7 Early Signs of Liver Damage

Summary

This video discusses the often overlooked early signs of liver damage, which can be subtle and misdiagnosed. It emphasizes that liver issues can be severe by the time they're detected, as the liver is a silent organ. The speaker, who experienced liver damage in his 20s, outlines seven symptoms, including pain under the right rib cage and fatigue, and explains how they relate to liver health. The video also delves into the root causes of liver disease, challenging common misconceptions and linking the condition to dietary factors like sugar, starch, and seed oils. It concludes by advocating for a keto diet to combat liver issues, countering the influence of big food and pharmaceutical industries.

Takeaways

• 🚫 Liver damage often has no early signs, and by the time symptoms appear, up to 90% of the liver may be destroyed.
• 🍽️ Alcohol is not the primary cause of liver problems today; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is much more prevalent.
• 🔍 Early signs of liver damage include fullness or pain under the right rib cage, which can radiate to the shoulder or back.
• 💪 Loss of energy and endurance, and feeling weak, are common symptoms of liver issues.
• 👣 Itchiness, particularly in the extremities like the bottom of the feet, can indicate bile salt buildup due to liver problems.
• 🌡️ Red dots or spider veins and changes in skin texture can be signs of liver dysfunction, often related to hormonal imbalances.
• ⚠️ Liver issues can affect thyroid function, leading to symptoms like fatigue, hair loss, and dry skin.
• ☀️ Liver damage can exacerbate vitamin D deficiency, impacting calcium regulation and muscle function.
• 💧 Dark urine with a strange smell can be an indicator of liver problems.
• 🍰 The root cause of liver disease is often linked to high sugar, starch, and seed oil consumption, which are normalized in modern diets.

Q & A

What are the early signs of liver damage mentioned in the transcript?

The early signs of liver damage include fullness or pain under the right rib cage, loss of energy, itchiness in the extremities, appearance of red dots or spider veins, thyroid issues, low vitamin D levels, and darker urine with a strange smell.

Why is it crucial to identify early signs of liver damage?

It is crucial to identify early signs of liver damage because by the time liver problems are detected, it might be too late, as the liver can be up to 90% damaged before noticeable symptoms appear.

What is the percentage of alcohol-induced fatty liver disease compared to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease according to the speaker?

Alcohol-induced fatty liver disease is about 4% compared to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

How does the liver's condition affect the gallbladder?

The liver controls the gallbladder, which is a small sac that stores and concentrates bile, a fluid made by the liver to help digest fats. When the liver swells, it can put pressure on the tubes leading to the gallbladder, causing pain.

What is the connection between liver issues and the pain in the right shoulder or arm?

The pain in the right shoulder or arm can be a result of liver swelling, which puts pressure on nerves and can cause referred pain through the franic nerve to the right side of the shoulder.

What role does bile play in the body, and how is it related to liver health?

Bile, made by the liver, helps digest fats. When liver function is impaired, bile salts can back up into tissues, causing itchiness, especially in the extremities.

How does liver damage affect the body's estrogen levels and what are the potential consequences?

Liver damage can lead to higher levels of estrogen, which can cause issues like spider veins, softer skin, and in men, gynecomastia. Excess estrogen can also lead to hormonal imbalances and an increased risk of certain cancers.

What is the relationship between liver problems and thyroid function?

The liver is necessary for the activation of thyroid hormone. Liver problems can lead to a lowered functioning thyroid, causing symptoms like fatigue, hair loss, and dry skin.

Why does liver damage lead to low vitamin D levels?

The liver is involved in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. If the liver is damaged, it cannot properly process vitamin D, leading to deficiency and related symptoms like muscle spasms and weak immune function.

What are the root causes of liver disease according to the transcript?

The root causes of liver disease, beyond alcohol, include high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity, which are associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The speaker also points to the influence of big food and pharmaceutical industries as contributing factors.

What dietary recommendations does the speaker suggest to improve liver health?

