7

STIMULATING THE LIVER WITH HEAT, EXERCISE, AND MASSAGE

In addition to diet and herbs, there are external ways to stimulate the liver and ensure its proper functioning.

HOT-WATER BOTTLE

The hot-water bottle is an extremely effective method for stimulating liver function. The liver is the warmest organ in the body with a temperature that varies from 102° to 105.8°F (39°–41°C). The execution of its many functions produces a great deal of heat, so the liver is not only accustomed to working at this temperature, it needs it in order to function properly.

Heat for the Liver

Heat loss in the hepatic gland will slow down the rate at which it performs its duties. This can occur when a person has been weakened by illness but also can result from overexertion, stress, substandard nutrition, or nutritional deficiencies, or quite simply if the individual is not dressed warmly enough for the external temperature. When the liver drops in temperature there is a vasoconstrictive effect on its blood capillaries. Their diameter shrinks, which slows blood circulation and reduces the amount of blood they contain.

Normally the liver is particularly well supplied with blood. As we have seen, it weighs 3.3 pounds when dry and 5.5 pounds when engorged with blood. Blood, therefore, represents almost half its total weight. This blood circulates in the sinusoidal capillaries that snake between the hepatocytes. A lack of blood in the liver will hamper the filtration and elimination of wastes. This problem of a drop in temperature in the area of the liver can easily be remedied by a supply of heat that brings increased blood flow to the organ. A hot-water bottle is a very simple and effective way to do this.

By bringing additional heat to the liver, a hot-water bottle accelerates the rate at which it functions.

Placed over the region of the liver, the hot-water bottle will transmit heat to this organ, causing its temperature to rise. Its blood capillaries will dilate, which will automatically increase the quantity of blood present in the liver and bring it back to its normal level. It may even exceed this level during the time the hot-water bottle remains applied. The liver will emerge from its lethargy and resume functioning with pep and efficiency.

Steps to Follow

• Place the bottle filled with hot water on the front of the body in the liver area. Hot water from the tap is hot enough; water heated in a kettle will be too hot. The hot-water bottle can be placed over clothing or directly on the skin.
• Leave it in place for fifteen to thirty minutes. Begin with short sessions (ten minutes), then gradually increase them up to thirty or forty-five minutes, during which time it’s best to remain still, either sitting or lying down. You can move around a little, but not so much that the hot-water bottle might slip off its target.
• Apply one to three times a day, preferably after meals. Sessions can take place right after a meal, during a nap, in bed before going to sleep, sitting down while reading, and so on.

EXERCISES FOR THE LIVER

Blood flow is steady, strong, and abundant in the liver—1 liter a minute out of a total of 5 liters in the body. The liver needs all this blood in order to perform its functions properly. Congestion of the liver is characterized by the stagnation of blood and wastes, and like a vicious cycle, the slowing of blood circulation fosters congestion, so the momentum of incoming blood is no longer strong enough to push along blood already in the organ. When the liver does not “empty” enough of its blood, its rate of flow can fall below 1 liter a minute. It is not receiving high-enough pressure for the filtering process to be carried out properly.

Physical exercise is one way to remedy stagnation of the blood in the liver and its immediate surroundings.

Physical exercise strongly accelerates blood circulation in general and therefore that of the liver as well.

 Caution!

In order to be physiologically beneficial, these exercises should be introduced gradually and practiced within your physical capabilities and without exaggeration.

Two procedures are used here: self-massaging your liver with two bending exercises, and increasing blood flow by exercising until you are out of breath.

Self-Massage of the Liver with Bending Exercises

The purpose of these bending exercises is to exert pressure on the liver and gallbladder in such a way that it causes the blood to drain. Because these exercises compress the blood vessels of these organs, the stagnant, waste-laden blood they contain is pushed farther into the circulatory system. The void thus created in the blood vessel is immediately filled by new, well-oxygenated blood. By repeating the movements several times, the liver is alternately compressed and decompressed. It functions the same way as a sponge that is squeezed and released several times in succession.

Lateral Bends of the Torso

• Begin in a standing position.
• Interlock your hands behind your head, elbows extending to either side.

Lateral bends of the torso

• Remaining upright, perform lateral bends alternately to the left side, then to the right, in rhythm with your breathing.
• Breathe in when bending to the right so that your lungs full of air will squeeze the liver more effectively.
• Perform three sets of ten, twenty, or thirty bends per day, with a rest between each set.

Forward Bends

• Begin in a seated position.
• Join your hands together at the nape of your neck, elbows extending to either side.
• Lean forward, keeping your back straight and flat as much as possible, until your torso touches your knees.
• Breathe in while bending forward; exhale as you return to the upright position.
• Perform three sets of ten, twenty, or thirty bends a day, with a rest between each set.

