The Liver

The Liver

Healthy, vibrant, beautiful skin starts at the liver. As one of the most important detoxifying organs in the body the liver has the greatest number of functions - known to have over 5,000 chemical functions per day affecting every cell in the body, with over one liter of blood passing through the liver every minute. When the liver is taxed from toxins, the skin excretes these toxins and poisons in the body... yuck! What we eat is reflected in our face. Cleaning up the diet will show on your face, I know I have seen it happen on myself!

What does the liver have to do with Cellulite?

A lot! Those cellulite fat dimples, they contain toxins that are in your body; toxins that were never eliminated by the liver.

What Overloads the Liver?

Pollutants from our food (everything from additives to chemicals used in AgriBusiness), water, air, drugs, chlorination, fluoridation, household cleaning products, air fresheners, out-gassing of products we bring into our homes, to name just some. While we cannot remove all toxins from our lives, we can do what we can do - and that is a lot and will help make a difference in our overall health and our physical appearance.

Symptoms of an Overloaded Liver

Skin irritations, blemishes, acne, psoriasis, eczema, allergies, itchy skin, hives, heart burn, bloating, general fatigue, nausea, yellow discoloration of skin/eyes, loss of appetite, dark colored urine, loss of energy, brownish spots on the skin, depression, and crankiness.

Simple Dietary Tips for Liver Health

Everything we eat passes through our liver, so it's a good idea to pay a bit more attention to what goes down the hatch.

1. Increase fiber: fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains

2. Seasonings: use herbs and lemon juice in cooking to provide more flavor, fewer calories, and less fat.

3. Cooking Oils: the RIGHT fats are nothing to fear! For cooking purposes, Coconut Oil is superior over all others. It can take a higher heat than even high a heat olive oil; it tastes great, much healthier than Canola Oil (which I refuse to ingest). Coconut and olive oils are oils that the human body has evolved with; staying closer to these types of fat are beneficial as our bodies know how to process them. The other oils are foreign substances and do not benefit us in any way whatsoever, no matter what the media claims.

Tip: Reserve your Olive Oil for a condiment at the table or after food is cooked. Think about this - you know how YL processes their essential oils without high heat because it fractures the molecules? Well, when your olive oil smokes the molecules are fractured and any health benefits are completely gone! Not only that but chemically the structure is changed rendering it a quite 'unhealthy' food. So remember not overheat your olive oil if you choose to cook with it.

4. Sweeteners: avoid sugar substitutes like the plague. They are extremely toxic and will cause liver and brain damage, to say the absolute least. A good replacement which is low-glycemic is Young Living's Blue Agave nectar, it's yummy and healthy (#3221 -8 oz. or 3224 - 32 oz.)

You may also want to know that Hershey's has requested that Monsanto create a Genetically Modified sugar beet - yup, that means your candy treats and now an entire host of other sweetened products will contain this GM sugar beet. Products containing GM sugar beet juice are probably hitting store shelves right now. Read the article...

5. Supplements and/or YL Essential Oils are a terrific way to cleanse and detoxify the liver. Here are some suggestions:

Single Essential Oils:

Ledum (#3579), Helichrysum (#3563), Geranium (#3554), Sage (#3632), Rosemary (#3626), Roman Chamomile (#3512). You would use these with a carrier oil (such as YL V-6 Massage Oil, or olive oil). A couple drops with a couple drops of carrier oil and rub onto skin over the liver area.

Essential Oil Blends:

These two essential oils blends were created to specifically to help support and detoxify the liver:

JuvaCleanse (#3395), and JuvaFlex(#3375)

JuvaFlex Application:

Apply topically, put a couple drops in your palm and rub over the liver.

JuvaCleanse Application:

One drop in a veggie capsule (#3193) with a little olive oil. Or, one drop in a glass of goat's milk. You would use JuvaCleanse whenever you want to help your body release/clean-up those built up toxins in your liver and fat tissues.

Dried or fresh herbs that are also helpful: Burdock, Beet Powder and beet juice (read more here), dandelion, red clover (you want the actual 'flower', not the cheap leaf parts), yellow dock, milk thistle seed (grind it up slightly so that the nutrition in the seed can come out), and Oregon grape root. All of these can make a delicious tea; do not steep your tea for longer than 6 minutes as longer releases the bitter tannins (which you do not want to be drinking). I love adding burdock and yellow dock root to soups and stews, just toss in a couple tablespoons early on during cooking (if you don't want the texture - make a little cheesecloth bundle and tie it tight with food quality string and toss it in the pot, remove before serving).

