The ins and outs of the Medical Medium nine day liver cleanse
So I don’t know about you, but my twenties might have well have been a war of me vs. my liver. Heavy drinking, smoking, lots of partying and a diet that included high sugar and high fat – not the healthy kind. On top of that, a lot of shit went down for me in the first few years of my twenties, layering on stress, anxiety and anger (the emotion that directly weakens the liver).
I say all of this by way of an introduction and explanation as to why I decided to undertake nine days of pretty laborious and restricted eating and a shit tonne of veggies, salads a juices in an attempt to show my liver I really do care.
The teacher I follow, Anthony William aka Medical Medium, put it super simply by explaining that every toxin that comes into the body goes through the liver. The liver acts as one big filter for our body, taking out of the harmful stuff we take in through eating, breathing and existing in a toxic world. Without it, these poisons would enter our bloodstream and we wouldn’t survive past a few days. But this filter, unlike the filters in our hoovers, fish tanks etc. never gets the luxury of being cleaned out.
This vital organ remains unsupported and unloved, fending for itself whilst we throw everything we can at it. Whilst alcohol damages the liver by intoxicating the inner lobules to they can no longer do there jobs effectively and efficiently, a range of other poisons burden it. The liver stores and protects us from heavy metals like mercury, synthetic toxins like petrochemical derivatives, viruses and pathogens, that are the underlying cause of a whole host of new chronic and autoimmune diseases.
Day in and day out our liver is taxed with the task of breaking down the fat we eat, giving it little time to safely clean-out the growing garbage pile of toxic chemicals stored in its inner layers. It has a precious few hours between sleep and when we wake to detox, which if we drink alcohol is spent sobering up from the night before. So the liver holds on, protecting us, and as a result becomes tired, sluggish and fatty (it stores these toxins in fat cells deep inside its inner chamber) from doing its other myriad of important jobs for us like fighting disease and keeping us at optimal health.
Well, based on learning all this, I figured, what was nine days of eating clean to give my liver a fighting chance and a bit of SUPPORT, after almost over a decade of working AGAINST it whilst it kept my ass healthy. So two weeks ago, we bought up all the celery, dates, asparagus, spinach etc. of our local wholesale supermarket, invested in a juicer and planned out our week.
Below are some photos and a summary of how I found the week for anyone keen to give it a go. If you are suffering with any chronic issue, autoimmune issue or otherwise untreatable issue, I would truly recommend giving this a go. Not only does my body feel lighter and healthier physically, but also emotionally. I felt a huge emotional detox of things I'd held onto in the body. This stands to reason - often when you go through trauma, you liver absorbs and soaks all the excess adrenaline that's flushed the body. When it finally has the capacity to release it, eg. during your cleanse, you are essentially re-surfacing that somatic event back into the body to be metabolised and finally released. So I found myself revisiting old wounds and traumas as my liver purged old waste matter from my last decade. Although intense at times, for those committed to doing inner work and healing, it was helpful.
Upsides of the 3:6:9
Not too hard a cleanse in terms of volume of food, allowing you to eat your fill every day of the foods listed.
It is designed in harmony with the rhythms of the liver's natural nine day cycle.
It keeps natural glucose levels high, with many dates and apples to support the adrenals.
Delicious fresh fruit, salad and vegetables. Bonus: you like asparagus, you get to eat them almost every day.
It’s a natural progression step if you already do liver cleanse morning protocol (aka hot water and lemon, followed by celery juice and no fat until later in the day).
Downsides of the 3:6:9
The meals get pretty repetitive - I started to hate salad by day 5
I was hungry as the cleanse includes no fats, which is normally satiates my appetite and keeps me full.
It can get emotional - so be kind on yourself! Get ready with self-love exercises, parts therapy or even some letting go meditations.
It’s quite costly.
It's pretty time intensive to prepare all the juices, smoothies, salads and steamed veges yourself.
Useful tips
Talk to your liver throughout – letting it know it finally has your support and is safe to steadily release and purge poisons without being burdened further by stress, alcohol or other high fat/toxic foods etc.
Take lemon balm tincture in the evening if you’re not big on lemon balm tea.
Listen to your body and allow yourself to rest when you need.
Do invest in a good juicer, ideally masticating to preserve the nutrients of the celery etc.
Don’t eat too much asparagus to begin with, it has quite a strong purging affect and might make you feel nauseous.
Drink lots of water.
Stay warm as your temperature may swing during days 4-7.
Do morning juice prep the day before.
So that's it folks! If this resonates, then get yourself Liver Rescue and give this a try and show your liver the love it so truly deserves. If it seems to much for you right now, maybe just give the liver cleanse mornings a go. Good luck as you embark on this journey into conscious cleansing, done gently, compassionately and in harmony with your infinitely intelligent body.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.