THE LIVER
AND ITS FUNCTIONS
Get to know your liver, its functions, diseases
that can happen, and why. Liver problems are so common.
It is so easy to prevent liver damage when
you begin to take a liver detoxification diet. 
Anatomy: Where Is Your Liver Located? The liver is the busiest organ in our body's sanitation system and is responsible for a big part of our detoxification. About 1.5 liters of blood pass through the liver every minute, for filtering/processing. The health and vitality of every single organ, gland and cell in our body are totally dependent upon the liver, that is how important it is. The liver is a dome-shaped gland and is located just right under the diaphragm, protected under the right ribcage. It is considered a gland because it secretes bile. It is the biggest gland in our body, spanning almost across the width of our body, weighing about 3-4 pounds. The liver is really an amazing organ. Consider this ... it is the only organ that can regenerate by itself. Even when there's only 25% left of the liver, it can regenerate into a whole new liver. With care, this regeneration process is known to take no less than 8 years. On the surface, the liver is divided into two major lobes and two smaller lobes. It receives blood from two sources: To top Functions: What Does Your Liver Do? When I study just the functions of our liver, I am amaze with God's creativity and am awed with how wonderfully and perfectly we are really made. The liver performs hundreds of jobs every day and we can't even begin to understand all of them. Each function is so crucial to our lives and health, yet we often take our liver for granted and continue to over-tax it through ignorance. The liver's primary function is that of detoxification. Below are some of the other important functions of the liver, and this is just a very short list: -
Neutralizes harmful toxins that we inhale/ingest -
Manufactures a yellowish-green substance called bile, which is required for the emulsion and absorption of fats -
Manufactures, breaks down and regulates numerous hormones, including sex hormones -
Manufactures enzymes for proper digestion of food -
Produces about 80% of our body cholesterol -
Produces coagulation factors -
Converts glucose to glycogen -
Regulates protein metabolism for transportation of substances such as fat and hormones -
Regulates carbohydrate metabolism that controls the blood sugar level -
Oxidizes fatty acids -
Synthesizes, dissolves and stores amino acids, protein and fat -
Synthesizes lipoproteins, phospholipids and cholesterol -
Synthesizes urea and blood proteins -
Synthesizes a certain hormone that is responsible for balancing the blood pressure -
Combats infections and bacteria/yeast/parasites in the body -
Detoxifies our body's internal toxins (endotoxins) and environmental toxins (exotoxins) -
Stores vitamins A, D, B12, iron and copper to be released whenever the body needs them -
Removes damaged red blood cells and any foreign substances * Synthesize = To combine two or more substances in order to convert them into a new and even more complex element.
If we don't care for our liver and when it malfunctions, just imagine the damage that can be done if even one or two of the functions break down. It would cause a "chain reaction" that will interfere with other functions in our body. To top Symptoms of liver diseases When the liver is constantly overwhelmed, toxins begin to accumulate. In this situation, our intelligent body may attempt to do its own cleansing process which causes symptoms like a cold, flu, rashes, diarrhea or skin breakouts. When this happens, be alert and know that your liver is need of help! Instead, most people go to the doctor for medications that suppress and drive the toxins even deeper into the liver tissues. Eventually, the liver becomes sluggish and weaker and it cries out by giving out chronic symptoms like fatigue, nose congestion, headaches, lower back pain, skin blemishes, etc. The liver is a hardy gland. Even when damaged up to 80%, it will still continue to function faithfully, but with much reduced efficiency. When it's about to surrender, you would have been diagnosed with any of the following (non-exhaustive list): -
Liver enlargement -
Liver failure -
Liver inflammation -
Liver tumors/cysts -
Liver cirrhosis -
Abnormal liver enzymes -
Alcoholic liver disease -
Jaundice -
Hepatitis A, B & C -
Autoimmune hepatitis -
Gall-bladder disorders -
Bile duct tumors -
Liver cancer To top Causes of Liver Diseases In this modern and busy world, many things we do or don't do contribute to the deterioration of our liver health. When there is an overload of toxins taken in from the environment, the toxic effects of the foreign substances cause injury and damage to the liver tissues. The liver cannot process the volume of toxins fast enough, thus it gets congested and gets damaged. This overload of toxins, when not dealt with, gets reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and do more damage the second time around. Different chemicals do damage to different parts of the liver. Some of the causes of liver damage: -
Air pollution - cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, paint fumes, etc. -
Consumption of synthetic drugs/medication -
Consumption of processed foods that contain additives, preservatives, artificial flavorings and colorings, food stabilizers, food emulsifiers, agricultural chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. -
Consumption of caffeine and alcohol -
Eating microwaved foods where the molecules are altered, rendering them inorganic or toxic for human consumption -
Overeating -
Eating high-protein diets, saturated fats, charcoal-barbecued meat -
Eating overcooked foods and not taking enough fresh fruits and vegetables (for their enzymes and phytonutrients) -
Eating foods that have been deep-fried in hydrogenated cooking oil. Even foods cooked in olive oil at high heat can become harmful -
Not drinking enough water -
Lack of sleep and sleeping at irregular hours Long-term liver stagnation produces excess heat which the Chinese call "gan huo" (literally "liver fire"). Some of the symptoms of this condition are headaches, insomnia, agitation, irritability, moodiness, aggressive behavior, anger, etc. To top Our Detoxification "Clock" The liver actively starts detoxification while we sleep. There is a "detoxification clock" and it helps if we have an early night in order for it to get to work. Sleeplessness during the wee-hours could indicate a liver that is in dire need of a good cleanse. About 11:00 PM ~ 1:00 AM: Detoxification process in the liver. Should be asleep before this time, to allow the liver to start doing its work. About 1:00 AM ~ 3:00 AM: Detoxification of the gall, for elimination of toxins. About 3:00 AM ~ 5.:00 AM: Detoxification in the lungs. This is why some people find that they tend to cough during this time of the morning. About 5:00 AM ~ 7:00 AM: Detoxification in the colon. Train yourself to have bowel movements in the morning after this time.
About 7:00 AM ~ 9:00 AM: Absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, which is why eating a healthy breakfast at this time is so important. When we are not asleep during these appropriate time, our liver cannot do its proper work of detoxification. Over a prolonged period, coupled with poor choices of food and lifestyle, we begin to encounter problems in these respective organs.
How a thorough liver detox can give you a new lease of life. Unknown to most people, Liver and Gall Stones obstructing the flow of liver bile are the main cause of many health problems If you suffer from any of these Symptoms of Liver Disease, the answer is really simple and it's right here! so why doesn't your doctor talk to you about it? Return from Liver Functions page to Ez-Detox-Diet.com home page Return from Liver Functions page to Liver Detox page Return to Top of Liver Functions page
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