help for autoimmune liver diseases

My best friend since childhood (early 40s) was just diagnosed with autoimmune liver disease. Asking for any juicing advice for cleansing the liver (while still remotely palatable). She's had a rough 20+ year of ulcerative colitis (UC), diverticulitis, psoriasis, now diabetes too. She is at her witt's end and has done all the treatments for UC without any real cure. She's done biologics, chemo, you name it. I'm afraid all the meds they pushed on her coupled with the autoimmune response has trashed her liver. She now has swelling in her extremities, weight gain, and fatigue. They are doing the testing on her liver to see if she needs a transplant, but until they can get her body's response to things in check, any treatment is difficult. Looking for juicing recipes that would bolster or cleanse the liver, maybe celery/beet/cabbage? She has been taking willow bark for awhile now. Thank you in advance.

Hi Denise, I don't have a juice recipe, but I do have a suggestion on something that has helped many others with autoimmune issues. Have your friend look into the Wim Hof Method, I've been practicing for several years, and while it seems gimicky at the surface, there is a wonderful amount of hard science going into Wim's research. https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

The method using a combination of breathwork, cold conditioning (cold showers), and meditation. Simple stuff and completely free.

For a really good overview of how powerful this method can be get your friend Scott Carney's book "What doesn't kill us". i'm sure the local library could get it for you or you can purchase at https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Conditioning/dp/1623366909

This method has helped many people with issues like Crohn's disease and while I did not have any medical issues going into the method, I have found a huge amount of benefits from stress relief to avoiding illness.

It definitely is not for everyone, but someone who has had enough with modern treatments and is looking to anything with hope, this is the method for them. I would suggest trying it for just a week or two and seeing if they get relief from it.

Hope your friend finds relief, I can't recommend the method enough.

Thank you Daniel, I'll pass that info on to her, maybe she will want to incorporate that type of treatment.

www.greekmedicine.net ,   In depth site on the Basic principles of natural healing .

Thank you Jamie, I'll take a look and send her the link!

First, check out Kneipp treatment - it is far less rigorous than Wim-Hof and may be better suited if your friend is in poor health.  He or she can always build up to Wim-Hof.  Check my podcast for basic info (southern Appalachian herb podcast). Both work great, but subtle changes are easier to take when folks are sick.  A good start with auto immune is herbal mineral teas just to get into balance and then trying to find the trigger.  Generally, even with the really odd stuff like the ALS my grandfather died of, the genetic potential is always there, but something environmental set it off - stress, a food, a chemical (as in his case, ag chemicals), an allergen, even a flu shot.   A pulse test can help - taking the pulse before and after exposure to anything that may be aggravating it.  If it is stress, then meditation, moderate exercise, et may help.  More sleep most always helps, especially for liver issues - liver needs over 8 hours of sleep to clean the blood.  Beyond that, cooling/calming liver supportive herbs would probably be better than liver stimulating herbs.  So, milk thistle (standardized extract), dandelion root and burdock root would be where I would start.  I would also use antioxidants, especially from berries  and turmeric/curcumin with black pepper.  Keep the fats simple - butter is the easiest to digest.  NEVER eat old nuts as the oils go rancid and can be very hard to digest, ditto junk food, shelf stable cured meats.  Keep the diet mild, with naturally raised proteins, fresh veggies, bitter greens especially, steel cut oatmeal and real farm eggs for breakfast, green tea, cut out sugar entirely, explore fresh culinary herbs like parsley, oregano, basil, etc, etc, all of which have lots of oils that reduce inflammation and calm/support immunity...  All that may help but I am not, nor do I ever, make any recommendations or give any health or medical device.

These are from my notes from the Southwestern School of Botanical Medicine... combine with liver supportive herbs, lifestyle and diet:

PRIMARY TREATMENT PROTOCOLS Chronic Inflammation, Auto-immune disorders, Allergies

Prepare a tonic, with emphasis on tea herbs when possible.

