EPISODE 8: Detoxifying Your Liver and Kidneys-The Path to a Cleaner You
- autoimmunesisterho
- Oct 7, 2024
- 18 min read
BECKY: Welcome back to Autoimmune Adventures. Today we're diving into a crucial aspect of overall health, liver and kidney function, which are vital for cleaning and detoxing our bodies. When you're living with an autoimmune disease, supporting these vital organs is a key to feeling your very best. And we'll explore how these organs are connected to autoimmune conditions, share some practical tips for optimizing their health. So grab a glass of water and come join us.
STACY: Please remember before making any significant changes in your diet or lifestyle, especially if you have an autoimmune condition, it is crucial to consult with your healthcare provider. Detoxification is a complex process and what works for one person isn't going to work for someone else, especially with the added complexities of autoimmune disease. Please talk to your doctor about what will work best for you.
In order for us to do the best job that we can with detoxification, we have to understand what we need to avoid so that we're not adding more to our bodies and causing more problems that we're going to have to detox from. So, research suggests that there is a link between environmental toxins and autoimmune disease.
ALYSIA: Let's talk about household chemicals really quick. Cleaning products, things that you are going to be using to clean your kitchens, your bathrooms, even your clothes. You're going to want to look for natural cleaners or make your own cleaners. Don't underestimate the power of vinegar. Um, you need to do, do your own research, um, to find the products that are going to be the best fit for you.
But I will say for laundry detergent, it's super easy to just grab the one that is dye free, fragrance free. Those are going to be so much better for you. The personal care products you have in your bathrooms, we're talking makeup, we're talking shampoo, skincare products, make sure that you are buying from companies that have a vested interest in making sure their products are free of toxins.
Plastics in your kitchen specifically can be, um, can be dangerous if you are using plastics to warm your food any any kind of plastic that comes in contact with heat is going to release chemicals that are then ingested with the food that you eat or the things that you drink um, if you go if you go out and you get your coffee at your favorite coffee place take that little plastic lid off. Don't drink out of it. Um, so keep in mind. I know a lot of people are looking um into BPA as as an additive in plastics, and that is great that that is becoming more and more common that plastics are produced without that, but especially in your kitchen just avoid using plastic if you can.
BECKY: The other common one is food additives. One of them is artificial sweeteners, aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin. You've heard us talk about different alternatives to processed sugar, and there are a lot of them. There are a lot of great natural ones that come from fruit. Uh, there's coconut sugar, all kinds of things. You don't have to use the aspartame, the sucralose, and the saccharin. There have been a lot of studies that show how unhealthy those are for us.
Food dyes can also be a problem. They're, uh, they've done research that shows that food dyes can be linked to hyperactivity in children. And they are currently doing research to see if there's a connection between food dyes and autoimmune response, especially for those people that have autoimmune diseases that have already compromised their kidneys, food dyes is a big one. I mean, all of these are important, but food dyes is one that I know they specifically ask you to avoid if you already have issues with your kidneys.
Some of our really common preservatives or even flavor enhancers like MSG, nitrates that are often found in lunch meats, artificial flavors and other things like that. Just a good way, kind of a good rule of thumb that I've found is look at how many ingredients, look at the ingredients of whatever it is you're going to be eating. If there are a ton of things that you can't pronounce or you've never even heard of, Maybe you want to look at something that's got a few less ingredients that's a little more natural, um, as a...as a way to keep some of those toxins out of your body.
Another important one with food is to make sure that you wash your produce extremely well. We'll have a link at the end of this podcast about ways to wash different produce and ways that you can help get the pesticides off.
STACY: It also will help to preserve your food for longer, which is important because if you're not used to eating a lot of fresh food, you may not know how to keep it in your fridge and have it last as long as you're going to need it to before it goes bad.
So, um, if you wash your produce the right way, it will lengthen the time that you will be able to eat it, which is good. Plus it keeps it clean, which is also good. Gets rid of those nasty environmental toxins that we see like pesticides. You can choose organic produce whenever possible, but as we've discussed, we know that you might not be able to afford it. I certainly can't always afford organic. So I have learned to wash my produce really, really well. And that gets rid of those pesticides.
