Spring, the Liver and the Body. Time for a clear out?

Spring is nearly upon us so it is most definitely time to focus on your spring cleaning. And what organ is the body's cleaner? Yup, you got it! THE LIVER.

Over the next 3 blogs I'm going to describe to you the physical, mental and spiritual properties of the Liver and what you can do to help each aspect. The Liver relates to the season of springtime, so now is the perfect time to make a plan and put it into action!

The Liver, in Chinese Medicine, is one of the most important organs in the body, whose functions are different to that of the liver found in Western Medicine.

The 2 principle physical functions of the Liver involve:

1) Circulating your Qi (energy) around your body
2) Storing Blood (again this is slightly different from the blood in Western Medicine)

So let's look at each function in turn...

1) Your Qi is vital to good health. Not only do you need a constant supply of it (from the food that you eat and the air that you breath) you also need it to circulate around your body, very much like the way the blood transports vital ingredients such as sugars, fats, oxygen and water around your body.

But if this process becomes interrupted, and a common pattern you see is Liver Qi Stagnation, and your body's Qi stops circulating as it should.

There is a saying in Chinese Medicine: "Where there is free-flow of Qi there is no pain, where there is no free-flow of Qi there is pain". So, perhaps you can see where this is leading…!

Common manifestations of Liver Qi Stagnation include things like headaches, neck and shoulder tension, tightness in the hips and down the outside of legs, period pain and digestive cramping.

2) Your Liver is the main organ to store your Blood. We need good Blood in Chinese Medicine as this helps nourish your muscles and internal organs, it helps you get good restful sleep, moistens the body and needs to be in plentiful supply to assist conception, pregnancy, childbirth and breast-feeding.

But, another common pattern that can occur is Liver Blood Deficiency.

This can manifest as poor sleep, light periods or no periods at all, fertility problems, dry skin and brittle nails and a "sinewy" or "sallow" look.

So, what can be done about these? Well, firstly it's important to discern whether you are more Qi Stagnant or Blood Deficient, though in my experience it can be quite common to be both! The first rule of thumb however, is to always clear the stagnation first, and then work on the deficiency.

1) To help clear the stagnation in your Liver, EXERCISE is first and foremost! Get your body’s Qi moving!! And this can be anything. Walking or cycling to work instead of taking the car. Using the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Going for a walk on your lunch break. Joining that yoga class you’ve wanted to go to for ages. Getting to the gym more regularly. Going for a swim. The most important thing to remember is to make sure it’s REGULAR exercise.

What therapies will help clear those energetic blockages and get your Qi circulating around your body? MASSAGE is a great start and really does get that Qi moving around your body. ACUPUNCTURE is another therapy that is perfect for getting your Qi going. In fact, acupuncture is practically designed to help clear Qi stagnation and is perfect for those who suffer with chronic pain.

To help with cleaning your Liver out, SOUR foods have a particular action of cleaning out the Liver.  Things like natural yoghurt, lemons and green apples. Supplementing with Milk Thistle is another great way to help clean out your Liver.  You will want to avoid greasy, fried foods, caffeine and alcohol as these all have the action of creating more stagnation in the Liver. And of course finally but perhaps most importantly, you need to drink plenty of WATER!

2) To help nourish your Liver Blood a more strict program needs to be undertaken for 90-120 days (this is how long it takes to fully replenish and renew your blood supply).

GENTLE EXERCISE along the lines of Yoga, Pilates, Tai Qi or Qi Gong.

NURITION is key to helping nourish your Liver Blood. Plenty of vegetables, especially the DARK GREEN LEAFY VEG. A small amount of red meat or liver once a week will also help. But perhaps more important is how you eat. NO SKIPPING MEALS! AND NO EATING ON THE GO! Taking time to enjoy your food and taking time to digest afterwards. Plenty of fluids again, and of course, the avoidance of greasy, fried foods, caffeine and alcohol.

Supplementation is also important with Liver Blood Deficiency. I always recommend FLORADIX, a liquid iron formula, made with lots of natural fruit and vegetable extracts. Wheatgrass, barley grass, Spirulina, and kelp will also help nourish your Blood.

And making sure you get enough REST as well. Therapies such as REIKI or reflexology will help with calming down your system as well as strengthening those underlying deficiencies.

If you find that you are very Blood deficient (i.e. an incredibly light sleeper, dizzy or light-headed, or are having fertility issues with very light or no periods) then I would recommend visiting a qualified Chinese Herbalist to get some herbs that will help nourish your Blood on a deeper level.

So that’s the physical aspects of the Liver and what you can do to help them! Next time we’re going to look at the mental and emotional capacities of the Liver and what can be done to help improve STRESS and FRUSTRATION. Something I’m sure we could all do with!!