Dr. Ameet Aggarwal ND psychotherapist and author of Feel Good: Easy Steps to Health and Happiness was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
The hidden master organ: Why treating your liver is fundamental to anxiety and depression
- Why the liver is the hidden master organ and defining a sluggish liver
- The role of lactate and the liver and how this contributes to anxiety
- How the liver affects thyroid hormones
- Dietary factors that improve the liver and the ones that make it more sluggish
- A form of breathing that massages the liver
- Homeopathics, antioxidants and herbs for a sluggish liver
- The benefits of using a castor oil pack
- The importance of organic psychotherapy, family constellations, de-stressing, meditation, and exercise
Here are some snippets from our interview:
We call the liver the master organ because it’s really responsible for most of the functions in your body, including blood purification, detoxification of drugs and toxins, and also detoxifies the toxins that are produced by your body itself. The liver also creates a lot of enzymes, produces bile, so it’s responsible for a lot of your digestion, hormone production, protein production, and it also helps with blood sugar storage and regulation. Not only that, it helps with immune cell activation and storage of vitamins and iron.
When you have a sluggish liver, less bile is produced and digestion is poor leading to constipation, toxin buildup, inflammation and less absorption of important nutrients. You can then have neurotransmitter deficiencies and be more susceptible to anxiety.
Your liver also controls hormones, so if your liver is imbalanced, you will see a progesterone deficiency and usually estrogen dominance. As you know, Trudy, progesterone deficiency directly affects the function of GABA in your brain, and so with liver qi stagnation, leading to progesterone deficiency, we will see increased levels of anxiety.
Here is the Neuropsychopharmacology paper called Neural pathways underlying lactate-induced panic where they connected high lactate levels to panic attacks. We discussed how sugar, alcohol, caffeine, food sensitivities, low levels of niacin and vitamins B6 may contribute to elevated levels of lactate in the blood.
Here is the paper that addresses the liver-thyroid connection: The relationship between the thyroid gland and the liver. Basically, thyroid hormones are processed by the liver. Some of the conversion of T4 into active T3, which is a thyroid hormone, requires healthy liver function.
Ameet shared this at the end of our interview and I want to share it here because I’m inspired by what Ameet is doing, because I love Africa and Kenya (my husband and I honey-mooned there) and because I’d love to inspire you to get involved and consider a trip to Kenya (why not!):
I actually live at the bottom of Mount Kenya right on the equator, a little town called Nanyuki. My dream was to come back to Kenya after Canada to start mobile clinics for remote communities and supervise students and doctors from around the world, which I started through a program called FIMAFRICA/Foundation for Integrated Medicine in Africa. Basically, we go to remote villages that don’t have medical services and treat them for chronic diseases or acute diseases using naturopathic medicine, mainly homeopathic medicine, which works really well, because a lot of these communities suffer from just a lot of chronic disease but all they’re given is antibiotics or antimalarials, which don’t necessarily treat the root cause of the issue. So, they love homeopathy because a lot of chronic disease is disappearing, and they really notice the difference between the two types of medicine. So it’s my passion, and yeah, I hope to continue doing it for the rest of my life. My aim is hopefully one day to sell a million copies of my book and just do mobile clinics all day.
Watch this short video of Ameet talking about it and then tell me you’re not excited about the idea of going to Africa and getting involved!
If you want to help, check out the FIMAFRICA site above, contact him about going there and volunteering or buy a few copies of his great book Feel Good: Easy Steps to Health and Happiness
Here is a nice video of Ameet giving an overview of Feel Good
And get your free chapters from the Feel Good book (on emotions, better sex and liver health)
If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com
Dear Dr Aggarwal,this was a mind-boggling, thought-provoking talk, especially because you managed to link all the topical issues such as chronic health complaints, environmental factors and our deplorable loss of connection with nature in our western cultures.
I’d like to wish you strength and courage for your admirable work out there. God bless you and your team.
Heide
Hi Heide
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I agree, it was very thought-provoking. I’ll pass this on to him and have him pop on here and comment
Enjoy the rest of the summit!
Trudy
Heidi, honestly, I’m sitting here in Nairobi, with a few tears in my eyes, moved by your comment… Thank you! is all I can say at this moment, although I know I need to say more:) Trudy has been amazing at putting all this together, and she really deserves a lot of credit and a round of applause!! (clap clap, Kenyan style:)!! Haha, thank you, and I hope you find the courage to explore emotional healing along with your physical journey:)
with warmth and blessings,
Ameet 🙂
Since you are from Africa, I wondered if you have heard of ibogaine (used in Biwiti tradition) and what you think of the use of it for releasing harmful patterns of energy or transformation. It seems to have many applications and perhaps it even helps with detoxification of the liver. Any comments?
You guys had great information! You talked about ALT and AST scores on your tests. What score range are you looking at being normal and optimal?
