"Sluggish" Liver issues.

[Gaby]

I found this product at Iherb which is what I am now taking: _http://www.iherb.com/Kroeger-Herb-Co-Complete-Concentrates-Milk-Thistle-90-Veggie-Caps/12351?at=0

Te reason why I am posting it is because it seems to be a fairly good product. One capsule contains 185mg of sylmarin, and it seems that it doesn't have any added nasties. Just pure milk thistle and a vegetarian source capsule.

That looks quite good!

 

[Mrs. Peel]

* Since the liver plays an important role in eliminating toxins from the body and maintaining the efficiency of the body's immune system, skin irritation or skin allergies is also considered as the first sign of liver damage. A person can be prone to develop rashes, psoriasis, eczema, boils or acne if the liver is removing the toxins out through the skin.

Ack! For the last couple months, I've developed an itchy rash on my forehead that won't go away. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but it never left, and was only on my forehead. At times it's barely visible, and other times, like now, it looks like a bad case of acne. Although it's concentrated on my forehead, I'm now seeing a few bumps on the rest of my face.

I've not changed soaps, or facial products, or any of that stuff that could trigger an allergic reaction, but I have been eating more fats though. I do take milk thistle, ox bile and digestive enzymes but maybe not in high enough dosages.

It seemed to start right around when I began using my new FIR sauna so at first I thought it was a detox reaction, but then I quit doing the saunas for a while and it didn't go away...

The liver can rejuvenite itself, right?

 

[Gimpy]

* Since the liver plays an important role in eliminating toxins from the body and maintaining the efficiency of the body's immune system, skin irritation or skin allergies is also considered as the first sign of liver damage. A person can be prone to develop rashes, psoriasis, eczema, boils or acne if the liver is removing the toxins out through the skin.

Ack! For the last couple months, I've developed an itchy rash on my forehead that won't go away. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but it never left, and was only on my forehead. At times it's barely visible, and other times, like now, it looks like a bad case of acne. Although it's concentrated on my forehead, I'm now seeing a few bumps on the rest of my face.

I've not changed soaps, or facial products, or any of that stuff that could trigger an allergic reaction, but I have been eating more fats though. I do take milk thistle, ox bile and digestive enzymes but maybe not in high enough dosages.

It seemed to start right around when I began using my new FIR sauna so at first I thought it was a detox reaction, but then I quit doing the saunas for a while and it didn't go away...

The liver can rejuvenite itself, right?

I think it does, but if its over loaded with gunk, it can take a while. ;) I know what you mean....I'm a walking rash all the time. Have been for weeks.

Do you change your pillowcase often? If not, try changing it every other day and see if that helps. I know I have trouble with rashes on my face if I don't make sure to change my pillowcase often.

Dry weather and winter tends to turn me into a walking rash...when you do shower, use just warm, not hot water, and use a good emollient moisturizer. Since I've switched to local made goat milk soap I don't have as many rashes on my face now. (Its unscented, and one of the few good uses for milk I've found so far, other than as a resist medium in watercolor painting. )

 

[Gaby]

If you have milk thistle, make sure you're taking around 100mg of active silymarin three times per day.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

Ack! For the last couple months, I've developed an itchy rash on my forehead that won't go away. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but it never left, and was only on my forehead. At times it's barely visible, and other times, like now, it looks like a bad case of acne. Although it's concentrated on my forehead, I'm now seeing a few bumps on the rest of my face.

I've not changed soaps, or facial products, or any of that stuff that could trigger an allergic reaction, but I have been eating more fats though. I do take milk thistle, ox bile and digestive enzymes but maybe not in high enough dosages.

It seemed to start right around when I began using my new FIR sauna so at first I thought it was a detox reaction, but then I quit doing the saunas for a while and it didn't go away...

It could be all sorts of things, linked to the liver, the bowels, detox, etc. Itching, a form of acne, bumps on the face can also be symptoms of rosacea. In some people, rosacea is made worse by changes in temperature (and since you were talking about the FIR sauna, I started wondering). The skin may be red and rough/dry. Sometimes people with rosacea do not metabolize minerals properly. Here is a link with some info about that:
_http://www.healthy-skin-guide.com/what-is-rosacea.html

But even if this is the case, the recipe is the same: detoxifying the body and strenghten the immune system.

