More About The Importance Of Your Liver

Your liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body. It is associated with over 500 vital bodily functions, winning the award as the body’s ultimate multitasker!

The liver is located in the upper right-hand portion of the abdominal cavity, beneath the diaphragm, and on top of the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.

Shaped like a cone, the liver is a dark reddish-brown organ that weighs about 3 pounds.

There are 2 distinct sources that supply blood to the liver, including the following:

  • Oxygenated blood flows in from the hepatic artery

  • Nutrient-rich blood flows in from the hepatic portal vein

The liver holds about one pint (13%) of the body's blood supply at any given moment. The liver consists of 2 main lobes. Both are made up of 8 segments that consist of 1,000 lobules (small lobes). These lobules are connected to small ducts (tubes) that connect with larger ducts to form the common hepatic duct. The common hepatic duct transports the bile made by the liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) via the common bile duct.

Functions of the liver

The liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile. This helps carry away waste products from the liver. All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes this blood and breaks down, balances, and creates the nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body or that are nontoxic. More than 500 vital functions have been identified with the liver. Some of the more well-known functions include the following:

  • Production of bile, which helps carry away waste and break down fats in the small intestine during digestion

  • Production of certain proteins for blood plasma

  • Production of cholesterol and special proteins to help carry fats through the body

  • Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage (glycogen can later be converted back to glucose for energy) and to balance and make glucose as needed 

  • Regulation of blood levels of amino acids, which form the building blocks of proteins

  • Processing of hemoglobin for use of its iron content (the liver stores iron)

  • Conversion of poisonous ammonia to urea (urea is an end product of protein metabolism and is excreted in the urine)

  • Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances

  • Regulating blood clotting

  • Resisting infections by making immune factors and removing bacteria from the bloodstream

  • Clearance of bilirubin, also from red blood cells. If there is an accumulation of bilirubin, the skin and eyes turn yellow.
    (source)

Here’s the problem.

Your liver is powerful, but it’s constantly under an enormous amount of stress, and without living a detoxing lifestyle, you’re adding more and more stress to it every single day.

Our modern world is FULL of toxins; our body is full of things CREATING toxins, and the more toxins your liver has to process, the more stress it’s under.

Your goal is to reduce the toxic burden on your body on a daily basis by lessening the toxins you’re exposed to AND by lessening the toxins already in your body. 

When toxins constantly bombard your liver, and you can’t remove them as fast as they are added, it starts to back up.  When that happens, it pushes those toxins back into your bloodstream, which are then deposited throughout your body, causing cell damage, stealing energy, and causing a whole host of symptoms.

It’s like never changing the oil filter in your car. 

Supporting your liver several times a year with a Functional Medicine Detox is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health.