Liver and Gallbladder Health

The liver and gallbladder play a crucial role not only in digestion but in overall health. The liver is our body’s largest solid organ located mostly in the right upper portion of the abdomen, just below the diaphragm. On average, the liver weighs around 3 pounds in adulthood and is roughly the size of a football. The liver is truly an amazing organ because it has the capacity to regenerate. The liver is our body’s workhorse. It performs variety of functions. First and foremost, it is a vital digestive organ that converts nutrients from the food we eat into
essential blood components. It helps to store vitamins and minerals and produces key proteins and enzymes that maintain hormonal balance in the body. The liver also produces bile (an estimated 800 to 1,000 milliliters (mL) daily) which is essential for digesting fats and maintaining GI health. The bile then is transported via bile ducts into the small intestine. Extra bile is stored in the gallbladder.

Another very important liver function is helping the immune system fight
infections and removing toxins from the blood stream. Detoxification is one of the its most important functions. There are three phases of liver detoxification each of each require certain nutrients to be present: Phase I requires adequate amounts of amino acids, vitamins A, B2, B3, C, E, folate, iron, calcium, copper, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. Phase II converts the toxins from phase I into water-soluble forms that are easier to excrete. This phase is highly dependent of methylating agents, glutathione, vitamin B12, molybdenum, magnesium and sulfur. Phase III is the final conversion where toxins are diverted for excretion in either the bile or urine. This is an enzymatic process that requires the nutrients mentioned in the previous two phases.
Your gallbladder is a thin-walled, pear-shaped, hollow, sack-like organ. It is located on the right side of your abdomen under your liver. It is about 2.7 to 3.9 inches long and 2 inches at its widest area. 

The main function of your gallbladder is to store and concentrate a yellow-brown digestive enzyme called bile created by your liver. Bile is made up of water, salt, cholesterol, lecithin, and bile pigments call bilirubin created by your red blood cells. Bile allows your body to break down and absorb fats from your food.  Your liver produces between 27 and 34 fluid ounces of bile on a daily basis. They secrete them into your bile duct which ends at your small intestines. During meals, the bile flows into your small intestine, and between meals, it is stored in your gallbladder, which holds between 1 to 2.7 fluid ounces of bile at one time. When you eat fatty food, your gallbladder releases bile to mix with semi-ingested food and help to break down larger fat particles into smaller fat droplets to be further broken down with the help of digestive enzyme from your pancreas.

Gallbladder disease has a wide range of symptoms including:

There are many contributing factors but the most harmful are environmental toxins, infectious and viruses, poor diet and alcohol and sugar consumption. So, Lifestyle and food choices we make play a crucial role in the health of these two vital organs.

How we can help?

If you want to find out more information, contact us today at our Ambler, PA physical therapy clinic to make an appointment with one of our specialists at Polishuk Physical Therapy.