Hi Jennifer
For both of them 10-26 is a good functional range. Glad you enjoyed it!
Trudy
Hi Jennifer,
sometimes western lab tests do not show “liver stagnation”, as we call it in Naturopathic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With liver issues, even though lab tests may appear normal, you might see irritability, gas, bloating, constipation, breast tenderness, PMS, cramping and/or clotting with menses, and even insomnia, worse 11pm-3am. You might have only one of these symptoms, and not all. A TCM doc or naturopath could help you figure it out and even feel your pulses and tell by your tongue colour and texture how your liver is doing:)!
Wishing you the best in health,
with warmth and blessings,
Ameet 🙂
Enjoyed the talk! Do your recommendations also apply to someone without a gallbladder?
I have very high cholesterol , reflux, and constipation that is not diet related.
Thanks,
Debbie
Yes Debbie,
it does. Liver and Gall bladder are related, and often gall bladder issues coincide with liver issues in a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) perspective. Cholesterol metabolism is affected by the liver, and can contribute to gall stones. Constipation could be due to a lack of bile release / flow and I often see reflux connected to the liver, even though it comes from the stomach. Of course stress plays a role too:)
Hope this helps,
with warmth and blessings,
Ameet 🙂
Wow!!!…..what a tremendous amount of information. Thoroughly enjoyed all you had to share. Allot to think about and digest.
Tammy
Tammy – so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Tammy – “Digest” 🙂 heehee, nice choice 🙂
Take care:)
With warmth,
Ameet
Hi Dr. Ameet
Thank you for sharing this information so generously. I am interested in doing the Castor oil pack but my breast cancer metastasized to my liver last year. It was ablated. Can I still to the castor oil pack to detoxify?. Another reason for my question is that the MRI with EOVIST that the doc did showed I have fatty liver. I do not consume alcohol – where could I start to reverse the fatty liver? Thank you very much.
My best.
Charmaine
Hi Charmaine
I’ll have Ameet come here and comment for you
Trudy
Charmaine, I’m always careful for some reason with castor oil packs over metastasis. I haven’t seen enough research if it’s okay to use, so I prefer to use homeopathic combination remedies which are created especially for the liver. Do you have a naturopathic doctor there you can work with? They might have a bit more experience. I will also try and find out. Have you talked with them about green tea extract, curcumin, quercitin, NAC, green juicing, enzyme therapy, IV vitamin C, etc? Exercise / movement and deep breathing helps move your lymphatic system, and I think there’s some good postures described for lungs and liver in Kundalini yoga, if you google it. I would highly recommend talking with a naturopathic doctor – there are some who are really well trained in naturopathic oncology. Hope this helps somewhat:) Love and light from Kenya:)! with warmth, Ameet
Dr. Ameet: Great talk.
I have many health issues including genetic problems detoxing. I have small, dark red spots all over my torso and have been told this indicates a toxic liver. I take a lot of supplements and am chronically constipated. Have you heard of this, and if so, do you think it is a major indicator and/or problem?
I have done castor oil paks off and on for years (I live 3 hrs. from the Cayce association). I do not find them simple to do and my response is also varied and complex. After years of experience, I have found this to be a complicated topic. There are some videos on You Tube.
Re: free offers. I would like to send your info. to someone, but I DO NOT TWEET! I can’t even manage Facebook and find these things anxiety producing. Can I receive the free gift in some other way, maybe emailing?
Thanks so much.
Hey Lynne,
thanks for your email. What genetic disposition do you have? I agree castor oil packs can be tedious. Have you tried homeopathy? Do you have a homeopath or naturopath you can see? What are you taking so many supplements for? It would be good to get a visit with a professional if you have one in your area, otherwise we could skype sometime.
You mention the free gift – yeah, those are the free chapters from my new book – you can get them by signing up on http://www.drameet.com/book-page. Let me know if you have any questions via email please, since I might not check the blog soon enough. Enjoy the book if you get it:)
with warmth,
Ameet :)!
Thanks for the reply, Dr. Ameet.
Genetically: One chromosome for COMT, NAT2, Null for GSTM1, Two for SOD2, impaired activity at CYP1B1. Those are from a Genova DetoxiGenomics test from 2005. Recently, I had a 23andMe test with many mutations, but I don’t know which ones are expressing, of course. I’m not losing sleep over that, although I do have intractable insomnia and have for years.
I worked with a couple of classical homeopaths years ago with no relief. Then I worked with a homeopathic-inclined complementary MD for years with amazingly unsuccessful results in most areas. I’m sure I have chronic mercury toxicity which could be one of my major root causes. I’ve worked with many “good” complementary doctors and am still quite challenged. I have others on my list to try, as I am lead by Spirit.
