If you were asked to name your largest and most important body organs, you shouldn’t fail to mention the liver. Do you know that your liver performs hundreds of jobs to keep you in good health? From toxin biotransformation and the storing of vitamins to glucose storage, release and bile production, all the functions performed by the liver are very crucial to your well-being.  So, having seen that, why you need to take care of your liver?
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Here are three major reasons:
1. To protect your liver from damages
One of the major tasks that the liver does is to remove toxins and bacteria from the bloodstream to minimize your risk of developing a myriad of health issues. In case your liver is damaged and so, incapable to work as intended, the toxins and the microorganisms will build up in your body. As a result, you’ll be highly likely to develop various serious health concerns.
Some of the factors that predispose you to liver damages that consequently lead to conditions like liver failure include excessive alcohol intake, drug abuse, sharing needles used to inject drugs and obesity. If you want to maintain a healthy liver, you have to avoid these factors by all means if possible.
2. To avoid various health issues
Due to the vast array of functions that your liver performs, anything that compromises with its health can indirectly lead to lots of health concerns. Some of the health issues that you are likely to experience if your livers fail to work as intended include:
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Abdominal pain and swelling
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Edema (Swelling of the legs and ankles)
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Fatigue and general body weakness
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Nausea or vomiting
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Extreme appetite loss
Dealing with some of these issues is a depressing experience, and so, it’s imperative that you take good care of your liver in whichever way you can to avoid them. Some of the measures you can take to avoid liver issues include:
- Drinking alcohol in moderation or quitting it completely
- Taking prescription and nonprescription drugs exclusively when needed and in recommended doses
- Avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and aerosol paints.
- Avoid sharing injection needles
- Protecting yourself from getting into direct contact with the blood or body fluids of other people
- Physical exercises
- Taking liver supplements-you can also take supplements that are designed to support healthy liver function and the growth and regeneration of liver cells. Milk Thistle is a perfect example of such supplements.
3. Liver treatment is costly and demanding
Depending on the reason behind the failure of your liver, your doctor may recommend a dialysis course or liver transplant. Whichever the option, you’ll be required to making frequent trips to the hospital.  A dialysis treatment requires you to be machine-dependent for a very long time and you have to strictly observe the prescribed schedule for you to overcome your liver problem. This is quite demanding
Worse still, both treatment options are costly, although a transplant is more expensive. The average price for a liver transplant in the U.S ranges from $334,300 to $600,000.
You see how valuable and important your liver is? Don’t say that you’ll start taking care for it tomorrow, begin today.