 

[shellycheval]

I have had a similar situation develop a couple of times that might be useful for you to hear. What I have learned is that any minor innocuous itch from cold weather, dryness, sweating, pollen, Niacin flush, etc. can become an itchy, rash that remains irritated for weeks and months. What begins as a minor temporary itch can be exacerbated into a more permanent problem from touching and scratching at the spot several times a day with the hands. It appears that the bacteria from my hands was being driven into my slightly irritated skin and becoming a worse secondary problem that took over and only got worse from touching it more. When a particularly bad spot about the size of a quarter (US) started to be bumpy and weep I woke up to what I was doing and forced myself to not touch it at all with my hands. I treated it like a bacterial infection, washed it twice a day with real, pure soap, then put an antibacterial cream on it and left it alone. When I became aware of how often I was touching my face in general I was amazed. Hands off in between washing and treating. Gradually the itchy spot went away. This winter a similar area on my face feels a little itchy, but there is nothing to see--just a feel, but I am keeping my hands off and so far nothing is developing. Good Luck.
shellycheval

 

[theos]

@Mrs. Peel

It sounds like a detox symptom to me as well. If you have sluggish liver it may be a bit slow in processing out accumulated toxins so the body pushes them out through the skin. Hopefully, they will go away with continued cleansing and the liver "catches up".

My 02. cents.

Some years ago I developed hard, white bumps on my forehead mostly but also a bit on my face. I was wracking my brain to figure out what it was. Turns out it was caused by wiping my face with coarse paper towels after I finished my gym workout.

What products are you using on your face? Maybe your body is more sensitive and doesn't like them anymore?

 

[Mrs. Peel]

If you have milk thistle, make sure you're taking around 100mg of active silymarin three times per day.

Yeah, I've got milk thistle and have been gulping it down like mad! :)

I ordered more yesterday plus Vit E and D and that phosphytlchloride(sp?) stuff you mentioned that you take/took for your sluggish liver.

I've been eating a lot of bacon, taking it to work for breakfast, saving the fat and cooking everything else in it. I love cooked onions and I've been making them and sliced sweet potatoes cooked in the bacon fat a lot, along with any chicken/turkey/beef I'll have for dinner.

Should I go back to using oilve oil to cook my food with for a while and lay off the bacon? I never used to eat it very often before.

Also, I have some DMSO but I've not taken it internally yet, should I try it now or would that tax the liver even more?

 

[shijing]

Should I go back to using oilve oil to cook my food with for a while and lay off the bacon? I never used to eat it very often before.

I'm pretty sure that olive oil is supposed to be used "cold" only, since it breaks down in the wrong ways when heated -- my understanding is that grapeseed oil is a better substitute (I use my recycled bacon grease for cooking most of the time, but I have a bottle of grapeseed oil on hand that I use occasionally).

Also, I have some DMSO but I've not taken it internally yet, should I try it now or would that tax the liver even more?

I'd be interested in knowing more about that -- I just did a Google search out of curiosity, and there's a lot of assertions going both ways. The ones that say DMSO damages the liver don't seem to be backed by studies like the ones that say it actually promotes liver health (I ran across one study on rabbits and another on mice), but it would be good to hear Psyche's take on this.

 

[Gaby]

DMSO should be used only for serious detoxing, otherwise use it topically. It might help in some skin problems, despite the initial reactions of itchiness and irritation.

Regarding liver issues, what happens is that DMSO can interfere with liver function tests and give a false reading. That problem is easily solved by waiting a week after DMSO usage before taking the test. DMSO is a sulfur containing compound which is a key element for liver detoxifaction.

In DCM issue 12, there is an article synthesizing this and other key information on DMSO. :)

 

[Jacques]

Should I go back to using oilve oil to cook my food with for a while and lay off the bacon? I never used to eat it very often before.

I'm pretty sure that olive oil is supposed to be used "cold" only, since it breaks down in the wrong ways when heated -- my understanding is that grapeseed oil is a better substitute (I use my recycled bacon grease for cooking most of the time, but I have a bottle of grapeseed oil on hand that I use occasionally).

Here's the smoke point of different oils :

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

The smoke point generally refers to the temperature at which a cooking fat or oil begins to break down to glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol is then further broken down to acrolein which is a component of the bluish smoke. It is the presence of the acrolein that causes the smoke to be extremely irritating to the eyes and throat. The smoke point also marks the beginning of both flavor and nutritional degradation. Therefore, it is a key consideration when selecting a fat for frying, with the smoke point of the specific oil dictating its maximum usable temperature and therefore its possible applications. For instance, since deep frying is a very high temperature process, it requires a fat with a high smoke point.

