Episode 131
Divya Gupta:
Eradicating Fatigue: The Surprising Role of Your Liver in Thyroid Balance
In this episode, we have are joined by Divya Gupta, a restorative wellness practitioner focusing on gut health. We dive deep into the intricate connections between the liver, gallbladder, and thyroid health.
First Aired on: Mar 18, 2024
Episode 131
Divya Gupta:
Eradicating Fatigue: The Surprising Role of Your Liver in Thyroid Balance
In this episode, we have are joined by Divya Gupta, a restorative wellness practitioner focusing on gut health. We dive deep into the intricate connections between the liver, gallbladder, and thyroid health.
First Aired on: Mar 18, 2024
Table of Contents:
In this episode:
In this episode, we have are joined by Divya Gupta, a restorative wellness practitioner focusing on gut health. We dive deep into the intricate connections between the liver, gallbladder, and thyroid health.
Divya shares her personal journey, her insights on holistic approaches to healing, and provides practical advice for optimizing our health through better understanding these organ interactions.
Divya shares her personal journey, her insights on holistic approaches to healing, and provides practical advice for optimizing our health through better understanding these organ interactions.
Divya’s Personal Health Challenges:
- Personal Story: Divya shares her encounters with gallstones at 20, autoimmune Hashimoto’s at 25, and how her mother’s health journey with rheumatoid arthritis inspired her pursuit into wellness.
Liver and Gallbladder’s Role in Thyroid Health:
- Thyroid Function: The thyroid organ requires the support from the brain, liver, gallbladder, and adrenals to function properly.
- Liver Functions: Beyond detoxification, conversion of T4 to the active T3 thyroid hormone primarily occurs in the liver.
- Gallbladder Functions: Stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver to aid in fat digestion and other metabolic processes.
Identifying Gallbladder Issues:
- Early Indicators: Include bloating after fatty meals, frequent burping, stool color changes, trouble in digesting fats, and for some, gallstone development.
Steps to Support Liver and Gallbladder Health:
- Nutrition: Incorporate bitter foods like arugula and turmeric, reduce sugar and processed foods, and start the day with hot water and lemon.
- Lifestyle Changes: Regular exercise to promote sweating and detoxification, managing stress, and reducing toxin exposure from personal and home care products.
- Supplements: Considering digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid supplementation, and ox bile especially for those who’ve had their gallbladder removed.
Other Resources:
Connect with Divya Gupta
Episode Transcript
Julie Michelson:[Page//00:00:00] Welcome back to the Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson, and today we're joined by Divya Gupta, board certified nutritionist candidate and restorative wellness practitioner, specializing in gut health. Through Divya Nutrition and Wellness, she guides ambitious professionals on a personalized journey to reclaim their health and live life on their terms.
Julie Michelson: Divya's [Page//00:01:00] expertise reflects a departure from conventional approaches, emphasizing a holistic approach to well being. In today's episode, we're discussing the connection between liver and gallbladder health and thyroid health. Divya not only explains how these organs work together synergistically, but she gives us tips to support liver, gallbladder, and thyroid health wherever you may be in your health journey.
Julie Michelson: Divya, welcome to the podcast.
Divya Gupta: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here, Julie.
Julie Michelson: I am excited for our conversation. I know this is going to just be of so much value to the, to listeners. So I want to know if you would share some of your story, um, because you actually have a, a fun, well, probably wasn't fun for you, but a unique story and kind of entry into this autoimmune functional medicine world.
Divya Gupta: Absolutely. Um, yes, it wasn't fun, but you know, when we look back, it [Page//00:02:00] all happened for a reason. So I, I, I'm an Indian immigrant. Uh, this year marked my 20 years in this country and, you know, like most Indian immigrants, I came here on a very stereotypical path of Finishing my computer science engineering in India, then came here for my master's.
Divya Gupta: I went to an IB school doing master's in information systems and management, and then I started working in corporate America, worked in corporate America for 15 plus years, and never in a million years I thought I would be doing completely science. So different, different, you know, my dad would like all the thousands of dollars I spent on your education.
Divya Gupta: And now I'm like, not, not, not doing that, but, you know, we all come into the space of either, you know, with our own story that we struggle with, or we want somebody very close to us going through something that really inspires us. And we find a purpose. And I had a little bit of both going. So my health challenges started with my own at the age of 20, while I was still in India in my final year of engineering, I lost my [Page//00:03:00] gallbladder.
Divya Gupta: Due to painful stones and we and it all happened within a matter of few months where you know, I woke up one night You know, around 2, 3 a. m. in pain and, and I'm like, you know, maybe I ate something funny that day or, you know, it could be whatever I'm just spacing the room because that's the only thing that seemed to like keep the pain at bay to space and it got fine and then you go back to sleep, but then it happened again the next day, the next day I didn't tell my parents because I'm like, why bother them?
Divya Gupta: It's just a tummy ache, right? But everything in the abdomen and tummy is like a general area. After, after a few nights, I'm like, okay, you know, I've been not sleeping well and I'm in pain. I finally told my parents, they're like, okay, just wake us up next time. And of course it happened again. I woke them up and it was so confusing.
Divya Gupta: Not sure, you know, trying different medicines, different things, nothing worked until fast forward. One night I was, I was in excruciating pain and tears. I'm like, okay, let's, let's just go to the emergency [Page//00:04:00] room at this point to find out what's going on. Yeah. And that's when, that's when they found out, oh, you have gallstone.
Divya Gupta: So in some regard, it was a relief, at least now I know what it is. Uh, though at the age of 20, I don't, I, and I was doing, you know, I was not in biology. I didn't know what the gallbladder is or what, you know, I know it's an organ in a body. What, but what, what role does it play? Why is it there? I don't know.
Divya Gupta: Like, okay. Fine, you know, we go to the endocrinologist. Oh, we can take it out because you know, you don't need that organ. You can live without it. I'm like, you know, get me out of this pain, get me out of this misery, whatever it takes. And I had scheduled it, you know, everything in life as if you can schedule it.
Divya Gupta: I'm like, I have my exams. I'm going, let's do the surgery after it. But One fine night, you know, life has other plans. Oh my God. You know, there are certain things in life. I don't remember a lot about being 20 and a lot of things that happened, but I remember these episodes and this one night where I woke up in so much pain.
Divya Gupta: I've been through childbirth and I would take childbirth [Page//00:05:00] any day. Then the pain that I was going through it,
Julie Michelson: yeah,
Divya Gupta: I, you know, throwing up, I was in tears. I know my mom is in tears. Like we had to be rushed out to be rushed to the ER. And the surgery had to be done that night. Otherwise the gallbladder would have burst with stone. Okay. So, you know, the gallbladder is out, you know, life is back. I'm not in pain, move on. You know, I came to the U S but my health challenge is still continued. You know, you're so focused on your academics and what you need to do. And you're young and in twenties too, you just keep pushing through. But by the time I turned 24, 25, I was still dealing with digestive issues.
Divya Gupta: And, you know, I would still get those PTSD, like sort of. pain at times and not sure why and I get diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Knowing what I know now and you know like you know these are gallbladder and the thyroid is connected but at that point now I have an autoimmune condition and nobody really dug in.
Divya Gupta: Maybe when I was 20 if somebody had asked another question or dug in a why as a 20 year old [Page//00:06:00] healthy Have a gallbladder issue. Maybe my thyroid condition could have been salvaged or managed or, you know, reversed. But at 25, I had my Hashimoto's and even then, you know, the Synthroid, the pill that was given and you move on with, uh, move on with your life.
Divya Gupta: And for me, what really lit the fire and how, how I got into the space is my mom. Was also going through the exact same journey as I was. So she had a gallbladder removed a couple of years before mine, but she didn't have any pain. So we really didn't make the connection when I had pain. She had a Hashimoto's diagnosis.
Divya Gupta: And around the time I had my Hashimoto's diagnosis, she got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which Julie, I know that you've been through it personally. So, So, and I'm like, okay, you know, I don't know what, but something in my brain, brain lit up. I'm like, I'm watching a movie, a preview of a movie. And if I don't make any changes and following exact same path, I probably will get there sooner.
Divya Gupta: And that's when I'm like, okay, I got into it. What can I do? What can I change? And this is 16 years ago, 15 years ago. [Page//00:07:00] I didn't know like, I had to look for gut health or what are you, you know, I just got into the literature. Let me change my diet. I picked up. Few health books and, and it made such a huge difference.
