by Dr. Alisha Rawji ND.
It has been a roller coaster of a year so far, but the summer has finally arrived, and that’s definitely something to celebrate!
Life, as we know it, has been slowly inching back to something resembling normalcy – many businesses are starting to open up again, some sporting events are resuming, as well as a large number of the outdoor activities are ready to start for the season. With that, many people end up forgoing their healthy diets and veer towards summer indulgences which include junk food, delicious sugary treats, and more than likely, higher alcohol consumption. Of course, summer is meant for BBQs, campouts and late-night patio hangouts with your best friends and family.
It’s understandable to want to savour the sunshine and soak up every ounce of the summer, but as you do this, it’s also important to stay healthy and do what you can to help your body – especially your liver – during this time. These are some of the ways you can take care of yourself, while you’re enjoying all the fun events in which the next few months have in store:
Limit your alcohol consumption – alcohol can be quite taxing on the liver, especially when consumed in large amounts. Between every drink, try to add a full 8oz glass or water in between, so that you’re giving your system some time to recover. Adding lemon to water, can also help the liver detoxification process a little bit more as well. I’ve also added some options for non-alcoholic summer drinks on our website, which are wonderful options for those who want to be a part of these social gatherings, but who also want to limit or avoid alcohol all together.
Adding B-vitamins can help in so many ways. When alcohol breaks down, it forms compounds called aldehydes. Aldehyde build-up in high amounts in the bloodstream which can be toxic to the liver in excess. When it builds up too much, it can cause many of the typical hangover symptoms that most already know. B-vitamins can greatly reduce aldehyde build up, and is critical in helping quell hangover symptoms. They are also wonderful in providing energy, balancing mood and anxiety, and improving sleep.
Gout: With BBQs and beer, gout is most predominantly experienced in the summer months because of this. As well as dehydration which is also very common in the summer, due to the heat, it is also something that can flare up tremendously if you’re not careful. To avoid this, continue to hydrate, and limit the amount of red meat you consume, as well as heavy alcohol drinks such as beer and lagers. Try to eat more cherries, and tart cherry juice whenever possible, as this can help with gout as well.
Liver supportive treatments offered:
Love Your Liver Detox IV – This is a wonderful mix of hydration and liver supportive vitamins and such as B-vitamins, amino acids, trace minerals, and a liver detoxifier called glutathione. Glutathione is also known as the ‘mother of all antioxidants’ – and it truly is. It is vital for detoxifying (turning over toxic agents into non-toxic forms) in the body.
Injections – Love Your Liver glutathione injection: Smaller amount of glutathione, done as an injection, to give your body a constant boost of this absolutely vital antioxidant. B-vitamin injections are also available, and very well received. High dose B-complexes, as well as adrenal/cortisol (stress relieving) injections are also wonderful ways to replenish.
Diet and lifestyle – eating clean foods, and foods that have a low inflammatory response, is another way to help keep the body functioning adequately, and will create less burden to the liver. There are also a lot of recipes and simple substitutions in which you can make, so that you can still have delicious and clean foods…that you’ll actually enjoy!
Check out our website for additional information about treatment offerings and promotions such as IV/injection vitamin therapies, detoxification support, acupuncture and many others! As well, you can check out previous articles, blogs, videos, podcasts, recipes and more, to help you feeling at your best! Have a happy and healthy summer!