Current Medical Study Backs up the Word of Wisdom

Isn't it interesting how science keeps proving the Word of Wisdom true? I've attached part of a study (believe it or not this isn't the whole study). It is a very large-scale study (over a million subjects) and very well executed. I have highlighted a few points which I thought were significant. If you don't want to read the entire study, at least read down until the end of the first section to, "change advice about alcohol?"

"Even Low to Moderate Alcohol Consumption Increases Risk for Cancer in Women News Author: Zosia ChusteckaCME Author: Penny Murata, MD

February 26, 2009 — Even low to moderate alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk for cancer, both overall and at specific sites, in women, according to results from the Million Women Study conducted in the United Kingdom.
The women in the study were middle-aged (median age, 55 years), and 75% said they drank alcohol, consuming — on average — 1 drink per day (100-g alcohol). Very few drank more than 3 or more drinks per day, and there was no difference between wine or other drinks, such as spirits, although most women drank wine.
Each drink significantly increased the risk for cancer, the researchers found.
For such women in developed countries, the researchers estimated a background incidence of 118 cancers diagnosed per 1000 women up to the age of 75 years.
Consuming 1 drink per day increased this to an extra 15 cancers per 1000 women, and 2 drinks a day increased it to an extra 30 cancers per 1000 women, they report. Most were breast cancers, but the risk for cancer was also increased for the liver and rectum, and for the mouth and throat in women who also smoked.
Cancers at these sites have been linked to alcohol in the past, but this study shows that even low to moderate consumption significantly increases the risk, lead author Naomi Allen, DPhil, from Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, told Medscape Oncology.
"From a standpoint of cancer risk, the message of this report could not be clearer. There is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered safe," say Michael Lauer, MD, and Paul Sorlie, PhD, from the Division of Prevention and Population Sciences at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland.
Their comments appear in an editorial published online February 24 with the report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Change Advice About Alcohol?
These latest "fascinating" findings should give pause for thought, say the editorialists. Although the medical dangers of too much alcohol are well known and have been known for a long time, in recent years, there has been increasing research to suggest that small amounts may be beneficial to cardiovascular health, which has led to some promotion of drinking to maintain heart health.
As an example, the editorialists cite an American Heart Association science advisory about "wine and your heart" (Goldberg IJ et al. Circulation 2001;103;472-475).
"Even if there are modest beneficial cardiovascular effects of alcohol," the editorialists comment, the current report should "remind us that we must consider the broader public-health context."
"Among women the major cause of death by far during the middle years is cancer," the editorialists point out.
"Although it is true that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women overall, this primarily applies to women older than 75 years," they add.
"It might be reasonable to suspect that many women in the lay public who are asking physicians about any possible safe effects of alcohol are middle-aged," the editorialist write. "For this large group, the only reasonable recommendation we can make is that there is no clear evidence that alcohol has medical benefits."
Lead investigator Dr. Allen told Medscape Oncology that she agreed with this message.
"We found no suggestion of a minimal level below which there is no increase in risk," she said. "The risk of cancer increased proportionately according to the amount of alcohol consumed."
Cancer Research UK, which supported the study, said in a statement: "This latest study shows that even relatively low levels of drinking increase a woman's risk. It is important that women are as well informed as possible so they can take responsible decisions over how much alcohol they drink."
As the study focused solely on the risk for cancer associated with alcohol, Dr. Allen said it was not possible at this time to comment on how this risk would balance against any potential benefits on cardiovascular health.
However, in order to answer this question, her team is now planning to use these same data on alcohol consumption from the Million Women Study to investigate the association with cardiovascular disease, looking at coronary heart disease, stroke, and related events. These results should be out in "the next few years," she said.