Divya Gupta: And that's where my love affair with health and wellness started. I'm like, I need to know more. What can I do? I'm feeling better. Like, you know, my digestion is better. My mood's better. My energy is better. And why aren't people talking about it? And that really started my quest to learn more, going back to school and getting my nutrition certificate and not quit my Silicon Valley job to my parents.
Divya Gupta: This may and now. But you know what, they're like happy, like, you know, I'm helping people get, get their life, life back.
Julie Michelson: Amazing. And you're, and you're healthy and happy, which is, you know, is what the number one. So let's talk about this. How is gallbladder connected to, you know, thyroid Hashimoto's, you know, how, how are you connecting those [Page//00:08:00] dots?
Divya Gupta: No, you know, one would think, okay, you know, you know, each of these, the thyroid, the gallbladder, liver, they all sit in different parts on our system. How are they connected? But you know, nothing in our body works in isolation. It's all interconnected and every part of a body or organ performs multiple functions as well.
Divya Gupta: They never just do one thing. So let me back up a little, you know, for your thyroid to work effectively, you know, it needs five different organs to work synergistically together, you know, your brain. Of course, the thyroid, because your brain first sends a signal to the thyroid to produce the hormone thyroid hormones, then you need your liver and your gallbladder will get into that and also your adrenals. Now, when it comes to, let's talk about the liver for a second. Now, when your liver is your master detox organ, like does so much for us, it filters our blood, it synthesizes our vitamin D. [Page//00:09:00] It produces cholesterol, it produces bile, it, you know, stores our excess glucose, and I'm, I'm sure I'm missing a ton different.
Divya Gupta: It does, it does, it does a ton, right? So it is important. And actually, I'm forgetting an important function that I should mention. It's also the place where the, Inactive thyroid hormone gets converted to the active form, and that's important. The T4 to T3 conversion, a lot of it happens in the liver as well.
Divya Gupta: And, and we talked about it produces bile. And a gallbladder, which sits right underneath the liver, it's like a little pear shaped organ on the right side. So once the liver produces the bile, it stores it in the gallbladder to be used when we eat a fatty meal. And, you know, A bile, again, is produced by the, uh, produced in the liver.
Divya Gupta: It uses a lot of raw materials, your cholesterol, your bile salt, your bile acids, and water and, you know, a few more of the raw [Page//00:10:00] materials that go into it to produce the bile. And when it goes into the gallbladder, it gets stored. It, it's, you know, it can get concentrated and it gets more concentrated. So when we do eat a fatty meal, A, it is present.
Divya Gupta: And two, it is in the right concentration so that in an appropriate amount can be squeezed out into a small amount of time. It can digest a fatty meal as well. So, and you know, your question, you know, we asked him about how is now, now, okay, Viviana, how is this connected to our thyroid health? So we, number one, we talked about how our liver converts.
Divya Gupta: Hy, you know, uh, T four to T three. Now, if a thyroid is, you know, you know, like we talking about hypo, like, you know, it's not functioning as well, it's underactive or even it could be subclinical, right? You don't have to be outside of the ranges for it to not perform well. You could be on the upper end or higher end of optimal ranges.
Divya Gupta: A whole other conversation about our standard and [Page//00:11:00] optimal ranges out there now that will impact your amount of hormone that is produced. And then it will also impact on the cholesterol production. Our thyroid has a direct impact on our cholesterol production. And cholesterol is also, as I said, a raw material into bile.
Divya Gupta: Now just think of it, you know, you're making a stew, you need all these raw materials and everything is off. So now your consistency of your bile, now your bile is not of the right, you know, it doesn't have everything that it needs in the right amount. And So that could be one way how your thyroid could impact.
Divya Gupta: The second is, okay, now say, even if that's been produced fine, it's stored in the gallbladder, the bile, your thyroid plays a huge role in every day, every function in your body, from your mood to your energy. To how you digest your food, to your fertility, uh, to your heat intolerance or cold intolerance, uh, you name [Page//00:12:00] it, thyroid, your thyroid has a role to play in it.
Divya Gupta: And as I said, you know, one of the important points is, you know, the energy, you know, it provides, our thyroid helps, uh, gives ourselves the energy. So now, even if you have the bile in your gallbladder, It needs to be squeezed. It needs to be contracted and squeezed out. And now, each of our cells in our body, we have, what, a trillion of cells, have these receptors for the thyroid hormone.
Divya Gupta: Now, if your thyroid is not functioning well, it's low, your gallbladder cell does not have The right amount of thyroid hormone in it to contract and squeeze out the appropriate amount of bile. Now what happens? So it's, it's not functioning. It's tired. And the bile is going to back up into still in the gallbladder.
Divya Gupta: Your liver is still producing and throwing it into the gallbladder. Now it's not squeezing it out. Now it gets backs up. It can get sludgy. And that could [Page//00:13:00] now form gall stones. And 90 percent of gallstones are cholesterol based, right? So now you can see how your thyroid, you know, malfunction or not appropriate impacts your cholesterol production, which can impact your bile production, then how it's stored in your, and how the bile is stored in the gallbladder and how it can eventually lead to gallstones.
Divya Gupta: Yeah.
Julie Michelson: So wait a minute. you, are you saying, um, first of all, that when somebody has gallstones, we don't need to immediately remove gallbladder. And also, if you're diagnosed with gallstones, it should we be immediately if we haven't already, like looking at thyroid. And that connection is a potential reason why the gallstones are forming to begin with.
Divya Gupta: Oh, absolutely. You bring up a great point. Again, there is a synergistic relationship [Page//00:14:00] between a thyroid and the liver and gallbladder. It could be a thyroid, not, you know, subclinical or mouth under functioning can cause liver and gallbladder, or it could be the other way around, right? You know, liver and gallbladder could impact your thyroid as well.
Divya Gupta: So it's a chicken or the egg. It's so hard to know, but yes, you're absolutely right. If you, if you already have a thyroid condition, you know, You know, take care of your liver and gallbladder health. Or if you have been diagnosed with some gallbladder issues or you have, you know, your liver function, not functioning, get your thyroid check, get a full panel.
Divya Gupta: Absolutely. You, you know, you hit the nail on the head. You know, that was my, please go get your thyroid check. If you're having gallstones or if you have gallbladder, because I was looking at some stats, Julie, and there are in the U S I think it's 20. In the last year, 600, 000 blood removal surgeries are
Julie Michelson: it's almost, almost treated like an appendix at this point, where if somebody has pain, it's like first line of treatment is removed, you know, if they see [Page//00:15:00] gallstones. And I know people are told that, you know, well, if you have them, then you're going to keep getting them and people are convinced that they don't need them and I too, I work with so many people that have had their gallbladder removed, you know, before I've even met them.
Julie Michelson: Um, and you were particularly young, which is, is really fascinating. Um, really makes me, yeah, like back to that chicken or egg, it's like, hmm, was your thyroid maybe subclinical at that point? Um, really,
Divya Gupta: I, I, I, yeah, I, I don't have any blood work or lab results. I, it's been what I'm 41. I, I don't know at this point, but yeah, you're right. Chicken and the egg. And it could, you know, we all have our genes, but you know, if the genetics play the role, it's, you know, what our environment and the toxin that pulls the trigger.
Divya Gupta: So yes, you know, every woman in our family, and it's very common in Southeast Asian women. And. It could be more research of why, yes, we have the genes, [Page//00:16:00] but then the food, the toxin, the toxins, the environmental. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: And that becomes that chicken or egg, you know, we talk about toxins all the time. And, and like you said, it's like, okay, is it toxins affecting liver than affecting thyroid? You know, it is. And, and also we don't need to know.
Divya Gupta: hmm.
Julie Michelson: know, once, once we have an awareness that something is going on, um, we can investigate and make sure that we're protecting all of these organs.
Julie Michelson: Um, I'm curious. So your story, you know, you obviously had like severe pain and we're at that point where the gallstones were causing a real problem. Um, but what are some indications for people that maybe their gallbladder is not so happy?
Divya Gupta: Yeah. Great question. You know, mine was just when was yelling at me.
Julie Michelson: Right. Well, as most of us, you know, the body whispers and we don't pay attention cause we're busy.
Divya Gupta: Yeah. We're not paying [Page//00:17:00] attention to the little nudges that our body is giving. So. You know, so these are some symptoms that you could be feeling if before we call better gets to like the yelling stage. Number one is, you know, you're getting bloated after eating a fatty meal and, you know, we could all experience bloating some different times.