You need to think about heavy metals. These can be found in fish. Um, the dental fillings in your mouth, the cookware that you eat with. So think in terms of making sure that you are buying the best you can and, and doing the best you can. We understand that some people have limited budgets, so don't let that get up and upset you. Just think in terms of doing small baby steps, and as you do that over time, you'll be able to narrow out some of these problems.
Mold is an issue that is particularly bad. It can really trigger your autoimmune response. And it hangs on forever until it's killed off. If you're noticing that you are having a lot of really bad allergies, or if you find a mold infestation in your house, or you just notice that things smell weird or taste weird sometimes, go to the doctor and find out if you have a mold problem in your body, because you can't have a mold problem in your body.
Um, and then remember as we reduce our toxin exposure, it's just one part of managing our autoimmune disease, but if we reduce it, that's one less thing that we have to worry about, so that our liver and our kidneys can effectively detox. So now we're going to talk about how that works.
ALYSIA: When we're talking about detoxification, I think it is a detox is a buzzword. I think lately, and you probably heard of detox, um, systems. I have friends who have spent hundreds of dollars on systems like this, or who once a month do this crazy detox cleanse, whatever. Um, just want to debunk a myth and, and let you know. Our bodies are capable of detoxing on their own, but they do need support to do that. Your liver and your kidneys are constantly working to eliminate the waste products from what is coming into your body. Um, and that is why it's so important that we are supporting them through healthy habits, the quick fixes, the protocols of, uh, the celery, the celery juice cleanse, all these, there's a lot of crazy ones out there. Not, not really a thing, guys. I hate to break it to you. Maybe you have done one. Maybe you've even found help through one. If so, great, but, um, I think your doctor would agree that your body is naturally meant to detox itself. You just have to support it so that it is capable of doing that.
BECKY: The one exception to that is we recognize there are people out there because of their autoimmune diseases that they may already have issues with your kidneys. And if you're to the point that you have kidney failure and you have to do dialysis, that's a whole different thing.
And obviously you would be going step by step with your doctor on how to deal with that. But in general, if you have not had issues with your kidneys or liver, they are going to be able to take care of your body and help you detox if you support them.
STACY: There are some specific considerations that we need to take with autoimmune disease. For instance, you need an individualized approach. What works for one person isn't going to work for someone else. The things that we're going to be talking about in today's episode are more, as Alysia said, for support of your kidneys and liver, so that they can do the job that they were meant to do.
So listen to your body, pay attention to how you feel, and adjust your approach accordingly. So if you find that certain things that you eat that are supposed to be healthy, don't make you feel good, then you need to talk to your doctor or consult your nutritionist and say, Hey, this is what's going on and let them know. Now, we are big believers in supplementation, but we have gone and gotten specific instructions from people who are trained.
BECKY: Just make sure you don't do it, like she said, without, uh, medical help on that, because sometimes it can actually interact with some of the medications you take. And it could actually cause more problems with your autoimmune diseases if you are not on the right supplements.
Another thought here, just general guidelines for safe detoxification, other than being, you know, talking to your health care provider before you take supplements, is to avoid harsh and extreme detox methods, because these can overwhelm an already compromised system, immune system, which we all have, and instead focus on gradual sustainable changes. Yeah, because small consistent steps are always going to be more likely to produce long term results than..they're with autoimmunity, there is never ever one big quick fix. It's, it's always small steps even if you have a great medication you're on, or whatever, all of us can attest that even a great medication is not, not going to cure it. It's not a cure all.
So, focus on those gradual sustainable things that you can do, and as we mentioned in our diet [episode], remember the quote about "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," because the best way to detox naturally is using healthy food and good clean hydration.
Water is definitely your friend, since it carries all the junk out of your system. And don't be afraid to, we, you know, carry it around with you all day. Find a fun water bottle, decorate it, whatever. It's a great way to go.