Increase in Cancer Overall and at Specific Sites
The study followed up on 1,280,296 women who attended breast-cancer screening clinics in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2001. After an average of 7.2 years of follow-up, cancer was diagnosed in 68,775 of these women.
Alcohol consumption was self-reported. The researchers did not use nondrinkers as a reference group, because they suspected that there was "a spuriously high relative risk in this group." The collected data did not differentiate between those who had never drunk alcohol and those who were not drinking now but had done so in the past, and the researchers suspected that many nondrinkers were actually former drinkers who stopped drinking due to illness.
They found an increased risk for cancer in nondrinkers compared with a group who drank 2 drinks a week or less. Dr. Allen explained that when her group examined these cases further, they found that the nondrinkers had a 40% increase in risk for liver cancer and esophageal cancer, both of which have well-known associations with alcohol. She suggested that these may have been cases where women were drinking until they developed problems, such as difficulties with swallowing, and then stopped because they felt unwell.
Hence, the researchers carried out trend analyses of the association between the amount of alcohol consumed and the risk for cancer. All estimates were adjusted for potential confounding factors, including age, smoking, and use of oral contraceptives and hormone-replacement therapy.
Each additional drink regularly consumed per day was associated with 11 additional breast cancers per 1000 women up to the age of 75 years; with 1 additional cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 1 additional cancer of the rectum; and with 0.7 each for esophageal, laryngeal, and liver cancers.
"Although the magnitude of the excess absolute risk associated with 1 additional drink per day may appear small for some cancer sites," the researchers write, "the high prevalence of moderate alcohol drinking among women in many populations means that the proportion of cancers attributable to alcohol is an important public-health issue."
For example, in the United Kingdom, these estimates suggest that around 13% of cancers of the breast, upper aerodigestive tract, rectum, and liver — that is, 7000 cases annually — can be attributed to alcohol.
This study was conducted in middle-aged women, but other studies conducted in younger women (eg, 20- to 30-year-olds) have shown similar associations, Dr. Allen commented. However, as most of the excess risk was for breast cancer, it is not clear how these results relate to men, she added.
The Million Women Study is supported by Cancer Research UK, the UK Medical Research Council, and the UK National Health Service breast screening program. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101:282-283, 296-305."

I hope you enjoyed reading this study as much as I did. I find it interesting that they are now backing off on the recommendation that red wine is beneficial for the cardiovascular system because the detrimental effects of alcohol far outweigh any benefits. It is my position that if we follow the Lord's commandments and listen to current revelation through modern-day prophets, we will always be better off. The Lord knows what is best for us. Medical trends and recommendations come and go, but the Lord is unchanging. So, obey the Word of Wisdom!

That's my two cents.

CES Fireside

There will be a Church educational system fireside on Sunday at five o'clock Pacific time on BYU TV. Elder Hales will be the speaker. The CES firesides are always very good and worth watching. From the church website:

"A CES fireside for young adults will be transmitted over the Church satellite system on Sunday, March 1, 2009. The speaker will be Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The broadcast will originate from the Marriott Center on the Brigham Young University campus at 6:00 p.m. mountain time."

We Can and Will Win

I don't think my posting yesterday on marriage was very popular. But then again, a lot of things the prophets say are not popular. Truth is not always welcome. I have a quote today from our current prophet, which I think will be better received. Anyone who has read a few of my blog postings knows that I talk quite a bit about the unraveling of the moral fabric of society. So this is an encouraging quote by the prophet to help us remember that despite the adversary and his tactics to destroy us, we can and will win the war, if we rely on our Heavenly Father. Enjoy the quote.

"The world can at times be a frightening place in which to live. The moral fabric of society seems to be unraveling at an alarming speed. None—whether young or old or in-between—is exempt from exposure to those things which have the potential to drag us down and destroy us. Our youth, our precious youth, in particular, face temptations we can scarcely comprehend. The adversary and his hosts seem to be working nonstop to cause our downfall. "We are waging a war with sin, my brothers and sisters, but we need not despair. It is a war we can and will win. Our Father in Heaven has given us the tools we need in order to do so. He is at the helm. We have nothing to fear. He is the God of light. He is the God of hope. I testify that He loves us—each one."
Thomas S. Monson, "Looking Back and Moving Forward," Ensign, May 2008, 90

That's my two cents.