Divya Gupta: And that could be so many different reasons for bloating. You know, you could have SIBO small intestine bacterial overgrowth or other reasons you got dysbiosis, but especially after eating a fattier meal, you're feeling bloated. That's one, like, little
Julie Michelson: And if you have SIBO, you're probably bloated every time you eat, not just with a fatty meal. So
Divya Gupta: exactly, that's why,
Julie Michelson: tip. Yeah. Ah,
Divya Gupta: fat content is more, number one, number two, you know, you have the stomach distension and you're burping a lot, it's, it's, A, it's, you know, nobody wants to be burping after a meal, that could be a little, okay, Why am I burping so much and my stomach is extended?
Divya Gupta: And then number three is you could [Page//00:18:00] have clay colored stool because bile plays a role in the color of your stool. So if your stool is getting colored lighter, that could be one sign of, you know, you know, your bile metabolism could be off. Uh, number four is you are low in your fat soluble vitamins because, uh, our bile,
Julie Michelson: yeah.
Divya Gupta: um, You know, a bite helps us digest the fatty meal, right?
Divya Gupta: The fat in our meal, which and a fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. And how many of us are low in vitamin D? And how many of people do you see are low in those? And that could be a sign if you know, and you can keep taking supplements, you know, a supplement for vitamin D and a supplement. And if you still don't see all your levels.
Divya Gupta: Getting to normal ranges, that could be a sign that, okay, that you're, you know, if you don't have the bile to absorb, even if you take the supplement, that could be a sign. And a number of us, like, you know, just chalk it up to [Page//00:19:00] aging. I'm getting older, so I'm, you know, my eyes are getting weaker. You know, because you need your vitamin A for your eye health.
Divya Gupta: Your, you know, your vitamin E is such a great antioxidant as well that we need. Your K is for blood clotting. So, you know, that could be one indicator and obviously your gallbladder by then, you know, you would feel it. Trust me, you'll feel it at a time. But if you're on the right side, if you feel a little inflamed or if it hurts a little, maybe it's, maybe those are some signs that people can start paying attention to.
Julie Michelson: such, such good advice. So you just mentioned, you know, this absorption of the fat soluble vitamins and nutrients. Um, how else does You know what, this connection between these organs and, and our nutrient, you know, what, what else are we looking for? Cause hopefully everybody listening at this point knows, you know, at least what their vitamin D is [Page//00:20:00] and, and, you know, how hard, I mean, it took me years and years and years to get my vitamin D up to, you know, what I would consider an optimal level.
Julie Michelson: Um, that's, I don't have an issue with that anymore, but you know, some people haven't supplemented their low, especially in the autoimmune community, you know, usually they're low if they're not supplementing, um, again, chicken or egg, but some people supplement and, you know, fairly quickly their levels normalize and some people it's, it really takes a long time.
Julie Michelson: Um, are there other nutrients that can be an indicator, you know, or that, that these organs are important for
Divya Gupta: know, Oh, absolutely. Like, you know, uh, just, uh, just, you know, that just reminded me after like years, this year, like last year, my vitamin D was finally above
Julie Michelson: Isn't, isn't that exciting?
Divya Gupta: Yeah, and it took, and it, as you said, it took years [Page//00:21:00] and I,
Julie Michelson: me two.
Divya Gupta: and I was supplementing and, you know, of course I don't have a gallbladder. Uh, you know, I have an autoimmune condition, so, you know, you have to work on my gut.
Divya Gupta: So for everyone listening, you know, both Julie and I, it takes years and it takes time. You have to be patient and keep working at it. Um, so I was so happy to finally get that vitamin D 56 or around 60 and we wanted to be between 50 and 80 to meet optimal levels around,
Julie Michelson: and a hundred, so I am even higher.
Divya Gupta: higher, you know, so at least above a 50 I was happy or, you know, you know, everyone I know everyone has their ranges,
Julie Michelson: Well, and big difference between in the 50s and in the 20s, too. So, yeah.
Divya Gupta: I know this was not part but everyone you know, standard ranges of vitamin D is 30. You know, it's between 30 and 50. They say you're normal and 30 itself. It's okay, but it's not optimal.
Julie Michelson: Well, and, and the, I think one of the, one of the blessings to come out of [Page//00:22:00] the, the period we're maybe coming out of now. Um, you know, during COVID and post COVID people were learning finally about vitamin D and and they're a little less scared of it. And I qualify her here. It is a fat soluble vitamin. So you need to be testing.
Julie Michelson: Um, I don't, you know, if you're supplementing, especially you need to be testing and make sure we don't, we don't want to go, you're not going to excrete this in your urine. Um, so, but now I've seen, um, I wrote an article about this, even like LabCorp, their ranges. Over the past two or three years have shifted from that lower end of the scale because you have to remember when you're looking at normal on a lab panel, you're looking at the average, right?
Julie Michelson: So now that more people are supplementing all of a sudden, those ranges are going higher. Um, which is good because the, the doctors that aren't so educated about vitamin D now aren't panicking because a good level is not getting flagged on a regular lab panel. [Page//00:23:00] Um, so, you know, but it is, it is important to watch for sure.
Divya Gupta: absolutely. We took a little digression, but I think it was an important to talk about the vitamin D level. And I'm so yes, I'm so glad, you know, silver lining for COVID. It was a hard time for everyone, but people are finally taking, looking, taking it into the immunity, their vitamin, their gut health. So which is, which is okay.
Divya Gupta: I'll take that, you know, people have taken that. So, you know, let's talk, you know, get back to the question on, you know, let's talk about vials. Yeah. You know, as I said, and I think in the beginning, nothing in our body just does one function, does one role. So our bile also just doesn't help us, you know, digest and break down our fatty meal, that is number one.
Divya Gupta: But it is also helps us to get rid of excess hormones, excess estrogen that our body doesn't need. It binds to it and gets it out to a peak of matter. And what is, what are hormones made of? Uh, guess what a fat. So now so [Page//00:24:00] so now if you're low in you know, you can see the domino effect here Now if you're low in your fat soluble vitamins and now it can play a role in your hormone Imbalances and number of people are working on the have hormones unbalanced working on their hormones But you need to go upstream to see okay.
Divya Gupta: Are you absorbing your fats? Do you have the right nutrients and the fat soluble vitamins to make the hormones? So that's another role bio plays in plays as well You The other role it plays, it's also in, it's like a great antimicrobial, uh, you know, you know, you know, it gets, you know, as it goes into our gut, into digestion, it gets rid of pathogens and bacteria that we get exposed to, you know, the stomach also does a great job of that, but bile also helps support that.
Divya Gupta: So we. Don't have an overgrowth of the bad bacteria. So it plays a role in that. And there is also a role. It also signals the HCL production in that, and that direction, you know, to, you know, for a stomach to produce a hydrochloric acid, that is so important for protein [Page//00:25:00] digestion and, and, you know, to get our food in the right acidity level.
Divya Gupta: So it can go to step two and the number of people who have issues with acidity, So, so no, that's, uh, you know, Just what I listed four or five different ways, how bile can help and the way our bile is metabolized in our body, the way it helps with nutrient absorption, our hormones, and also getting rid of things that we don't need.
Divya Gupta: So
Julie Michelson: So what are, I want to, I want to go in two directions with this. First, what are some ways, those of us that still have our gallbladder, um, you know, what are some, some things we can be doing to take care of liver and gallbladder?
Divya Gupta: yeah, no, great question. And this is the part that I love. Yes. Um, so let me, I love to break it down into, uh, nutrition, nutrition. Supplements and also lifestyle because there's never one thing I wish there was a magic pill and we could all take it and be, you know, be rich, live, get, you know, you can get you and I can get an island and [Page//00:26:00] live there, but no, there isn't.
Divya Gupta: So I'll walk through what you can do in these three buckets. And, you know, when you have a gallbladder and also if you don't have a gallbladder, what do you need to like? I don't
Julie Michelson: good. You're going to handle both. That was going to be my next question because we're not saying like, Oh, just throw in the towel. If you don't have a gallbladder, there are steps you can take if you don't have a gallbladder to support all of these processes that are going along.
Divya Gupta: yeah, absolutely. So if you have a gallbladder and you're supporting a liver and gallbladder should be like an everyday. It's not just one time thing, right? So number one, when it comes to nutrition, your liver loves bitter foods. So your bitter foods are your arugula, your endives, artichokes, um, um, you know, your dandelion root, your milk thistle tea.
Divya Gupta: Those are the herb, the turmeric. Oh my God. Turmeric is so, it's so great for your liver. And there is a Indian vegetable called bitter [Page//00:27:00] gourd. It's in English. You can get it in Indian market. It's like, it's really bitter. I love it. So really incorporating these liver loving foods, um, some other foods which are not bitter, like beetroot, your liver, it's great.
