Unfortunately, we live in a very toxic world. Yes, this is a toxicity of the mind, body and spirit, because we cannot really look at one of the headings without taking into account another. We all know, although the full story has not been revealed that millions of liters of crude oil are flowing from the rupture at the sea bed out into the Gulf of Mexico. This threatens to destroy wildlife, sea life and the environment in a huge swathe of destruction that will spread its web deep over the Atlantic Ocean unless swiftly stopped. As the sun heats the water of the Gulf, it will vaporize and eventually fall to the land as rain. This rain will contain oil which will damage plants and animal life far inland from the actual site of the spill. The Gulf Stream starts in the Gulf of Mexico so vast globs of this poisonous crude will be transported across the Atlantic to Europe. They are trying to mop up the spilt oil with toxic chemicals which simply compound the problem and to make matters even worse; much of this is under-reported by a compliant media.
Other than the oil presently spewing into the Atlantic Ocean we are bombarded by toxins on a daily basis. There are pesticides in vegetables and fruit, there are noxious chemicals in the cleaning products we use in the home and the beauty products we slather onto our skin contain potent poisons like glycol and sodium laurel sulphate. It is little wonder that good health is on the decline and diseases like cancer have reached epidemic proportions. The manufactures tell the public that a little of this and a little of that poison is perfectly OK and harmless in such small amounts. They have a blinkered view as a little of this and a little of that in one product is probably relatively all right but when the problem is viewed cumulatively, it definitely is not acceptable. We are looking at the straw that broke the camel’s back type scenario.
In order to survive the body has to detoxify these poisons. The principal organ of detoxification is the liver. Nobody is safe from mass contamination and the liver needs a lot of help so that everybody can stay as healthy as possible. The picture grows a little less bright, on realizing that most if not all pharmaceutical medicines and over the counter drugs are in themselves poisonous. These have to be cleared by the liver. Stress surrounds everybody. The autonomic nervous system has a design fault. It emerged at a time when very real threats like saber toothed tigers lived just around the corner. On encountering a tiger the choice was either to run (fear) or fight (anger). To activate these responses adrenaline is needed. The adrenal response floods the body with hormones that switch us into accelerated, sympathetic mode designed to increase strength, stamina and alter blood flow amongst many other changes which are there to improve coping skills in a dangerous situation. Hans Selye called this the “flight or fight” response. These hormones are poisons, too. It is the liver’s function to neutralize them so they pass safely out of the system.
The liver has an unenviable job. It generates enzymes that convert these poisons, including alcohol, into harmless carbon-dioxide and Oxygen. Too many toxins overwork the liver and cause it to harden. This is what cirrhosis is. However, the liver, which is the largest organ in the body, is fully able to regenerate itself. It deserves a break, because if the it wasn’t working properly your system would be overwhelmed by all these toxins and you would die. Silymarin or Milk Thistle is nature’s remedy for an overloaded liver. This is the supplement to take with you when you are marooned on a desert island and can take no other with you. If cash is an issue this is the one supplement to buy. It replaces a myriad of other supplements, saving you a lot of money in the long run.
Milk Thistle is a tall spiky plant which grows best in regions with a Mediterranean type climate. It can be found growing in Spain, Italy and the South of France. The legend goes that the white milk like substance that flows from the leaves is “milk” from the Virgin Mother herself! It is not a new remedy. Historically it has been used to treat liver problems since Roman times. However, in much more recent times it was found that Milk Thistle could neutralize the poisonous effects of carbon tetrachloride, which can cause live failure. Carbon tetrachloride is a cleaning agent and a component of Freon gas used in refrigerators and air conditioners. However, when the dangers of this chemical became apparent its usage was severely reduced. In the USA it served as a pesticide until banned in 1970.
Milk Thistle protects the liver by, firstly, forming a protective shield around the organ itself. This keeps toxic invaders out and helpful nutrients in! Secondly, Milk Thistle is a very powerful anti-oxidant, thus is acts as a free radical scavenger which gives added protection to the beleaguered liver. When Oxygen molecules lack an electron things go a little crazy! Lone electrons have to find a partner at all costs. Whilst they do this they rip through cell walls and cause a lot of serious damage. Milk Thistle gives up an electron of its own to halt this destructive process. Thirdly, Silymarin or Milk Thistle serves as a powerful detoxificant due to a process called conjugation. Molecules attach themselves to silymarin. In essence what occurs is the invasive non-polar compounds are dissipated because they make water soluble metabolites which then can excreted in the usual way.
If you want to protect the liver which is a very necessary precaution to take in today’s world, a regular intake of Milk Thistle will help the liver cope better with today’s toxic world. The suggested dosage is 200mg first thing in the morning and another 200mg last thing at night. Milk Thistle might not stop the Louisiana oil spill but it will help protect your body’s responses to the all pervasive toxic overload to which it is constantly being exposed!
