Each year, detoxing is one of the first things on my list. As I make my list, I have learned the hard way that there are 2 organs that are essential to remember. Let me tell you why.
Organ #1: Liver
Looking at myself in the mirror this winter is not the same image I saw 10 years ago. In the winter of 2010/2011, I had dry, red skin around my eyes. This was nothing new due to the fact that my eye skin had been dry for several winters for some unknown reason to me.
But about a month into this particular winter season, the dryness and sensitivity around my eyes got much worse, even so bad that I didn’t want to leave the house. The skin around my eyes would peel and reveal raw skin. And wearing makeup or washing the skin? Those simple tasks made me look like a strange creature to behold. The skin would then become so irritated that it advanced to open oozing sores all around my eyes, which would scab over, leaving thick, scaly scabs all around my eyes. Can anyone say crocodile?
Needless to say, I learned not to leave the house without sunglasses in those days. Everywhere I went, whether it be church or the store, I had to keep my eyes covered, so as not to frighten some child along the way.
Thankfully I came across Shoshanna’s YouTube video about detoxing the liver and made a connection. I was now certain that my eye issues were related to my liver. I ordered her herbal mix, made my own tincture, and began following her suggested dosage.
Imagine my joy when the next winter rolled around and my eyes were fine! This was the first winter in several ye ars that I did not deal with dry, itchy skin around my eyes. These herbs were amazing healers!
We may not be able to see our liver, but it is a very vital organ to keep healthy. It is our blood cleaning filter, receiving 1 1/2 quarts of blood a minute, and cleaning our blood 24/7. Anything that you eat or breathe is filtered through the liver, detoxing your whole system.
Some other important jobs of the liver are:
- Regulates protein metabolism
- Regulates carbohydrate metabolism
- Modifies fats
- Produces bile
- Stores vitamins, minerals, and iron
- Converts ammonia to urea, which is converted to urine by the kidneys
Those are some very important functions! When the liver is not working properly, it can cause poor digestion, headaches, acne, depression, mood swings, skin problems, foggy thinking, IBS, weight gain, reflux, constipation, poor digestion, and more! The liver assists the body when the rest of the body is being cleansed. If the liver is not working right, cleansing the other areas of your body may not be as successful.
The detox I used was the Liver Cleanse Tincture from the Bulk Herb Store. You can find the simple instructions on making it, and the suggested dosage on the package.
Organ #2: Kidneys
Finding myself at the emergency room at 2 a.m. in terrible pain was a lesson I will not forget. After tests and a lot of money spent, I was diagnosed with kidney stones. I had been having such success with healing my liver, had cleansed my blood and colon, was ridding my body of parasites, but had neglected my kidneys!
The kidneys regulate the alkaline/acid balance of the body. Every day the kidneys process 200 quarts of blood and filters about 2 quarts of waste products in the form of urine. It is important to keep them cleansed and healthy.
One of the best things you can do to help kidney health is to drink plenty of water. The color and odor of your urine will tell you a lot about your kidney health. Your urine will become darker and stronger smelling if you fail to drink enough healthy liquids.
Lack of water is really hard on the kidneys and can lead to kidney stones, bacterial growth, and bladder infections. Many nutritionists recommend drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but make sure you are drinking enough to keep your urine a light yellow.
To help determine what the color of your urine means, refer to this chart here.
One way to clean out the kidneys is with a kidney flush.
To flush the kidneys:
- Combine 2 oz. of olive oil and 2 oz. of lemon juice.
- Stir and drink down.
- Follow with a large glass of water.
This remedy does a great job of cleansing and rejuvenating the kidneys! You can also purchase a kidney cleanse and follow the directions on the bottle.