Marriage

You may be wondering why someone who has never married would be writing a blog post about the topic. I do not profess to be an expert, but I did come across a few quotes from a Prophet that I thought were profound and worth sharing.

I remember first reading these quotes in my FTM mission handbook. There were lots of good things in that handbook. I came across these quotes again recently so I thought I would blog about them.

I believe it was President Spencer W. Kimball who said that the most important decision we will ever make in our lives is to marry the right person at the right time in the right place. That is something I remember reading from my FTM handbook. Here are a couple of other quotes from President Kimball:

“In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions, this one must not be wrong. In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness. It brings with it sacrifice, sharing, and a demand for great selflessness. …

… “Soul mates” are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price…” Teachings of the Presidents of the Church -- Spencer W. Kimball (2006) 189-201. I did a little research and found that this quote came from an address given by President Kimball September 7, 1976 at Brigham Young University. An article was written in the March 1977 Ensign which was taken from this address entitled "Oneness in Marriage".

I really like the part about soul mates being fictitious. This is something I have always believed. I am glad to hear a Prophet back me up. I do believe there are certain people you are more compatible with, that you have more in common with, but I do not believe, and have never believed, that there is only one person that you could marry and be happy with. I don't have a quote on this but, I think it was President Kimball that said, if both husband and wife are living Gospel standards and keeping covenants that there would be no reason they would not be compatible and live a happy life together.

You can take my words on this topic with a grain of salt. But seriously consider the Prophet's words. Doctrine and Covenants 1: 38 "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled the, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

That’s my two cents.

Leaky Roof

Mom and I discovered today that our roof is leaking. We have heard water dripping before which sounded like it was dripping in the fireplace. But today while I was getting my hair put up we kept hearing water dripping in my room. Come to find out it's actually dripping through the ceiling onto the carpet. Can you believe that? This is a brand-new house. We have only lived here not even a year and a half yet. I can't believe the shoddy workmanship nowadays. What happened to craftsmanship and taking pride in your work? It seems to me like everything comes down to money. How much money they can get out of you for the least amount of work. It is disgusting. People used to have integrity and take pride in their work. I guess those days are gone. What a sad commentary on our society.

That's my two cents.

Finding Joy in the Journey

Yesterday was our relief society lesson. I have been feeling under the weather the past week or two so mom ended up teaching the lesson yesterday. I did manage however, to get the outline done to help mom out with the lesson. The talk I chose this month was from the October 2008 General conference, President Thomas S. Monson's talk entitled "Finding Joy in the Journey". So I thought I would share the outline with you. If you would like to read the entire talk click the title. It would be worth your time to read it again. Mom thought it would be nice to hand out treats but she didn't know what to hand out and so I suggested almond Joy. Kind of clever,huh? :-) okay here's the outline:

1. Finding Joy in the Journey

2. Change Is Inevitable

3. One of the greatest lessons we should learn in our short time upon this earth is to distinguish between what is important and what is not.

4. “There Is No Tomorrow to Remember If We Don’t Do Something Today” President Thomas S. Monson

5. “Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.” President Thomas S. Monson

6. Stresses in our lives come regardless of circumstances-deal with them-but don’t let them get in the way of that which is most important-the people around us.

7. “Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.” President Thomas S. Monson

8. “Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.” President Thomas S. Monson

9. Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.”

10. “If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.” President Thomas S. Monson

Democracy

I received an e-mail last week that quoted a Newsweek article entitled, "We Are All Socialists Now" I guess it was written in response to the $800 billion stimulus package signed by Korihor a.k.a. Obama. Anyway, it basically said that our country is becoming more like France. It threw out some statistics about the GDP, government spending a decade ago was 34.3% now it's 39.9% of the GDP, and how the gap is closing between the United States of America and European countries, whose government spending is in the 40%-50% range of GDP.

