Tag: albumin

Deflate Fatty Liver disease!

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

Many people have fatty liver and don’t even know it. When someone says, “fatty liver”, most people don’t know what that means — including the person saying it! To my understanding, it means everything: fatty acids, like triglycerides, phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol esters, bilirubin, dead red blood cell remnants, iron waste and water! In other words, it means lots of junk is building up in the liver! But the biggest junk is probably triglycerides filled with toxins, which is the main source of fat storage and fat accumulation — hence the term, fatty liver.

Anyone who has fatty liver, needs to look at their ferritin. My ferritin level was once over 280.

Yes, I have had fatty liver!

I have had fatty liver since fatty liver was not even in style — back in the 1980’s when I was 10 years old! I was blood poisoned (I believe) by painful injections in the buttocks, to supposedly manage my asthma condition!

 

Ferritin affects liver health:

To be clear, ferritin protein is where the body first stores excess iron. Do you know how much ions of iron one single ferritin complex carries? Up to 4500! So if your ferritin level is 50, multiply that by 4500 irons!
Now if your ferritin is 280, multiply that by 4500 iron ions!

Do you know what fatty liver is?: so much ferritin, that it turned into hemosiderin! Hemosiderin is the antarctic of iron waste. It is a graveyard of iron and dead lysosomes stuck in the south pole — actually, I meant, liver! In other words, when the body can no longer store excess iron in the ferritin complexes, it is forced to store it in this second option: hemosiderin. This hemosiderin storage system is hard on the body, especially the liver. And, it is hard to get rid of excess iron once it’s stored as hemosiderin.

Don’t get me wrong: low ferritin can also be distressing: it means the spleen is not recycling iron properly! But that can be simply resolved by consuming copper or wholefood vitamin C!
Does anyone know how to get out of the antarctic?

 

Enzymes affect liver health:

When doctors talk about liver enzymes, they are not only talking about the familiar AsT and ALt — they are also talking about such hardly ever tested enzyme(s) as GGT [Gamma-glutamyl transferase]. Actually, most doctors probably don’t even remember what GGT is! Often high when there is toxins in the blood such as from medication or alcohol or when there is hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatic obstruction or bile flow obstruction, GGT insures delivery of amino acids that make the powerful antioxidant glutathione. These amino acids include: glutamate, cysteine (cystine) and glycine.

 

Protein affects liver health:

What we also need to talk about is not only the liver enzymes, but also, the proteins produced by the liver. They also tell a lot by their too high or too low levels — such proteins as serum albumin and globulins! Abnormal numbers of these proteins may signal🚦 some type of dehydration, or worse, liver dysfunction. Chronic liver disease is characterized by a fall in serum albumin concentration and a rise in serum globulins.

 

Gallbladder health is affected by liver health:

Another thing needs mentioning is not only the liver — that very large organ, but its pipeline: the gallbladder!

Many people have liver issues because the gallbladder is stuck with sludge or gallstones! Can you imagine your kitchen sink pipe clogged with chewing gum? Many people nowadays are listening to their doctors recommend having their gallbladders removed, as if gallbladder surgery was an ice-cream treat! Removing your gallbladder is the same thing as removing the sac that holds bile that is needed to digests fats.

That’s why I also look at bilirubin levels — specifically direct bilirubin, to make sure gallbladder is opened (3mm) and working properly. Too high bilirubin (a “compound” from heme, produced in the liver) means gallbladder is clogged! That’s why I use chanca piedra or bhumi amla to unclog the gall-pipe!

 

The history of fatty liver:

There was once a time when doctors would only entertain the term fatty liver if someone consumed alcohol. If you did not fit that category and still complained that you may have fatty liver, then these doctors would say, “Oh, you don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop complaining and enjoy life!” It was only after repeated and vehement complaints that science then began to realize there is fatty liver beyond alcohol fatty liver disease. They labeled it: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD.