Recommend a mineral tea, to be taken 2-3 times a day, prepared fresh each time, using available combinations of Alfalfa, Red Clover, Nettle Leaf, Mormon Tea, Oat Herb or Dandelion Leaf.

If there is chronic mucosal congestion, add to the above, Oxe Eye Daisy (Leucanthemum), Canadian Fleabane (Conyza), Tickseed (Bidens), Horsetail (Equisetum), Yerba Mansa Leaves (Anemopsis) or Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis)

If there is chronic intestinal congestion, add Canadian Fleabane (Conyza), Walnut Leaves (Juglans), Erodium, Sumach Leaves/Berries (Rhus), Jojoba Leaves (Simmondsia) or Fireweed (Epilobium).

If the skin or joints are the primary reactive tissues, add Betony or Hedge Nettle (Stachys spp.), Desert Lavender (Hyptis), Self Heal (Prunella), Rosemary, Basil, Lemon Balm (Melissa), Agastache spp., Yerba Mansa Leaves (Anemopsis), Chamomile or Pineapple Weed (Matricaria). Ginger Root may be used if it does not aggravate the skin or digestion.

If the lungs are the primary reactive organs, add Oxe Eye Daisy (Leucanthemum), Horsetail (Equisetum) or Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis), Cudweed (Gnaphallium spp.), Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon), Horsetail (Equisetum), Yerba Mansa Leaves (Anemopsis) or Desert Lavender (Hyptis).

If the liver is the primary reactive organ, add Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis), Cudweed (Gnaphallium spp.), Pussy Toes (Antennaria spp.), Agrimony Herb, Dandelion Leaf, Erodium, Rosemary or Basil.

SUPPLEMENTS:

Vitamin C (1-2 grams daily).

Vitamin E (between 400 and 800 i.u .daily).

Magnesium (usually 500 mg daily).

Selenium (around 50 mcg daily).

Chromium chloride or picolinate (100-200 mcgs daily).

Zinc (25-50 mgs daily...not to used concurrent with NSAIDs).

Omega 3 oils (fish oils, 1-3 grams a day, Flax Oil, 1-2 tablespoons a day).

ANTI-OXIDANTS and ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES

Chaparral (Larrea) as a tincture, 30-60 drops a day.

Milk Thistle (Silybum), 3-6 capsules a day, 20% Silymarin, 1 a day.

Mahonia as a tincture, 30-60 drops a day.

Turmeric (Curcuma), 4-8 capsules a day, Curcumin 95%, 2-3 capsules a day.

Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza), 4-6 capsules a day, 20% Glycyrrhizin, 1-2 a day.

Ginkgo 24/6 extract 50-200 mgs a day.

Green Tea 1-3 cups a day

Andrographis paniculata (respiratory or liver) 15% Andrographolides, 1 capsule a day

Coleus forskohlii as a tincture, 60-90 drops a day, 2-4% forskohlin, 2- 4 capsules day (except with low blood pressure or with beta blockers)

Boswellia serrata, 60% boswellic acid, 2-3 capsules a day

Astragalus membranaceus as tincture, 60-120 drops a day, as FE, 30 drops a day, as capsule, 3-4 a day

Desert Willow (Chilopsis) as strong decoction, 3-4 ounces a day, as tincture, 60-90 drops a day, as capsule, 3-4 a day.

FLAVONOIDS Blueberries or Huckleberries, Prickly Pear fruit, Cactus Flowers, Penstemon Flowers, Ocotillo Flowers, Desert Willow Flowers, Service Berries, Salal Berries, Rose Hips, Elder Berries, Aralia Berries, Mulberries.

Thank you very much Judson, and no worries, I completely understand these are not true medical "recommendations." You have given me much to research and of course I will pass this on to my friend. Her ultrasound just got postponed until January so I won't have any updates anytime soon. Kind regards to all!