As our government keeps growing and we head more towards being a socialist country rather than a democracy, I find this next quote very interesting.

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage. “
Alexander Fraser Tytler (1747 to 1813) Scottish history professor

Doesn't that sound familiar? loose fiscal policy? Gifts from the public treasury? $800 billion stimulus package! It all comes down to greed. Greedy bankers giving loans to people who can't afford them, greedy citizens wanting handouts from the government, and greedy politicians. In this last election did the citizens of the United States of America not vote in the candidate who would give them the greatest gifts from the public treasury?

To those of you who have studied The Book of Mormon, doesn't the cycle of democracy look familiar?

Righteousness and Prosperity
Pride and Wickedness
Destruction and Suffering
Humility and Repentance

The cycle of righteousness and prosperity to pride and wickedness to destruction and suffering to humility and repentance which leads back to righteousness and prosperity and so forth continued many times in The Book of Mormon. I'm not sure of the timelines but it seems like it was about a 200 year cycle. Isn't that interesting?

I would say that we are in the apathy to dependence stage in our democracy according to Alexander Tytler's cycle. People are very apathetic towards the government and politics. I don't really like politics but I feel it is my duty as a citizen to let my voice be heard and to vote for who I feel would be the best candidate for any political office, or any issues that might be on the ballot. I have always made an effort to vote since I turned 18. Isn't it sad that more people vote on American Idol than vote in political elections?

Why is it that so many people feel like the government owes them something? Why is it the government's responsibility to bail out people who make poor decisions? Is it my job to pay my neighbor's mortgage because he bought a house that he couldn't afford? Why should people who make wise decisions, and who live within their means, have to pay for the mistakes of greedy, unwise people who are in debt because they are living beyond their means? Should future generations have to pay for mistakes being made now? I fear we are in a downward spiral in our democracy. If I did the math right, we are in the 233rd year of our democracy. Which is 33 years beyond the life expectancy of a democracy. With the current administration, Obama, our democracy doesn't stand a chance.

That's my two cents.

Dating and Tithing

While I was sick in bed on Sunday, I was somewhat listening to a devotional on BYU TV. I don’t remember the speaker but I believe he’s member of the 70. Anyway, he was talking about when he was a mission president giving exit interviews. He was often asked by the sister missionaries how they would know when they had met the right man to marry. His answer was quite interesting and, I think, very wise. I think he mentioned a few things but the one that stuck out to me was this. He said, “ask the young man you are dating if he is a full-tithe payer. If he’s not, run the other direction. If he is, that doesn’t mean you should marry him but he’s a potential candidate.” That’s not a direct quote but that’s my paraphrase. I found this very profound because if you think about it, paying tithing is a good indicator of your faithfulness. It seems to me that when people start losing faith, tithing is one of the first things to go. And on the flip side, when people are coming back to the church, it seems like tithing is one of the last things they do to fully embrace the church. Anyway I just found that interesting and quite profound. By the way, the test is not gender specific-a young man could ask a woman he's dating the same question.

That's my two cents.

A Lesson Learned From Grandma Sabin

As I laid awake last night, tossing and turning (I wish), I started thinking about this lesson I learned from Grandma Sabin. I thought I would share it with you today. Of my four grandparents, Grandma Sabin was the one I spent the most time with. Consequently, she is the one I felt the closest to, and learned the most from. She was always teaching. Whether it be life lessons, family history, etc.. She taught me many things and maybe in the future I will discuss a few of them but for now I want to discuss just one.

This lesson probably had the most impact on my life, of any of the lessons I learned from her. Surprisingly, or maybe not, it occurred when I was very young. I was perhaps six or seven years old. I don't remember the details very well, but I do remember the lesson. So I will do my best to explain what happened.

