sits under your lower ribcage on the right side. It filters chemicals like drugs and alcohol from the blood; regulates your hormones and blood sugar levels; stores energy from the nutrients you take in; and makes blood proteins, bile, and several enzymes that the body needs.

There’s nothing tricky about keeping your liver in good shape. It’s all about a healthy lifestyle, says Ray Chung, MD, of the Liver Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Taking care of your liver is far more about avoiding what’s bad than it is about eating or drinking things that are particularly nourishing to the liver,” he says.

Care for Your Liver

Here are the proven ways to avoid wrecking your liver:

Don't drink a lot of alcohol. Alcohol can damage liver cells, leading to the swelling or scarring that becomes cirrhosis, which can be deadly.

According to the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate alcohol use is defined as having up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Stay at or under this to keep from harming your liver.

Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. A condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) also can lead to cirrhosis. It comes from being overweight, having diabetes, or having high levels of fat in your blood. NAFLD affects about 25% of people in the U.S. It can be avoided through weight loss if you’re overweight, getting regular exercise, and eating a balanced diet.

Stay away from medicines (or combinations of medicines) that harm the liver. Cholesterol drugs and the painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be toxic to the liver if too much is taken over time or at once. You may be taking more Tylenol than you realize; it's found in hundreds of drugs like cold medicines and prescription pain medicines. Certain combinations of drugs can be toxic to the liver; so can taking some medicines while drinking alcohol. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what medicines shouldn’t be combined with each other or alcohol. And always follow dosage information.

Be aware of hepatitis and how it is transmitted. Hepatitis is a virus that causes the liver to become inflamed. There are several different types. Hepatitis A is transmitted by water or food that's been contaminated with bacteria found in feces. It usually gets better on its own. Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through blood and body fluids. If untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. Hand washing and avoiding places that don't seem clean can prevent hepatitis A. To prevent hepatitis B and C, don't share items like toothbrushes, razors, or needles, limit the number of sex partners you have, and always use latex condoms if you have more than one partner.

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How to Keep the Respiratory System Healthy

You can promote respiratory health in many ways beyond not smoking. Whether using these strategies preventatively or to reduce symptoms of a condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you can make a positive difference in the health of your respiratory system.

Step 1

Exercise regularly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week to promote overall health. Always check with your doctor before beginning exercise, especially if you already have any respiratory or other types of conditions.

Step 2

Eat a diet rich in nutrients necessary for a healthy respiratory system. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, low levels of certain nutrients have been linked to lung diseases. It recommends eating foods rich in vitamins A,C and E and the minerals zinc, potassium, selenium, magnesium and zinc.

Step 3

Drink plenty of water to help thin mucus secretions that accumulate in your lungs, facilitating easier breathing. You typically lose about 6.3 cups of fluids daily and drinking at least this much will ensure adequate fluid intake.

Step 4

Add houseplants to your rooms. According to the British Columbia Lung Association, indoor plants can improve the quality of the air in your home by removing chemical vapors that can harm respiratory health.

Step 5

Wash your hands frequently, get vaccinated for the flu and practice good oral hygiene to prevent infections that can travel from the mouth to the rest of the body, notably your lungs.

Step 6

Exercise in cleaner conditions, such as side streets or parks away from busy thoroughfares. Walking or jogging on the side of busy streets leads to breathing in harmful fumes. Check air quality reports for your area so that you don't exercise outside on heavily polluted days.

Tips

• Talk to your doctor about using supplements that might promote lung health. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, supplements linked to better respiratory health include magnesium, l-carnitine, ginseng, n-acetyl cysteine, lobelia and mullein.

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6 GREAT TIPS TO A HEALTHY RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The respiratory system is among the major body systems. Without it, you would probably not live at all. It is majorly concerned with your breathing and keeping it healthy adds you more time to live. It is a sensitive system in that if its functionality decreases even to a slight proportion, then it becomes compromised. Your lung functions need to always be at their best for you to have a long, comfortable life. Many things can reduce your lung functions like smoking, lifestyle and even occupation. A compromise to the respiratory system usually leads to a compromise in the other body systems as well.

That said, there are some tips that if you practice and incorporate them in your daily life, you will have a long life with few visits to the doctors.