ALYSIA: Yep. Hydration is going to be your best tool, um, to help your body naturally detoxify itself. So in we're, if we're talking about supporting, um, kidneys and liver, let's talk about the liver for just a second.
Your key, the key is going to be nutrition, like what you are putting in your body. As we've our whole last two episodes, um, we discussed that talking about what we put into our bodies, foods that are rich in antioxidants, foods that are anti inflammatory, those leafy greens, those berries, those cruciferous vegetables, those are the foods you're going to want to reach for to support your liver.
Um, it's really convenient that. Eating healthy is what is going to impact liver and kidney, eating healthy is going to be what impact your energy levels, eating healthy is going to be what's impact your inflammation levels. I mean, it's we can't overemphasize it enough. The liver is a vital organ. It helps us filter our blood, it metabolizes nutrients and it produces bile and consuming those liver friendly foods is going to help support its function.
BECKY: It's very true and some of those liver friendly foods, you know, you might hear us say things like cruciferous vegetables and some of you out there are going to know what that is and some of you are like, what in the world is that?
So a few examples, you have the antioxidant rich foods. Those include berries like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, grapes, artichokes, walnuts. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, um, and all of those are wonderful that, compounds that support liver detoxification.
Lean proteins are a good idea. Chicken, fish, tofu, if you can handle soy, but not everybody can. Um, lentils provide essential amino acid for liver repair. Healthy fats are another important one. Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and nuts all contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are beneficial for liver health. Unfortunately, a lot of times people get this idea that fat free everything is what's good for them, but your body actually does need healthy fats, so that is something to keep in mind.
Garlic and onions are, uh, contain certain compounds that can help protect the liver. Obviously, though, there are certain autoimmune diseases, like lupus, where garlic is not recommended because it can activate an already active autoimmune system to the point that it can flare you. So again, this is another reason why you should be doing all these things with your doctors, because some of these things that are great for one person are not going to be great for you or somebody else if you have allergies, food intolerances, or certain diseases where you can't have certain kinds of food.
The last one to consider is green tea. It's rich in antioxidants, and it also can help protect the liver.
ALYSIA: And if you don't like the way green tea tastes, you can take that in capsule form. And get and still get the benefits of that.
But I wanted to make a quick note as Becky was talking about, if you have lupus, garlic's not going to be recommended. Wanted to make a quick note. Some of the things we mentioned here, these vegetables and antioxidant rich foods, if you have sneaky infections in your gut, like SIBO, which is Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, um, some of these fruits and vegetables are going to cause you discomfort. They will cause you indigestion. They will cause you gas. They will cause bloating. So even though these are very healthy, and foods that we want to be consuming, if you are finding, like we mentioned in our last episode, if you are finding that you're eating these really good foods and that your body is reacting badly to them, that is a sign that something is not right with your gut health. You need to get yourself to a gastroenterologist and get checked.
STACY: Green tea can be great for hydration as well. So we've already talked a lot about drinking water, but water is really important for both kidney and liver health. So make sure you're drinking a lot of water. Limit your alcohol. I think everyone knows that alcohol isn't good for your liver. And we are not telling you, you should never drink again. We're just saying limit your alcohol and any processed foods. They put extra strain on the liver and your liver needs to be well-cared for. With that in mind, if we're talking about supporting our liver, we can support our kidneys with water as well.
Both of these organs in our body require a lot of water to operate and to flush out all the toxins that they are built to remove from our body.
ALYSIA: On that note, there's a little bit of a, um, irony here, because if you're not drinking good water, you're actually taking in some funky stuff. So you need to make sure you get yourself a really good water filter.
Um, I know, at least for me, my city water is not good drinking water. It's really just not. Um, some people are lucky enough to live in the middle of nowhere and have beautiful well water that tastes amazing and, and has all the good healthy vitamins in it. My city water doesn't have that, so I had to invest in a good water filter.
BECKY: I was gonna say, and sometimes even when you're in the country and you have wells, which I am, the water is nasty out here. And we actually had somebody come out and test it, and it had so much chlorine in it, they said it had more than most public pools do. And it, it just disgusting. So we went out of our way...we, we like to do the filtered water because we just figured it was going to be healthier for us all the way around. .
