I heart my liver.

November 1, 2005 10:24 AM

DetoxFilter: I'm entering my 5th week of sobriety (yay!) and it just struck me this morning that although this is a nice thing to do for my liver, maybe it's not enough...?

I wasn't some big time alcoholic drinking a quart of vodka for breakfast, but I've been drinking regulary for the past 15 years and this is the longest I've ever gone without. I feel much better and I'm also now taking regular exercise, but I was just wondering whether my liver could use a bit of pampering, and how I'd go about it.

posted by russmail to health & fitness (10 comments total)

Get some Milk Thistle in you.
posted by brautigan at 10:36 AM on November 1, 2005

Drink water, lots of water.

It's not just your liver that has trouble with alcohol. Don't forget to give a shout out to your esophagus, stomach, kidneys, etc...
posted by Pollomacho at 10:53 AM on November 1, 2005

Comments from my mom, who has 30+ years of sobriety, has worked as an alcoholism counselor for many years in the past, and who remains active in AA circles:

"Pampering indeed... depending on how much they drank there is for sure some damage. Good multi vitamins are recommended, they need to be avoiding sugar stuff, and drinking lots of water."

Hope that helps, and best of luck to you.
posted by Lokheed at 10:57 AM on November 1, 2005

I second the Milk Thistle. I took it, and my liver enzyme levels dropped quicker than expected. Speaking of, if you are on your own in this and it's practical, it can't hurt to go to the doctor and ask to have your liver enzymes/levels checked - it's part of a standard blood test. That can give you an idea of where you are on the danger scale.
posted by rainbaby at 11:21 AM on November 1, 2005

Read Linus Pauling's book "How to Live Longer and Feel Better."

Nutrition is the best way to repair the body.
posted by ewkpates at 11:34 AM on November 1, 2005

Go to the doctor, but he'll probably tell you to eat right and exercise. I'd recommend avoiding crackpot homeopathic liver tonics as well.
posted by electroboy at 12:18 PM on November 1, 2005

Yes, go to the doctor, eat right, exercise, and I certainly can't prove causation that Milk Thistle helped me out. . .but it's pretty mainstream - you can just buy it in the vitamin and herbals section of any chain grocery or drug store. Unless you consider all over the counter herbals crackpot - which I certainly understand - I consider it a cheap-and-it-can't-hurt kind of thing.
posted by rainbaby at 12:35 PM on November 1, 2005

I think the recommendation to drink lots of water is a bit too fuzzy. The recommended daily amount of water is—according to the Food and Nutrition Board—2.7 and 3.7 liters for adult females and males, respectively. This includes water consumed through food. I don't know whether consuming water beyond this recommendation will alleviate any damage to the liver but I'm doubtful. In my confused mind I think that drinking "pure" water might be beneficial over other beverages, though. But I have nothing to back up that belief (the extent of my medical training is an hour or so of CPR training).

Also, an almost certainly untrue anecdote: I've once heard a story of a woman who somehow ingested something hazardous, she called a doctor and he recommended that she drink lots of water and come see him in the morning. Following his suggestion, she drank 10-15 liters of water and died from hyponatremia.
posted by rycee at 1:57 PM on November 1, 2005

I'd recommend avoiding crackpot homeopathic liver tonics

Consumer Reports ran an article along the lines of "Herbal Cures With the Most Credible Evidence of Effectiveness."

Number One? Milk Thistle. They said that if it could be patented, it would be touted as a miracle drug.
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:50 PM on November 1, 2005

Speaking as someone who knows lots of people with Hep C, here are some things that are hard on livers:

Alcohol
Fat
Protein
Tylenol (acetomenophin)
Aspirin (tho I think it's better than Tylenol- not sure)
Iron (incl. in multivitamins)

I forget what things are good for livers, but I think beets and squash are among them. (I'm talking about winter squashes, like butternut, more than the summer squashes)
posted by small_ruminant at 11:45 PM on November 1, 2005