• Avoid smoke

Smoke is almost everywhere you go. The industrial smoke, smoke in the kitchen and even cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoking is among the leading causes of lung and respiratory failure. The smoke in your lungs contains many chemicals that interfere with the synthesis of a substance known as collagen. This substance helps in the recoil of your lungs and so the lungs can easily expand and contract while breathing. Smoking also predisposes one to lung cancer as it contains some carcinogens.  Continuous long-term smoking has been known to be a major cause of some obstructive lung diseases, which may be hard to reverse, but stopping at any time can restore your lungs functionality. Passive smoking is also dangerous. Avoid being among smokers because you also will inhale the smoke and suffer the toxic effects.

Cooking using firewood is another source of smoke. This may be hard to avoid in the developing world, but, if possible look for other means of cooking.

• Be careful if you are in risky occupations

Some occupations expose you to toxins that are dangerous to our health. Jobs like coal mining or exposure to cadmium and asbestos are sometimes toxic to our bodies. If you are in such occupations, make sure that your exposure time is reduced. Get some days off work to breathe some fresh air and do not prolong your shifts.

• Stay healthy

Our lungs, just as any other part of our bodies, need to be fed in a healthy manner. Having a balanced diet is essential. Supplement it with vitamins. Eating healthy maintains your body tissues thatare found in all systems including the respiratory system.

• Work out

Regular exercises keep your body strong and healthy. Exercise increases your body’s demand for oxygen. This will activate the respiratory center in your brain and enhance on your breathing. Taking deep breadths lead to expansive lungs allowing more fresh air in and taking the out the undesired air. It also strengthens the breathing muscles creating a long term impact on your health.

• Regular check ups

Most of the time we get common colds or flu and ignore them or take some over the counter drugs without getting a doctor’s opinion. These infections can greatly reduce your lungs functionality even if they seem so minimal. Let the doctor check you up and take the necessary steps.

• Cleanliness is paramount

Most of the common infections that we have are due to the hygiene habits that we have. Avoid touching or using many of the public services like washrooms. If travelling using public means, minimize your contact time as many other people have also touched them. Regularly wash your hands before eating or after handling dirty stuff. Most infections are transmitted this way. If you do not have readily available water, carry some hand sanitizers with you.

The body is a networking of many systems that work together. Breathing may seem like an easy thing to do but it requires a healthy respiratory system. Use the above tips to enhance your life.

Author bio:

Rahab is a medical doctor with interest in respiratory health. She has also researched on best vapor cigarette and can provide knowledge about it and write it too.

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Draeger Offers ”7 Tips for Better Respiratory and Lung Health”

In an effort to bring lung health issues to the attention of the public, The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) has designated October 21-27, 2007, as Respiratory Care Week and Wednesday, October 24 as Lung Health Day. Draeger Medical, Inc. is a Corporate Partner of AARC and, in conjunction with this event, has prepared “7 Tips for Better Respiratory and Lung Health.” These tips are written as common-sense guidelines for good lung health and are not meant to be a substitute for regular checkups and consultation with physicians.

1. Don’t smoke and do keep away from other respiratory irritants.

As one of the Surgeon General’s Warnings on cigarette packs states: “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.” If you do smoke, quit. Quitting can help improve lung function considerably in as little as six weeks.1

2. Do eat & drink right.

Eat fruits and veggies, especially tomatoes. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants like Vitamins A, C and E, and health professionals agree that it’s best to get them from your food rather than from supplements. Staying away from processed foods in general is good for your lungs and your overall health. British researchers found that people who ate tomatoes (or tomato sauce, etc.) three times a week had improved lung function and experienced less “wheeziness” and fewer asthma-like symptoms.2,3

Drink plenty of water or other nutritious fluids (unless otherwise directed). When we breathe, our lungs lose moisture. So we need to stay hydrated.

Cut back on eating cured meats. In adults 45 years and older, frequent consumption of cured meats was associated with decreased lung function and increased risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).4

Drinking wine, particularly white wine, both in the recent past and over your lifetime, seems to help your lungs. But don’t overdo it.2

3. Do make your home a safe place to breathe.

Keep your house free from clutter (this can attract dust and irritants). Vacuum and dust regularly. If you have forced air ductwork in your house, make sure you have it professionally cleaned to remove dust and mold.

