Your liver plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of your health: detoxifying the blood, aiding digestion, balancing hormones, supporting metabolism, and more. When the liver becomes chronically impaired due to inflammation, fatty buildup, scarring (fibrosis), or other factors, it can quietly impact your energy, immune system, digestion, and long-term well-being.
At Vida Revival, Dr. Diana Alavi offers a functional medicine approach to managing chronic liver disease, one that goes beyond prescriptions and symptom management. By addressing root causes through nutrition, supplementation, IV nutrient therapy, peptide support, and lifestyle modification, patients can slow liver damage, reduce inflammation, and support natural regeneration.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with fatty liver disease, hepatitis, fibrosis, or cirrhosis, here’s what you need to know about how to support your liver with functional medicine principles.
Understanding Chronic Liver Disease
Chronic liver disease refers to a progressive condition in which the liver becomes damaged over time. Common causes include:
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Chronic hepatitis B or C infections
- Excess alcohol intake
- Autoimmune liver disease
- Drug-induced liver damage
- Metabolic disorders or insulin resistance
Regardless of the cause, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress can lead to liver cell damage, scarring, and, eventually, cirrhosis or liver failure if left unchecked. However, the liver is also remarkably resilient. With the right support, it can regenerate and regain function—even after years of damage.
How Functional Medicine Addresses Liver Health
Functional medicine focuses on identifying the root causes of liver dysfunction and restoring balance through individualized care. At Vida Revival, patients with chronic liver conditions are evaluated not just for their diagnosis, but for the biological patterns contributing to it, including:
- Insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance
- Nutrient deficiencies (especially B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and choline)
- Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction
- Inflammatory markers and gut permeability
- Hormonal imbalances and environmental toxin exposure
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all protocol, Dr. Alavi designs custom plans that include dietary changes, IV nutrient therapy, peptide support, and lifestyle coaching—all aimed at helping the liver heal from the inside out.
Liver-Supportive Diet: What to Eat and Avoid
Nutrition is one of the most powerful tools for protecting and restoring liver function. A liver-supportive diet focuses on reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, and supplying the nutrients the liver needs to regenerate.
Key dietary goals include:
- Whole foods focus: Prioritize unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries, avocado, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised proteins.
- Healthy fats: Include omega-3 fatty acids from sources like salmon, flax, and walnuts to reduce inflammation and support fat metabolism.
- Fiber-rich foods: Vegetables, legumes, and low-glycemic fruits help reduce cholesterol buildup in the liver and support detox pathways.
- Liver-lovers: Garlic, beets, turmeric, green tea, artichokes, and dandelion greens are known to assist liver detoxification and reduce oxidative stress.
- Low-glycemic carbohydrates: Limit sugar and refined carbs to stabilize blood sugar and reduce fatty accumulation in the liver.
Foods to avoid:
- Refined sugars, especially high-fructose corn syrup
- Alcohol
- Trans fats and processed seed oils
- Highly processed packaged foods
- Excess red meat or high-sodium foods in advanced liver conditions
IV Nutrient Therapy for Liver Support
Patients with liver disease are often nutrient-depleted due to impaired absorption, chronic inflammation, or medication side effects. IV therapy delivers vital nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system and ensuring maximum absorption.
At Vida Revival, liver-focused IV formulations may include:
- Glutathione: A powerful antioxidant that protects liver cells, supports detoxification, and neutralizes oxidative damage
- Vitamin C: Reduces inflammation and boosts immune function
- B-complex vitamins: Essential for energy metabolism and liver enzyme activity
- Magnesium and selenium: Help protect against further liver damage and assist with cellular repair
IV therapy is especially helpful for patients with low energy, brain fog, or advanced disease where digestion is compromised.
Peptide Therapy: Enhancing Regeneration
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as messengers in the body, regulating healing, inflammation, and metabolic function. Certain peptides show promise in supporting liver health by:
- Encouraging cellular repair and regeneration
- Improving insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism
- Modulating inflammatory pathways
- Supporting the production of growth factors that assist tissue repair
Dr. Alavi tailors peptide protocols based on the stage of liver disease, metabolic patterns, and overall health goals. When combined with other therapies, peptides offer a targeted way to support healing at the cellular level.
Lifestyle Modifications That Make a Difference
Beyond diet and supplementation, long-term liver health depends on consistent, daily habits that reduce internal stress and support overall metabolic balance.
Key lifestyle strategies include:
- Stress management: Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which can worsen insulin resistance and liver inflammation. Tools like breathwork, guided meditation, and nervous system regulation help shift the body into a healing state.
- Gentle, consistent movement: Daily walking, yoga, or resistance training improves insulin sensitivity and circulation without overburdening the liver.
- Hydration: Proper water intake supports detox pathways and bile production.
- Sleep hygiene: Prioritizing restorative sleep helps reduce inflammation, balance hormones, and support nighttime detoxification.
- Environmental detox: Reducing exposure to pesticides, household chemicals, plastics, and heavy metals can lessen the burden on an already stressed liver.
The Role of Stem Cell Therapy (When Appropriate)
In advanced or treatment-resistant liver conditions, regenerative medicine may offer additional hope. While still emerging, stem cell therapy is being explored for its ability to reduce inflammation and support tissue repair in cirrhotic or fibrotic livers.
At Vida Revival, Dr. Alavi may explore options like mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on a case-by-case basis. MSCs are known for their immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory properties and may offer long-term benefits for select patients as research continues to evolve.
Who Can Benefit from a Functional Approach?
Anyone with a chronic liver diagnosis or warning signs such as elevated liver enzymes, abdominal bloating, unexplained fatigue, or metabolic dysfunction can benefit from functional support.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with NAFLD, hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, or simply want to preserve liver function as you age, Dr. Alavi can help you build a personalized, practical roadmap for healing.
Functional Support for Your Health from Vida Revival
The liver is a remarkable organ with the ability to regenerate and adapt when given the right support. At Vida Revival, Dr. Diana Alavi helps patients move beyond symptom control toward true healing through customized nutritional plans, IV nutrient therapy, peptide support, and evidence-informed lifestyle medicine.
Serving Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and surrounding Los Angeles County communities. If you’re ready to take a more proactive, whole-person approach to managing chronic liver disease, call 818-232-8432 and schedule your consultation today.
