Coming Off The Pill Part 3: Liver Support

Coming Off the Pill Part 3: Liver Detoxification

Support Detoxification and Elimination Processes 

Liver Detoxification ~

Liver Detoxification ~

Welcome back to part 3 of this series! If you haven’t already, click here to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Hormonal birth control provides your body with a consistent stream of synthetic hormones. Because of this, it is important to be supporting your bodies natural detoxification and elimination processes both while on, and when coming off it. Clearing your system of synthetic estrogen and progesterone will help your body to naturally start producing these hormones again.

There are two main organs responsible for detoxifying our bodies of excess hormones:

1. Our liver

2. Our gut (We’ll be diving into gut health more next week - stay tuned!)
   

The Importance of Liver Health

The liver is the body’s natural detoxifier. It cleanses the body of toxins and produces bile to support healthy digestion. However, when your liver is burdened, it cannot filter out toxic substances as efficiently. Here are some signs of poor liver health…

• Feeling sluggish, tired and fatigued constantly

• White or yellow-coated tongue and/or bad breath

• Weight gain – especially around the abdomen

• Cravings and/or blood sugar issues

• Frequent headaches.

• Poor digestion
  

Suporrting Liver Health + Detoxification:

• Increase cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts

  • Cruciferous veggies contain a substance known as indole-3-carbinol.

  • Indole-3-carbinol supports estrogen metabolism by aiding in the detoxification of synthetic estrogen!

• Include bitter foods/beverages such as dandelion or chamomile tea.

  • Bitter foods stimulate the liver

• Reduce exposure to toxins.

  • Many products contain EDC’s (endocrine disrupting chemicals) that act similarly to estrogen in our bodies. These chemicals can increase estrogen levels in the body, further burdening the liver!

  • EDC’s are found in perfumes, water, beauty products and household cleaners. Common EDC’s include…

    • BPA, Phtalates, Glyphosate, PCBS, Lead, Dioxins, Parabens, Triclosan etc.

• Aim for 2 - 3 liters of fluids daily

  • Choose glass or stainless steel bottles when possible

• Limit caffeine and alcohol intake

• Increase liver loving foods like blueberries, dandelion green, cacao, beetroot juice, citrus peel, bitter melon, green tea and radishes.
  

Note: When you are coming off the pill and starting to focus on natural detoxification, it is normal to see an increase in symptoms for 1 - 2 weeks (acne, cramping etc).