Wash and replace sheets and pillowcases to help prevent dust mites from getting into your lungs.

Read the ingredients on household cleansers, and if the instructions tell you to use in a well-ventilated space, do so.2

4. Don’t expose your lungs to harmful environments.

Avoid going outside during high pollen count, high ozone, or on very windy days when there is a high level of dust and blowing irritants.

Don’t frequent places where there is secondhand smoke or irritants. Secondhand smoke can cause premature death and disease, and there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.5

5. Do breathe correctly.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. The nose is designed as a filter and temperature regulator. The mouth lets everything into your lungs.2

Inhale deeply through your nose, filling your lungs from the bottom up. This is called diaphragmatic breathing and it requires less effort to take in each breath.2

6. Do exercise.

Exercise makes your heart beat faster. Do such things as climbing stairs, riding a bike or walking briskly. This is important to keep your heart and lungs in good shape. Studies find that walking about 15 minutes three to four times a day improves breathing in people with emphysema.2,6

7. Do be an optimist.

Harvard researchers followed 670 men with an average age of 63 years for eight years and found those who were more optimistic had much better lung function and a slower rate of lung function decline than the pessimists in the bunch.7

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Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control

When it comes to type 2 diabetes — the most common type of diabetes — prevention is a big deal. It's especially important to make diabetes prevention a priority if you're at increased risk of diabetes, for example, if you're overweight or have a family history of the disease.

Diabetes prevention is as basic as eating more healthfully, becoming more physically active and losing a few extra pounds — and it's never too late to start. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes down the road, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage. Consider the latest diabetes prevention tips from the American Diabetes Association.

Tip 1: Get more physical activity

There are many benefits to regular physical activity. Exercise can help you:

• Lose weight
• Lower your blood sugar
• Boost your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range

Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greater benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.

Tip 2: Get plenty of fiber

It's rough, it's tough — and it may help you:

• Reduce your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control
• Lower your risk of heart disease
• Promote weight loss by helping you feel full

Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Tip 3: Go for whole grains

Although it's not clear why, whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and many cereals. Look for the word "whole" on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

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Foods and Herbs for Boosting Immunity and Respiratory Health

Are you (or the people around you) “coming down with something” — a respiratory bug you’d rather not have? Some of the most convenient and economical sources of immune support can be found right in your pantry, in the form of immune-boosting foods, herbs, and spices. Some of our favorites are those that act on the respiratory tract as well as the immune system, to be used either before you experience symptoms or when you first notice that tickle in your throat or nose. Including foods that act as natural anti-inflammatories in your diet can also benefit the immune and respiratory systems.

Tea. Many types of tea have long been revered for their health-enhancing effects, and much research has focused on its antioxidant effects. But along with its antioxidant effects, drinkers of true tea (Camellia sinensis) — black, green, white, or oolong — are enjoying a range of phytochemicals that can help them avoid infection. One tea ingredient, L-theanine, appears to prime the memory of core T cells in the immune system, teaching them to recognize certain molecular subcomponents of invading bacterial, parasitic, and viral microbes when encountered for the first time, so they can mount a significantly stronger response than “naïve” T cells.

Another group of compounds in tea called catechins are under evaluation for their antimicrobial effects. Green tea extracts rich in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol in tea, have been shown to have antiviral effects against influenza A virus (seasonal flu) in the laboratory, and EGCG and its relatives are considered to be the likely source of this effect. In another recent study on mice, EGCG demonstrated strong effects against the H1N1 virus in particular. The exterior surfaces of influenza viruses are covered with protein-dense knobs responsible for binding to the cells being infected. Studies on EGCG suggest one way it inhibits the virus’s infectivity is by binding to these knobs so as to “preoccupy” them, actually altering the physical properties of the viral membrane.

And staying well-hydrated by drinking tea infusions also helps keep your sinuses, throat, and nasal passages from becoming clogged up — just take care to ensure the caffeine in these teas doesn’t prevent you from getting the sleep you need.

