How Your Liver Works

You need knowledge about how your liver works, so you can give it lots of support, and live longer, even with end stage disease. A lot of liver disease is caused from inflammation. Your liver is the target for  celiac, Hepatitis, and many other diseases like crohn’s, Nash, NAFLD, and fatty liver. They can choke and block the liver from doing its job. I learned how to be in a good relationship with my liver, and it has helped me make good choices, and kept me alive.

Here’s What I learned about how your liver works

It is like an oil filter, a warehouse, a transformer, and also a recycling station. You can click the links in this article to learn more.

Filter

The liver is basically like an oil filter.  It is tucked right under our ribs on the right side, and is the largest organ in our body. It’s a 24/7 filter. Everything we eat, drink, inhale, or put on our skin is filtered by the liver. When an oil filter  in a car has been ignored,  it creates engine sludge, increased engine wear, burns oil, and finally has engine seizure. The same is true of your liver. The longer you ignore the warning symptoms, the more accelerated liver disease becomes.

Transform Foods

The liver is like a transformer. It removes sugars from our intestines and stores them as glycogen. When we need some energy, it shows up and meeds our demands.  if the liver is impaired,  blood sugar regulation gets out of kilter.  It can be a cause of diabetes.

The liver transforms animo acids into protein. It takes protein to produce the food, healing, and energy your body needs. You don’t even have to think about it. Just give it good sources of protein and carbohydrates, in the right amounts, and at the right time. If you’re not sure what to eat, read here and here or go the recipe drop down messages. Good food can improve how your liver is working.

Warehouse

The liver is also like a warehouse that stores vitamins, sugars, fats, nutrients, and more. It converts all of these things into something our body can use. The liver then releases them into the bloodstream as the body needs them.  It can actually take the right amount of fats and proteins and turn them into usable glucose.  It is a silent partner that keeps us stocked up on what we need to stay active and healthy.

Recycling

Finally, the liver is like a recycling station  that breaks down everything in our bodies that can’t be used. It discards toxins  from the environment, and from our lifestyle, and creates bile. This toxin filled bile contains some extra fats, sugars and everything your body doesn’t need. It takes any poison we throw at it, and then turns it into water, or bile that can be eliminated through our urine or intestines!

It makes this liquid or bile from everything you eat, drink, inhale, or put on your skin. We need to be aware of our lifestyle because that includes food, drinks, work environment, hobbies, skin care products and a host of other factors. The less recycling the liver has to do, the better we feel daily, and also the less damage we create in the long run.

How Your Liver Works

The liver is the only organ that regenerates, or heals itself. As the liver tries to heal the injury caused by disease, fibrosis is formed. Fibrosis is like scar tissue that our liver creates in its’ attempt to heal.

The scar tissue, or fibrosis, binds and restrict blood vessels in the liver.It happened to me when my blood backed up toward my heart and stomach, causing esophageal varices.  

Now that we understand how important the liver is to our body, having the hep c virus, or any other type of liver disease takes on a whole new meaning. Hep C caused inflammation of my liver. There is no getting around the fact that if you have it, your liver will become more damaged with time. Getting a good diagnosis and medical treatment is crucial. You may have alcoholic cirrhosis, or something else. Talk to your doctor about ways to support your liver. You can always make positive changes and turn it around. Don’t give up on yourself. 

The Cause of Liver Disease doesn’t Always Matter

I’m not a doctor, but I’ve been where you are. If you can give your liver some relief from liver disease with medication, diet, lifestyle changes, or getting the hep c virus treated, then you can liver a longer healthier life. You will also be ready if your liver decompensates, you get liver cancer, or you need a transplant.   Your liver is a hard working organ.  XOXO Karen