After establishing a healthy colon and bowels, the next crucial drainage pathways for your body’s excretion system are the liver and bile ducts. Think of your liver as the town’s waste water reservoir, collecting and separating water from waste. The cleaned water is then reused, while the liver filters toxins from the blood, processing them for elimination through bile.
During digestion, bile is released through the common bile duct into the small intestine. Some bile binds to stools, aiding in toxin elimination and reducing the overall toxin level in the body. This is overall a good system, but it can be disrupted by various harmful factors and cause issues.
Blocked Bile Ducts
Just like home drains, bile ducts can get clogged. When this happens, toxins and bile acids can stagnate in the liver, potentially causing damage and contributing to chronic illness due to inefficient toxin removal. Several factors can lead to bile duct inflammation, damage, narrowing, and blockages:
- Bacteria: Types like Klebsiella and Pseudomonas can invade bile ducts, causing inflammation and obstruction.
- Drugs: Certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and antidepressants can disrupt bile flow.
- Excess Estrogen: Higher estrogen levels, from birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, increase the risk of gallstones, leading to blockages.
- Parasites: Roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides) and liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica) can obstruct bile ducts.
- Toxins: Glyphosate in non-organic food, other chemical toxins, and excess exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) can reduce bile production and flow.
- Viruses: Infections like hepatitis and herpes can cause bile duct inflammation and destruction.
Consequences of Blocked Liver
What happens if the liver and bile ducts are backed up? If bile can’t flow through the drainage pathways, it might seep into tissues and organs, leading to uncomfortable symptoms and potential organ damage. When the liver can’t push bile into the bowels, it may release toxic bile acids into the bloodstream, affecting other organs such as the:
- Kidneys
- Lungs
- Skin
This can damage the delicate linings of these organs due to increased levels of free radicals and inflammation. In the skin, bile acids can trigger itching and inflammation, possibly through the activation of mast cells, which release histamine and cause itching.
Sphincter of Oddi Malfunction
The sphincter of Oddi is a muscular valve controlling bile release into the small intestine, discovered by Ruggero Oddi in the late 1800s. This valve can malfunction due to scarring or a lack of thyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone.Thyroxine helps the sphincter relax, enabling bile to flow. In hypothyroidism, a lack of thyroxine can prevent the sphincter from opening properly, causing bile and toxins to back up in the liver and bile ducts.
Conclusion
As you can see, maintaining healthy liver and bile ducts is essential for your body’s natural detox function. If you suspect your liver and bile ducts are not functioning optimally, stay tuned for my upcoming newsletter, where I will share some tips to keep your liver and bile ducts clean!