As time went by, NAFLD became nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. As more time went by, NASH became something that led to metabolic dysfunction -associated steatohepatitis or MASH in 2023 because, “nonalcoholic” and “fatty” seemed as if stigmatizing and trivializing the disease, they thought. In other words, science still could not make up its mind about what fatty liver disease is!

And to complicate things even more, we have another new term — i.e., liver disease caused from environmental toxins: toxicant-associated fatty liver disease (TAFLD), which can then lead to toxicant-associated steatohepatitis (TASH), which a more severe form of TAFLD.

 

Liver disease progression:

To simplify things for the purpose of this article, there are three grades of fatty liver: mild, moderate and severe, with up to 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3 of fat deposit and fat accumulation, respectively. And there are progressive stages to fatty liver:

– Simple fatty liver (fat only)

– Steatohepatitis (fat accompanied with inflammation)

– Fibrosis (chronic inflammation) 

– Cirrhosis (widespread scarring that greatly impairs liver function).


Much of this is fixable, yes. But severe fatty liver disease with cirrhosis is going to need a lot of work. Be optimistic, but do not be fooled if someone tells you, “the liver is the only organ that regenerates itself and if you cut off a part of it, it will simply grow back!” Welcome them to the real world 🌎 — the liver won’t do anything good unless you work hard enough to fix it!

 

Reverse fatty liver disease:

Luckily, nature has provided ways to accelerate reversing fatty liver disease. It is called herbs! I have studied for years and tried to find the best answers to what the best things to reverse fatty liver disease are. And I think I’ve found them.

It is not milk thistle. Milk thistle is good for liver that is already healthy. It is not burdock root either — though that can be helpful. It is not artichoke extract or swedish bitters either. Yet those can be helpful. 

The herbs that I like to focus on at reversing fatty liver are from ayurveda: kutki, Bhumi amla and amla!

Kutki is a bitter herb that works like a mechanic, going into liver cells, and bringing them back to life. Bhumi amla is like a drainage plunger, unclogging gunk out of the gallbladder. Amla a.k.a Indian gooseberry is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that may help stimulate the regeneration of liver cells,  and facilitate in the repair of damaged tissue. 

But there are other things necessary to accelerate reversing fatty liver disease. They are: choline and  IP6-inosotol.

Choline helps remove fat from the liver, while IP6-inositol helps remove excess iron from the liver. Excess iron is a major cause of fatty liver disease and liver inflammation! Phlebotomy through blood donation can also relieve the body of excess iron in the blood.

 

And of course, eat healthily and properly:

If you have fatty liver disease, junk food and excess sweets are a no no. Excess alcohol is a no no. Eating excess amounts of animal meat is a no no. Animal protein may raise insulin levels to intolerable levels. Excess dairy and eggs are a no no. And foods high in oxalates is a no no. I have compiled a list of the safest, most nutritious foods! If you have fatty liver, you need to load up on B vitamins, as with the choline previously mentioned, but also particularly vitamins B2 (riboflavin) and B5 (pantothenic acid) — found in organic bee pollen — to accelerate the healing process of a damaged liver. Other nutrients include magnesium, copper and phosphorus.

 

Sugar, sugar substitutes, and sugar alcohol may also contribute to fatty liver disease:

When someone says something like too much sugar causes fatty liver, I think one detail in that means, too much high fructus corn syrup and the nasty Maltodextrin that usually comes with it, contributes to fatty liver! So does aspartame. If you like sweet things, look for pure organic honey, coconut sugar, palm sugar, molasses, or even plain old cane sugar. These other sugars, such as sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners are destroying peoples’ livers! Monk fruit (sugar) is up for debate, since it is usually combined with other sugar alcohols to make it taste like sugar.


So, what should you do?:

– If possible, get an ultrasound for the liver.

