I have to vent because I keep seeing all these herbal remedies that are targeted toward liver detox. And let me tell you, when I read about our poor livers and what we could do to support them and the side effects, I too was on the bandwagon of, “Yes! Liver detox!”
Going to share all the fun things that I have learned over the last few years about myself and how it’s changed how I view liver detox.
It started probably about ten years ago when I decided to do a 23andMe DNA test. And then I found, I think it was called Genetic Genie, that would take my raw data and tell me what genetics I had because I was curious if I had MTHFR.
Let me tell you, I have both of the genetic factors for it! Lucky me, I got them both.
But honestly, it’s not that bad once you actually start to learn about yourself.
So I took this newfound knowledge to a naturopath who suggested that we check my B12 levels because I was suffering from fatigue. So I started my B12 shots and took them for years!
They were the magical sauce that made my brain keep working, or so I thought.
She suggested B-complex, but two days after starting it, the fatigue got worse, so I stopped because no matter how many times I said this, it was, “Power through it. Give it time.”
Nooope!
Over the years, I continued to suffer from fatigue and was just way too stressed out from everything.
Then I started acupuncture… which was amazing! What did I get from it? NOTHING!
But week after week, damp heat came up that my body just never seemed to get rid of. I followed the diet. I went to acupuncture once a week for eight weeks and then one to two times a month.
Years of this!
Then I got severely sick and could barely leave the house for about eight months before I decided to once again go back to the doctor. My naturopath suggested an elimination diet.
I’ll explain what this elimination diet is in another post.
So all the things were eliminated. And I had a gastrointestinal appointment during the COVID era where it took six months to get in to see a doctor that was still two months away.
It turns out I don’t really care if I have celiac or not. What I do care about is that I will not be eating wheat, gluten, rye, or oats for the rest of my life because no thank you to ever experiencing that again!
Every time I go see a doctor, they always test for my thyroid. Because magically, I keep gaining weight with no explanation.
I’m exhausted. I’m stressed out. Fertility issues. Etc.
Come to the most recent finding, where I specifically had to ask for blood tests.
I went a little crazy…
I used Google AI to track symptoms for an entire month so that I could ask about different blood tests that may show some insight. Then I reached out to my doctor so we could actually run those tests to see if anything turned up.
What do you know? My B6 is way low, and my vitamin D.
TRAVEL BACK BEFORE KNOWING THIS
Before this doctor’s appointment, I decided to reach out to a Chinese medicine herbalist because honestly, the thing that had helped me the most in the past was acupuncture.
Her and I went through my list of symptoms, and she gave me the first herbal blend.
I noticed some really good changes happening.
We moved on to the second blend, and all of a sudden, more really good things kept happening. My unexplained, broken, unattached toenails were growing rapidly. My dry foot skin was clearing. I was peeing a lot. I was actually thirsty. My body didn’t feel so heavy. I started losing weight.
But then I got to the end of my bottle, which at this point had been supporting my spleen, which in Chinese acupuncture means supporting your kidney and your detox pathway.
By the end, I’ve got a foot rash that itches terribly. And the skin on my foot, but the nail bed is pink and happy.
My mood is better. I’m less fatigued.
We sync on good and bad because I take notes. I never expect things to correct a problem in just a few days. I’m just happy when things change.
She gives me the next medication because this last one that was doing great is now giving me some super cool rashes.
We go to one that is all about building the blood.
And what do you know? It makes me extremely fatigued again and starts making me gain weight with basically every breath that I breathe.
So I stop that.
But my stress had come down. My connection to my toddler feels magical, and with my husband, I feel more caring than I have in years.
Which leads me back to the main topic of why being low in these two things matters…
Are you sure you’re ready for this?
These matter because the magical weight that I’ve gained since I was twenty, that every single naturopath to this point has attributed to a thyroid issue…
That’s B6 and my yo-yo of B12 getting low or high!
So because my B6 level is low, my body doesn’t rebalance fluids. So that kidney-support formula actually moved fluid in my body.
And the fact that I get so tired I could fall asleep standing, but when I lie flat, after 10–20 minutes it goes away.
ALL SIGNS POINTING TOWARD FLUID REGULATION NOT DOING WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO!
Also, that damp heat that won’t budge.
So after this extremely long story, here’s my vent!
I see these incredibly smart women who are advertising for these herbal drinks, which I know they get paid a little bit of money to do when somebody buys them. My thing is that you have all these people that jump on board and are like, “Yes! Liver detox!”
But at no point over the last 15 years of my life have I read or seen anything that’s ever said, “Whoa there, let’s slow down on that liver detox idea.”
Because if your liver dumps too much detoxing and your kidney can’t support that detox, guess what’s coming for you, babe!
More buildup that your body can’t handle.
So what do I hope you gain from this?
If you’re reading my one thousand words on the topic, I hope if you’re someone who also feels fatigued and like they’re checking for thyroid stuff for years and getting normal results, that you know there’s something still underlying.
That you don’t go ham and buy a hundred things of this liver detox, thinking that it’s gonna solve all of your problems because it’s herbal, and it’s natural. And it’s gonna be great.
I also hope you know. I see you.
I hope that you’re advocating for yourself, and that sometimes taking the unbeaten path can lead you to figuring out what your body’s actually doing!
Do I know for sure if taking vitamin D and B6 every three days is actually gonna work to bring up my levels…
Nope.
But every random twist and turn to get to this point has changed my perspective a lot on things like feeling fatigued or stressed out, “try this liver detox!”