ALYSIA: Yeah, so we talked about foods that were good for your liver. Foods that are good for your kidneys are going to be helpful as well. So we're, we'll mention very similar, I mean, very similar I would say to the liver. Those foods that are gonna help: the fresh fruits, the vegetables, whole grains. And lean protein, um, things that are generally low in sodium is what we're looking for, because excessive salt can burden the kidneys. Also pay attention to what salt you're using. If you're using the basic table salt, you get in the cute little cylinder. Sorry, guys, that stuff is, is not going to help you out. Get yourself some good sea salt. I know it's a little pricier, but it is infinitely better for you than, than plain old table salt. Yeah. And you're going to find that it just tastes so much better too. It doesn't have that super strong, sharp, bitter saltiness to it that the table salt does. It's chemically derived. It's not, I mean, it's, it's manmade. It's not natural.
So, you will also find that potassium rich foods are going to be helpful to support your kidneys. Um, things like bananas, oranges, avocados, spinach, they're going to help regulate your blood pressure and that is going to support your kidney health as well.
Calcium rich foods are things you're going to want to reach for if you can tolerate dairy products. Obviously, we all know that's a good way to get your calcium. Leafy green vegetables, especially kale. Um, and fortified plant based milk can be really good as well. I know there's lots of plant based milks that fortify it and they have as much, if not more calcium than some of the dairy products out there, and that is also very important for kidney function.
Fiber rich foods, um, that's going to help in a lot of ways, not just in kidney health, but those whole grains, those fruits and vegetables, the, um, the things that are going to promote digestive health, they're going to help things move through your system, and then that is going to in turn, help your kidneys work better.
BECKY: Keep in mind lifestyle factors related to your liver and kidney health. And we're back again to our big six that we refer to. I know this is one of the big six, but there are three other ones that come in that really help with your liver and kidneys as well.
And that's managing your stress, because chronic stress can actually negatively impact your liver and kidney health. Adequate sleep is important, um, because sufficient sleep is essential for overall health, including your liver and kidney function. I know this is a weird one. Any of us that have inflammation or swelling, that's something I have a big problem with swelling in my legs and ankles, especially. Sleep is crucial for me. That is the time where my kidneys just flip on. It's like a magical switch and I lose so much of that swelling and that water weight gain overnight. So, adequate sleep is very important. And again, regular exercise because physical activity can help boost your circulation, which then also supports blood detoxification.
ALYSIA: And I wanted to add in here. Um, if you're not familiar with your lymphatic system, this is probably a good opportunity to do a little research and, and learn that that is also a detoxification system in our body. There are, we're going to have a whole episode on lymphatic health and ways that you can improve, um, your lymphatic movement in your body. But if you're not familiar with it, I really challenge you to do a little research. That was kind of new to me, um, but now I, I try very hard to take care of my lymphatic health that is going to help your body naturally detox.
STACY: Hydrotherapy is also good. Um, warm baths or showers can promote relaxation that also supports detoxification. And if you are healthy enough, and your doctor approves it, hot...hot/cold therapy is good. Where you get in a hot shower and you stand under it for a little while and then you turn the hot water all the way off and then just try to tolerate the cold for a little while. It shocks your system a little bit, but not in a dangerous way.
BECKY: Hot/cold is also really excellent if you have sore muscles, but again do it under medical supervision, because if you have heart problems or you're pregnant, you're..that might be a little bit much, but for most of us standing in a shower and having it as hot as we can stand, and then as cold as we can stand, that's something that most of us can do. And it's amazing how much better that can make you feel that just that one simple thing.
ALYSIA: It can, it can also help with your brain fog. Which I didn't, I didn't know until I tried that myself, but, um, I personally hate it, but I make myself do it every time I shower. That's something I've adopted just recently. I take my nice warm shower and then at the end, I turn it ice cold, as cold as it will go. And I stand there as long as I can possibly tolerate it. And I do hate it, but I'm going to tell you what, I feel pretty darn good when I step out of that shower.