– Get a blood test checking for:

– Ferritin: should be less than 75

– Ast and ALt should be less than 20

– GGT: should be less than 30

– Serum albumin: should be between 4.1 and 4.8

– Globulin: should be between 2.2 and 2.8

– Direct bilirubin: should be less than 0.3

Herbs:

– Kutki 

– Bhumi amla

– Amla

Supplements:

– Choline 

– IP6- Inositol 

Procedure:

– Phlebotomy (blood donation)

Foods

Eat healthy, limiting alcohol, sweets and excess animal protein. Pay special attention to food containing vitamins B2 and B5. Also magnesium, copper and phosphorus rich food are beneficial to help heal a fatty liver.

Copper: the Great [Trace Mineral]

Posted on by Diogenes II

 

Though all trace minerals are important and incremental to health, copper is perhaps the most powerful and versatile one of them all! Copper is the spark plug of the human body that keeps the cells energized and reinvigorated. Many ailments, from amenorrhea, lethargy to Alzheimer’s,  will see improvement quickly by just adding a little bioavailable copper to the diet, daily. Yet many people associate this trace mineral with a negative connotation: copper toxicity. In this article however, you will see that when the right type and dose of copper is added, health problems of all type will see improve dramatically.

But what is copper and what makes it so important?

Copper is that metal that is used as a conductor of electricity — second in effectiveness only to silver. But copper is also used as a trace mineral to electrify the cells of the human body, of course in a more bioavailable form. If there is no copper, there is no life. Magnesium is the fire, but copper is the match that lights and guides the fire! When you awaken from sleep, don’t think cortisol did that — think, copper did that. Cortisol’s active ingredient is copper. Your will power to step out of bed literally contains copper.

But how does it work?

Copper is like a baby that needs to be carried and cared for by its mother. It needs motherly guidance,  else it may go rogue and cause chaos wherever it lay — hence the negative connotation some people associate with copper. This association can be real though.

When copper enters the body, it is first transported by a transport protein called transcuprein (a macroglobulin). This protein is involved in the initial distribution of copper entering the blood from the digestive tract. There is a balance between transcuprein and another transport protein called albumin in blood plasma, creating a proper copper ratio. An imbalance of this ratio may signal disease. There is eventually an exchange between transcuprein to albumin for the eventual carriage and storage to the liver and kidneys.

But the great execution of copper distribution to the organs and tissues throughout the body happens with a large transport protein made in the liver, called apoceruloplasmin. When up to six copper atoms fits into this transport protein for distribution, it is now called ceroluplasmin. In fact, ceroluplasmin carries arguably more than 95% of total copper in healthy human plasma. The rest may be accounted for by other proteins called macroglobulin and albumin.

So how is copper beneficial?

When copper is properly transported by its transport proteins like ceroluplasmin or macroglobulin, it emits a host of benefits:

– Helps build collagen

– Helps build melanin

– Maintains proper nerve and brain function

– Helps create and protect myelin sheath

– Maintains proper immune function

– Maintains proper blood

– Helps burn glucose efficiently and completely

– Helps create ATP (cellular energy)

– Helps dispose of cellular exhaust

– Awakens powerful enzymes

– Decreases excess cholesterol

– Turn saturated fats into monounsaturated fats

– Creates proper hormonal balance

– Helps conserve body water

So what does this all mean for our health?

– Helps build collagen: prevents bone demineralization like osteoporosis, and speeds up wound healing through connective tissues

– Helps build melanin: prevents premature hair graying, eye discoloration and skin discoloration, like vitiligo. Acts as a natural sunscreen and helps prevent sunburn 

– Maintains proper nerve and brain function: May reverse degeneration diseases like Alzheimer’s,  Parkinson’s disease, and even Epilepsy

– Helps create and protect myelin sheath: may slow or reverse multiple sclerosis or any neurological disorder 

– Maintains proper immune function: prevents infections and fights all types of diseases more efficiently

– Maintains proper blood: keeps proper blood pH, prevents BOTH iron anemia and copper anemia. Absorbs iron and prevents toxic iron buildup in tissues

– Helps burn glucose efficiently and completely: may prevent insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and diabetes

– Helps create ATP (cellular energy): energizes the heart muscle, lungs and all other organs, thus preventing lethargy 

