LIVER FUNCTIONSigns and Symptoms of Liver DiseaseAnd What To Do About It!© Dr. Deborah Baker 2010 Coming Soon.. Dr. Deb's 'Symptoms of Liver Disease & Liver Treatments YOU Can Do Ebook'..Sign up below in the form on the right to be notified of its release!
 Optimal Liver Function and DetoxThe liver is an organ in vertebrates,(life forms with spinal columns) including humans. It plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body including glucose storage in the form of glycogen (for energy, when needed), plasma (blood fluid) protein synthesis (production), and detoxification (drugs, toxins,waste products from our own metabolism). It also produces bile, which is important in digestion. It performs and regulates a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions requiring specialized tissues. Medical terms related to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hepar.
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| The adult human liver normally weighs between 1.3 - 3.0 kilograms,(about 3 to 6.5 lbs.) and is a soft, pinkish-brown "boomerang shaped" organ. It is the second largest organ (the largest organ being the skin) and the largest gland within the human body. |  |
The liver is among the few internal human organs capable of natural regeneration of lost tissue; as little as 25% of remaining liver can regenerate into a whole liver again. This is predominantly due to the hepatocytes (cells of the liver) acting as unipotential stem cells (i.e. a single hepatocyte can divide into two hepatocyte daughter cells).
Functions of the Liver:
The various functions of the liver are carried out by the liver cells or hepatocytes.
- The liver produces and excretes bile required
for dissolving fats. Some of the bile drains directly into the duodenum,(second
section of the small intesting) and some is stored in the gallbladder.
- The liver performs several roles in carbohydrate metabolism:
- Gluconeogenesis (the formation of glucose from certain amino acids,(building blocks of protein) making lactate or glycerol)
- Glycogenolysis (the formation of glucose from glycogen) This is the process of breaking down stored glucose, which is called glycogen.)
- Glycogenesis (the formation of glycogen from glucose) To put it into storage form for when you need it.
- The breakdown of insulin and other hormones..once used, they have to be gotten rid of.
- The liver is responsible for the mainstay of protein metabolism...sort
of the central warehouse of protein operations.
- The liver also performs several roles in lipid (fat) metabolism:
- Cholesterol synthesis (remember..its needed to make hormones and cell walls ..See The Truth About Cholesterol
- The production of triglycerides (fats)...again for storage purposes..they
are only a problem when you make too much.
- The liver produces coagulation
factors I (fibrinogen), II (prothrombin), V, VII, IX, X and XI,
as well as protein C, protein
S and antithrombin. Basically these factors control the formation
and breakdown of your clotting pathways. (ie after injury, etc.)
- The liver breaks down hemoglobin, (the iron carrying part of your
red blood cells) creating metabolites that
are added to bile as pigment. (this is why bile is yellow)
- The liver breaks down toxic substances
and most medicinal products in a process called drug/toxin detoxification.
This sometimes results in toxication,
when the metabolite is more toxic than its precursor...particularly
if your liver is damaged.
- The liver converts ammonia (bi-product of protein production and
breakdown) to
urea...which is excreted by the kidneys as part of urine.
- The liver stores a multitude of substances, including glucose in
the form of glycogen, vitamin
B12, iron, and copper...again for when you need it.
- In the first trimester fetus,
the liver is the main site of red
blood cell production.
By the 32nd week of gestation, the bone marrow has almost completely taken over that task.
- The liver is responsible for immunological effects- the reticuloendothelial system of the liver contains many immunologically active cells, acting as a 'sieve' for antigens(things that you are allergic to or are harmful to you) carried to it via the portal (liver's blood and lymph system) system.
Signs and Symptoms of Liver Disease:
Some of the most common causes of liver disease are:
-Many diseases of the liver are accompanied by jaundice caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the system. The bilirubin results from the breakup of the hemoglobin of dead red blood cells; normally, the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and excretes it through bile.
-Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons, autoimmunity or hereditary conditions.
-Cirrhosis is the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver, replacing dead liver cells. The death of the liver cells can for example be caused by viral hepatitis, alcoholism or contact with other liver-toxic chemicals.
-Hemochromatosis, a hereditary disease causing the accumulation of iron in the body, eventually leading to liver damage.
-Cancer of the liver (primary hepatocellular (cells of the liver itself) carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma(cells of the gall bladder and its ducts) and metastatic cancers, usually from other parts of the gastrointestinal tract..(digestive)).
-Wilson's disease, a hereditary disease which causes the body to retain copper.
-Primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune disease of small bile ducts.
-Gilbert's syndrome, a genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism, found in about 5% of the population.
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Common Signs and Symptoms of Liver Disease
Hepatitis is characterised by fatigue, malaise,(weakness) joint aches, abdominal pain, vomiting 2-3 times per day for the first 5 days, loss of appetite, dark urine, fever, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver) and jaundice (icterus).