Um, and you do have to be careful. That one, you really do have to be careful as mentioned, um, even for me, I have, um, I have cold intolerance issues and I think that's due to my Hashimoto's, but, um, if I get super cold, it, I, I take forever and ever and ever to get warm again. It's just the kind of cold that soaks into your bones, so be careful. And I have definitely told myself on days where I've was already chilled, okay, I'm going to skip the cold shower today. That'll be fine.
But there's lots of things you can do with heat and cold therapy. Look into, um, saunas. Um, I know Becky has a sauna. Uh, I, I know there's not a lot of science behind infrared saunas yet, but there is some promising. Um, there's some promising research being done. There's promising things coming out about the benefits of infrared, um, light therapy and, and saunas for those with autoimmune disease, really specifically for inflammation. It's kind of an exciting, um, new thing because it's so, it's, so it's a natural thing. It's not some funky, funky pill you take to put in your body, but I think it's really an exciting, natural way to help your body detox, right?
BECKY: Something, yeah, something that a lot of people in a lot of other cultures have done forever.
ALYSIA: Ages, right? It's a well-known, it's a well-known health benefit, like has well known health benefits.
BECKY: Yeah.
STACY: We grew up. Near a reservation, most of our lives. And so all my indigenous friends, they use sweat lodges. This is something that has been around for hundreds and thousands of years. People have done this for their health for a very long time. So there's, there's a lot of different ways of approaching the subject of detoxification. And as long as you're remembering that it's just essential to work with your healthcare provider, so that you can protect your body, because your kidneys and liver both detoxify your body, but if you're doing something that ultimately is going to damage them because of the specific and very unique difficulties that you may be having with your disease, then you're doing something that's counterintuitive, and it's not going to help you feel better.
Our goal here is to help give you some ideas that you can then take to your doctor and sit down and say, "Hey, would this be beneficial for me? Is this something that you think would help me feel better?"And then by doing that, you're working in tandem with your doctor, but you're being, you're advocating for yourself. You're going in with a plan, so that you can get what you need.
ALYSIA: Yeah, I think that it's important to be able to, like, we've talked about educating yourself and being prepared before you go to your doctor's appointments. Some of these things we're mentioning, hydrotherapy and sauna, I don't know that there's a lot of doctors out there that are going to recommend it outright to you. But if you go to them and you say, "Hey, listen, I've been thinking about trying this. Do you think it would be harmful? Do you think there would be benefits to it? Is there any reason I shouldn't do it? And what way should I do it that would be the safest or most effective for me?" They're going to have insights. They will.
BECKY: And just one other really quick thing. Some of you might be listening to this and be like, well, I don't have access to a sauna. A sauna is very expensive. I recognize that, we actually kind of got ours secondhand. We got a really good deal on it when we got it, but there are actually, um, one of the things my doctor recommended before we got our little secondhand sauna was that there are sauna sleeping bags, almost, is what they call them. And they're much cheaper, that you can get online. Um, so there's some ideas there, but again, please consult your doctor before doing any of that.
ALYSIA: Yeah. There's a lot of unique ways you can get those benefits. And really, if you can't sauna, just get yourself sweaty. Just get sweating. Sweat is such a great detoxification for your body.
STACY: I agree. So we hope that we have given you some inspiration of things that you can take and chat with your doctor or nutritionist about and kind of figure out and make a plan that is very much tailored to you. That's the key. Go and get your help from the people that you know are going to protect you and help you to live the best life, and then move forward with that plan.
Please join us next week on Autoimmune Adventures, as we discuss joyful movement and how to find fitness that sparks your interest in exercise, despite your autoimmune diagnosis, if you've got questions or suggestions for future off episodes, we're all ears. Hit us up on social media, visit autoimmuneadventures. com or leave a comment.
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HELPFUL LINKS:
Food dyes linked to hyperactivity in children:
Possible link between food dyes and autoimmune disease:
Infrared benefits for autoimmunity:
A Chart of Cruciferous Vegetables:
Video on how to correctly wash produce, so that it has less contaminates and stores longer:
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