Our liver is a vital connection to maintaining balance in the body. It is the largest internal organ and we cannot live without it. The liver is a storage bank for many essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, D, E, K and B12 and minerals iron and copper. Additionally, it acts as a screen to filter our blood, produces bile to be stored in the gallbladder till needed, manages our cholesterol and triglyceride levels and is directly connected to immune function.

Because of the vital importance of this organ and the many body systems it serves, a liver malfunction can lead to serious consequences. Even a moderately dysfunctional liver will allow toxins to by-pass it, allowing them to enter the blood stream causing inflammation which is the root of sickness and disease.

Liver function panels check how well the liver is working and consists of many different blood tests including ALT, AST, Alkaline Phosphatase, Bilirubin, BUN and Albumin. These tests have high and low ranges, when your numbers fall within the accepted ranges the test in considered normal. But are they really? It is very possible to be in the early stage of having some form of liver dysfunction, albeit a fatty liver or a congested liver and have numbers in range or close to out of range.

In today’s society our conventional farming methods are producing crops which have been Genetically Modified and sprayed with chemicals toxic to our systems. This creates a heavy burden to the functioning of the liver. 

One example of this burden on the liver can be seen within our cholesterol number. When our cholesterol numbers are too high, conventional medicine will prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. This will burden the liver even more, and may cause other ill side-effects.

Help identify the underlying cause of liver dysfunction by consulting a natural healthcare practitioner who can customize a plan to bring balance back to the body. To take some of the burden off your liver, eating a pink grapefruit will aid in purifying your blood, break down fats and remove toxins. Red Beet and Dandelion are also very cleansing. During the summer, Milk Thistle is great for protecting your liver from chemical poisoning, such as chlorine.  

Lisa Kittel is a Certified Natural Healthcare Practitioner and Certified Herbal Consultant. She works with patients to identify the root cause and bring balance back naturally without any ill side effects. Health Revival with Lisa, 4100 N. Wickham Rd, Ste 113, Melbourne. 321-480-0514.