Spring has finally arrived in the Midwest. The trees are budding, the flowers are popping up, the insects and other creatures are coming back to life and the allergies are in full swing for many. But we’ll look at allergies some other time. Right now, it’s time to show your liver some love.
In East Asian Medicine (EAM), the liver is known as the commanding general of the body, having more than 500 functions. According to EAM, it is the organ that governs our health more than any other organ. Simply put, the liver is the body’s main organ of detoxification. Everything we eat and drink is filtered by the liver including medications and drugs. The liver works very hard to keep us healthy by getting rid of what we don’t need. Our hormonal balance, cholesterol levels and weight are governed by the liver as well. The liver even possesses the remarkable capacity to regenerate itself. Pretty cool.
In Western medicine, the job of the liver is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract before passing it onto the rest of the body. The liver secretes a yellowish green substance called bile, which helps to break down fats to prepare them for further digestion. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and breaks down drugs, as well as making proteins for blood clotting and other functions. It stores and releases glucose as needed and processes hemoglobin to use its iron content, which is stored in the liver.
East Asian Medicine also recognizes some other functions of the liver, including storing the blood, controlling the sinews and ensuring the smooth flow of energy. The liver meridian manifests in the nails and opens into the eyes. Let’s break these down a little further to help everyone understand how important the liver really is with regards to our overall health.
1. Storing Blood – The liver is the most important organ for storing blood and because of this, it is able to regulate the volume of blood in the whole body at any time. The liver regulates the volume of blood according to physical activity, as well as menstruation.
In terms of physical activity and exercise, when the body is active, blood flows to the muscles helping to nourish and moisten them. However when the body is at rest, the blood flows back to the liver, which contributes to restoring the persons energy. When this function is working well, movement will be good and nourishment to areas needed will abundant. But if this function is impaired, there will be a lack of blood and nourishment where it is needed and a person will become easily tired.
Similarly if the liver stores blood normally, menstruation will be “normal”. In EAM, a normal period would be medium flow, lasting 3-5 days without pain, clots and also without any premenstrual tension. It would also start and finish quite abruptly without much spotting. If liver blood becomes deficient, there may be a lack of menstruation (amenorrhea) or infrequent menstruation (oligomenorrhea). Or if the liver blood is in excess, there may be very heavy periods (menorrhagia). In EAM, many gynecological problems can be traced back to liver function. Additionally, if the liver blood is stagnant or not flowing freely, you may see symptoms such as painful periods, premenstrual tension or very clotted menstrual blood.
2. Smooth Flow of Energy – There are three aspects to this function: emotional, digestive and secretion of bile. The smooth flow of liver qi (energy) has a deep impact on a persons emotional state. When the qi is flowing smoothly the emotional life will be happy. However, if the qi is impaired or obstructed in any way, you may experience feelings of frustration, depression or anger along with physical symptoms such as abdominal distention, a heaviness in the chest, a lump in the throat or hypochondriac pain and women may also experience premenstrual tension.
The liver assists the stomach and the spleen in their digestive function by ensuring the smooth flow of qi in the proper directions. If this function is impaired, you may experience belching, sour regurgitation, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The liver also helps to keep the flow of bile working properly. If liver qi is impaired, the flow of bile may be obstructed resulting in a bitter taste in the mouth, belching or jaundice.
3. Controlling the Sinews – Movement and physical activity are affected by the state of the sinews, which includes the tendons. The sinews ability to contract and relax, which stimulates movement, depends on having adequate nourishment and moistening from the liver blood. When the liver blood is deficient, symptoms such as contractions or spasms, impaired extension / flexion, numbness of the limbs and digits, muscle cramps, tremors and weakness in the limbs may occur.
4. Opening to the Eyes – Each sense is attached to an organ / meridian in EAM and the one attached to the liver is vision. Again, it is influenced heavily by the liver blood. When it is abundant, the eyes will be moist and the vision will be good. But if the liver blood is deficient, you may experience blurred vision, myopia (short-sightedness), floaters in the eyes, color blindness or dry eyes.
5. Manifesting in the Nails – The nails in EAM are considered a by-product of the sinews and because of this they are under the influence of the liver blood. If the liver blood is plentiful, the nails will be moist and healthy. However, if not, they can become dark, indented, cracked and dry.
Each energetic meridian / organ system is associated with a season in EAM and the liver goes hand-in-hand with spring. In EAM, organs are not just physical parts of a body, but functional systems that interact with each other and require balancing for the body to function optimally. The body reacts to the environment, weather, seasonal foods, etc. These things usually support the specific organs paired with the current season. However, this means the same organs can also go out of balance more easily if we don’t make healthy decisions.
Have you ever noticed that when spring rolls around you experience certain abnormalities in your daily life? For example, do you wake more frequently between 1-3 AM? Do you get one sided headaches that occur either in the front or rear of the skull? Do you feel more bloated or constipated? Do you notice changes to your vision, even if only temporary? Do you feel angry for no reason? If you’re a woman, are your periods more irritating or heavy? All of these are indications that your liver is slightly imbalanced and needs some love, especially during the spring.
There are several ways to keep the liver happy as spring kicks into full gear:
1. Move and Stretch – As previously mentioned, the liver controls the tendons of the body, so staying active or increasing activity levels can really help to loosen up those areas that may have gotten a little tight through the colder winter months. Incorporating more movement can be as easy as adding in a morning walk or 20 minutes of yoga. Moving and stretching also helps to keep irritability low by moving the liver qi.
2. Eat Your Greens – As the plants emerge from their winter slumber, it is the perfect time to do some foraging and start eating your weeds. Dark leafy greens like dandelion greens are amazing at keeping the liver happy and they also help with detoxing. Hit up the local farmers markets or join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group that provides fresh, locally grown goodies for your everyday consumption.
3. Indulge in the Sour – Foods and drinks that are sour to the taste help to kickstart the liver qi. Start your day with a glass of warm water mixed with a little lemon juice, make a juice of your favorite greens or grab a Granny Smith apple.
4. Get a Tune-up – You guessed it…acupuncture. Acupuncture is a phenomenal way to get your body balanced and keep the liver functioning well. Quarterly tune-ups are recommended for everyone to help transition from season to season.
Because the liver is so important, it should definitely be given some attention. And not just in the spring, but all year round. Spring just seems to be when more people are feeling discombobulated. If you would like to find out more, give us a call or schedule an appointment online. You won’t regret it.