In Part 1 we talked about harmful substances, the environment and getting rid of them.

Now we will get to the good stuff….

Where the MAGIC happens.

The liver is mainly where the magic happens.  It produces lots of enzymes that detoxify foreign substances.

There’s actually a whole spectrum of enzymes produced and each have different appetites (so to speak) for certain molecules that it will detoxify.  These molecules are not limited to harmful outside substances but also take care of toxic substances made in our own body.

These guys perform double-duty.  They clean up the regular natural stuff the body produces plus the nasty stuff that comes in from the outside world.

But when there’s too much nasty outside gunk, those enzymes are on overtime cleaning that out and can get to a point where they are overworked and cannot handle the simpler task of doing the regular housecleaning.

This is where the trouble starts.

For example, two toxic substances can require the same detoxification pathway are acetaminophen and alcohol.

When these two show up at the same time at the same pathway, someone is going to have to wait and if they have to wait too long, they’re going to look for another way out.

Say it’s the acetaminophen that chooses this alternate way.  It produces an intermediate (a substance formed during the middle step of a chemical reaction) in the liver that’s very toxic which can damage the liver and nervous system.  This is what lands people in the emergency room.

In order to eliminate that toxin from the body, it makes a connection with a nutritional related substance that you may have heard about called glutathione.  It’s manufactured in the liver and is able to chemically deactivate the poison so it can be detoxified.

In addition to the alcohol and acetaminophen consumption, throw in a marginally poor diet and you’ve got all the dice loaded to produce an overload of the detoxification system which can lead to an acute liver injury or an acute neurological injury that is called a poisoning event.

In emergencies involving alcohol, N-acetylcysteine is given which forces the body to make more glutathione so it would detoxify these foreign substances more rapidly.

So, on a normal, daily level, nutrition can be used to activate or to support detox processes because when they’re overloaded and the systems are working at max speed, you need to find ways to support those systems so that they will not lose their ability or reduce their effectiveness.

In Part 3 we answer the $65,000 question:  To fast or not to fast?

Make a promise to yourself starting today:

Stop feeling lousy…rotten…awful…crummy…miserable…terrible…crappy.

Find a good Functional Medicine doctor to help you get to the root cause of your health problems.

Like I always say:

Find the cause.

Fix the cause.

Feel normal again!

Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND – The Functional Medicine Doc

Find the Cause. Fix the Cause. Feel Normal Again!