An Organ to be Respected

The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in our body, performing a multitude of vital functions. From detoxification and metabolism to bile production, its importance cannot be overstated. However, when the liver is compromised, it can trigger a cascade of health issues affecting far more than just the liver itself. Conditions like fatty liver disease can lead to severe complications, impacting everything from blood sugar levels to cognitive health.

In this article, from RMEDY Health & Wellness, we explore liver health from a functional medicine perspective. This holistic approach goes beyond symptom management to address the root causes of liver dysfunction. By focusing on personalized testing, nutrition, and lifestyle interventions, functional medicine offers a path to not just better liver health, but overall well-being.

Join us as we uncover the comprehensive strategies that functional medicine provides to optimize liver function and, by extension, our health. Let’s embark on this journey to understand how we can take control of our liver health through informed, personalized care.

Understanding Fatty Liver Disease

What Is Fatty Liver Disease?

Fatty liver disease is alarmingly prevalent, affecting millions of Canadians. It involves the accumulation of excess fat in liver cells, compromising liver function. The most common form is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which occurs in people who drink little to no alcohol and is primarily driven by factors such as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, often due to poor diet and lack of exercise.

Causes and Risk Factors

The primary cause of NAFLD is insulin resistance, where the body’s cells do not respond effectively to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar and fat accumulation in the liver. Other contributors include high levels of insulin, various toxins, certain medications, and excessive alcohol consumption. These factors collectively increase the risk of developing fatty liver disease, which can escalate into more severe liver conditions.

Health Implications

Fatty liver disease affects more than just the liver. It is closely associated with numerous health issues, such as heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, certain cancers, and even Alzheimer’s disease. When the liver cannot function optimally, it sets off a cascade of health complications, making it essential to address liver health to safeguard overall well-being.

The Need for Action

Given the wide-ranging implications of fatty liver disease, taking proactive steps to address liver health is crucial. A functional medicine approach, focusing on the root causes and employing personalized, holistic strategies, aims to halt the progression of fatty liver disease and improve liver function. This approach not only helps manage symptoms but also addresses the underlying issues contributing to liver dysfunction, providing a comprehensive roadmap to better health.

Functional Medicine Approach to Liver Health

Functional medicine adopts a comprehensive, root-cause approach that goes beyond merely addressing symptoms. Traditional methods often fall short because they focus primarily on symptom management without resolving underlying issues. Functional medicine seeks to understand the intricate web of factors contributing to liver dysfunction by considering the whole person—diet, lifestyle, genetics, and environmental exposures.

Personalized Testing

Personalized testing is a cornerstone of functional medicine. Rather than relying on generalized assessments, we utilize specific tests to provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s unique health profile. This allows us to pinpoint the underlying issues contributing to liver dysfunction and tailor interventions that address these specific needs.

Key tests include:

• Micronutrient Test: Measures levels of essential vitamins and minerals, allowing for targeted supplementation and dietary adjustments.
• Stool Testing: Assesses gut health, uncovering microbiome imbalances and inflammation markers that may contribute to liver problems.
• Fatty Acid Testing: Evaluates the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, crucial for liver health and overall metabolic function.

These tests provide a holistic view of an individual’s health, enabling more precise and effective interventions.

Nutrition and Diet

A diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods significantly supports liver function. Key dietary modifications include:

• Reducing processed foods high in sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives.
• Balancing macronutrients such as high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
• Including liver-supportive foods like cruciferous vegetables, garlic, turmeric, beets, and leafy greens.

Functional medicine emphasizes the importance of personalized dietary plans tailored to individual needs, supporting liver health and overall wellness.

Lifestyle Interventions

Regular Exercise

Regular physical activity reduces liver fat and enhances insulin sensitivity, crucial for maintaining optimal liver function. Consistency is key, whether it’s brisk walking, swimming, or weight training.

Stress Management

Chronic stress releases cortisol, which can negatively impact liver function. Functional medicine emphasizes stress management techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises to lower cortisol levels and support liver health.

Quality Sleep

Quality sleep is vital for liver health. Poor sleep can contribute to liver dysfunction. Strategies to improve sleep quality include establishing a consistent bedtime routine, limiting screen time before bed, and creating a sleep-friendly environment.

Hydration and Alcohol Consumption

Adequate hydration is essential for liver health, aiding detoxification processes. Conversely, excessive alcohol consumption can severely damage liver cells. Functional medicine encourages staying well-hydrated and mindful of alcohol intake to support liver health.

Mindful Eating and Emotional Well-being

Mindful eating practices, such as eating slowly and savoring food, aid digestion and improve nutrient absorption. Emotional well-being also influences eating habits and overall health. Techniques like journaling or counseling help address emotional issues affecting liver health.

Conclusion

As we’ve explored liver health from a functional medicine perspective, the liver’s role in detoxification, metabolism, and nutrient storage highlights its importance in maintaining a balanced, healthy body. Addressing the root causes of liver dysfunction through functional medicine can lead to transformative health benefits.