Dr. Datis Kharazian’s gut/brain theory fits me perfectly, but I do not know where to go to deal with that. It’s complicated. I’m doing another castor oil pak tonight, but enemas are easier to create bowel movements. One doctor thinks I’m from another planet, my responses are so paradoxical. : )
I’m also working with a trauma therapist after many years of therapy. I appreciated your comments about treatment for emotional issues. I’ve never tried gestalt as far as I remember but have done some Hellinger (and other) family constellation work.
I wish I could manage a trip to Kenya, but my fatigue doesn’t allow me to get far from home.
Thanks so much for the link to the book. I will definitely read it.
Dr Ameet – I send you love and light from Canada! Thank you so much for such an incredible conversation with Trudy. She certainly brings out the absolute Best for these interviews and I feel simply blessed to have heard this today!
I will be buying two copies of your book for our office and ask those who read it to do the same…we can make your dream happen if we all put a little effort in!
I look forward to reading your book and delving in to your life work.
Most sincerely,
CJ
Bravo CJ! thanks for your kind words and so glad you enjoyed my interview with Ameet – I agree, he was great!
Trudy
Oh my God CJ… I’m sitting in silence and in Gratitude here in Kenya, with my heart pounding and shivering all over with your words, seriously!:) Thanks thanks thanks so so much!! It means so much to me to have you believe in me and support this goal I have. I don’t know what to say… hmmm, I just feel more encouraged to do this now, so thank you for that!!, haha:) If everyone buys a book this month, Feel Good might make it to the best seller list on Amazon, which will drive up sales even more!!:) I don’t know what it takes, but I think they want lots of books sold in short periods of time and lots of comments:) Anyways, even if we don’t make it, not a problem – I just feel so touched by your action and inspired to give this my best shot!!:) Thank you CJ for the love and light from Canada:)!
love and light as well from here:)
with warmth and blessings,
thanks!!:)
Ameet
CJ, this is us on the mobiles:)!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYdBnGIfrMU, haha, thanks again!!:)
love and light:)
Ameet:)
Thanks for very informative lecture. What is your opinion on coffee enema as liver detox? Thanks. si
Hi Silvija,
I don’t do coffee enemas personally with my clients, however, there are a a few centers out there with naturopathic doctors that will do them. I honestly cannot give precise information on the topic – I hope you don’t mind, but I would definitely recommend seeking a naturopathic doctor in your area to see if they can comment?
Thanks a lot for your kind words:)
with warmth and light,
Ameet
Thank you for this interesting information! 🙂
Thank you Clara!:) Hope you’re well.
With warmth and blessings,
Ameet 🙂
http://www.fimafrica.org
http://www.drameet.com.
Hi Dr. Ameet,
I really enjoyed your talk and took lots of notes. Thank you and thanks for all the work you’re doing.
Have tried about 3 times to get your free chapters of your Feel Good book and haven’t received any response. After entering name & email, it says check your email or spam. Nothing yet… this was shortly after your talk, and I even tried with another email. I did email Trudy’s support and they said they’d check into it. I’d like to get your book, maybe next month as a gift for myself.
Could you please let me know or send a link? I’m sure you were inundated with requests. Here’s my emails:
razzygal5@att.net and banns5@msn.com.
Africa is beautiful & wonderful! I had an Aunt/Uncle and cousins that lived in Kenya in the 1970’s.
What a life! Come to think of it, he was a doctor and ended up in preventative medicine, I think. They brought us home souvenirs— wood carvings of elephants and warriors. We still have them, they’re very special. I wish I would have asked them what it was like… I was just a teenager then, ya know. We live near the San Diego Wild Animal Park (now called Safari Park), if you’ve ever been there. It’s awesome!
Thanks much,
Ann S.
Hi Ann
I know Dr Ameet will swing by to comment again – in the meantime he asked me to pass on this email to get your free chapters ameet@drameet.com – and says he’s sorry for the technical issues
Enjoy his book – it’s great!
And I agree, Africa is amazing – you’ll have to plan a trip to lovely Kenya and do Dr Ameet’s guided tour!
Trudy
Thank you Ameet and Trudy – a great interview which touched me and I will be exploring Ameet’s work further as I idientified with a lot of what you both spoke about. Africa too is close to my heart having grown up in Swaziland and South Africa but now living in London. Bless you both for what you are doing to get the message out there. All the best. Drew
Hi if one is sensitive to supplements and medications
Is this due to a liver problem? I’ve developed
sensitivities to just about every supplement other
than Vit D (even some enzymes)
I also really need magnesium (and just about everything for the
Brain/Mood) but it causes me to have
Tingling in my hands and feet – and lightheaded when
I’ve tried the smallest amounts in supplement form and
cream form as well. Same thing every time.
Should I try patches?
Jack
This could be one possible cause. I’m not familiar with magnesium patches or with these side-effects. I would consider Epsom salts.
Dr. Ameet here. Please note the book has been changed / updated and the new website is health.drameet.com for the book and other talks. Thanks