From the very beginning, we want you to know:
There Is a Way to Help Cirrhosis of the Liver!

Yes, we know that almost everything out there will say that there is no treatment for a liver damaged by Cirrhosis of the liver.  However, what they mean is that there is no pharmaceutical or standard medicine treatment (by which a lot of profit can be made).  They are not referring to natural nutritional possibilities since standard medicine is not too interested in them.

   The answer is pretty simple (and inexpensive).  Proteolytic systemic enzymes can dissolve scar tissue!  Our recommended blend of 5 potemic systemic enzymes helps remove the scar tissue that prevents the liver from functioning well.

   We will talk about it in a bit but, for those interested, it helps to understand a little about liver function and how liver scarring occurs.

Liver Functions

   The liver is the largest internal organ in the body.  In the healthy adult, it weighs about 3 pounds.  The liver performs over 500 vital functions.  Damage to the liver, of course, can interrupt these processes.  Among them are these functions.(1)

1.  Filter.   An essential function is the liver acting as a “filter” for your body, filtering and detoxifying the blood and eliminating toxins.

2.  Toxins.  It does this by breaking down potentially toxic substances, including alcohol, prescription and street drugs, caffeine and harmful by-products of digestion.

3.  Nutrients.  The liver also performs over 500 chemical functions in your body!  The liver processes all of the nutrients the body requires, including proteins, glucose, vitamins, and fats and turns them into nutrients that your body needs.

4.  Storage.  The liver also stores vitamins, hormones, cholesterol, and minerals. Your liver lets go of these chemicals and nutrients when your body needs them, and they flow into your bloodstream.

5.  Bile.   The liver also produces fluid called “bile” that helps the body absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins.  Bile “duct tubes” take the bile to the gallbladder, where it is stored and secreted into the intestines to help digest fat.

The Structure of the Liver

   A.  Layout:  the Layout of the liver is a well-organized structure including:

Lobes.   Similar to the brain, the liver is divided into a right lobe and a smaller left lobe, which are separated by tough, fibrous connective tissue.

Lobules.   These two major lobes contain about 100,000 smaller lobes, called lobules.  Each lobule contains microscopic columns of liver cells and blood vessels. Bracing the corners of each lobule column are an artery, vein and a bile duct.

Bile ducts.   The bile ducts collect bile draining from tiny canals around the liver cells.  These ducts eventually join to form the large common bile duct that leads from the liver to the gallbladder.

Arteries and veins.   The arteries bring oxygen-rich blood to nourish the liver cells.  The veins supply the liver cells with blood containing the nutrients and toxins that the liver cells process.  A central vein runs through each column and collects the processed blood from both sources.  These veins join to form the hepatic vein.

   B.  Blood:  the liver holds about a pint of blood (13% of the body’s supply).

   The Hepatic Artery supplies blood from the heart directly to the liver and the Hepatic Veintakes the blood back to the heart.  The Portal Vein carries to the liver blood that has been circulating through the stomach, spleen, and intestine. The liver processes this blood, extracting nutrients and toxins.(2)

Causes of Liver Disease and Cirrhosis

   Cirrhosis has many causes.  In the United States, chronic alcoholism and chronic viral hepatitis are the most common causes.

   However, liver injury that results in cirrhosis also may be caused by a number of inherited diseases such as:

Cystic fibrosis,
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency,
Hemochromatosis,
Wilson’s disease,
Galactosemia, and
Glycogen storage disease.

Metals:   Two of these inherited disorders result in the abnormal storage of metals in the liver, leading to tissue damage and cirrhosis.  In these cases, our Body Detox may have to be added to the Protocol to remove the metals.

Wilson’s disease causes too much copper to store in the liver, brain and kidneys and in the corneas of their eyes.(3)

Hemochromatosis causes too much iron to be absorbed.  The excess iron is deposited in the liver and in other organs, such as the pancreas, skin, intestinal lining, heart, and endocrine glands.(4)

   Cirrhosis can be caused by a number of other conditions, including:

Long-standing inflammation,
Poisons,
Infections,
Chemicals,
NAISDs,
Heart disease – as well as:

Alcohol liver inflammation often needs treatment to lower the inflammation.  Since alcohol irritates the liver, causing inflammation, it is usually discouraged.  It develops in 10 – 20% of heavy drinkers, usually after 10 – 15 years of heavy alcohol consumption.  Inflamed liver cells can lead your body to form scar tissue around veins of your liver.  The liver cells also form nodules, which also press on the liver veins.(5)

Hepatitis means inflammation or swelling of the liver from any cause, but it usually refers to a viral infection of the liver.  Chronic hepatitis C is a more common cause of cirrhosis in developed countries, while hepatitis B is a more common cause of cirrhosis worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Over many years the chronic inflammation damages liver cells and leads to scarring.  Also, if the ducts carrying bile out of liver get blocked it can cause inflammation of liver cells leading to cirrhosis.

Liver Disease and Damage

    Liver damage from these things can lead to livers that are swollen, shrunken, hard, or scarred. Such livers do not work well, and you can get very sick – or even die if your liver stops working altogether!

Acute:  If something happens to the liver suddenly, it is “acute.”

Chronic:  If something affects the liver over time (6 months+), it is called “chronic.”  Many people develop symptoms only when the liver has been damaged for many years.(6)

   Liver disease process often takes the following path:

   1.  The scar tissue acts like small dams to alter the flow of blood and bile in and out of the liver.

   2.  The changes in blood and bile flow have significant consequences:

  • The spleen overproduces nitric oxide, a chemical that causes blood vessels in the spleen to widen (dilate).

  • Blood flow coming from the intestine into the liver is slowed by the narrow blood vessels. It backs up, seeking other routes.

  • Enlarged, abnormally twisted and swollen veins called varices form in the stomach and lower part of the esophagus to compensate for the backup blood.

  • Bilirubin also builds up in the bloodstream, resulting in jaundice, a yellowish cast in the skin and eyes, as well as dark-colored urine.

  • Fluid buildup also occurs in the abdomen (called ascites ), and swelling in the legs is common.

Next, we will be look at a little more detail of how cirrhosis of the liver happens – and an answer!

Go to:  Part 2    

References:

1.  Lindor KD, Gershwin ME, Poupon R, Kaplan M, Bergasa NV, Heathcote EJ; American Association for Study of Liver Diseases. Primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology . 2009 Jul;50(1):291-308.

2.  Rappaport AM (1983) Physioanatomy of the microcirculation. In: Abramson DI, Dobrin PB (eds) Blood vessels and lymphatics in organ systems, chapter 14, Academic Press Inc, New York (in press).

3.  Hunt AH, Parr RM, Taylor DM (1963) Relation between cirrhosis and trace metal content of the liver with special reference to primary biliary cirrhosis and copper. Brit Med J II:1498–1501.

4.  Grace ND, Powell LW (1974) Iron storage disorders of the liver. Gastroenterology 67:1257–1283.

5.  Connor CL (1939) Etiology and pathogenesis of alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. JAMA 112:387–390.

6.  Bianchi L, de Groote J, Desmet VJ, Gedigk P, Korb G, Popper H, Poulsen H, Scheuer PJ, Schmid M, Thaler H, Wepler W (1977) Acute and chronic hepatitis revisited. The Lancet 8044, Oct 29:914–919.