6. Household Cleaners: thankfully we have the non-toxic Young Living Thieves Household Cleaner (#3743). The Thieves Cleaner can be used to clean and disinfect every surface in the home (dilution ratios for tasks is printed on the label), which allows us to completely get rid of forever all those nasty poisonous products that make us and our families ill and diseased.

7. Air Freshening: All of the air freshening/germ killing products on the market are extremely toxic and many are carcinogenic (cancer causing) - again thankfully we have the essential oils to eliminate odors, kill germs and viruses, and keep our homes/cars/workplace smelling GREAT!

Of course you can get your essential oil into the air by means of one of the 3 Young Living diffusers, running them for 15-30 minutes a day will make a huge difference in your ability to ward off colds and flus.

Another thing I like to do is make a spray bottle. This allows me to freshen up surfaces between cleanings, target objects such as phones, light switches, door handles, spritz my bed linens each morning so they smell FABULOUS when I hit the sack, bring humidity back into the air during dry winter months, freshen closets and drawers, and as an air freshener. Here's how to make this great smelling nontoxic air freshener:

You'll need a:

32 oz. water spray bottle

30 drops of the Young Living essential oil(s) of your choice

Just put the essential oils and water in the bottle, give a shake every so often and spritz those germs, bacteria, and odors away.

One of my most favorite spray bottle combination of oils are:

10 drops Thyme

8 drops Spearmint

6 drops Tangerine, or Orange

4 drops Rosemary

1 drop Patchouli

Cellulite + Liver + Lymph

You don't have to be overweight to have cellulite. Cellulite is neither a disease nor a sign of unhealthiness.

Cellulite is defined as a fatty deposit causing a dimpled or uneven appearance, as around the thighs and buttocks. The fat, which is very close to the surface of the skin, pushes against connective tissues in the skin to cause a dimpled appearance (orange skin look).

According to Dr. Murad, author of The Cellulite Solution, "cellulite isn't a fat problem, it's a skin problem.  Cellulite has nothing to do with how much you weigh, nor does it improve with weight loss."

Cellulite is one of the harder types of fats to dissolve in the body. It is an accumulation of old fat cell clusters that solidify and harden as the surrounding tissue loses its elasticity. Since the fat becomes trapped in compartments of the tissue where there is poor circulation, cellulite is a condition that is difficult to eliminate. The essential oil of Cypress is a good oil for improving circulation.

Excess fat is undesirable for two reasons:

1. The extra weight puts an extra load on all body systems, particularly the heart and cardiovascular system, as well as the joints (knees, hips, spine, etc.).

2. Toxins and petrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and metals) tend to accumulate in fatty tissue. This can contribute to hormone imbalance, neurological problems, and a higher risk of cancer.

Essential oils such as ledum, tangerine, and grapefruit may help reduce fat cells. Cypress enhances circulation to support the elimination of fatty deposits. The essential oils of lemongrass and spearmint also may help fat metabolism.

Young Living's Cel-Lite Magic Massage Oil contains many of these oils and may help reduce cellulite deposits.

Cellulite is slow to dissolve, so target areas should be worked for a month or more in conjunction with weight training, a weight loss program, and drinking plenty of purified water each day (NOT distilled water!). Be patient. You should begin to see results in 4 to 6 weeks when using the essential oils in combination with a muscle-building/weight-loss regimen and cleaning up the liver and lymph.

Massage and Cellulite

Massage is one of the top techniques to use on areas of

cellulite. It too brings more vitality and light to the area.

The physical movements used in massage help to:

· Promote lymphatic circulation, which takes the toxins out of the area

· Increases blood supply which carries oxygen to the area, helping to break the encapsulated hardened fat cell that makes up cellulite

We can massage ourselves at home on a daily basis when we are in the bath or shower in the cellulite prone areas, but it’s always so much nicer to have a massage therapist work on us!

