OVERVIEW
Your liver is one of two detoxification systems at work in your body. The other system prevents oxidation of cells, and thus, prevents Oxidative Stress. This subject will not be discussed in this report.
There are two distinct sources that supply blood to the liver, which are:
The liver is comprised of two main lobes, both of which are comprised of many small lobules. These lobules are connected to the small ducts that connect with the larger ducts that comprise the hepatic duct. The hepatic duct transports the bile produced by the liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum at the head of the small intestine.
The liver eliminates toxins from the body by breaking them down and converting them. These are then excreted to the bile or blood. Bile waste substances enter the intestine via the duodenum and are eliminated from the body as feces. Blood waste substances are filtered from the blood by the kidneys and are eliminated from the body as urine.
Many of the toxins that are consumed and stored in the body fat and other tissues, derive from the residues of medications. Still, other toxins originate in foods, from the air we breathe and the water we drink. Most of these toxins are lipophilic (fat-soluble) and are stored in our fatty tissues and cells, where they may survive for many years, wreaking all manner of havoc to the health of your body. This process of the conversion of toxins and waste material from lipophilic to hydrophilic (water-soluble) substances is called glucuronidation.
Sometimes, these lipophilic toxins will damage the process of glucuronidation in the liver, thus preventing the conversion and flushing of these very toxins. It is as if the toxins wish to preserve themselves from being eliminated from the body. When the glucuronidation process fails, these lipophilic toxins will remain in the body and may often become the idiopathic etiology of a wide range of afflictions and diseases that are detrimental to the health and well being of the body. I use the word idiopathic here, because it is nearly impossible to determine that many diseases were actually the result of specific resident toxins. However, it behooves everyone to take all of the preventative steps necessary to preserve health.
When toxins have damaged the liver - it is possible to repair it - given that the degree of damage is not fatal. You may prevent damage to your liver by toxins, by adding to your daily diet the vitamin supplement N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). When beginning this particular supplement, it is best to take 600mg, along with L-Glutathione 250mg, daily.
After the first month, the L-Glutathione is no longer necessary, since NAC creates its own L-Glutathione. Further, it is recommended that the dosage of NAC be reduced to 3 times per week. NAC helps to restore the functioning of the liver and to maintain its health.
An example of the possible extent to repair the liver: when a patient overdoses on acetaminophen (the major ingredient of Tylenol - in excess of 4000mg per day) NAC is given to remedy this condition - if it is possible. If the damage is beyond repair, then the patient will die if not given a liver transplant. The liver is the only organ in the body, which is able to regenerate itself, given the proper remedies and environment.
The liver performs more than five hundred functions for the maintenance of your body's health.
LIVER FUNCTIONS
The functions that the liver performs are:
Bile is a fluid comprised of: water, electrolytes and a battery of organic molecules including bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and bilirubin that flows through the biliary tract into the small intestine.
The two fundamentally important functions of bile are:
Immunoglobulins IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, IgM The Immunoglobulins are a large family of proteins that are a major part of your body's immune system. These immunoglobulins are often referred to as antibodies whose task is to protect the body from foreign pathogens that attempt to attack your body and its immune system. The functions of each of these immunoglobulins are:
(These definitions courtesy of Lymphomation.org and may be found at:) http://www.lymphomation.org/tests-immunoglobulins.htm - IgA
DISCUSSION
The liver performs several functions to ensure that your body remains healthy. This is accomplished by the regulation, synthesis, and secretion of various substances, which are necessary to the maintenance of the health of your body.
The liver also provides storage for a number of substances for the control of several processes within the body. It provides storage for glycogen and nutrients; it purifies and converts toxins and waste products.
One of the main tasks of the liver is to eliminate toxins and waste products from the body. This is done via the Metabolic Pathways in the liver. One of the end results of taking medications (and we all need to take medications) is that the lipophilic (fat soluble) residues of these medications tend to collect in the fat cells of the body.
These residues are toxic to your system, when present for a sufficiently long time. They can cause a great number of different diseases and conditions - which vary according to the physiology of your body. The slow accumulation of these toxins can affect the liver as well. One of the first functions of the liver that is disabled is that of the function called Glucuronidation, which converts the lipophilic toxins to a hydrophilic (water soluble) form, allowing the toxins to be expelled from your body as urine.
CONCLUSION
Your liver is one of the fundamentally important organs of your body. It behooves you to take good care of it so that you may live a long and disease-free life. By eating foods that will not harm your liver and protecting it from toxics found in the environment and as a result of medications which may be necessary for you to take, you will ensure that your liver will last as long as you. You may further protect your liver by taking vitamin supplements that will remedy the toxic effects of medications and the environment, specifically, N-Acetyl-Cysteine.
CITATIONS
1 Sandra Cabot, M.D., The Liver Detoxification Pathways
2 Detox Organization - Dedicated to Life by the Avoidance of Toxins
4 Ohio State University Medical Center: The Liver - Anatomy and Functions
