Do you wake up unrefreshed? It just doesn’t matter how much sleep you get, you wake up tired. Once you get going, you’re OK, but you just want to hit the snooze button ten times.
For some people that can be the sign of a sluggish liver.
What is a sluggish liver?
Using the word, “sluggish” is a naturopathic term. It means that although you are well, your organ (in this case your liver) could be working at an optimal level. If you have a liver function test done it may turn up as normal.
But a liver function test will dysfunction when things are really going haywire with your liver. You don’t just wake up one day with an abnormal liver, the body has a process to get there and if things are starting to go out of balance, then it may be sluggish – this means we want it to work at an optimal level again.
A liver detox is a great way to go if you are feeling sluggish within yourself. A true liver detox (one from your naturopath) will help to enhance the way your liver enzymes work, thus giving you long lasting benefits.
So can a sluggish liver be related to bad periods?
Hormones are fat soluble so that means that they have to be broken down by the liver (tech word is “conjugated by the liver) in order for it to broken down and excreted. Oestrogen in particular can build up if the sulfation pathway (one of the enzymatic pathways of the liver) isn’t at it’s optimal. This can, in part, lead to an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone and can cause or contribute to period pain.
Eating broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts can all help to improve the sulfation pathway and help to clear oestrogen. You may need to see a naturopath to help get things under control quicker but eating these foods regularly can help with good oestrogen levels.
So if you have been having too much “Christmas Cheer” and aren’t waking refreshed, are feeling sluggish and tired, and need to gain energy and help stop that period pain, then consider seeing a naturopath. You may just get a whole new lease on life.