Young Living Single Essential Oils:

Rosemary, Grapefruit, Lemon, Tangerine, Cypress, Fennel, Juniper, Spearmint, Lemongrass

Young Living Essential Oil Blends:

EndoFlex, Citrus Fresh

Make Your Own Topical Treatments:

Cellulite blend #1:

· 5 drops rosemary

· 10 drops grapefruit

· 2 drops cypress

Blend available for $15.00

Cellulite blend #2:

· 10 drops grapefruit

· 5 drops lavender

· 3 drops helichrysum

· 3 drops patchouli

· 4 drops cypress

Blend available for $21.00

Dilute 50-50, massage 3-6 drops vigorously on cellulite locations at least 3 times daily, especially before exercising. For better coverage, oils can be put into a spray bottle; shake and spray area then massage.

Having a bottle of YL Cel-Lite Magic Massage Oil (#3754) on hand for those busy weeks will help keep you advancing on your path.

Cellulite blend #3 (Bath):

· 5 drops juniper

· 3 drops orange

· 3 drops cypress

· 3 drops lemon

Mix the above bath recipe together with 2 tablespoons Epsom salts or with Young Living Bath Gel Base (#3751) and dissolve in warm bath water, 2-4 times weekly. Follow with a massage with Cel-Lite Magic.

Additionally:

Apply 3-5 drops of YL grapefruit essential oil, neat, 1-2 x daily to increase fat-reducing action in areas of fat rolls, puckers, and dimples. Do NOT apply to skin that will be exposed to sunlight within 12 hours - all citrus oils are photosensitizing.

Young Living Dietary Supplementation:

These are Young Living supplements that will help restore balance, fat burning, help boost metabolism, and overall good health: Thyromin, ThermaBurn, Power Meal, Thyromin, and ThermaBurn.

Lymph + Cellulite Connection

Our lymph system, which is a circulatory system, doesn't have a pump like the blood circulatory system has a heart. So lymph becomes stagnant if we don't move our bodies.

Whatever we can do to move our lymph system, we should, and exercise is the best. The lymph vessels are responsible for carrying out many of the toxins. Some toxins don't leave our bodies so easily and like to snuggle together and harden in fat cells; these areas become cellulite.

Getting the Lymphatic System Moving

There is nothing better than exercise to promote lymph movement. Twenty minutes of aerobic movement three times a week.

Hot Yoga is also a good form of exercise.

As is this little movement: while in a standing position, come up onto your toes a little (so that your heels barely leave the floor) and then drop down into your feet/heels. This is a very subtle movement so don't expect any strenuous activity with this lymph moving exercise! It doesn't take much to get it moving.

By the way, moving our body is the ONLY thing that moves lymph (along with some good deep breathing).

Body Scrubs

Whether its dry brushing the skin or doing a salt scrub in your shower, it’s important to remove the dead cells off of the top layer of the skin.

The skin is an eliminatory organ, and helping to eliminate toxins through the skin helps to prevent buildup of them in other parts of the body. Remember from above with the liver, see the amazing connection!

As we scrub the top layer of the skin to remove dead cells, we are also promoting blood supply to the area (which brings with it nutrients and oxygen), and we are promoting lymph circulation.

ImmuPower Essential Oil Blend

ImmuPower contains the essential oils of: Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), mountain savory (Satureja montana), cistus (Cistus ladanifer), ravensara (Ravensara aromatica), frankincense (Boswellia carteri), oregano (Origanum compactum), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and idaho tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).

Strengthens immunity and DNA repair in the cells. This blend is strongly antiseptic and anti-infectious.

How to use ImmuPower:

- Dilute 1 part ImmuPower to 4 parts carrier oil for topical use

- Diffuse or directly inhale (in cupped palms over the nose)

- A couple drops into Epsom salts for a bath

- Topically around navel, chest, temples, wrists, or foot Vita Flex points

- Use with Raindrop Technique

- Make a dryer sheet (a couple drops on a damp wash cloth put in dryer)

- Dilute 1:15 with massage oil for a full body massage

- A couple of drops on a cotton ball and put in vents of car or in a hotel room

(Image by WebMD LLC, 2009)

Please call me with any questions. If ordering online, please visit my Young Living site below:

https://www.youngliving.org/jjan

Jessica Jensen-Nelson LMT CST

863.513.0203

231 Kentucky Ave suite 220

Lakeland FL.

Young Living Essential Oils # 908714