9 signs your liver is full of toxins

If the liver did not exist, the toxins would take over your body and you would start feeling sick. Basically, what the liver does, is that it transforms toxins into waste and expels them safely through poop and urine. That said, it’s a pretty essential body organ. But what if your liver is not working as it should and is actually crying out for help? Your body begins to change. Here are signs your liver is full of toxins:

1. Pain near the liver.

Feeling a bit of pain in the upper area of your stomach is a sign that your liver might be in trouble. When your liver is affected by some disease, it can’t operate efficiently, so it swells up and this is the body’s way to signify that your liver is full of toxins.

2. Leg and ankle swelling.

When you ignore the problems of a toxic liver, it will try to repair itself at the cost of forming scar tissue. The more scar tissue there is, the tougher it is for the liver to function which eventually leads to portal hypertension which is basically high blood pressure in the veins of the liver and one of its effects is to cause fluid to build up in the legs. While it’s painless, it can affect the legs, calves or thighs and the swelling is most visible in the lower part of the body due to gravity.

3. Weight gain.

If you experience unexplained weight gain even after working out and eating healthy, your liver could be trying to cry out for help. When the liver can’t deal with all the toxins coming in from alcohol, artificial sweeteners, a high fat diet, certain medications, etc, the only thing it can come up with is to store the unfiltered toxins into fat cells, making you add weight.

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4. Loss of appetite.

Disinterest in food, accompanied by nausea and weight loss, could be an early symptom of liver disease. It starts with flu-like symptoms and only gets worse from there. A liver that cannot work properly to flush out toxins will give you digestive problems, causing excessive and unexplained vomiting. If you experience these symptoms, definitely go for a medical checkup.

5. Bad breath.

Some foods cause bad breath which can be easily fixed with gum. But, there are some more serious causes of halitosis. Bad breath could be an indication that something is wrong with your stomach or liver. Bad breath caused by a liver problem is one of the symptoms that come before more obvious symptoms of liver damage.

6. Allergies.

Allergies are often a result of an overloaded and sluggish liver. When there are too many substances entering the body, the brain sees them as allergens and releases antibodies and chemicals like histamines, which cause itchy rashes. These allergies also come before more obvious symptoms of liver damage.

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7. Yellow skin and eyes.

Jaundice is when a person has yellow eyes or skin; it’s not an illness, but rather, a symptom of possible conditions. It normally appears when there’s too much Bilirubin (which comes from the break down of red blood cells in the body) in the body.

8. Dark urine.

Dark colored urine is an indicator that there’s too much Bilirubin in your body. If this is constant, then there’s need to worry. In fact, if the dark colored urine is accompanied by blood stains then you definitely need to see a doctor.

9. Chronic fatigue.

Constantly feeling dead inside and tired all the time can’t always be due to too much work load. If you experience flu-like symptoms for over six months, that’s due to intoxication of the liver. To a large extent, the liver contributes to some of the energy supply into our bodies, by turning glucose into glycogen and storing it for later use. A healthy liver pours out glucose between meals or whenever there’s a need for nourishment and energy. A diseased liver however, can hardly produce glucose and has very little space to store it.

ALSO READ: How being overweight damages your liver