Liver intelligence is probably not a phrase you hear often. More likely, you have heard of a sluggish liver or a fatty liver. In our society, we have been taught that intelligence comes from the brain. As a HeartMath trainer, I also know that the heart has its own intelligence. We talk about emotional intelligence and gut instinct. What is this liver intelligence then?
After reading the Medical Medium’s Liver Rescue, I have profound gratitude and respect for this organ. This book is an anthem to the liver, a heavy text detailing the many roles, functions, and honestly, the magic, of the liver.
How Healthy are Our Livers?
According to Liver Rescue, so many illnesses and imbalances come from a sub optimal liver, sluggish and fatigued from overworking. Because of the industrial revolution and all its untested chemicals and processes, for example, most people are born with a compromised liver, passed down through the generations. In eastern philosophy, the liver is related to the element of Wood, the season of Spring, and the emotion of anger. Reading the Liver Rescue, in the eastern medicine context, I wondered how much of the anger we see in the world is because of unhappy livers. How well do people live, without a healthy liver? When so many people are not taught how to consciously and constructively process their emotions, especially anger, our livers are not getting the love and attention it needs! #FoodforThought
Part of the reason Liver Rescue is so thick is that it includes an explanation for an unhealthy liver’s role in a long list of common illnesses, including MTHRF, autoimmune, mystery hunger, diabetes, gall stones, and heart challenges. At the back of the book, there are dietary plans for specific health challenges or for a generally healthy liver. This is well worth a read and I will include a few highlights below. ☞ Get the book Liver Rescue
Did you know that there are health practitioners who work with the Medical Medium philosophy and information? Connect with them to see if it’s a good fit. Before changing any aspect of your treatment and medical plan, do first consult a health care practitioner.
Aspects of Liver Intelligence
- stores nutrients including water molecules for dry times. That apple you ate that summer Wednesday two years ago comes in handy!
- stores “troublemakers” so they don’t go into the bloodstream, lymph fluids, and spinal fluids. This is also protective of the heart, one of the liver’s many roles.
- sponges up adrenaline and its encoded emotions and stories so we are not flooded and to remove a fuel for viruses. The liver releases it once it’s neutralized. It also sponges up radiation, including from our food, water, the atmosphere, and our cell phones.
- has an immune system.
- and much more!
Some Signs of a Sluggish Liver
- fatigue and a general lack of energy
- dark circles under the eyes
- gout, insomnia, (because of “dirty blood”)
- varicose veins (from chronic dehydration and more veins to alleviate the burden on the heart)
- inflammation
- fatty liver (from storing and neutralizing toxins)
- weight gain
- mystery hunger (from a liver starving for glucose)
My Personal Changes
Liver Rescue has inspired me to make some changes in my life and to connect more with my liver intelligence. I’m still exploring and experimenting with these. So let’s see what happens and what else is possible?!
- First I’m definitely sending acknowledge and recognition and more love and gratitude to my liver.
- I’m also going to be more gentle with any liver cleanses I may do. Yes, I too did those olive oil flushes, which to my surprise, tasted rather nice. Dumping so much olive oil is just too much fat for an overtaxed liver to deal with. If anything, the liver needs less fat! Liver Rescue explains that a cleanse can be too harsh because of the volume of poisons flooding our system can be too much, especially for someone with weakened adrenals or a sensitive nervous system. What people may see as a healing reaction may not be so healing after all. (Want to do a cleanse? Try the 28-day cleanse. ☞ Read a personal account of this cleanse)
- I’ve already made many dietary changes from reading the Medical Medium’s first book and will continue them as well. Gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, lemon water in the morning. And now – fruits in the morning, no fats (and so no proteins) until dinner time (or at least lunch time), eating less fats (maybe an avocado a day a few times in a week rather than daily), vinegar-free, and minimal alcohol. Alcohol and vinegar are not the liver’s friends. The fats I do eat I combine with leafy greens, red bell peppers, cucumbers, and lemons. Can’t get apples? I found this fantastic one-ingredient organic apple sauce at Choice.
- I use mostly glass with my food. The other day, I realized I had allowed a whole host of plastic containers to slip by my consciousness with personal care products. So for my own health and in support of a healthier environment, I am looking into other products, ones that use recyclable kraft materials and glass.
- Supplementation – this is sometime tricky and I confess not to be great at taking them everyday. So the ones I will take are B12 with adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin (needed to support the liver for methylation which allows nutrients to be bioavailable and absorbed); Vitamin C; nettle leaf tea, probiotics, and spirulina.
- I have a Self-Care Self-Love practice – Jin Shin Jyutsu, naps, walking in nature, doodling, listening to my body…Adding to it, a regular Lymphatic Drainage and taking even greater loving care of myself when seasons change. Liver Rescue shares that the liver tends to release its adrenaline storage when seasons change. This is for detoxing in preparation for the new season. Since adrenaline is encoded with the emotions of the original event, we can re-experience them. So take care – while these feelings feel real, they are not necessarily a reflection of your current emotional state. And if you have lots of stress in your life, do look at ways to reduce or minimize the sources, look at the symptoms, and bring more joy.
The book includes an interesting section on how the “troublemakers” such as petrochemicals, problematic food, and pathogenic are stored in the liver. Plus how to detox them safely and the timeline for each group. Be sure to check out the section on healing foods, which if you are familiar with his philosophy, include blueberries, celery, and Atlantic sea vegetables. Focus on the good stuff!
Liver Intelligence & Beyond
Liver Rescue is not everyone’s cup of tea. The Medical Medium is sharing some information not yet discovered by research. For me, it’s a good reminder that science is not settled, which reflects our own evolution.
Our starting point, depending on our conditions and journey, is likely to be observation. Susun S Weed offers six steps to healing and advises beginning at Step 0. There are so many back-to-basics practices we can put into place, instead of putting our whole health on pharmaceuticals or the idea that our body attacks itself. Our concept of wellbeing needs to be upgraded and even reinvented!
I also thought about the sheer number of labelled conditions, with a wide variety of symptoms. Of course, addressing symptoms is important, though in many cases, that is the only thing that is being done. Or it’s chalked up to genetics. We have cells, tissues, organs, and systems. We have viruses including Epstein-Barr which the Medical Medium writes and speaks volumes about as the source of so many symptoms.
In Jin Shin Jyutsu, while we help people in their symptoms, we also listen to their pulses, to see what is the best harmonizer for the present moment. What if it’s that simple? What if we can tap into the intelligence of all our organs, like we can with heart intelligence and liver intelligence? And what happens when we take care of all our organs through a healthy mindset, a wonderful Self-Care practice, emotional harmony, movement, and a diet that is correct for us?