The speaker suggests reducing sugar, starches, and seed oils in the diet, which are common in processed foods, and considering a ketogenic diet to improve liver health.

Outlines

00:00

🔴 Early Signs of Liver Damage

The paragraph discusses the often silent nature of liver damage, highlighting that by the time symptoms appear, significant liver damage may have already occurred. The speaker shares personal experience with liver issues in their 20s and emphasizes the importance of recognizing early signs such as pain under the right rib cage, which can radiate to the shoulder or back, and is caused by liver swelling and pressure on nearby structures. The liver's role in bile production and its control over the gallbladder are explained, as well as the misconceptions people might have about the source of such pain. The paragraph also touches on the broader issue of liver health, noting that alcohol is no longer the primary cause of liver problems compared to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

05:01

🔵 Symptoms and Causes of Liver Disease

This paragraph delves into various symptoms of liver disease, including fatigue, weakness, itchiness due to bile salt buildup, and the appearance of spider veins or red dots on the skin, which are signs of estrogen dominance. The speaker connects these symptoms to liver issues and explains how liver problems can affect hormone balance and lead to health complications. The paragraph also addresses the impact of liver damage on vitamin D levels, as the liver is crucial for the activation and utilization of vitamin D. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are explored, along with the broader implications of liver disease on overall health. The speaker critiques the common medical approach to treating liver disease, which often focuses on associated conditions like obesity and diabetes rather than addressing the root causes.

10:01

🟢 The Root Cause of Liver Disease and Dietary Recommendations

The final paragraph addresses the root causes of liver disease, challenging the common misconceptions and pointing fingers at the influence of big food and pharmaceutical industries. The speaker argues that high consumption of sugar, starch, and seed oils are the primary culprits behind non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The paragraph also discusses the normalization of these unhealthy dietary habits and the over-prescription of medications that may not address the core issues. The speaker shares an anecdote about a young athlete with high cholesterol, critiquing the medical advice to use statin drugs instead of changing dietary habits. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to adopt a keto diet, which the speaker advocates as a healthier alternative to reduce the intake of sugars, starches, and seed oils, and to improve liver health.

Keywords

💡Liver

The liver is a vital organ that performs numerous functions including detoxification, protein synthesis, and the production of biochemicals necessary for digestion. In the video, the liver's role is central to the discussion of liver damage and disease, with the speaker highlighting how liver health can deteriorate silently, leading to severe health issues. The speaker's personal experience with liver damage adds a personal context to the discussion.

💡Fatty Liver

Fatty liver refers to a condition where excess fat builds up in liver cells. The video emphasizes the distinction between alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, noting that the latter is much more prevalent and is often linked to dietary habits rather than alcohol consumption.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's response to harmful stimuli, including pathogens or injury. The video discusses how inflammation in the liver can lead to the development of scar tissue, which can impair liver function. The speaker connects inflammation to broader health issues, such as muscle spasms and immune system weakness.

💡Scar Tissue

Scar tissue, or fibrosis, is the result of the body's healing process after injury. In the context of the liver, scar tissue can form as a result of chronic inflammation, which can lead to cirrhosis. The video explains how scar tissue can replace healthy liver cells, reducing the liver's ability to function properly.

💡Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance refers to a hormonal imbalance where estrogen levels are higher than necessary. In the video, it is mentioned as a consequence of liver problems, leading to issues like spider veins and gynecomastia in men. The speaker suggests that liver issues can disrupt hormone balance, leading to a range of symptoms.

💡Thyroid

The thyroid is a gland that produces hormones regulating the body's metabolism. The video explains how liver problems can affect the activation of thyroid hormones, leading to a range of symptoms including fatigue and hair loss. The thyroid's dependence on liver function for proper hormone activation is a key point in understanding the interconnectedness of these organs.

💡Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and immune function. The video discusses how liver damage can exacerbate vitamin D deficiency by impairing the liver's ability to convert vitamin D into its active form. This deficiency can lead to a variety of symptoms, including muscle spasms and weakened immune function.