– Helps dispose of cellular exhaust: acts as an antioxidant against free radicals and turns hydrogen peroxide back into water through SOD and other enzymatic activities 

– Awakens powerful enzymes: speeds up all cellular activity. Keeps the river of metabolism in constant flow

– Decreases high cholesterol: may reduce excess LDL particles and its cholesterol and may increase HDL particles 

– Turns saturated fats into monounsaturated fats: may reduce complicated fatty acids (stearic acid) into a more simple form (oleic acid), as found in olive oil

– Creates proper hormonal balance: beneficial for those with low testosterone, estrogen dominance, excess cortisol, menstruating and menopausal women and all other hormonal imbalances

– Helps conserve body water: may prevent dehydration and create the right environment for electrolyte balance 

Great! So where can we get copper in our diet?

Like most things in life, if we want the good stuff, we have to search out for it. What makes whole  food vitamin C so powerful? Probably because it contains a copper in enzymatic form called tyrosinase. What makes beef liver, shiitake mushrooms, amla, acerola, sesame seeds, and oysters so powerful and important? Probably because they also are all sources high in copper!

But what depletes copper in the body?

Not only must we be mindful to supply our body with proper copper level, but we must also be mindful not to be depleting our bodies of copper. High zinc intake is legendary for causing copper depletion. Both zinc and copper share the same receptor sites in the gut. Metallothionein — the protein that binds heavy metals in the intestine — binds copper 1000 times more than it does zinc, often said by health expert, Morley Robbins. This means copper can be much more easily lost than zinc can.

But there are other things that deplete copper that we may take for granted, like ascorbic acid, high fructose corn syrup,  things with excess calcium, phosphorus,  manganese, molybdenum and iron. Glyphosate is a very dangerous chelator of copper. So is certain medications,  even over the counter medications,  like antacids and histamine blockers.

If your digestive system or liver is not working properly,  copper status may be compromised. Those with leaky gut, low stomach acid, fatty liver, obstructed bile flow, celiac  disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome should all keep an eye on their copper status! Copper level in the body should average 100 mg — about the size of an American penny.

Furthermore, there are inherited, genetic disorders that may cause a depletion or dysregulation of copper in the body, namely, Menkes disease and its mildest form, occipital horn syndrome. These conditions are rare, and will thus not be discussed here.

But what is this copper toxicity?

Surprisingly,  much of what we think we know about copper toxicity may not be copper toxicity at all. Yes, contaminated water sources from defected copper pipes and copper cookware may instigate what we may know as copper toxicity. But these are rare examples. The main problem with copper toxicity may come from a more sinister source: organ failure — namely, gallbladder stones and obstructed bile flow, that causes all manner of evil. Since excess copper is excreted through bile, it is this obstructed bile flow that causes a backup of excess copper in the liver that should have otherwise been excreted through the alimentary canal. So, to prevent copper toxicity from building up in the liver, do whatever it takes to maintain proper bile flow, thus adding bitters, such as kutki,  bhumi amla, artichoke extract and bitter melon. Tudca, a water soluble bile acid, may help as well.

As is with copper depletion, there is also the antithesis to that: copper overload. Wilson’s disease is perhaps the most popular genetic disorder, that causes copper toxicity to build in the liver and nervous systems. This disorder is not caused by the accumulation of copper in tissues — that is merely the result. The cause of Wilson’s disease is lack of the transport protein ceroluplasmin that holds copper, or the inability of copper to fit into ceroluplasmin. Copper toxicity is also caused, as previously mentioned, by the liver’s inability to expel excess copper into bile for excretion.

So, how should we take copper?

Mother nature knows best. The safest way to take copper is in a complex, that also contains zinc. Though zinc and copper may seem opposing to each other, they also need each other and may actually be monitoring [not opposing] each other to make biological processes work. A ratio of 10:1 or 10:2 zinc to copper may be ideal. The body is very picky about how much copper it needs, and quickly tries to get rid of the excess. Soley supplementing on copper may be risky for those with a compromised gallbladder, since an efficient gallbladder is needed to expel excess copper through bile.