Can damaged livers heal?

[ZJILLIAN]

Just a question about liver damage from abuse. Once you stop using is there improvement in liver function? Are there things you can do to help a healing liver?

[10356]

HI ZJ Yes our livers can heal. they are very remarkable.. although when you are diagnosed with liver disease there are 4 stages.. you can maintain by healthy eating no alcohol and such.. just taking good care of yourself.. peps have been known to donate parts of their liver to another.. amazing organ.. lesa

[Astray]

Yes, mine recovered from being in an utterly dire state at the beginning of the year, last results showed the count (I forget its name) was back in range.

I don't know any specific steps to help it heal faster other than things to avoid, ie drinking excessively, paracetamol and other liver-toxic stuff.

[Brokenbutglued]

I've read somewhere that increasing your antioxidents can help Vitaminwater makes one called XXX that I really like the taste of. Blueberries and pomigranite (sp?) are good for this too but some people don't like the lil seeds in the pomagranites.. :) I actually got the XXX for my husband who is starting ct detox tomorrow. Oh and I think the omega 3 and 6 are good for this too. Also, I know that in dogs (sorry I know more about the canine body than the human body :(  but basic cell function is still the same) diet is very important when healing the liver. Try to make your protein source leans more to cottage cheese, peanut butter, pinto beans, kidney beans and white meats such as fish, chicken, turkey and pork and less of the red meats for now. Don't forget Vitamin E too if it's not already part of your diet ;), talk with your doctor and let him/her know your concerns and they should be able to suggest a good ammount to start with.

Anything you take has an affect on your liver, even something like tylenol which many take for granted as being safe. IMHO it would be great to stay away from any unneeded medication (obviously check with your doctor though before you stop taking any medication) and yep, once you stop something that was bad it does help liver function because you've stopped forcing it to filter out that drug.

*An after thought, eggs are ok in protein but there is only 50% bioavailibility in eggs. When I was going to the gym on a regular basis I used protein shakes to help get more protein for muscle developement...same idea though. You can get protein shake mixes to help, most grocery stores carry something like breakfast shakes that should work. IMHO there are better options for a more digestable protein but I'm a lil bias anyway lol. I LOVE Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Natural Whey in Natural Chocolate. *
              
                                                                                               Best of luck :) <3