💡Diuretic

A diuretic is a substance that increases urine production, often used to treat conditions like high blood pressure. The video mentions diuretics as part of the standard treatment for high blood pressure, but also implies that they may be part of a broader issue with the medical approach to treating symptoms without addressing root causes.

💡Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The video discusses how metabolic syndrome, characterized by high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and obesity, is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The speaker argues that addressing the root causes of metabolic syndrome is crucial for liver health.

💡Keto Diet

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been shown to help with weight loss and managing certain health conditions. The video suggests that the keto diet can be beneficial for liver health by reducing sugar and starch intake, which are implicated in liver damage. The speaker counters the disinformation campaign against keto, advocating for its potential benefits.

Highlights

The liver can suffer from 'slow liver death' where cells become fatty, inflamed, and develop scar tissue.

Liver damage can be difficult to detect as it often shows no initial symptoms.

Early signs of liver damage include fullness or pain under the right rib cage.

Liver issues can cause referred pain to the right shoulder or down the arm.

The liver's swelling can put pressure on tubes leading to the gallbladder, causing discomfort.

Loss of energy and endurance can be an early sign of liver damage.

Liver problems can lead to fatigue and weakness, affecting daily activities.

Itching, particularly at night, can be a sign of bile salts backing up into body tissues.

Red dots or spider veins may appear due to higher levels of estrogen caused by liver issues.

Liver damage can lead to thyroid dysfunction, causing a range of symptoms.

Vitamin D deficiency can worsen with liver damage as the liver is key in vitamin D activation.

Inflammation and muscle issues can be linked to low vitamin D levels due to liver problems.

Dark urine and a strange smell can be indicators of liver issues.

The root cause of liver problems often goes beyond alcohol and includes high blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Sugar, starch, and seed oils are identified as the root causes of liver disease.

The standard treatment for liver issues often involves medications that may not address the dietary causes.

A 22-year-old with high cholesterol illustrates the impact of poor diet on liver health at a young age.

The keto diet is recommended as a way to reduce sugar, starch, and seed oil intake for better liver health.

Disinformation campaigns against keto may be influenced by the junk food industry.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to change their diet to improve liver health.

