GALL AND LIVER

 

 

The Liver is the  largest internal organ of the human body. 

The liver, which is part of the digestive system performs more than 500 different functions, all of which are essential to life. Its essential functions include helping the body to digest fats, storing reserves of nutrients, filtering poisons and wastes from the blood, synthesizing a variety of proteins, and regulating the levels of many chemicals found in the bloodstream. 

IIn order to perform all these functions efficiently, the liver processes and 
iincredible amount of blood, about three pints every minute.  When the liver is unhealthy or
r diseased, many of these functions do not operate correctly. 
 Toxins are no longer filtered out efficiently and may build up in the body, as well as the
 byproducts of protein metabolism (such as ammonia).  Sugar levels falls;
 infection is common, and the kidneys may fail.  
Severe, uncontrollable bleeding is also common, with coma and death likely. 

The liver is unique among the body's vital organs in that it can regenerate, or grow back, 
cells that have been destroyed by some short-term injury or disease. 
But if the liver is damaged repeatedly over a long period of time, it may undergo
 irreversible changes that permanently interfere with function. 

There are only a few organs and their illnesses where such a  large discrepancy
 between highly differentiated diagnostics and a completely inadequate therapy
 exists as is in the case of the liver. 

Laboratory diagnostics nowadays make it possible, by using biopsy and
 Sonographic techniques, to differentiate between two major groups of liver illnesses, 
Viral inflammation diseases and Toxic-metabolic illnesses. 

For neither the acute viral or chronic Hepatitiden (Liver illnesses) an adequate
 therapy exists, all hope is set today on prevention or inoculation. 

Also for toxic Liver illnesses (Heptoses) there isn’t as yet a chemical substance
 known which has shown satisfactory effects. 

In view of these facts, it is not surprisingly that modern medical science is now showing a strong interest in natural remedies and well know herbal cures once again gain in popularity. 

A good example of this is the Milk Thistle.

The seeds of the dried flower of the Milk Thistle plant, contain the active silymarin 
complex, including the component silibinin.  

Milk Thistle is a powerful Antioxidant. - like any bioflavonoid complex, it exerts a 
powerful anti-oxidant effect. It also protects the liver and  interrupts enterohepatic
recirculation of toxins.  Silymarin puts up an amazing protective "shield" against
 liver-harming substances like alcohol and other would-be poisons. 

Not many realize that the liver is the only organ in the body capable of regeneration.  
Silymarin complex actually helps the liver to synthesize new proteins and ultimately
regenerate! 

Silibinin and other components of the silymarin complex were first discovered to 
be beneficial in treating liver diseases in Germany several decades ago. 
A favorite national pastime in Germany is mushroom collecting, a practice with 
inherent risks, such as Amanita phalloides - the Death Cap mushroom. 
Consuming the Death Cap mushroom results in severe, usually deadly, liver 
damage - in fact, those that survive Death Cap poisoning have been so badly 
damaged that they most often require liver transplants to survive. Miraculously, 
silymarin binds to the liver cells preventing the mushroom poisons from also binding,
 blocking their poisonous effect. 

The silymarin is also able to directly neutralize the poison itself, making it effective
 even though it has been taken after the mushroom poison has been ingested. 
Milk thistle extract, for this very reason, is kept on hand in German hospitals where
 it is administered on an emergency basis for treating otherwise fatal 
Death Cap poisonings. 

Milk Thistle Extract is truly a remarkable substance, it can halt and even reverse
 liver disease in recovering alcoholics. If a person is exposed to chemicals 
(especially inhalants) on a daily basis, Milk Thistle can prevent Liver harm. 

 Milk Thistle does not stimulate the growth of cancerous liver cells and may be helpful to those suffering from cancer of the liver. Milk thistle has even been shown to be a helpful adjunct in treating Hepatitis B and C. It can even help people with cirrhosis of the liver to live longer, but it cannot reverse cirrhosis. 
The best treatment, as always, is prevention through healthful living. 

Blood flow 

Unlike most organs, which have a single blood supply, the liver receives blood from two sources. The hepatic artery delivers oxygen-rich blood from the heart, supplying about 25 percent of the liver's blood. The liver also receives oxygen-depleted blood from the hepatic portal vein. This vein, which is the source of 75 percent of the liver's blood supply, carries blood to the liver that has traveled from the digestive tract, where it collects nutrients as food is digested. These nutrients are delivered to the liver for further processing or storage.

Tiny blood vessel branches of the hepatic artery and the hepatic portal vein are found around each liver lobule. This network of blood vessels is responsible for the vast amount of blood that flows through the liver—about 1.4 liters (about 3 pt) every minute. Blood exits the liver through the hepatic vein, which eventually drains into the heart.

 
Liver Diseases  

Although the liver is exposed to many potentially harmful substances, it is a remarkable organ that is able to regenerate, or repair or replace, injured tissue. Its construction, in which many lobules perform the same task, means that if one section of the liver is damaged, another section will perform the functions of the injured area indefinitely or until the damaged section is repaired. But the liver is subject to many diseases that can overwhelm its regeneration abilities, threatening a person's health.

Diseases of the liver range from mild infection to life-threatening liver failure. For many of these ailments, the first sign of a problem is a condition called jaundice, characterized by a yellowish coloring of the skin and the whites of the eye. It develops when liver cells lose their ability to process bilirubin, the yellowish-brown pigment found in bile.

The liver can be harmed whenever injury or disease affects the rest of the body. For example, cancer may spread from the stomach or intestines to the liver, and diabetes, if not properly treated, may result in damage to the liver. Some diseases caused by parasites, including amebiasis and schistosomiasis, can damage the liver. Drug use, including long-term use of some prescription medications as well as illegal drugs, can also cause liver damage. Poisons can easily damage liver cells and even cause complete liver failure, especially the poisons found in certain mushrooms.

One of the most common liver diseases is hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis may be caused by exposure to certain chemicals, by autoimmune diseases, or by bacterial infections. But hepatitis is most often caused by one of several viruses. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) can produce flulike symptoms and jaundice, but many people who contract it have no symptoms. The disease tends to resolve on its own. Because HAV lives in feces in the intestinal tract, hepatitis A is prevalent in areas where drinking water is contaminated with raw sewage. Good hygiene practices and a hepatitis A vaccination are effective measures of prevention.

Hepatitis B is a more serious ailment. Unlike HAV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) may remain active in the body for many years after the time of infection, sometimes permanently damaging the liver. HBV is found in blood and other body fluids—tears, saliva, and semen—and is spread through unprotected sexual intercourse and the sharing of infected needles or other sharp objects that puncture the skin.

In developed countries, alcohol-induced liver diseases far outnumber hepatitis and all other liver disorders. Heavy alcohol use causes fat deposits to build up in the liver, possibly leading to chronic hepatitis, which causes scarring and destruction of liver cells. Over many years, scarring in the liver can progress to cirrhosis, a disease characterized by diminished blood flow through this important organ. When this occurs, toxins are not adequately removed from the blood, blood pressure increases in the hepatic portal vein, and substances produced by the liver, such as blood proteins, are not adequately regulated. Cirrhosis cannot be reversed, but liver function can significantly improve in people who stop consuming alcohol during the early stages of this condition. Beyond abstinence from alcohol, treatments for cirrhosis may include drug therapy or surgery to redirect blood flow