In many traditional medical systems, the health of the liver is considered directly related to emotional stability. The ancient Greeks treated emotional health by treating the Liver. The term “melancholy” comes from the Greek for “black bile”, indicating the sluggish nature of bile in the Liver. It is thought by eastern medicine that emotional instability, unreasonable anger, depression, hopelessness, and anxiety can all be related to a toxic Liver. Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes sophisticated treatments for depression, anxiety and panic disorders that address various aspects of Liver imbalances.
Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, must be processed by the Liver for neutralization or elimination. Sometimes these chemicals are stored in the Liver, when the amount released into the bloodstream is too much for the Liver to clear efficiently. This can contribute to emotional imbalances, such as depression and anger, as well as stress-related illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease.
The Liver and the Under-active Thyroid
Thyroid imbalances are commonplace, this can be troublesome as the Thyroid, a hormone producer, controls metabolism and thus affects every cell in your body and also influences your body’s ability to produce sex hormones.
The Liver regulates the Thyroid, by converting the hormone thyroxin (T4), into the more active form (T3). A compromised Liver can limit this conversion.
Thyroid imbalances can result in difficulty losing or gaining weight (sluggish metabolism), hair falling out, blood sugar swings, feeling cold, poor memory, lethargy , menstrual problems, water retention, headaches and trouble swallowing, low libido.
Despite the prevalence of Thyroid drug therapy, many patients with a sluggish Thyroid have had great success with detoxification. Since environmental chemicals have been reported to cause a reduction, of both T4 and T3, reducing the toxic load may allow the Thyroid function to improve significantly.