Transcripts

today we're going to talk about the

liver and for a lot of people they have

this slow liver death the cells become

fatty inflamed and then they develop

scar tissue and so that kills these tiny

cells but what is the cause well I'm

going to show you and this is going to

not only shock you but it's going to

really piss you off so I'm going to

cover the seven early signs of liver

damage these are weird symptoms that you

might not connect to your liver but

they're so important to identify because

the problem with the liver is by the

time you find out you have liver damage

sometimes it's too late simply because

the first signs of a liver problem are

basically no signs you don't know what's

going on until sometimes up to 90% of

that liver is destroyed I have a lot of

experience with this because I had liver

damage early on in my 20s and so I want

to tell you what happened nowadays

alcohol is not at all the cause of liver

problems compared to what it was long

ago I would say if we took alcoholic

fatty liver disease and we compare that

with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

alcohol induced fatty liver is roughly

about 4% okay that's 12th of this other

fatty liver problem but before I get

into the root cause I want to talk about

these early warning signs the number one

symptom is kind of a fullness or a

tightness or even it could be a pain

underneath your right rib cage that

sometimes can refer to the right

shoulder or even down the arm or on the

back part by the scapula I didn't know

what it was it was my liver and the

liver swells up and it puts pressure on

these little tubes that go to your

gallbladder and at one time I thought it

was my gallbladder but it really was my

liver since the liver controls the

gallbladder and the gallbladder is just

this little sack that stores and

concentrates fluid called bile which is

made by your liver and bile of course

helps you digest fats I didn't have a

clue what was going on but I will say

that that pain radiates up to the right

side through this little nerve it's

called the franic nerve up to the right

side of the shoulder so you're going to

feel it right here okay like a tightness

I don't care how many times someone Mass

es you it's just going to be tight and

sometimes it can refer in the back and

to the romboid around your scapula on

the right side but that's all liver

issues what eventually happened to me is

the vertebra of my neck these are not

bones in your neck but in my neck okay

all this tension on the right side was

pulling these vertebrae to the right

side and that pinched a nerve that went

down my arm and I had all sorts of

referred pain down my right arm I had no

idea it was connected to my liver I

thought it was a problem in my neck and

I had massages it never got better

there's nothing like treating the wrong

problem that just keeps that problem

there I did not connect the dots okay

all right number two is a loss of energy

now you might not feel like a noticeable

fatigue but you'll notice that you can't

go a long period of time like your

endurance is suffering especially if you

were to do exercise or exert yourself

you kind of run out of gas a lot sooner

in fact you might need to go to bed

earlier because you don't have the

endurance and that full energy that you

should have you might get tired after

you eat you don't have this solid good

endurance it kind of comes up and down

like that now this fatigue can also roll

over into weakness so you just lose that

Vitality that strength I mean I know

some people with liver problems that

getting out of a chair is difficult or

if they're sitting on the floor and

getting up it's like it's taking them

more than they should to get up number

three is it

somewhere could be in the bottom of your

feet for me it was the bottom of my foot

right by my Arch but it could be

anywhere in the body this is the bile

salts backing up into your tissues okay

and a lot of times you'll notice these

in your extremities either your hands or

your feet and for some reason people

notice this more at night than during

the day when they're moving around

probably because the circulation and it

kind of pushes the bio salt through the

body but if you're just in one position

for a period of time you might notice

like more itchiness in the bottom of the

feet backing up into the blood into the

tissues number four is these little red

dots or spider veins okay this really is

coming from higher levels of estrogen

for men they might have extra breast

tissue for women there's a whole series

of problems with estrogen dominance too

much estrogen is not good for the body

okay it can actually lead the cancer

with men as they get older and their

liver becomes more damaged if you notice

their skin becomes softer because they

have more estrogen which is interesting

estrogen kind of gives the soft layer

around a female body also when you have

more estrogen than you do androgens okay

you're going to lose your hair on your

skin this is probably why older men

start losing their hair on their lower

legs as well and then the skin gets very

very soft and shiny that's usually liver

problem and the accumulation of estrogen

all right the fifth symptom relates to

your th thyroid the thyroid is dependent

on the liver for the activation of the

thyroid hormone with a liver problem

you're going to notice the thyroid is

going to start to go downhill now that

can give you a lot of different symptoms

from fatigue loss of hair loss of energy

higher cholesterol the skin gets dried

out it could be a lot of things but it's

specifically a lowered functioning

thyroid all right number six low vitamin

D situation now you might already have a

deficiency of vitamin D because most

people do but with liver damage it

becomes a lot worse why because when you

actually consume a vitamin D from the

foods or you take vitamin D from a pill

or you get it from the Sun it actually

goes into the blood and eventually goes