Divya Gupta: It helps your liver support your liver. And, um, uh, gosh, you know, I'm blanking on it, but. That is, I mean, there are more foods. So, you know, even, you know, your cruciferous vegetables. That's what, you know, your cauliflower, your
Julie Michelson: Sure. Those are detox supporters. Yeah.
Divya Gupta: detoxify your alien family, which is your garlic and your onion.
Divya Gupta: So just incorporating these foods into your meals is number, number one way to support your liver and your gallbladder. Number two, when it's also from, you know, taking out those excess, sugars and processed food out of your, out of your diet, the sad, sad American diet, you know, taking those out because, you know, your liver does so much.
Divya Gupta: It is, you know, detoxing. It's producing these [Page//00:28:00] hormones, producing bile. Let's not overburden it. Let's reduce the burden for, you know, while, while as we can, so it can readjust. So taking those foods out is important. And number three is, you know, really focusing on, you know, a whole foods based diet. You know, the right amount of plant and animal based protein also plays a role, making sure you're having whole foods, you know, eat something that grows on a plant, not made in a plant
Julie Michelson: Right.
Divya Gupta: heard it somewhere.
Divya Gupta: And I'm like, I love that, you know, focusing on a whole food stuff. And in a number of the one practice that has been a game changer in my health is. Starting your day with hot water and lemon. Now lemon is so great as a detoxifying agent. It supports your liver health. I sometimes add a pinch of turmeric to it as well in the morning. And if I'm feeling a little sick under the weather, I'll add some ginger in it too. And especially on cooler, colder months. So these ginger spices are so supportive and so [Page//00:29:00] easy to do to start making into your habit. So those are from the nutrients aspect. And if you know, you have a gallbladder, you have your liver and you, you know, you've, you know, you, you identify yourself with some of the symptoms I talked about, maybe giving fatty foods a break for a little bit would be helpful.
Divya Gupta: Like, we're not saying take it out because we need healthy fats, but at this point, maybe a body is not able to process them. We just take your foot out of that pedal and so that your liver can readjust because the liver cells rejuvenate every six weeks. So, you know, we, you know, give it a chance to get back, um, rejuvenate.
Divya Gupta: So those are some on the nutrient side. Um, you can help also alcohol, you know, limited alcohol, uh, consumption or reduce it for some time during, during this period where you're supporting a liver and gallbladder health. Uh, when it comes to lifestyle exercising, you know, we, we all know it has numerous benefits, but it's, it's [Page//00:30:00] more about the sweating because skin is another one of our detoxifying organs, right?
Divya Gupta: So when we sweat, we detox as well. So it's important to, you know, get your sweat on. And it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or, you know, hit workout to be 15, 20 minutes of high intensity. And for whatever reason, you know, you have an injury or, you know, you are in certain stage in your pregnancy, or could be that you cannot really go to the gym, maybe intraret saunas or saunas could be very supportive of detoxifying as well from a lifestyle aspect.
Divya Gupta: And when it comes to supplements and herbs, you know, If you need digestion support, right, your digestive enzymes or hydrochloric acid could be great supportive help because your, your liver and your gallbladder needs support to help digest those fat. And the other is ox bile or bile salts could also be helpful, you know, to provide that bile to break down your food so you can absorb, uh, absorb those [Page//00:31:00] nutrients.
Divya Gupta: So yeah, there's so much we,
Julie Michelson: if you don't, if you, you know, know you got your gallbladder out. then really look to be supplementing with something like the ox bile because you know, you need it. You're not, you're not, you don't have it at the ready to help digest.
Divya Gupta: It's like, I don't have a gallbladder. Yes, my liver is producing bile, but it's just slowly just trickling into the, uh, your, into your duodenum, right, into your small intestine. So, yes, I do need to have ox bile and bile, uh, you know, bile. Assets that I take regularly, especially with my fatty meals. I make sure I have it and, and a body, you know, it's beautiful.
Divya Gupta: It adjusts as well. It's been what, 21 years. So yes, absolutely. And, you know, some of the teas, herbal teas, the milk, thistle tea, dandelion teas could also be very supportive for your. Uh, liver health as well. So if you don't have a gallbladder, you definitely need to get. Get on digest, digestive support your ox bile.
Divya Gupta: Um, you know, a digestive enzyme or [Page//00:32:00] hydrochloric acid as well. A combination of simple apple cider vinegar and having apple cider vinegar before a meal could also stimulate hydrochloric acid production and could great for blood sugar as well. So those are some simple tips that People can take if you still have all your organs, those organs, or if you don't have, and again, it's, it's totally okay.
Divya Gupta: We're just having fun here. I don't have it. And it's fine. Yes, you can live and you can be healthy. And, but you just need the right support. just have to support for it.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Which I love. And, and that's where it's so frustrating for me when people come in and they've had their gallbladder bladder removed. And they're told by the surgeon, you don't need to do anything. Just go back to how you were living before, which is never the answer when we've had an issue with an organ and then lost the organ.
Julie Michelson: So
Divya Gupta: and yeah, I, I was never told I had 20 and again, nobody informed me about that. You need support even for a year. It was not until I got started learning about it myself. And even then it, you know. [Page//00:33:00] Working on your gut is also important. Your gut health also is important. You know, cleaning up your diet, it all is supportive to your bile.
Divya Gupta: And, you know, I didn't touch upon that, you know, like even toxins, that we are surrounded by toxins. You know, it's impossible to live in an environment where we are toxin free. Even if I go to a jungle, I'm sure our soil is so sprayed and the water is depleted. So because our liver also has to, you know, detoxify, take care of all the environmental toxins that we breathe in, that we touch.
Divya Gupta: So cleaning up your, you know, personal care products, you know, your cleaning products in your house, just taking, you know, your cooking utensils. We get exposed to reducing your, to your toxic burden so your liver has, can do what it needs to do without just constantly, I need to get rid, detox, I need to get rid of these toxins.
Divya Gupta: And then, you know, it's sort of,
Julie Michelson: Overworking, overworking that liver, which is exactly back to what you said about the processed foods, right? If you're. Throwing a bunch of processed foods into your body, your livers [Page//00:34:00] working on that. It's not going to be able to handle the toxic burden of, of, you know, just living on this planet in present time.
Julie Michelson: So amazing. You have covered so much for us already. I always ask for one step that listeners can take starting today to improve their health.
Divya Gupta: My advice, even to all my clients and, you know, anyone, you know, when I was asked this question gets asked, it's like, you know, it can sound so overwhelming and you're listening to this podcast and everyone comes up with their nuggets and tips and it can be like, Oh my God, I can't do anything. And you throw in the towel.
Divya Gupta: It just seems so hard. I would say just start small. Maybe start at one thing. Adopt one thing. Okay, maybe I'm going to start my day with hot water and lemon. That's it. And you make it a habit and you stack on another one at a later time. So, you know, start at one place. Maybe it's cleaning up your personal care products is where you're starting.
Divya Gupta: And that will benefit your [Page//00:35:00] overall health. It'll be so supportive. So start small. Take one step at a time until it becomes a habit is what my advice to be is. You know, I know it's overwhelming. It's hard, but. You can do it.
Julie Michelson: pick that one thing, you know, you can do and then build on that. That's brilliant, brilliant advice. So you have an exciting project coming up, which is how we met to begin with. Can you share with listeners about your upcoming summit?
Divya Gupta: Yes, I have a summit on reset your thyroid and reverse Hashimoto's going live April 1st. And as you know, I'm so, you know, thyroid and Hashimoto's, that's how my journey into this, uh, into this space started. And I really want to share the message across, like, the audience that there is A lot you can do.
Divya Gupta: There are simple strategies that you can adopt to be an empowered consumer of your own health. So you can be better advocates when you go talk to your doctor or the medical profession you're working with And you have to look at it holistically [Page//00:36:00] from from your lifestyle to your thyroid health How do you if you are medication, how can you navigate that?
Divya Gupta: What are your labs? What are some lifestyle practices? What are some hormones? How does stress play a role and have Amazing experts, including Julie, you're part of the summit as you know, have more than 25 experts, uh, coming in speaking on different topics. And I'm so excited for our conversation on preventing the autoimmune domino effect.
Divya Gupta: You know, as I said initially, yes, in my bio, when my mom went from Hashimoto's to Rheumatoid, and you have such, you know, that's how your journey into the space started. Because you know, once you get an autoimmune condition, you're three times likely to get another one. So really, you know, um, I can't wait to get
Julie Michelson: don't have to, that's the, you know, sign up for the summit and get, get, find out how to avoid that domino effect. Yeah. But also. That I know I'm familiar with a lot of the other experts. I know the interviews are going to be amazing. I can't wait for the summit to get out and, and we will [Page//00:37:00] have links in the show notes for you so that you can easily sign up for the summit
Divya Gupta: Thank you. So looking forward to seeing you there and everyone join us at the summit too.
