Judging by medical statistics, the main danger today remains heart disease. No other diseases claim as many lives as these. That is why cardiology is considered the most important medical branch. However, today the balance of power within medicine is undergoing certain changes associated with a new danger – environmental pollution. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these days there is not a single ecologically safe corner on the planet. Even Arctic ice contains industrial toxins.
In this sense, a person’s life is directly dependent on the liver, the organ that removes poisons that have entered it from the body.
The study of the liver by doctors has long been limited to two diseases: cancer and hepatitis, a severe form of viral infection. If doctors examined the liver and found no signs of these diseases, then the liver was considered healthy. Research conducted in recent years has shown that this is far from true. A liver that does not contain cancer cells and hepatitis viruses can also be diseased. In the fight against numerous toxins entering the blood through breathing and food, the liver, as it turns out, may lose its filtration capabilities. Moreover, it is “saturated” with nuclei just like the cleaning membrane of a water filter that was forgotten to be changed in time, and in the same way it itself becomes a source of intoxication in the body.
It is clear that the liver’s ability to neutralize external toxins is not so great – otherwise a person would not know poisoning. The liver is designed by nature as an internal “filter”, the task of which is to neutralize numerous harmful by-products formed during metabolic processes, as well as remove excess different types of hormones from the body (this allows maintaining an optimal hormonal balance in the blood). The fight against industrial poisons is an additional burden on the liver, which can ultimately partially or even completely paralyze the liver’s activity due to metabolic toxins. However, this is not the only cause of liver dysfunction. A survey of American bodybuilders living in areas with a more or less clean environment showed that many of them have hidden forms of liver dysfunction. The explanation here is simple. The liver is not able to cope with the amount of toxic products of protein metabolism that is formed when consuming huge portions of protein , especially in the form of concentrated powders. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that bodybuilders’ livers are already working to the limit due to extremely stressful training. They are also accompanied by the formation of large quantities of internal toxins. As a result, the liver cannot cope with the load placed on it and becomes ill.
How to help your own liver? Since the liver is a real filter, first of all you need to clean this filter. This is not difficult to do: just sit on a rice and vegetable diet for a week or two. In this case, you need to completely eliminate the intake of any proteins, including protein ones. It is also useful to go to the bathhouse or sauna. Toxins expelled from the liver will come out with sweat. At the same time, you need to drink a lot of clean water – at least two liters a day. The kidneys will begin to work in enhanced mode, accelerating the elimination of poisons.
But you shouldn’t fast in the interests of cleansing the liver. The fact is that during fasting, the body extracts energy from internal tissues by breaking down protein cells. This process is accompanied by the release of toxic substances, forcing the liver to work harder.
However, the detoxification procedure described above is for those who cleanse the liver prophylactically. If there are serious problems with your liver, you will have to see a doctor and undergo a special course of treatment.
How to diagnose yourself? To begin with, liver dysfunction can manifest itself in the form of chronic fatigue and general mild malaise, which a bodybuilder often mistakenly regards as a sign of overtraining. Other symptoms are: you wake up at night feeling hot and stuffy; you quickly get drunk, even from a small amount of alcohol; after a heavy meal you feel slightly nauseous, there is no feeling of satiety or satisfaction.
Another extremely important symptom is loss of joint flexibility. When liver activity is impaired, the joints “dry out”, as if they lack lubrication. If you feel that you have difficulty bending your knees or arm joints, you should definitely consult a doctor.
If you discover that your liver is indeed damaged, do not panic. Modern medicine is strong enough to deal with this kind of dysfunction. After a course of therapy, you will be completely healthy and can return to the gym again .