Forward bends

Increasing Blood Flow through Breathlessness

When the liver is functioning properly, all the blood contained in the human body (5 liters) will travel through it every five minutes. However, this is not possible when the hepatic filter is congested. The restoration of normal blood flow through the liver, and even an increase in this flow, can be obtained by physical activities that cause breathlessness. Why is this necessary?

Your muscles need oxygen to work. The more intense the muscular activity, the more the body needs oxygen. To address this need, we inhale more deeply and rapidly to absorb the maximum amount of oxygen possible. This acceleration in the breath rate causes an acceleration of blood circulation, as it is the bloodstream that transports oxygen to the muscles. The muscles then receive it quickly and in large quantity. When you run out of breath and your heart pumps faster and harder, blood circulation has increased throughout the body, including, of course, to and through the liver.

The most effective way to run out of breath is to place demands on the body’s largest muscle masses—the thighs. Their need for oxygen is heightened and increases quickly with exercise. The strong breathlessness that results from exercises concentrated on the thighs can double or triple the speed of the bloodstream and consequently its passage through the liver.

Different exercises might include:

Squats

• Stand up straight with your legs slightly apart.
• Bend your knees so as to bring your buttocks down by your heels, as if you were about to sit in a chair.
• Extend your arms forward to keep your balance.
• Once you are sitting close to your heels, start to straighten your legs and return to your original position.
• Do three sets of ten, twenty, or more bends, depending on your physical ability.
• Give yourself a chance to rest between each set.
• With practice, increase the speed with which you perform the squats—the faster you do these exercises, the more quickly you will run short of breath and the blood flow will accelerate.

Running or Jogging

• Run at a moderate pace until you start running short of breath.
• Stop running, then walk quietly until your respiration and cardiac rhythm return to normal.
• Continue alternating walking and running several times.
• You will run out of breath more quickly on an upward trajectory than on flat terrain.

Cycling

• Go for a bike ride (or hop on a stationary bike) and pedal at a sustained rhythm for fifteen to thirty minutes, or more, depending on your physical capability. This effort will cause a profound state of breathlessness and trigger a sharp acceleration of blood flow throughout your body, including through the liver.

The exercises presented here are not the only possible ones. In reality, any physical or athletic activity has the potential to cause you to run short of breath. If you choose one you enjoy, you are more likely to do it consistently.

MASSAGE

Liver Massage

Massage unclogs a congested liver and stimulates its functioning. However, the liver is not directly accessible to massage the way the intestines are; it lies concealed beneath the ribs, which protect it from external shocks. It can, nonetheless, be accessed in the zone located in the hollow of the stomach and above the right hip, following the edge of the ribs. By massaging the soft tissue in this area, in other words by going “in search” of the liver by slightly digging beneath the ribs with your fingers, you can have a direct effect on a small portion of this organ, with repercussions that radiate to the entire liver.

Liver massage consists of rubbing this particular zone. Lying on a firm surface will provide easier access. Using the three longest fingers on your left (or right) hand, apply circular pressure to the hepatic region. The rubbing should be gentle and superficial to start, but over time you should press deeper and more emphatically. Massage for two to three minutes on the first days, but gradually increase for up to a dozen minutes.

Massage of the Reflex Zones on the Feet

The reflex zones on the soles of the feet are small surfaces of skin where a specific nerve emanating from one or another organ of the body terminates. Each organ of the body is connected to one of these very specific cutaneous zones on the bottom of the feet. Because of this connection, the deterioration of an organ’s health will have a repercussion on its reflex zone. If the organ is ailing, this zone will become sensitive, even painful to touch. The amount of pain it engenders is proportionate to the seriousness of the disorder afflicting the organ in question.

Fortunately this connection allows the transmission of information in both directions. Massage of the reflex zone stimulates in the other direction, toward the organ to which it is connected.

This massage is done with the thumb or a knuckle. In the beginning the reflex zone should be rubbed two or three times a day for only a few minutes (two to five minutes). Later the duration of the massage can be increased up to ten or even twenty minutes. To ensure that your fingers slide easily over the surface of the reflex zone and don’t irritate the skin, it is a good idea to rub oil or cream on the skin before beginning to massage it. The reflex zones for the liver and the gallbladder are located on the sole of the right foot.

The reflex zones of the liver

In Practice

The liver can be stimulated using several different methods:

• The liver functions at a temperature between 102° and 106°F. A hot-water bottle will raise the liver’s temperature and stimulate its work.
• Exercises such as lateral and forward bends of the torso compress the liver. This increases blood circulation, which in turn activates liver function.
• Directly massaging the area of the liver or applying pressure to the liver’s reflex zones on the soles of the feet stimulates liver function.