Multiple sclerosis (MS) can stress the liver for several reasons. If you or someone you care about has MS, it is essential to understand why this happens and the necessary steps to heal the liver while recovering from disease.
What is the link Between MS and Liver Disease?
MS patients can experience elevated liver enzymes, which show that the liver is under stress.
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are more common in MS patients. AIH, for example, is estimated to be 10 times more likely to occur in people with MS than in those without.
Several factors may lead to liver problems in people with MS:
1. Many medications can affect the liver including:
- Pain relievers
- Antibiotics
- Hormones and related drugs
- Chemotherapy
- Drugs for arthritis
- Antifungal medications
- Steroids
- Antiviral drugs.
MS drug treatments
Medications used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause liver damage. This includes both long-term treatments (called disease-modifying therapies) and high-dose methylprednisolone steroid treatments which are used during MS flare-ups.
Some MS treatments, like interferon-beta (IFN-β), can affect the liver. Around 30-60% of people with MS who take IFN-β may have higher liver enzyme levels, which can indicate liver stress.
One case study reported a person with MS who developed autoimmune hepatitis after starting the B cell depletion drug ocrelizumab.
B immune cells are believed to play a protective role in AIH pathogenesis and therefore B cell depletion may provoke the emergence of AIH through loss of regulatory B cells.
2. Parasites that infect the liver
The following are just a few parasites known to infect the liver:
- Liver flukes
- Tapeworms or tapeworm larvae
- Protozoa – malaria and Babesia
- Cryptosporidium
- Toxoplasma
- Echinococcus
- Ascaris
- Entamoeba histolytica.
Liver parasites often cause vague symptoms or none at all, which makes them difficult to diagnose. They can cause an increase in liver enzymes, but this resolves when parasites are treated effectively and safely.
3. Higher body mass index (BMI)
Higher BMI can have several negative impacts on the liver, often leading to liver disease. Here’s how it affects the liver:
- Fat Buildup in the Liver: Extra body weight, especially fat, can lead to fat accumulating in liver cells. This is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). When the liver has too much fat, it can’t function as well.
- Inflammation and Scarring: In some people, fat buildup in the liver can cause inflammation. This condition, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), can lead to scarring or fibrosis in the liver, which can become severe over time.
- Increased Risk of Liver Cancer: People with higher BMI are at greater risk of developing liver cancer, especially if they also have NAFLD or NASH.
- Insulin Resistance: Higher BMI is often associated with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body doesn’t use insulin effectively. Insulin resistance can increase fat in the liver, further worsening liver health.
- Liver Cirrhosis: Over time, if liver inflammation and scarring worsen, it can lead to cirrhosis, a serious liver condition where normal liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, thus impacting liver function.
In summary, a higher BMI can contribute to liver fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring, all of which increase the risk of serious liver diseases.
Steps to Support Liver Health
There are specific ways support your liver and reduce stress on it:
Diet
The Live Disease Free diet is a highly nutritious low carb diet that greatly reduces food to the parasites that cause disease. Thus, the parasites become less active, inflammation decreases and symptoms improve.
Regular Bowel Movements
Regular, daily bowel movements are vital to keep detox pathways open to clear waste and toxins from the body.
Milk Thistle
This traditional herb has been shown to help protect the liver from toxins, including those from medications.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is hard on the liver, so it’s best to avoid it, especially if you are recovering from disease.
Sleep and Stress Management
Good sleep and stress management are essential for liver health.
Reduce Toxins
Minimizing exposure to environmental toxins—like chemicals in cleaning products or air pollution—can help lighten the load on your liver.
Work Through Negative Emotions
Anger, frustration, and resentment can also impact the liver.
Treating parasites
Parasites often move from the digestive tract into the blood and then into organs like the liver. They are a major contributor to liver disease and thus managing parasites in the body is vital to protecting the liver from parasites and the poisons they produce.
Medications and parasites are the biggest factors that directly and indirectly impact liver function and this must be considered when recovering from disease. It is very important to monitor liver function when treating parasites. Liver-gallbladder flushes can also be very helpful.
There are real solutions to recover from parasites today!
To restore health, we must focus on treating the cause of inflammation, which are parasites. First, identify the enemy (parasites), then support the body and treat the parasites while following a holistic approach. When parasitic infections are treated effectively, we can overcome inflammation or disease.
If you’re frustrated with the fact that our standard of care STILL doesn’t offer a real solution for treating MS and other diseases, then click on the link below to watch Pam Bartha’s free masterclass training and discover REAL solutions that have allowed Pam and many others to live free from MS and other diseases.
CLICK Here to watch Pam’s masterclass training
Or take the Health Blocker Quiz to see if you could have parasite infections
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548145/
Clinically diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, Pam chose an alternative approach to recovery. Now decades later and still symptom free, she coaches others on how to treat the root cause of chronic disease, using a holistic approach. She can teach you how, too.
Pam is the author of Become a Wellness Champion and founder of Live Disease Free. She is a wellness expert, coach and speaker.
The Live Disease Free Academy has helped hundreds of Wellness Champions in over 15 countries take charge of their health and experience profound improvements in their life.