Herbal tisanes. When steeped in boiling water, just about any herb or plant material that is not tea leaves becomes what is known traditionally as a tisane. If left to brew for some time, it becomes an infusion. Whether brewed as single ingredients or in combination, there are countless varieties of these herbal tisanes and infusions, with an equally diverse range of health-enhancing applications. As observed for centuries, studies on herbs are now elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying these longstanding observations, and we now have a better, albeit still limited understanding of how they enhance our overall well-being.

But you need not brew up a tisane to derive better immunity, as herbs can be compounded in a wide range of forms, including tinctures, extracts, homeopathic and combination preparations. One of the best known and most widely used herbs, Echinacea, has been long considered a source of immune support in traditional medicine but regarded with mixed feelings by conventional practitioners. Laboratory studies on different Echinacea species, plant parts, and preparations have demonstrated a variety of antiviral properties, useful in preventing and fending off respiratory viruses.

These studies also demonstrate, however, that Echinacea preparations can differ greatly, as can their effectiveness. We recommend you look for organically grown or sustainably harvested herbs, and if using supplements, choose high-quality standardized extracts, whether Echinacea or other medicinal herbs. (See the list below of 5 herbs for cold and flu season for our favorites). For ongoing or more serious immunological or inflammatory concerns, please consult with a qualified professional for the best overall outcome.

Garlic. Used for millennia to combat respiratory and other infections, including viral illnesses, garlic contains a number of compounds, such as ajoene and allicin, that show potent antibacterial and virucidal activity. Scientific data on its proposed antiviral properties are still somewhat limited, but studies have shown that garlic promotes overall immune health, that it is active against specific bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, and that it may bolster the ability of the respiratory tract to defend against viral infection.

Hot peppers. Chili peppers such as jalapeño, poblano, or serrano contain moderate levels of the compound capsaicin, which is what makes peppers burn in your mouth — and clear out your sinuses! Adding these peppers to soups and other dishes can help open up clogged airways and promote better drainage of the sinuses, which in turn helps rid them of infectious bacteria, viruses, and the mucus and cellular debris associated with them. Peppers are also a high-quality source of vitamin C. As with some other natural treatments, the research on vitamin C and cold and flu prevention has been mixed and somewhat controversial. That said, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a powerful antioxidant, and it does appear to benefit the immune response, reduce the duration of respiratory symptoms, and may have some direct effects against influenza.

Chicken soup. Mothers and grandmothers have prescribed homemade chicken soup as a remedy for colds and flu for generations — perhaps since ancient Greece — and with good reason! It may not be a cure-all, but chicken soup does have a number of benefits for overall immune health and a healthy respiratory tract, and it certainly is comforting. As part of the natural inflammatory response, respiratory viruses like the common cold and influenza cause immune cells called neutrophils to migrate to the mucosal lining of the airways — this is thought to be what causes the secretion of mucus. Chicken soup has been shown to significantly limit the number of neutrophils that get drawn in. Steam from chicken soup helps open nasal passages, so it also helps remove infectious particles from your airways in that fashion. (And if you make a chicken soup with fresh, homemade broth, garlic, and a jalapeño pepper, you’ll have a triple whammy for your respiratory health!).

5 Medicinal herbs for cold and flu season

For generations certain herbs were identified as preventives for colds and flu, widely used in various forms and combinations, and regarded as invaluable for warding off infection and decreasing severity and duration of symptoms.

Modern science has placed these medicinal herbs under intense scrutiny, and the research on some has been mixed yet supportive. We now have a growing body of evidence confirming overall lower incidence of flu and cold infection with the use of certain herbs, while other studies demonstrate intriguing immune-stimulating activity. Herbal medicines are thought to neutralize or limit the success of seasonal viruses in myriad ways, but principally by increasing immune cell numbers and function, gene expression, and cell-signaling activity in the body. Others appear to act upon the virus particles themselves.

Most botanical preparations containing these herbs work best when taken as preventives, or as soon as symptoms become evident. Here are 5 for which the science is strong.

1. Astragalus (A. membranaceous)*
2. Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
3. Cordyceps (C. militaris)*
4. Echinacea (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida)
5. Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng — Eleutherococcus senticosus)*

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