Julie Michelson: as am I. And tell us for people that are listening on the go and not looking at the show notes right now, where's the best place? They're like, Oh my gosh, Divya has so much information. I want to find out more about her. Where's the best place to find you?
Divya Gupta: Yes, they can find me on my website, DivyaGupta. net and I'm quite active on Instagram as well. So it's at underscore Div Gupta. I know those links will be in the show notes. So those are the two places you can, you can find me.
Julie Michelson: Wonderful. Divya. Thank you so much. You have given us amazing gold today.
Divya Gupta: Thank you so much, Julie, for having me and for doing what you do and sharing the method, you know, we need, the world needs you.
Julie Michelson: Well, thank you. We need these conversations to continue. So thank you everybody. Check out Divya's [Page//00:38:00] upcoming summit. You can get all of the links and the show notes by visiting inspiredliving. show. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I'll see you next week.
Julie Michelson: Divya's [Page//00:01:00] expertise reflects a departure from conventional approaches, emphasizing a holistic approach to well being. In today's episode, we're discussing the connection between liver and gallbladder health and thyroid health. Divya not only explains how these organs work together synergistically, but she gives us tips to support liver, gallbladder, and thyroid health wherever you may be in your health journey.
Julie Michelson: Divya, welcome to the podcast.
Divya Gupta: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here, Julie.
Julie Michelson: I am excited for our conversation. I know this is going to just be of so much value to the, to listeners. So I want to know if you would share some of your story, um, because you actually have a, a fun, well, probably wasn't fun for you, but a unique story and kind of entry into this autoimmune functional medicine world.
Divya Gupta: Absolutely. Um, yes, it wasn't fun, but you know, when we look back, it [Page//00:02:00] all happened for a reason. So I, I, I'm an Indian immigrant. Uh, this year marked my 20 years in this country and, you know, like most Indian immigrants, I came here on a very stereotypical path of Finishing my computer science engineering in India, then came here for my master's.
Divya Gupta: I went to an IB school doing master's in information systems and management, and then I started working in corporate America, worked in corporate America for 15 plus years, and never in a million years I thought I would be doing completely science. So different, different, you know, my dad would like all the thousands of dollars I spent on your education.
Divya Gupta: And now I'm like, not, not, not doing that, but, you know, we all come into the space of either, you know, with our own story that we struggle with, or we want somebody very close to us going through something that really inspires us. And we find a purpose. And I had a little bit of both going. So my health challenges started with my own at the age of 20, while I was still in India in my final year of engineering, I lost my [Page//00:03:00] gallbladder.
Divya Gupta: Due to painful stones and we and it all happened within a matter of few months where you know, I woke up one night You know, around 2, 3 a. m. in pain and, and I'm like, you know, maybe I ate something funny that day or, you know, it could be whatever I'm just spacing the room because that's the only thing that seemed to like keep the pain at bay to space and it got fine and then you go back to sleep, but then it happened again the next day, the next day I didn't tell my parents because I'm like, why bother them?
Divya Gupta: It's just a tummy ache, right? But everything in the abdomen and tummy is like a general area. After, after a few nights, I'm like, okay, you know, I've been not sleeping well and I'm in pain. I finally told my parents, they're like, okay, just wake us up next time. And of course it happened again. I woke them up and it was so confusing.
Divya Gupta: Not sure, you know, trying different medicines, different things, nothing worked until fast forward. One night I was, I was in excruciating pain and tears. I'm like, okay, let's, let's just go to the emergency [Page//00:04:00] room at this point to find out what's going on. Yeah. And that's when, that's when they found out, oh, you have gallstone.
Divya Gupta: So in some regard, it was a relief, at least now I know what it is. Uh, though at the age of 20, I don't, I, and I was doing, you know, I was not in biology. I didn't know what the gallbladder is or what, you know, I know it's an organ in a body. What, but what, what role does it play? Why is it there? I don't know.
Divya Gupta: Like, okay. Fine, you know, we go to the endocrinologist. Oh, we can take it out because you know, you don't need that organ. You can live without it. I'm like, you know, get me out of this pain, get me out of this misery, whatever it takes. And I had scheduled it, you know, everything in life as if you can schedule it.
Divya Gupta: I'm like, I have my exams. I'm going, let's do the surgery after it. But One fine night, you know, life has other plans. Oh my God. You know, there are certain things in life. I don't remember a lot about being 20 and a lot of things that happened, but I remember these episodes and this one night where I woke up in so much pain.
Divya Gupta: I've been through childbirth and I would take childbirth [Page//00:05:00] any day. Then the pain that I was going through it,
Julie Michelson: yeah,
Divya Gupta: I, you know, throwing up, I was in tears. I know my mom is in tears. Like we had to be rushed out to be rushed to the ER. And the surgery had to be done that night. Otherwise the gallbladder would have burst with stone. Okay. So, you know, the gallbladder is out, you know, life is back. I'm not in pain, move on. You know, I came to the U S but my health challenge is still continued. You know, you're so focused on your academics and what you need to do. And you're young and in twenties too, you just keep pushing through. But by the time I turned 24, 25, I was still dealing with digestive issues.
Divya Gupta: And, you know, I would still get those PTSD, like sort of. pain at times and not sure why and I get diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Knowing what I know now and you know like you know these are gallbladder and the thyroid is connected but at that point now I have an autoimmune condition and nobody really dug in.
Divya Gupta: Maybe when I was 20 if somebody had asked another question or dug in a why as a 20 year old [Page//00:06:00] healthy Have a gallbladder issue. Maybe my thyroid condition could have been salvaged or managed or, you know, reversed. But at 25, I had my Hashimoto's and even then, you know, the Synthroid, the pill that was given and you move on with, uh, move on with your life.
Divya Gupta: And for me, what really lit the fire and how, how I got into the space is my mom. Was also going through the exact same journey as I was. So she had a gallbladder removed a couple of years before mine, but she didn't have any pain. So we really didn't make the connection when I had pain. She had a Hashimoto's diagnosis.
Divya Gupta: And around the time I had my Hashimoto's diagnosis, she got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which Julie, I know that you've been through it personally. So, So, and I'm like, okay, you know, I don't know what, but something in my brain, brain lit up. I'm like, I'm watching a movie, a preview of a movie. And if I don't make any changes and following exact same path, I probably will get there sooner.
Divya Gupta: And that's when I'm like, okay, I got into it. What can I do? What can I change? And this is 16 years ago, 15 years ago. [Page//00:07:00] I didn't know like, I had to look for gut health or what are you, you know, I just got into the literature. Let me change my diet. I picked up. Few health books and, and it made such a huge difference.
Divya Gupta: And that's where my love affair with health and wellness started. I'm like, I need to know more. What can I do? I'm feeling better. Like, you know, my digestion is better. My mood's better. My energy is better. And why aren't people talking about it? And that really started my quest to learn more, going back to school and getting my nutrition certificate and not quit my Silicon Valley job to my parents.
Divya Gupta: This may and now. But you know what, they're like happy, like, you know, I'm helping people get, get their life, life back.
Julie Michelson: Amazing. And you're, and you're healthy and happy, which is, you know, is what the number one. So let's talk about this. How is gallbladder connected to, you know, thyroid Hashimoto's, you know, how, how are you connecting those [Page//00:08:00] dots?
Divya Gupta: No, you know, one would think, okay, you know, you know, each of these, the thyroid, the gallbladder, liver, they all sit in different parts on our system. How are they connected? But you know, nothing in our body works in isolation. It's all interconnected and every part of a body or organ performs multiple functions as well.
Divya Gupta: They never just do one thing. So let me back up a little, you know, for your thyroid to work effectively, you know, it needs five different organs to work synergistically together, you know, your brain. Of course, the thyroid, because your brain first sends a signal to the thyroid to produce the hormone thyroid hormones, then you need your liver and your gallbladder will get into that and also your adrenals. Now, when it comes to, let's talk about the liver for a second. Now, when your liver is your master detox organ, like does so much for us, it filters our blood, it synthesizes our vitamin D. [Page//00:09:00] It produces cholesterol, it produces bile, it, you know, stores our excess glucose, and I'm, I'm sure I'm missing a ton different.
Divya Gupta: It does, it does, it does a ton, right? So it is important. And actually, I'm forgetting an important function that I should mention. It's also the place where the, Inactive thyroid hormone gets converted to the active form, and that's important. The T4 to T3 conversion, a lot of it happens in the liver as well.
