Love Your Liver

Nobody seems to know for sure how many functions it performs, or how it accomplishes over 500 tasks in such a small space. But the liver is one of your most important and largest vital organs.

Weighing 3-4 pounds and lying behind the lower ribs on the right side, the liver is capable of regenerating its own tissue faster than any other organ of the body. It can also function with only 20% of its original mass before you begin to notice any specific health problems.

The liver not only aids digestion (being able to make over a thousand different enzymes), but it also serves the body by filtering impurities from the blood, storing various nutrients and is the main participant in the defensive wars of the immune system. In it chemical compounds are burned, altered, broken down, synthesized, or excreted.

Associated with the liver is the gall bladder, a kind of storage bag that holds bile exuding from the liver. When oils and fats are eaten, bile is squeezed into the small intestine to "melt down" these huge molecules so they can be digested further.

Looking at the liver's surface, you would never guess the complexity of the inner tissue. It is fed by both arteries and veins. This means that it can process blood both before and after it is oxygenated by the lungs. The hepatic artery carries the oxygenated blood into the liver, and the portal vein carries newly digested nutrients directly into it from the small intestine. Before the nutrients are allowed to circulate in the blood, they are inspected by the liver, and where needed, detoxified before they flow into the arteries for general distribution.

An example of the liver's protective ability is the processing of alcohol into harmless carbon dioxide and water. Another relates to lactic acid produced when glucose is burned by muscular contractions. Since too much of this acid can be fatal, the liver not only renders it harmless, but turns it into glycogen for future energy needs. The liver lets nothing go to waste.

The functions of this triangular-shaped organ can be generally listed as follows:

• Metabolizes (reorganizes according to the body's need at the time) proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which provide energy and nutrients.
• Stores vitamins, minerals, and sugars (energy reserves).
• Filters harmful chemicals and pathogens from the blood.
• Creates bile, which breaks down fats and excretes waste.
• Helps the body assimilate and store fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, & K).
• Stores extra blood for emergencies.
• Creates blood proteins as chelators and it aid blood-fluid balance.
• Helps maintain electrolyte and water balance in the body.
• Breaks down and eliminates hormones that are no longer needed.

Signs of an Ailing Liver

As impurities are allowed into the bloodstream by an overworked liver, headaches are common. Constipation is also a symptom and as a result, allows poisons to be reabsorbed into the blood. Eventually, a "red nose" (ala alcoholics) may follow as a result of obstructed bile flow, and dark spots can appear on the face or back of the hands. Bad breath or a bitter taste might be evident and the tongue is sometimes coated. Gas often proceeds a meal, and more frequent urination gets a person up during the night. This may be because during the day the overworked liver under-stimulates the kidneys to function.

There may be sleeping difficulties, chills because the body's temperature cannot be properly controlled, heartburn, overweight or underweight, appendicitis, and anal itching. Parasites may grow uninhibited and abnormal bacteria will tend to be out of control in the bowel. The skin can turn yellow along with the whites of the eyes, and the mind is often plagued with depression.

These are matters to be promptly attended to, and the following suggestions have been found to be most helpful:

Liver Therapy

• Regular Physical Exercise - Keeps the blood flowing and is a natural massage for the liver and gall bladder. Wastes produced by the body are released more easily through the lungs and skin rather than being trapped in the blood for the kidneys and liver to dispose of.

• Natural, High Quality Foods - These are obviously required, but eating simply and avoiding rich and complicated mixtures is best. Too much salt, fat, concentrated proteins (meat) and just plain overeating are stressful to the liver. Lemons, oranges, grapes, black olives, fresh berries, and tomatoes are therapeutic. Vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, beets, carrots, celery, leeks, dandelions, radishes, onions, garlic, and cabbage are also beneficial.

• Massage Therapy, Sweat Baths, Hot & Cold Showers, Breathing Exercises - These all benefit the liver. Hot and cold showers are stimulating. Breathing deep and low into the abdomen will reduce stress, toxins, and the tightness that retards circulation.

• Healing Clay - This is also used internally, and externally and a warm poultice. Redmond Clay greatly enhances mineral absorption and helps solve constipation problems at the same time if you drink plenty of water with it. Clay has never been properly appreciated even though its effectiveness is easily proven.

There are a number of excellent herbs to clean and heal the liver. Dandelion root is one of the best. Barberry and Oregon grape roots are similar and help to clean out congestion. Various mints have always been beneficial, including fennel, peppermint, and spearmint, thyme, and rosemary. Chamomile is excellent for several body systems at once.

We are giving you several options to help rejuvenate the liver. All need not be used, but are meant to help the reader in his investigation of various herbal and other preparations that are easily available.

A gradual liver flush is advisable. Like dieting to lose weight, the body needs to have enough time to take care of the toxins that the flush will release so that the eliminative organs are not overwhelmed, drowning the person in his own wastes!

Eating light foods, getting more rest, putting excessive stress out of your life by meditation, prayer, and being alone with Mother Nature (and that doesn't mean locking yourself in the bathroom!), drinking plenty of pure water and mild exercise are a wonderful beginning. Come to think of it, why should you ever stop doing these things?

A cup of fresh lemon juice once or twice a day before meals will help cleanse the gall bladder, as will Cascara Sagrada and Barberry Root. LBS II is recommended even if the bowels are not sluggish.

For A Stressed Liver

If the liver is merely under stress and hasn't degenerated into a cirrhosis or hepatitis condition, Oregon grape liquid, LIV-A with Milk Thistle, LIV-J, the Chinese formula, LIV-C, and Special Formula #1 are excellent. Food Enzyme Digestive Aid would help relieve stress on the liver while it restores itself with proper nutrition.

For A Weakened Liver

For a weakened liver, BP-C, AD-C, BP-X, Garlic, and Papaya Mint are good, along with the digestive aids mentioned above. Ginger is another marvelous liver herb, even as a poultice. Each of these herbs will have different effects on the system, and you are advised to seek wise counsel before trying them. The strongest formulas for rebuilding a weakened liver are the Chinese formulas BP-C and AD-C.

Vitamin C, B, E, Mineral Maintenance, zinc, and formula P-14 would be part of a support program to increase the speed of healing. Some protein is necessary, but in moderate amounts. As the body improves, the "tongue" will clear up as well.

With continuous attacks upon the liver from chemicals, pathogens, parasites, and unpleasant emotional situations, learning about the liver and how to take care of it has to be one of the greatest topics in the field of health. Your liver is where you live!

Send e-mail to joyful@best.com if you have any questions about the liver.