Some chronic forms of hepatitis show very few of these signs and only present when the longstanding inflammation has led to the replacement of liver cells by connective tissue; (scar tissue) the result is cirrhosis. Certain liver function tests can also indicate hepatitis.
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrotic scar tissue as well as regenerative nodules, leading to progressive loss of liver function. Cirrhosis is most commonly caused by alcoholism and hepatitis C, and was the 12th leading cause of death in the United States in 2000.
| Ascites (retention of water in the abdomen) is the most common complication of cirrhosis and is associated with a poor quality of life, increased risk of infections, and a poor long term outcome. In advanced stages of cirrhosis, the condition is irreversible and the only option would be a liver transplant. |
Picture of a liver with cirrhosis vs. a normal liver |
In a recent article published in the The Times in London, England researchers have actually found some hope for increasing the survival in patients with liver cirrhosis.
It seems that by turning off an an inflammatory molecule know as nuclear factor kappa beta (NFKB) which in essence is responsible for a lot of the damage caused by alcohol, obesity or something like Hep C..you can stop and even reverse some of the scarring associated with cirrhosis and liver damage.
The drug they are using is Sulphasalazine. It can be given to people even when they have not totally stopped drinking..and still help their liver improve...at least that is what its showin in the animal testing. My problem with this drug is that it comes with a bevy of side effects.
Nutrition in Decompensated Cirrhosis.
Now, its very interesting...that in the world of functional medicine we have been using an ayruvedic combination of herbs to decrease the activity of NFKB. Its called Kaprex...and it was orignially designed to reduce the inflammation connected with many chronic health problems such as irritable bowel disease, arthritis, heart conditions, etc.
I decided, after reading this article, that it was worth a try for a few of my patients with cirrhosis.
Its too early to tell specifically...BUT...they are feeling better, more energy and their lab liver enzyme tests have improved. Of course to actually see if there are changes in the scarring on their livers..its going to take biopsies, which is a bit extreme. In time they may opt for that..but for now, they are definitely better.
Kaprex is simply a very cleverly designed herbal formulation by Metagenics, so is for many reasons a good supplement to decrease inflammation in the whole system...something which is a real concern in today's health...even if one is not overtly ill.
Most liver problems..whether it be profound disease or just congestion and need for detoxification would show some of the above symptoms. Also you'd find in blood testing certain enzymes present in the blood to be higher than normal from acute liver cell destruction.
Total Internal Body Cleanse Better Than One Like Hulda Clark Liver Cleanse
Now before I get all kinds of hate mail..let me explain. The Hulda Clark Liver Cleanse has been very helpful to literally scads of people. But when one really thinks about it....if you are feeling less than tip top or there are actual health problems whereby a liver cleanse has been suggested....does it not make FAR more sense to cleanse all body systems at the same time???
This Total Internal Body Cleanse does just that...7..count them..7 different systems cleansed in 21 days!
Internal Cleansing Kit and free Bonus kit!
Cleanse the Digestive System, Liver and Gall Bladder, Parasite Cleanse, Lungs, Kidney and Bladder, Lymph/Blood and Skin...there is no more to do!
Liver Support
with these type of protocols...although we can never guarantee this.
An outline on the products I've listed and why I use them:
Our top overall liver function and detox supplement is Ortho-Liver
Improve Immune Function - Beta Gold 100 mg and 500 mg., Mycoferon
Liver Detox -
See my page on Mercury Detoxification to read an explanation of Phase I and Phase II Detox.
Liver Drainage..to start healing.. Herba-Lymph Drainage and Herba-Lega-H. Also the 4 Herb Formula is a wonderful blood cleanser (originally known as Essiac) and Black Walnut Combination..for cleansing and also aids with parasite removal.
Liver Digestion Aids: The liver through its production of bile, is the key factor in fat digestion. This often becomes more of a problem as we age and the liver is congested, busy doing other functions from our exposures to toxins ...the longer we are on this planet.
To help this and "tweak" it back to better function I use these....Emulsi Formula..to help break fat down, M3..a wonderful digestive enzyme with extra "lipase" ..the enzyme devoted to fat reduction, Canadian Bitters..a very effective digestive tonic...Peppermint Combo..to start digestion off right at the stomach level..also excellent and very safe for nausea of pregnancy, motion sickness..or any stomach upset.
Liver Cholesterol Production and Balancing - As explained at my page The Truth Abouth Cholesterol and Natural Substances To Lower Cholesterol...these products are available by themselves or in groups with a discount. Vessel Care (lowers homocysteine, ) Lipotain and Lipitrol to raise HDL and lower LDL, Meta-Sitosterol (to block cholesterol absorption). CoQ Melt or CoQ10..100 mg..particularly if you are on any statin drug..because these drugs "kill" off your own CoQ10 which is essential to a healthy heart. These drugs have lately been under close scrutiny for contributing to the heart disease they are supposed to prevent!
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