Considerably above the temperature of the smoke point is the flash point, the point at which the vapors from the oil can first ignite when mixed with air.

Fat Quality Smoke Point
Almond oil 420°F 216°C
Avocado oil 520°F 271°C
Butter 350°F 177°C
Canola oil Expeller Press 464°F 240°C
Canola oil High Oleic 475°F 246°C
Canola oil Refined 470°F 240°C
Coconut oil Unrefined 350°F 177°C
Coconut oil Refined 450°F 232°C
Corn oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C
Corn oil Refined 450°F 232°C
Cottonseed oil 420°F 216°C
Flax seed oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C
Ghee (Indian Clarified Butter) 485°F 252°C
Grapeseed oil 420°F 216°C Hazelnut oil 430°F 221°C
Hemp oil 330°F 165°C
Lard 370°F 188°C
Macadamia oil 413°F 210°C
Olive oil Extra virgin 375°F 191°C
Olive oil Virgin 420°F 216°C
Olive oil Pomace 460°F 238°C
Olive oil Extra light 468°F 242°C
Olive oil, high quality (low acidity) Extra virgin 405°F 207°C Palm oil Difractionated 455°F 235°C[1]
Peanut oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C
Peanut oil Refined 450°F 232°C
Rice bran oil 490°F 254°C
Safflower oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C
Safflower oil Semirefined 320°F 160°C
Safflower oil Refined 510°F 266°C
Sesame oil Unrefined 350°F 177°C
Sesame oil Semirefined 450°F 232°C
Soybean oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C
Soybean oil Semirefined 350°F 177°C
Soybean oil Refined 450°F 232°C
Sunflower oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C
Sunflower oil Semirefined 450°F 232°C
Sunflower oil, high oleic Unrefined 320°F 160°C
Sunflower oil Refined 450°F 232°C
Tea seed oil 485°F 252°C
Vegetable shortening 360°F 182°C
Walnut oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C
Walnut oil Semirefined 400°F 204°C

 

[shijing]

Thanks Psyche, and I'm looking forward to reading the article in the new DCM :)

DMSO should be used only for serious detoxing, otherwise use it topically. It might help in some skin problems, despite the initial reactions of itchiness and irritation.

So I have a question -- I've been taking DMSO internally once a week for the past few months. I'm doing it to detox, but I guess I wouldn't say it's for serious detoxing, more for routine maintenance -- should I discontinue that and just use topically from now on?

Thanks also, Gandalf, for the info on smoke points!

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Thanks Psyche, and I'm looking forward to reading the article in the new DCM :)

DMSO should be used only for serious detoxing, otherwise use it topically. It might help in some skin problems, despite the initial reactions of itchiness and irritation.

So I have a question -- I've been taking DMSO internally once a week for the past few months. I'm doing it to detox, but I guess I wouldn't say it's for serious detoxing, more for routine maintenance -- should I discontinue that and just use topically from now on?

Thanks also, Gandalf, for the info on smoke points!

So, I won't take the DMSO internally yet then.

My point about going back to oilve (or some other like grapeseed) oil for cooking was that perhaps it's not as "fatty" as bacon grease? ;D

 

[Laura]

My point about going back to oilve (or some other like grapeseed) oil for cooking was that perhaps it's not as "fatty" as bacon grease? ;D

Well, you need the fats but maybe you could cook with ghee for a bit, making sure you take your milk thistle and digestive enzymes and ox bile.

 

[Gaby]

So I have a question -- I've been taking DMSO internally once a week for the past few months. I'm doing it to detox, but I guess I wouldn't say it's for serious detoxing, more for routine maintenance -- should I discontinue that and just use topically from now on?

In your case, I would continue using it orally because psoriasis has been a potential topical contraindication of DMSO. It was never completely established because DMSO was pulled out from all research studies very early on (early 60s) and it has been slowly picking up where it left during the years.

Have you tried it topically and if then, for how long?

Some people have strong detox reactions when taking it orally. But it can be definitely very helpful in some life threatening conditions. If you feel good with your weekly routine, you can continue doing so. Some say they can feel and concentrate better when they take DMSO, so in that case, it is welcome :)