Divya Gupta: And, and we talked about it produces bile. And a gallbladder, which sits right underneath the liver, it's like a little pear shaped organ on the right side. So once the liver produces the bile, it stores it in the gallbladder to be used when we eat a fatty meal. And, you know, A bile, again, is produced by the, uh, produced in the liver.
Divya Gupta: It uses a lot of raw materials, your cholesterol, your bile salt, your bile acids, and water and, you know, a few more of the raw [Page//00:10:00] materials that go into it to produce the bile. And when it goes into the gallbladder, it gets stored. It, it's, you know, it can get concentrated and it gets more concentrated. So when we do eat a fatty meal, A, it is present.
Divya Gupta: And two, it is in the right concentration so that in an appropriate amount can be squeezed out into a small amount of time. It can digest a fatty meal as well. So, and you know, your question, you know, we asked him about how is now, now, okay, Viviana, how is this connected to our thyroid health? So we, number one, we talked about how our liver converts.
Divya Gupta: Hy, you know, uh, T four to T three. Now, if a thyroid is, you know, you know, like we talking about hypo, like, you know, it's not functioning as well, it's underactive or even it could be subclinical, right? You don't have to be outside of the ranges for it to not perform well. You could be on the upper end or higher end of optimal ranges.
Divya Gupta: A whole other conversation about our standard and [Page//00:11:00] optimal ranges out there now that will impact your amount of hormone that is produced. And then it will also impact on the cholesterol production. Our thyroid has a direct impact on our cholesterol production. And cholesterol is also, as I said, a raw material into bile.
Divya Gupta: Now just think of it, you know, you're making a stew, you need all these raw materials and everything is off. So now your consistency of your bile, now your bile is not of the right, you know, it doesn't have everything that it needs in the right amount. And So that could be one way how your thyroid could impact.
Divya Gupta: The second is, okay, now say, even if that's been produced fine, it's stored in the gallbladder, the bile, your thyroid plays a huge role in every day, every function in your body, from your mood to your energy. To how you digest your food, to your fertility, uh, to your heat intolerance or cold intolerance, uh, you name [Page//00:12:00] it, thyroid, your thyroid has a role to play in it.
Divya Gupta: And as I said, you know, one of the important points is, you know, the energy, you know, it provides, our thyroid helps, uh, gives ourselves the energy. So now, even if you have the bile in your gallbladder, It needs to be squeezed. It needs to be contracted and squeezed out. And now, each of our cells in our body, we have, what, a trillion of cells, have these receptors for the thyroid hormone.
Divya Gupta: Now, if your thyroid is not functioning well, it's low, your gallbladder cell does not have The right amount of thyroid hormone in it to contract and squeeze out the appropriate amount of bile. Now what happens? So it's, it's not functioning. It's tired. And the bile is going to back up into still in the gallbladder.
Divya Gupta: Your liver is still producing and throwing it into the gallbladder. Now it's not squeezing it out. Now it gets backs up. It can get sludgy. And that could [Page//00:13:00] now form gall stones. And 90 percent of gallstones are cholesterol based, right? So now you can see how your thyroid, you know, malfunction or not appropriate impacts your cholesterol production, which can impact your bile production, then how it's stored in your, and how the bile is stored in the gallbladder and how it can eventually lead to gallstones.
Divya Gupta: Yeah.
Julie Michelson: So wait a minute. you, are you saying, um, first of all, that when somebody has gallstones, we don't need to immediately remove gallbladder. And also, if you're diagnosed with gallstones, it should we be immediately if we haven't already, like looking at thyroid. And that connection is a potential reason why the gallstones are forming to begin with.
Divya Gupta: Oh, absolutely. You bring up a great point. Again, there is a synergistic relationship [Page//00:14:00] between a thyroid and the liver and gallbladder. It could be a thyroid, not, you know, subclinical or mouth under functioning can cause liver and gallbladder, or it could be the other way around, right? You know, liver and gallbladder could impact your thyroid as well.
Divya Gupta: So it's a chicken or the egg. It's so hard to know, but yes, you're absolutely right. If you, if you already have a thyroid condition, you know, You know, take care of your liver and gallbladder health. Or if you have been diagnosed with some gallbladder issues or you have, you know, your liver function, not functioning, get your thyroid check, get a full panel.
Divya Gupta: Absolutely. You, you know, you hit the nail on the head. You know, that was my, please go get your thyroid check. If you're having gallstones or if you have gallbladder, because I was looking at some stats, Julie, and there are in the U S I think it's 20. In the last year, 600, 000 blood removal surgeries are
Julie Michelson: it's almost, almost treated like an appendix at this point, where if somebody has pain, it's like first line of treatment is removed, you know, if they see [Page//00:15:00] gallstones. And I know people are told that, you know, well, if you have them, then you're going to keep getting them and people are convinced that they don't need them and I too, I work with so many people that have had their gallbladder removed, you know, before I've even met them.
Julie Michelson: Um, and you were particularly young, which is, is really fascinating. Um, really makes me, yeah, like back to that chicken or egg, it's like, hmm, was your thyroid maybe subclinical at that point? Um, really,
Divya Gupta: I, I, I, yeah, I, I don't have any blood work or lab results. I, it's been what I'm 41. I, I don't know at this point, but yeah, you're right. Chicken and the egg. And it could, you know, we all have our genes, but you know, if the genetics play the role, it's, you know, what our environment and the toxin that pulls the trigger.
Divya Gupta: So yes, you know, every woman in our family, and it's very common in Southeast Asian women. And. It could be more research of why, yes, we have the genes, [Page//00:16:00] but then the food, the toxin, the toxins, the environmental. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: And that becomes that chicken or egg, you know, we talk about toxins all the time. And, and like you said, it's like, okay, is it toxins affecting liver than affecting thyroid? You know, it is. And, and also we don't need to know.
Divya Gupta: hmm.
Julie Michelson: know, once, once we have an awareness that something is going on, um, we can investigate and make sure that we're protecting all of these organs.
Julie Michelson: Um, I'm curious. So your story, you know, you obviously had like severe pain and we're at that point where the gallstones were causing a real problem. Um, but what are some indications for people that maybe their gallbladder is not so happy?
Divya Gupta: Yeah. Great question. You know, mine was just when was yelling at me.
Julie Michelson: Right. Well, as most of us, you know, the body whispers and we don't pay attention cause we're busy.
Divya Gupta: Yeah. We're not paying [Page//00:17:00] attention to the little nudges that our body is giving. So. You know, so these are some symptoms that you could be feeling if before we call better gets to like the yelling stage. Number one is, you know, you're getting bloated after eating a fatty meal and, you know, we could all experience bloating some different times.
Divya Gupta: And that could be so many different reasons for bloating. You know, you could have SIBO small intestine bacterial overgrowth or other reasons you got dysbiosis, but especially after eating a fattier meal, you're feeling bloated. That's one, like, little
Julie Michelson: And if you have SIBO, you're probably bloated every time you eat, not just with a fatty meal. So
Divya Gupta: exactly, that's why,
Julie Michelson: tip. Yeah. Ah,
Divya Gupta: fat content is more, number one, number two, you know, you have the stomach distension and you're burping a lot, it's, it's, A, it's, you know, nobody wants to be burping after a meal, that could be a little, okay, Why am I burping so much and my stomach is extended?
Divya Gupta: And then number three is you could [Page//00:18:00] have clay colored stool because bile plays a role in the color of your stool. So if your stool is getting colored lighter, that could be one sign of, you know, you know, your bile metabolism could be off. Uh, number four is you are low in your fat soluble vitamins because, uh, our bile,
Julie Michelson: yeah.
Divya Gupta: um, You know, a bite helps us digest the fatty meal, right?
Divya Gupta: The fat in our meal, which and a fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. And how many of us are low in vitamin D? And how many of people do you see are low in those? And that could be a sign if you know, and you can keep taking supplements, you know, a supplement for vitamin D and a supplement. And if you still don't see all your levels.
Divya Gupta: Getting to normal ranges, that could be a sign that, okay, that you're, you know, if you don't have the bile to absorb, even if you take the supplement, that could be a sign. And a number of us, like, you know, just chalk it up to [Page//00:19:00] aging. I'm getting older, so I'm, you know, my eyes are getting weaker. You know, because you need your vitamin A for your eye health.
Divya Gupta: Your, you know, your vitamin E is such a great antioxidant as well that we need. Your K is for blood clotting. So, you know, that could be one indicator and obviously your gallbladder by then, you know, you would feel it. Trust me, you'll feel it at a time. But if you're on the right side, if you feel a little inflamed or if it hurts a little, maybe it's, maybe those are some signs that people can start paying attention to.
