YOUR LIVER - The organ that lets you live
- It maintains the iron reserves, vitamins and other minerals that give you strength and help build your muscles.
- It produces the bile that helps you to digest your food so that you will not waste away.
- It detoxifies all the poisonous and chemical products that you give him, such as alcohol, beer, wine and drugs, including medicines with or without prescription. Without it our bad habits would kill us.
- It reserves energy, storing sugars, carbohydrates, glucose and fats until you need them. It controls the level of sugar in your blood that allows you to get up in the morning. Otherwise, you would fall into a coma.
- It produced the blood in your system before you were born. So, you have to be grateful to your liver for making it possible for you to be here today.
- It eliminates poisons and pollutants from the air, smoke and other chemical vapors that you breathe. It is like an internal mask. Otherwise, you would be constantly poisoned by contaminants.
- It produces coagulants that stop you from bleeding to death when you cut yourself while shaving.
- It defends you against all the germs that surround you killing them, or at least weakening them. Without it you would be at risk for all types of infection.
- It produces the new proteins that your body needs so that you can stay sound and healthy while growing.
There are hepatitis viruses that are contagious and some can live in blood or body fluids. There are also other liver diseases that are not contagious caused by alcohol, drugs or genetic disorders. Most liver diseases can cause permanent damage that may lead to the need for a liver transplant. You can identify any problem with a simple blood test. Remember that your liver will not let you know that you are sick until it may be too late. LOLA recommends you consult your doctor if you feel you are at any type of risk.
Love your liver, take care of it.
Without it you could not live!
© Copyright November 2001 - The Latino Organization for Liver Awareness
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