Functional medicine’s emphasis on personalized testing, tailored nutrition, and targeted lifestyle interventions provides a comprehensive strategy for liver health. By taking control of our liver health through informed, personalized care, we can enhance our overall well-being. Prioritizing liver health is an investment in long-term well-being. Let’s make choices that support this crucial organ and enrich our lives.

Discover the current state of your liver and learn how to protect this vital organ for a healthier, longer life with RMEDY Health & Wellness, where your health is our priority.

When it comes to sleep, quantity is important, but so is quality. Most adults need somewhere between seven and nine hours a night to wake up feeling well-rested, but a lot depends on exactly what happens during those hours. The quality of your sleep ensures that you get the essential physical, mental, and emotional benefits you need from your slumber.

How Do You Measure Good Sleep Quality?

Sleep quality is the measurement of how well you’re sleeping—in other words, whether your sleep is restful and restorative. It differs from sleep satisfaction, which refers to a more subjective judgment of how you feel about the sleep you are getting. Sleep quality is more complicated to measure than sleep quantity, but it’s not entirely subjective. The blog gives an overview of sleep quality goals, and they include some individual and age differences. Four items are generally assessed to measure sleep quality:

• Sleep latency: This is a measurement of how long it takes you to fall asleep. Drifting off within 30 minutes or less after the time you go to bed suggests that the quality of your sleep is good.

• Sleep waking: These measure how often you wake up during the night. Frequent wakefulness at night can disrupt your sleep cycle and reduce your sleep quality. Waking up once or not at all suggests that your sleep quality is good.

• Wakefulness: This measurement refers to how many minutes you spend awake during the night after you first go to sleep. People with good sleep quality have 20 minutes or less of wakefulness during the night.

• Sleep efficiency: The amount of time you spend sleeping while in bed is known as sleep efficiency. This measurement should ideally be 85 percent or more for optimal health benefits.

If you’re curious, this is how you can calculate it: First, find your actual sleeping duration. Take your total time in bed (in minutes) minus how many minutes it took you to fall asleep and minus how many minutes you spent awake during the night. Divide that figure (actual sleeping time) by your total time in bed (in minutes). Finally, multiply that number by 100 to arrive at your sleep efficiency percentage. For example: 480 (total minutes in bed) – 30 (minutes to fall asleep) – 0 (minutes awake during the night) = 450 (actual sleep time in minutes). 450 / 480 =0.9375 x 100 = 93.75% sleep efficiency

Together, these four elements can help you assess the quality of your sleep. They contribute to an overall sense you have of your sleep being “satisfying” or not. Improving your sleep quality can help ensure that your sleep cycles won’t be interrupted, which in turn helps ensure that you will wake up feeling energized.

What is Poor Sleep Quality?

Signs of poor sleep quality include feeling sleepy or tired even after getting enough sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, and having symptoms of a sleep disorder (such as snoring or gasping for air). Better sleep habits may improve the quality of your sleep. If you have symptoms of a sleep disorder, such as snoring or being very sleepy during the day after a full night’s sleep, make sure to tell us.

Reasons for Poor Sleep Quality

Any number of things could be contributing to your poor sleep quality. Some potential causes include poor sleep hygiene, stress, sleep apnea, or another chronic health condition or sleep disorder.

Poor Sleep Habits

Poor sleep habits, like having an irregular sleep schedule or consuming too much caffeine or alcohol, can interfere with your sleep quality. In a study, smoking and daily coffee consumption were two of the largest factors associated with poor sleep quality. Alcohol also disturbs your sleep, even though it’s considered a sedative.

Stress and Anxiety

Poor mental health, whether from increased stress, depression, or anxiety disorder, also contributes to poor sleep quality. Problematically, sleep deprivation and the resulting insomnia worsen these conditions. Learn more about depression.

Chronic Health Conditions

Certain chronic health conditions are associated with poor sleep patterns and less sleep overall. These include chronic lung diseases, asthma, acid reflux, renal disease, cancer, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain. Unfortunately, as with stress and anxiety, poor sleep quality can exacerbate the symptoms and discomfort felt with these conditions.

Book your Vancouver Preventive Health Assessment now.

Sleep Apnea

A person with sleep apnea experiences temporary lapses in breathing during their sleep, resulting in gasping, choking, and snoring sounds. Even if they don’t consciously wake up, their brain has to kick-start breathing again, disrupting sleep quality. Sleepiness and a lack of energy are two of the most common complaints of individuals with sleep apnea.

Undiagnosed Sleep Disorder

Because they occur in your sleep, some sleep disorders go undiagnosed until a person seeks care for other symptoms like poor sleep quality or a sleep partner alerts them to the symptoms. For example, individuals with periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) experience involuntary jerking movements in their legs while they sleep, resulting in reduced sleep quality, fatigue, and poor concentration during the day. Individuals with narcolepsy likewise often suffer from poor sleep quality and experience daytime fatigue.

How to Improve Sleep Quality

Some habits that can improve your sleep health are:

• Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, including on the weekends.
• Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
• Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smartphones, from the bedroom.
• Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
• Get some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night.
• Limit daytime naps.

Know When to Contact Your Healthcare Provider

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night. However, if you often have trouble sleeping, contact us now. Participate in our one-of-a-kind sleep therapy program for you! Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve.