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This post discusses the gentle Lower Histamine 7-Day Lower Cleanse Protocol I developed in the spring of 2023. It’s springtime again in my part of the world, and spring is an excellent time to detox your liver to start the season fresh.
I developed this protocol based on my years of experience with MCAS and liver issues, combining aspects of several liver detox programs into one that works better for my MCAS because it is gentler and is spread out over the course of a week.
As I discuss in this post about parasites, I have a long history of liver toxicity and parasite challenges. You might think that parasites are a problem only in developing areas of the world. But parasites are more common than you think.
I like to do a liver detox at least once a year, usually between March and May. Spring is the ideal time to focus on detoxing, as your body adjusts to warmer temperatures and spends more time outside. This month, I’m focusing on loving my liver and managing parasites.
Part of that solution to my challenges is this gentle Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol. I’ve tried dozens of liver cleanses, and they all either made me sick, caused a massive MCAS flare, or both. I carefully crafted this Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol to gently address liver toxicity while keeping your histamine “bucket” as low as possible (see the Bucket Theory below).
Table of Contents
Why a liver cleanse?
I have done many liver cleanses over the years. Every functional practitioner I’ve seen has told me that my liver is sluggish and it’s at the root of my health challenges, including MCAS.
I’ve tried supplements to cleanse the liver, homeopathic detox drops, coffee enemas, infrared saunas and light, ozone saunas and insufflation, fresh-vegetable juicing, and magnesium sulfate/olive oil/lemon cocktails to encourage the liver to dump toxins and gallstones. But nothing ever seemed to make a lasting difference in my liver health.
If you have a propensity to MCAS and your liver is not functioning optimally, you will have more significant MCAS symptoms. And in fact, toxins are one of the primary triggers for MCAS, along with infections and trauma.
Also, if your liver is not functioning at its best, you are more susceptible to parasites and digestive issues, such as SIBO.
Who is Betsy Leighton?
I’m a writer, blogger, and healer dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their innate peace and wholeness by healing nervous system dysregulation. My personal experience with chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) shapes my work, and my content offers tools to empower those with chronic illness to improve their well-being and take charge of their health.
I created the Sacred Self-Healing Method and am a trained and certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider, an author, blogger, and A Course in Miracles Teacher. I hold a Master of Divinity in Spiritual Counseling and am a trained spiritual mentor, with certificates in sound healing, aromatherapy, nutrition, and Sacred Deathcare. I offer a self-study certificate program in the Sacred Self-Healing Method, provide spiritual counseling and coaching, courses, and supported subscriptions for the Safe and Sound Protocol.
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. It can cause severe, disabling symptoms every day, including potentially fatal anaphylaxis.
The common triggers for MCAS are infections, toxic exposures including mold exposure and EMFs, trauma, concussions, and stress.
MCAS often occurs with other chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Managing MCAS is challenging because many healthcare providers are unaware of it, and diagnostic tests can be unreliable. Treatments include antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers in the form of medications and supplements, along with avoiding triggers. Check out this post on managing MCAS.
How to make a liver cleanse MCAS-friendly
Because I have MCAS, I often experience severe Herxheimer reactions from liver cleansing, which results in significant mast cell flaring. Herxheimer or Herxing Reactions are short-term (from days to a few weeks) detoxification reactions in the body that cause flu-like symptoms, including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, nausea, and other symptoms.
I often experience a cortisol dump when I fast, because blood sugar fluctuations also stress my body. That, in turn, caused more mast cell flaring.
So, in creating this gentle liver detox protocol, I wanted to keep the body in a parasympathetic state of rest, to avoid Herxing and to avoid stressing the body, which might trigger mast cell activation.
What’s different about this liver cleanse protocol?
This liver cleanse protocol is gentle and aims to support your liver to detox while keeping your body in a state of parasympathetic rest and digestion. To do that there is no fasting. You eat as many of the allowed foods as you need each day to feel full and satisfied.
This liver cleanse is also gentle because it slowly ramps up over seven days, giving the body time to adjust as you go. And it’s flexible, so you can make adjustments if needed.
In addition, I have found this protocol to be a great way to reduce mast cell activity. By eating fresh fruits and vegetables, your body doesn’t need to work as hard to digest them, and the foods themselves are anti-inflammatory. I find that I need fewer of my MCAS medications and supplements while I’m doing this liver cleanse. It’s like having a natural reset to my MCAS management routine.
Supplements to support the Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol
For this protocol, I recommend taking a few supportive supplements—first, to help mop up the toxins your liver releases, and second, to support your digestion.
- Binders like this one or this one help clear toxins as they are released from the liver, so they are excreted rather than reabsorbed into your body. But you need to take binders at least two hours away from medications and supplements to make sure the binder doesn’t mop them up too.
- If your digestion is compromised, taking 1 Healthy Gut Holozyme capsule helps your body digest your food more easily, reducing stress on your gut.
- Taking homeopathic drops like Hepata-Chord and Hepatic-Tone provides further support in ridding your body of toxins as the liver releases them, while keeping your drainage pathways open.
- Rubbing castor oil on the skin over the liver and your entire belly at bedtime can also assist with detoxification. Wear an old T-shirt that won’t get ruined by castor oil!
- If you sign up for support here I can create an individualized plan of supportive supplements for you!
What foods do you eat on the Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol?
The cornerstone of this Protocol is to eat your way to a clean liver. I chose this method because one of the biggest stumbling blocks I’ve had with other liver cleanses and fasting regimens is feeling emotionally deprived of satisfying foods. Food nourishes our bodies, and that includes emotional nourishment. Eating is also a social activity. Though you will be eating different foods than those around you while you are on this Protocol, you will still have a variety of foods to enjoy, and you will eat as much as you need to feel satisfied.
So, in this protocol, you don’t have to feel deprived. You will eat a variety of dishes (see the recipes linked below), snack on an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and you will benefit from maintaining consistent blood sugar levels.
Overview of the Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol
The 7-Day protocol gently and gradually transitions from your everyday diet to a raw-juice diet over 7 days. The recipes below generally include lower-histamine foods that are typically tolerated, but you should adjust as needed if you can’t tolerate a particular food.
On Days 1-3, you introduce vegetable juices in the morning, snack on fresh fruit, have a big salad for lunch, and have a meal of your choice for dinner within the cleanse parameters. The goal is to reduce your fat intake by half in the first three days to gradually adjust to the new regimen and avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, lamb, and pork products.
On Days 4-6, you refrain from having any protein or fat, and you consume even more fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day. At dinnertime, you have a cooked meal of liver-supporting vegetables.
And on Day 7, you mainly consume fresh vegetable and fruit juices.
Click here to get the Protocol.
Tips for doing the gentle Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol
Here are some tips for making a liver cleanse like the Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol successful:
- Talk to your healthcare provider to ensure a liver cleanse is a good idea for your health before you start.
- Above all, keep taking your MCAS stabilizing supplements and medications while doing the Protocol. Many liver-cleansing protocols advocate stopping all medicines to give the liver a break. This is generally not a good idea for those with MCAS! The last thing you want to do is throw your body into a big MCAS flare.
- I use Healy to support my detoxification process. Healy is a small wearable frequency device that delivers helpful frequencies. You can run frequencies for liver detoxification, lymph drainage, and many other programs to support your detox.
- Click here to sign up for support! I provide one-on-one coaching and support, tailoring the Protocol to your situation, suggesting helpful frequencies, and supporting you along the way!
- Use homeopathy to support your liver cleanse. The following Energetix homeopathic remedies are well-suited to support your liver detox:
Homeopathy for detoxification support
I discuss homeopathy for MCAS and chronic illness in this post. My favorite homeopathic remedy for MCAS is Energetix. Energetix homeopathic products are prepared according to the HPUS (Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States) and formulated to address a wide range of modern concerns effectively. The pleasant-tasting liquid form of Energetix remedies is easy to dose and use.
Energetix makes three types of homeopathic remedies: Paths, Tones, and Chords.
- Paths – Product names ending in “Path” are for symptoms related to weakness or imbalance in systems, organs, glands, or tissues.
- Tones – Product names ending in “Tone” are for symptoms related to congestion or stress in systems, organs, glands, or tissues.
- Chords – Product names ending in “Chord” are for symptoms related to systems, organs, glands, or tissues that are compromised or overburdened by toxins.
With Energetix remedies, you are best off combining a Chord with a Tone; the Chord addresses toxicity in the body, while the Tone provides drainage support to excrete the toxins. Paths can be taken without the support of a Tone.
Here is my list of go-to Energetix Remedies for supporting detoxification.
MycoCan-Chord is for symptoms of Candida mold toxicity
Para-Chord is for addressing parasites
Viru-Chord helps clear viral infections such as EBV
Neuro-Chord is helpful for neurotoxins
Hepata-Chord pairs with Hepatic-Tone, and is for general liver toxicity
Tox-Chord is for chemical toxicity Drainage Tone supports detox pathways
Lymph-Tone II assists with detoxing chronic issues
Lymph-Tone III is helpful in detoxing issues due to hypersensitivities and neuropathy
It is important to pair Chords with Tones. If you would like help choosing remedies for your specific situation, please schedule a session with me for individualized support. Click here to schedule a session.
Liver support recipes
I have crafted five Liver Supporting recipes that give you a variety of foods to eat while cleansing and help you feel satisfied while doing this cleanse, linked here:
This selection of recipes provides a variety of meal choices so that you can enjoy different types of foods, some raw and some cooked, you feel full after eating, and you don’t feel emotionally deprived.
Get support!
To get the complete Lower Histamine 7-Day Liver Cleanse Protocol click here!
Your purchase includes the written Protocol, a 30-minute individual coaching session with me to get you started with the Protocol and to answer any questions you have, plus email support while you are doing the Cleanse.
The bucket theory
The bucket theory simplifies understanding symptom reactions with MCAS. Imagine your body as an empty bucket you don’t want to overflow. Reactions to various stimuli fill the histamine bucket at different rates, forming the total histamine level (how full your bucket is). More histamine means more symptoms. By managing triggers, reducing exposures, and taking medications and supplements, you can control your bucket’s level.
Know your typical symptom progression
Understanding your symptom progression during a flare is key to developing your rescue plan. This post discusses how to recognize symptom progression so you can be prepared to address them.
Get my free ebook, symptom log, and meal plan!
Want a tool to easily track your symptoms?
Check out these circadian health tools!
I’m an affiliate with Bon Charge, a company that makes tools for circadian health, and you can receive 15% off your order with my coupon code BETSYL.
Bon Charge offers tools such as yellow– and red-tone blue-blocking glasses, red light therapy devices, PEMF mats, infrared saunas, and EMF-blocking products.
Sign up for the SSP!
I’ve found the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to be the most helpful bottom-up healing strategy if your nervous system has been overloaded with toxic exposures, including mold or non-native EMFs, chronic infections, concussions, stress, or trauma. The SSP is a passive listening therapy that helps heal nervous system dysregulation. Many people with MCAS and other chronic conditions have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app that lets you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day as part of a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions. Here’s a short podcast describing the Safe and Sound Protocol.
You can sign up for the SSP here!
Heal your mind!
While the SSP is a bottom-up, somatic therapy for healing the nervous system, the Sacred Self-Healing Method I offer is a top-down nervous system-healing modality that focuses on cognition, attention, perception, and emotion, using the mind’s higher functions. The SSP and the Sacred Self-Healing Method complement each other and together produce lasting results. Here’s a short podcast on my self-healing practice.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching, as well as Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven, novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
Order my books!
Here’s a short podcast highlighting my five books.
My latest book, Living In The Light: Healing with Forgiveness, Sound, and Light, is all about the tools that have been most helpful for me to heal: forgiveness, sound, through nervous system retraining using the Safe and Sound Protocol, and light, through entraining my circadian rhythm with the energy of the sun. Living In The Light is available here!
Rocks and Roots chronicles my solo backpacking journey on the Superior Hiking Trail and my efforts to overcome nervous system dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms to complete the 328-mile hike successfully.
The Sacred Self-Healing Method ebook is available here and in most ebook retailers!
The Sacred Self-Healing Workbook is available for purchase here!
Betsy’s first book, Sacred Self-Healing: Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, is available here
Companion Recordings
The companion audio recordings of chants, guided meditations, and sound healing demonstrations that accompany the Sacred Self-Healing Method are available for free on my YouTube channel here
What do you think?
I’d love to have your reply below!
Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
