Should We Cleanse Our Liver and Gallbladder?
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I frequently get asked the question “Why?”
Why are you doing another detox, why are you on another protocol, why, why, why?
And my response is usually something along the lines of...because I know that my body needs it.
The truth is, I do it all in the name of wellness.
Today, I am prepping for a cleanse. A liver and gallbladder cleanse.
AND I AM STOKED.
While I’ve completed about 10-12 detoxes over the last 4 years, I have never done a liver and gallbladder cleanse, and when I started to read a bit more about it, I knew that this was something I wanted to do.
It is estimated that nearly 1 million people in the United States get diagnosed with gallstones each year, and for many, the treatment is to remove the gallbladder!
Instead of undergoing expensive and dare I say, unnecessary surgery, why not look to see if a cleanse can actually help?
To be clear, I have not been diagnosed with gallstones. But after reading the book, and doing many detoxes, and knowing I had some malabsorption issues, plus dealt with many of the symptoms found in the book, I decided to give it a try.
All in the name of wellness.
The Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a pear-sized sac that is right underneath the liver, in the upper right part of our abdomen, and is attached to the liver through small ducts.
The main purpose of the gallbladder is to store bile, which we all know is needed for digestion. The bile is made in the liver, but is pushed to the gallbladder for storage. After we eat, our gallbladder contracts and allows bile to flow into the intestines to aid in the digestive process. Once digestion is completed, the gallbladder is able to relax and it is able to store bile once again.
The Liver
Oh the liver!
The liver is involved in HUNDREDS of processes in the body.
After taking ibuprofen for many years, and many other prescriptions on a daily basis, I still continue to do a lot to ensure that my liver is working optimally. This liver and gallbladder cleanse is part of that process.
The liver’s main responsibility is to filter our blood - it also works to ensure potentially harmful substances (think alcohol, medicine, toxic chemicals) are deactivated - hence its role in detoxification. It detoxifies the toxins.
And while the liver is incredibly capable of detoxifying on its own, it can still get sludged up much like any other filter.
The author explains that stones can also accumulate in the liver, impeding the liver’s detoxification ability.
Potential conditions of stone accumulation:
Poor appetite
Food cravings
Digestive issues
Gas
Dull pain on your right side
Urinary problems
Vision Problems
Hormonal imbalances
Dizziness
Fainting
Frozen shoulder
Stick neck
Headaches/Migraines
Tooth/gum problems
Chronic fatigue
Obesity
What is it?
First of all, this cleanse is an adaptation of Andreas Moritz’s book The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse.
Due to our unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices, many people develop stones in the liver and gallbladder without ever knowing.
Essentially, the cleanse is a 7 day process, with days 1-6 being preparation for the ACTUAL cleansing of the liver and gallbladder on days 6-7.
What you need
Six 1-liter containers of apple juice
4 tablespoons of Epsom salt dissolved into 3 8 ounce glasses of water
1/2cup cold-pressed virgin olive oil
⅔ glass fresh squeezed grapefruit juice or fresh lemon/orange juice
2 pint jars, one with a lid
Days 1-6: Preparation (eat warm, plant-based meals, no red meat, dairy, gluten)
Drink 6 1-liter containers of apple juice
Avoid cold foods- also avoid dairy, meat, fried foods
Avoid any supplements/vitamins that are not necessary
Do not discontinue medication unless advised (check with your doctor)
Days 6-7: THE CLEANSE
Day 6- Eat a light breakfast, drink 1-liter of apple juice
Avoid sweeteners, spices, milk, butter, oils, cheese, meat
Lunch- only plain cooked white rice and steamed veggies- NOTHING ELSE- no protein, butters, or oils
DO NOT EAT OR DRINK anything (except water) after 1:30pm
6:00pm
Add 4 tablespoons of Epsom salts to 24 ounces of water (3 8-ounce glasses)
This will make 4 6-ounce servings
Drink FIRST serving (¾ glass) now
*Can drink water after or add a little lemon juice to help with taste
*Epsom salts help to dilate the bile ducts so any stones are able to move through easily
8:00pm
Drink SECOND serving of Epsom salts
9:30pm
If you have NOT had a bowel movement, take a water enema to trigger bowel movements
9:45pm
Wash grapefruits, squeeze the juice and remove the pulp
Pour ¾ glass of grapefruit juice with ½ cup olive oil into pint jar
Shake jar until solution is mixed well
Drink this mixture at 10pm, ideally not later than 10 minutes after 10pm
Only delay if you have to have another bowel movement
10pm
Stand next to your bed and drink the mixture
Can use a little honey between sips if you find the taste to be too difficult
DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN 5 MINUTES to drink
LIE DOWN IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!
Turn off the lights and lie on your back with a few pillows propping you up. If this does not work for you, you can also lie on your right side with your knees pulled into your chest.
Lie here for 20 minutes and focus all your energy and thoughts on your liver.
Go to sleep if you can.
If at any time during the night you get the urge to have a bowel movement, do so. You may find that you are already passing stones.
6-6:30am Next Morning
Drink your THIRD serving of Epsom salt mixture- no earlier than 6am
You can drink a glass of warm water if you are feeling thirsty before drinking the salts
Rest, read, meditate, or go back to bed if sleepy- it is best to stay in an upright position
8-8:30am
Drink FOURTH serving of Epsom salt
10-10:30am
You may drink fresh pressed vegetable juice
30 minutes later, you may have one or two pieces of fresh fruit
One hour later, you may start to eat regular, but light food
By evening or the next morning, you should be back to normal and feeling the first signs of improvement.
Continue to eat light for the next 2-3 days.
NOTES
I have tried to do this one time before with the apple juice as suggested, and it made me sick.
You can substitute the apple juice for cranberry juice, or you can substitute it for malic acid (the active ingredient in apple juice that helps to dissolve the stones and make the bile softer).
If using malic acid (powered form) - use ½-1 teaspoon of malic acid taken with four to six 8-ounce glasses of room temperature water per day.
Drink in small amounts throughout the day.
It is also recommended to do a colonic or colon-hydrotherapy within 3 days of your cleanse to help push through any stones that may have gotten stuck.
The cleanse can be repeated every 1-3 months until the liver cleanse produces TWO consecutive cleanses with NO STONES.
Lastly, it is important to continue with regular cleanses until your liver is cleansed - leaving the liver half-way cleansed can lead to more discomfort than not doing the cleanse at all.
I've told a few people about the cleanse and no one seems interested in pictures of any stones that come out!
I promise not to post pictures but will definitely provide an update in the future.
Have you ever tried this cleanse?
Did you know you could cleanse your liver and gallbladder?