Julie Michelson: such, such good advice. So you just mentioned, you know, this absorption of the fat soluble vitamins and nutrients. Um, how else does You know what, this connection between these organs and, and our nutrient, you know, what, what else are we looking for? Cause hopefully everybody listening at this point knows, you know, at least what their vitamin D is [Page//00:20:00] and, and, you know, how hard, I mean, it took me years and years and years to get my vitamin D up to, you know, what I would consider an optimal level.
Julie Michelson: Um, that's, I don't have an issue with that anymore, but you know, some people haven't supplemented their low, especially in the autoimmune community, you know, usually they're low if they're not supplementing, um, again, chicken or egg, but some people supplement and, you know, fairly quickly their levels normalize and some people it's, it really takes a long time.
Julie Michelson: Um, are there other nutrients that can be an indicator, you know, or that, that these organs are important for
Divya Gupta: know, Oh, absolutely. Like, you know, uh, just, uh, just, you know, that just reminded me after like years, this year, like last year, my vitamin D was finally above
Julie Michelson: Isn't, isn't that exciting?
Divya Gupta: Yeah, and it took, and it, as you said, it took years [Page//00:21:00] and I,
Julie Michelson: me two.
Divya Gupta: and I was supplementing and, you know, of course I don't have a gallbladder. Uh, you know, I have an autoimmune condition, so, you know, you have to work on my gut.
Divya Gupta: So for everyone listening, you know, both Julie and I, it takes years and it takes time. You have to be patient and keep working at it. Um, so I was so happy to finally get that vitamin D 56 or around 60 and we wanted to be between 50 and 80 to meet optimal levels around,
Julie Michelson: and a hundred, so I am even higher.
Divya Gupta: higher, you know, so at least above a 50 I was happy or, you know, you know, everyone I know everyone has their ranges,
Julie Michelson: Well, and big difference between in the 50s and in the 20s, too. So, yeah.
Divya Gupta: I know this was not part but everyone you know, standard ranges of vitamin D is 30. You know, it's between 30 and 50. They say you're normal and 30 itself. It's okay, but it's not optimal.
Julie Michelson: Well, and, and the, I think one of the, one of the blessings to come out of [Page//00:22:00] the, the period we're maybe coming out of now. Um, you know, during COVID and post COVID people were learning finally about vitamin D and and they're a little less scared of it. And I qualify her here. It is a fat soluble vitamin. So you need to be testing.
Julie Michelson: Um, I don't, you know, if you're supplementing, especially you need to be testing and make sure we don't, we don't want to go, you're not going to excrete this in your urine. Um, so, but now I've seen, um, I wrote an article about this, even like LabCorp, their ranges. Over the past two or three years have shifted from that lower end of the scale because you have to remember when you're looking at normal on a lab panel, you're looking at the average, right?
Julie Michelson: So now that more people are supplementing all of a sudden, those ranges are going higher. Um, which is good because the, the doctors that aren't so educated about vitamin D now aren't panicking because a good level is not getting flagged on a regular lab panel. [Page//00:23:00] Um, so, you know, but it is, it is important to watch for sure.
Divya Gupta: absolutely. We took a little digression, but I think it was an important to talk about the vitamin D level. And I'm so yes, I'm so glad, you know, silver lining for COVID. It was a hard time for everyone, but people are finally taking, looking, taking it into the immunity, their vitamin, their gut health. So which is, which is okay.
Divya Gupta: I'll take that, you know, people have taken that. So, you know, let's talk, you know, get back to the question on, you know, let's talk about vials. Yeah. You know, as I said, and I think in the beginning, nothing in our body just does one function, does one role. So our bile also just doesn't help us, you know, digest and break down our fatty meal, that is number one.
Divya Gupta: But it is also helps us to get rid of excess hormones, excess estrogen that our body doesn't need. It binds to it and gets it out to a peak of matter. And what is, what are hormones made of? Uh, guess what a fat. So now so [Page//00:24:00] so now if you're low in you know, you can see the domino effect here Now if you're low in your fat soluble vitamins and now it can play a role in your hormone Imbalances and number of people are working on the have hormones unbalanced working on their hormones But you need to go upstream to see okay.
Divya Gupta: Are you absorbing your fats? Do you have the right nutrients and the fat soluble vitamins to make the hormones? So that's another role bio plays in plays as well You The other role it plays, it's also in, it's like a great antimicrobial, uh, you know, you know, you know, it gets, you know, as it goes into our gut, into digestion, it gets rid of pathogens and bacteria that we get exposed to, you know, the stomach also does a great job of that, but bile also helps support that.
Divya Gupta: So we. Don't have an overgrowth of the bad bacteria. So it plays a role in that. And there is also a role. It also signals the HCL production in that, and that direction, you know, to, you know, for a stomach to produce a hydrochloric acid, that is so important for protein [Page//00:25:00] digestion and, and, you know, to get our food in the right acidity level.
Divya Gupta: So it can go to step two and the number of people who have issues with acidity, So, so no, that's, uh, you know, Just what I listed four or five different ways, how bile can help and the way our bile is metabolized in our body, the way it helps with nutrient absorption, our hormones, and also getting rid of things that we don't need.
Divya Gupta: So
Julie Michelson: So what are, I want to, I want to go in two directions with this. First, what are some ways, those of us that still have our gallbladder, um, you know, what are some, some things we can be doing to take care of liver and gallbladder?
Divya Gupta: yeah, no, great question. And this is the part that I love. Yes. Um, so let me, I love to break it down into, uh, nutrition, nutrition. Supplements and also lifestyle because there's never one thing I wish there was a magic pill and we could all take it and be, you know, be rich, live, get, you know, you can get you and I can get an island and [Page//00:26:00] live there, but no, there isn't.
Divya Gupta: So I'll walk through what you can do in these three buckets. And, you know, when you have a gallbladder and also if you don't have a gallbladder, what do you need to like? I don't
Julie Michelson: good. You're going to handle both. That was going to be my next question because we're not saying like, Oh, just throw in the towel. If you don't have a gallbladder, there are steps you can take if you don't have a gallbladder to support all of these processes that are going along.
Divya Gupta: yeah, absolutely. So if you have a gallbladder and you're supporting a liver and gallbladder should be like an everyday. It's not just one time thing, right? So number one, when it comes to nutrition, your liver loves bitter foods. So your bitter foods are your arugula, your endives, artichokes, um, um, you know, your dandelion root, your milk thistle tea.
Divya Gupta: Those are the herb, the turmeric. Oh my God. Turmeric is so, it's so great for your liver. And there is a Indian vegetable called bitter [Page//00:27:00] gourd. It's in English. You can get it in Indian market. It's like, it's really bitter. I love it. So really incorporating these liver loving foods, um, some other foods which are not bitter, like beetroot, your liver, it's great.
Divya Gupta: It helps your liver support your liver. And, um, uh, gosh, you know, I'm blanking on it, but. That is, I mean, there are more foods. So, you know, even, you know, your cruciferous vegetables. That's what, you know, your cauliflower, your
Julie Michelson: Sure. Those are detox supporters. Yeah.
Divya Gupta: detoxify your alien family, which is your garlic and your onion.
Divya Gupta: So just incorporating these foods into your meals is number, number one way to support your liver and your gallbladder. Number two, when it's also from, you know, taking out those excess, sugars and processed food out of your, out of your diet, the sad, sad American diet, you know, taking those out because, you know, your liver does so much.
Divya Gupta: It is, you know, detoxing. It's producing these [Page//00:28:00] hormones, producing bile. Let's not overburden it. Let's reduce the burden for, you know, while, while as we can, so it can readjust. So taking those foods out is important. And number three is, you know, really focusing on, you know, a whole foods based diet. You know, the right amount of plant and animal based protein also plays a role, making sure you're having whole foods, you know, eat something that grows on a plant, not made in a plant
Julie Michelson: Right.
Divya Gupta: heard it somewhere.
Divya Gupta: And I'm like, I love that, you know, focusing on a whole food stuff. And in a number of the one practice that has been a game changer in my health is. Starting your day with hot water and lemon. Now lemon is so great as a detoxifying agent. It supports your liver health. I sometimes add a pinch of turmeric to it as well in the morning. And if I'm feeling a little sick under the weather, I'll add some ginger in it too. And especially on cooler, colder months. So these ginger spices are so supportive and so [Page//00:29:00] easy to do to start making into your habit. So those are from the nutrients aspect. And if you know, you have a gallbladder, you have your liver and you, you know, you've, you know, you, you identify yourself with some of the symptoms I talked about, maybe giving fatty foods a break for a little bit would be helpful.