through the kidney and it becomes an

active form of vitamin D3 what you need

to know is that you need your liver to

be able to work in this process of

storing and utilizing vitamin D if the

liver is not able to put that protein on

on that vitamin D you're going to be

vitamin D deficient the specific type of

vitamin D that's going to be low is

something called 25 hydroxy vitamin D

that is the type of vitamin D that they

check in your blood and so here's a

person taking all this of vitamin D

they're getting more sun but they can't

seem to get their levels very high why

because their liver is damaged all right

what are some of the symptoms that would

show up with that inflammation somewhere

in your body probably more in your lower

back area but you can have inflammation

anywhere in the body so your

inflammatory markers are going to be

much higher your immune system is going

to be weaker you're going to have a

problem with calcium so you may notice

that you have problems with muscle

spasms tighten muscles muscle knots all

of that vitamin D is so important in the

body it influences 10% of all of your

genes you're talking like 2500 different

genes it influences so the function of

vitamin D goes Way Beyond just

inflammation or calcium regulation or

muscle and number seven your urine's

going to be a little darker than it

should be you're also going to notice a

weird smell with your urine like what

the heck just happened when I urinated

that is a liver problem but now let's

dive into the actual root cause of a

liver problem because there's a lot of

confusions when you look at Wikipedia

it'll tell you well there's associated

with this or associated with that and

all you need to do is focus on losing

weight because obesity has a higher

incident or it's a risk factor blah blah

blah blah it's all very very confusing

I'm going to show you a real cause of

not just a fatty liver but an inflamed

liver and a liver that turns into

curosis and this goes beyond the alcohol

cause so check this out we're going to

talk about the root cause of not just a

fatty liver but liver disease in general

obesity is associated type 2 diabetes is

associated with it as well as something

called metabolic syndrome so basically

we're dealing with high blood sugar high

cholesterol high blood pressure obesity

all are responsible for non alcoholic

fatty liver disease now of course we

need to make these sound very scientific

so high blood sugar is going to be

hypoglycemia or type 2 diabetes high

cholesterol is hyper cholesterolemia

sounds a little more scientific then we

have high blood pressure which is

usually essential hypertension then

you're giving these medications men

Forin Lipitor for cholesterol linol for

high blood pressure you're also given a

diuretic called

hydrochlorizide which is going to thin

your blood and maybe some OIC now all

this treatment has been normalized for

people okay it's very scientific it's

normalized and when you get into

causation you know it's always this

Association you talk about risk factors

all of these right here and the reason

why you're treated in other words we

have sugar starch which is sugar and

seed oil these three ingredients are the

root cause and even more of a root cause

are these guys right here who fund the

dietitians and have a very cozy relation

relationship with the FDA now recently I

did an interview with an influencer on

Tik Tok and Instagram amazing basketball

player he's only 22 years old and I

wanted to interview him because I wanted

to see if I could change his diet and

increase his performance so come to find

out he eats at fast food place like

McDonald's eats pancakes with syrup for

breakfast so he eats a lot of junk food

and so I asked him I said do you have

any health problems he goes well I'm a

little bit tired oh yeah and I don't

sleep at night I go well we're going to

change that so I recommended what he

should do and then he says he has high

cholesterol his doctor wanted to put him

on statin drugs to lower his cholesterol

he's 22 years old what 22 years old yeah

the doctor made this slight Omission

what he was eating right why don't we

change the diet but I think a lot of

younger people because they're not

overweight think that they can get away

with eating junk food but it causes a

lot of other issues if a 22-year-old was

put on statin drugs first of all they're

going to have a lot of damage with their

muscle

okay not to mention energy and

eventually you know your cognitive

function and even testosterone too

because the raw material from

testosterone is cholesterol and what

they're doing is they're blocking it

with this drug right here what's really

happening we're omitting this huge cause

big food is responsible but it's been

normalized it's been hidden you are an

ATM for big food and big Pharma I am

considered a quack because I'm recom

recommending something like keto which

basically is getting people on Lower

amounts of sugar and starches and Seed

oils and you know they're going to put

doubt in people's mind where oh keto

might work initially for weight loss but

we don't know the long-term effects that

is such a disinformation campaign but

keto is the way to go the junk food

industry they do not like keto okay so

this is why you hear some bad things

about keto and then sometimes I'll get

that well Dr Burg's not a real doctor

right a doctor that prescribes you know

scientific medication that does the

proper diagnosis does this proper

treatment standard of care and puts

people on medication I don't want to do

this I never wanted to do this so they

can call me a quack whatever I'm going

to keep telling people to get off these

three ingredients right here and what's

going to happen is you're going to turn

around a lot of these symptoms right

here and eventually this thing right

here now that I told you what not to eat

the next question is what do I eat and

for that information you should watch

this video right here