Divya Gupta: Like, we're not saying take it out because we need healthy fats, but at this point, maybe a body is not able to process them. We just take your foot out of that pedal and so that your liver can readjust because the liver cells rejuvenate every six weeks. So, you know, we, you know, give it a chance to get back, um, rejuvenate.
Divya Gupta: So those are some on the nutrient side. Um, you can help also alcohol, you know, limited alcohol, uh, consumption or reduce it for some time during, during this period where you're supporting a liver and gallbladder health. Uh, when it comes to lifestyle exercising, you know, we, we all know it has numerous benefits, but it's, it's [Page//00:30:00] more about the sweating because skin is another one of our detoxifying organs, right?
Divya Gupta: So when we sweat, we detox as well. So it's important to, you know, get your sweat on. And it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or, you know, hit workout to be 15, 20 minutes of high intensity. And for whatever reason, you know, you have an injury or, you know, you are in certain stage in your pregnancy, or could be that you cannot really go to the gym, maybe intraret saunas or saunas could be very supportive of detoxifying as well from a lifestyle aspect.
Divya Gupta: And when it comes to supplements and herbs, you know, If you need digestion support, right, your digestive enzymes or hydrochloric acid could be great supportive help because your, your liver and your gallbladder needs support to help digest those fat. And the other is ox bile or bile salts could also be helpful, you know, to provide that bile to break down your food so you can absorb, uh, absorb those [Page//00:31:00] nutrients.
Divya Gupta: So yeah, there's so much we,
Julie Michelson: if you don't, if you, you know, know you got your gallbladder out. then really look to be supplementing with something like the ox bile because you know, you need it. You're not, you're not, you don't have it at the ready to help digest.
Divya Gupta: It's like, I don't have a gallbladder. Yes, my liver is producing bile, but it's just slowly just trickling into the, uh, your, into your duodenum, right, into your small intestine. So, yes, I do need to have ox bile and bile, uh, you know, bile. Assets that I take regularly, especially with my fatty meals. I make sure I have it and, and a body, you know, it's beautiful.
Divya Gupta: It adjusts as well. It's been what, 21 years. So yes, absolutely. And, you know, some of the teas, herbal teas, the milk, thistle tea, dandelion teas could also be very supportive for your. Uh, liver health as well. So if you don't have a gallbladder, you definitely need to get. Get on digest, digestive support your ox bile.
Divya Gupta: Um, you know, a digestive enzyme or [Page//00:32:00] hydrochloric acid as well. A combination of simple apple cider vinegar and having apple cider vinegar before a meal could also stimulate hydrochloric acid production and could great for blood sugar as well. So those are some simple tips that People can take if you still have all your organs, those organs, or if you don't have, and again, it's, it's totally okay.
Divya Gupta: We're just having fun here. I don't have it. And it's fine. Yes, you can live and you can be healthy. And, but you just need the right support. just have to support for it.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Which I love. And, and that's where it's so frustrating for me when people come in and they've had their gallbladder bladder removed. And they're told by the surgeon, you don't need to do anything. Just go back to how you were living before, which is never the answer when we've had an issue with an organ and then lost the organ.
Julie Michelson: So
Divya Gupta: and yeah, I, I was never told I had 20 and again, nobody informed me about that. You need support even for a year. It was not until I got started learning about it myself. And even then it, you know. [Page//00:33:00] Working on your gut is also important. Your gut health also is important. You know, cleaning up your diet, it all is supportive to your bile.
Divya Gupta: And, you know, I didn't touch upon that, you know, like even toxins, that we are surrounded by toxins. You know, it's impossible to live in an environment where we are toxin free. Even if I go to a jungle, I'm sure our soil is so sprayed and the water is depleted. So because our liver also has to, you know, detoxify, take care of all the environmental toxins that we breathe in, that we touch.
Divya Gupta: So cleaning up your, you know, personal care products, you know, your cleaning products in your house, just taking, you know, your cooking utensils. We get exposed to reducing your, to your toxic burden so your liver has, can do what it needs to do without just constantly, I need to get rid, detox, I need to get rid of these toxins.
Divya Gupta: And then, you know, it's sort of,
Julie Michelson: Overworking, overworking that liver, which is exactly back to what you said about the processed foods, right? If you're. Throwing a bunch of processed foods into your body, your livers [Page//00:34:00] working on that. It's not going to be able to handle the toxic burden of, of, you know, just living on this planet in present time.
Julie Michelson: So amazing. You have covered so much for us already. I always ask for one step that listeners can take starting today to improve their health.
Divya Gupta: My advice, even to all my clients and, you know, anyone, you know, when I was asked this question gets asked, it's like, you know, it can sound so overwhelming and you're listening to this podcast and everyone comes up with their nuggets and tips and it can be like, Oh my God, I can't do anything. And you throw in the towel.
Divya Gupta: It just seems so hard. I would say just start small. Maybe start at one thing. Adopt one thing. Okay, maybe I'm going to start my day with hot water and lemon. That's it. And you make it a habit and you stack on another one at a later time. So, you know, start at one place. Maybe it's cleaning up your personal care products is where you're starting.
Divya Gupta: And that will benefit your [Page//00:35:00] overall health. It'll be so supportive. So start small. Take one step at a time until it becomes a habit is what my advice to be is. You know, I know it's overwhelming. It's hard, but. You can do it.
Julie Michelson: pick that one thing, you know, you can do and then build on that. That's brilliant, brilliant advice. So you have an exciting project coming up, which is how we met to begin with. Can you share with listeners about your upcoming summit?
Divya Gupta: Yes, I have a summit on reset your thyroid and reverse Hashimoto's going live April 1st. And as you know, I'm so, you know, thyroid and Hashimoto's, that's how my journey into this, uh, into this space started. And I really want to share the message across, like, the audience that there is A lot you can do.
Divya Gupta: There are simple strategies that you can adopt to be an empowered consumer of your own health. So you can be better advocates when you go talk to your doctor or the medical profession you're working with And you have to look at it holistically [Page//00:36:00] from from your lifestyle to your thyroid health How do you if you are medication, how can you navigate that?
Divya Gupta: What are your labs? What are some lifestyle practices? What are some hormones? How does stress play a role and have Amazing experts, including Julie, you're part of the summit as you know, have more than 25 experts, uh, coming in speaking on different topics. And I'm so excited for our conversation on preventing the autoimmune domino effect.
Divya Gupta: You know, as I said initially, yes, in my bio, when my mom went from Hashimoto's to Rheumatoid, and you have such, you know, that's how your journey into the space started. Because you know, once you get an autoimmune condition, you're three times likely to get another one. So really, you know, um, I can't wait to get
Julie Michelson: don't have to, that's the, you know, sign up for the summit and get, get, find out how to avoid that domino effect. Yeah. But also. That I know I'm familiar with a lot of the other experts. I know the interviews are going to be amazing. I can't wait for the summit to get out and, and we will [Page//00:37:00] have links in the show notes for you so that you can easily sign up for the summit
Divya Gupta: Thank you. So looking forward to seeing you there and everyone join us at the summit too.
Julie Michelson: as am I. And tell us for people that are listening on the go and not looking at the show notes right now, where's the best place? They're like, Oh my gosh, Divya has so much information. I want to find out more about her. Where's the best place to find you?
Divya Gupta: Yes, they can find me on my website, DivyaGupta. net and I'm quite active on Instagram as well. So it's at underscore Div Gupta. I know those links will be in the show notes. So those are the two places you can, you can find me.
Julie Michelson: Wonderful. Divya. Thank you so much. You have given us amazing gold today.
Divya Gupta: Thank you so much, Julie, for having me and for doing what you do and sharing the method, you know, we need, the world needs you.
Julie Michelson: Well, thank you. We need these conversations to continue. So thank you everybody. Check out Divya's [Page//00:38:00] upcoming summit. You can get all of the links and the show notes by visiting inspiredliving. show. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I'll see you next week.
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Divya Gupta
Divya Gupta, a board-certified nutritionist (candidate) and Restorative Wellness Practitioner specializing in Gut Health, departed from her 15 years in corporate America to establish Divyaa Nutrition + Wellness. Faced with personal health challenges such as gallbladder removal and a Hashimoto's diagnosis, she became a wellness advocate, guiding ambitious professionals on a personalized journey to reclaim their health and live life on their terms.
Her expertise reflects a departure from conventional approaches, emphasizing a holistic approach to well-being.
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