My mom and I, and probably my sisters- I don't remember them being there but I'm sure they were- went shopping with Grandma Sabin. I don't think Michael was born yet. Anyway, we were shopping at ZCMI in the children's section. Grandma was going to buy me a new dress. I don't remember the selection process but, it was narrowed down and I was given the choice of two dresses. I was to select one of them, which I liked the best, and grandma would buy it for me. Apparently, I was quite indecisive and would not make a decision for whatever reason. I don't remember. Grandma then proceeded to lecture me on being decisive and sticking to the decision. I imagine it went something like this, "Miss Tamara... being decisive is an important quality... and so forth." I think she mentioned something about weighing the pros and cons. (In six-year-old terms) Anyway, I don't really remember what she said to me during the lecture. But ever since then I have been a decisive person. Granted, I haven't always made the wisest decisions. But I have tried.

We are faced with many decisions every day. Most of them are mundane and unimportant. Such as which outfit to wear, what brand of milk to buy, etc. But, for those decisions which are important, such as whether to serve a mission, where to go to school, whom to marry, etc. we have been given a formula to follow to help us make that decision.

Doctrine and Covenants 9: 7-9
"7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; ..."

So let me just reiterate what we should do to make a wise decision.

1- Study it out in our minds. This is where we make the list of pros and cons. We ponder the list and come to a decision.

2-After making the decision we pray about it. We ask Heavenly Father if we have made a correct decision.

3-If it is the correct decision we will feel good about it, through the Holy Ghost. If it is not the right decision, we will be confused.

It is a fairly simple formula. Very easy to follow. Sometimes I think we want things our way. So even though we don't receive the warm feelings from Holy Ghost, and instead receive confusion, we ignore the Lord's answer and make the wrong choice.

We should not only use this formula for major decisions but also minor decisions which also have an impact on us. Things such as whether to go to a party or a dance, whether to hang out with your friends or stay home with your family, etc.. Of course, things like whether to read your scriptures or pay your tithing are hardly decisions you need to pray about because the Lord has already given his answer regarding these things. And of course we should not use this formula for deciding which outfit to wear or which can of peas to buy at the grocery store. The Lord doesn't really care whether you buy Green Giant or Safeway brand.

I do believe that being decisive is an important quality for us to develop. I'm thankful to Grandma Sabin for teaching me this lesson very early in my life. By the way, I think after the lecture I selected one of the dresses fairly quickly.

So go make a decision and stick to it!

That's my two cents.

Sickness and Health

I have been quite sick the past few days. Today's the first day I have felt good enough to get out of bed for any period of time since Friday. Anyway, I will spare you the details of my illness but I'd like to say that being ill makes me appreciate my health. My health is not the same as it once was but under the circumstances I do quite well. So being so sick sure makes me appreciate being well. I would like to thank my family (Michael made a special trip to give me a blessing, daily calls from my siblings) and especially my mom and dad for being there for me to help me through my illness. I have the best mom and dad in the world! It has been a rough few days. But I think I'm on the mend. I would also like to say how thankful I am for food storage. Anytime I requested anything it was always in the pantry. Jell-O, hot chocolate, chicken noodle soup, chicken broth, and 7-Up. It may seem like a small thing but when you're sick there are only certain things you feel like eating. So I am thankful we had what I needed. Hopefully I'll be able to start giving you my two cents again fairly soon!

Dare to Be Different

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we are often called a peculiar people. Most people would take offense to being called peculiar. I actually relish the idea. In a society where normal equals worldly or of the world, peculiar means we are not worldly or of the world. We have been taught to be in the world but not of the world. This can be quite difficult because everybody wants to fit in. And fitting in usually entails compromising standards.


I have always been somewhat peculiar. I didn't fit in in high school. And honestly, I didn't want to. Because the supposedly cool people, were not cool at all. Let me give you one example. During PE class one of the girls was made fun of by some "cool" girls. For no other reason than she was different. Perhaps peculiar. She didn't wear the latest fashion, she didn't wear her hair in the latest fashionable haircut, perhaps she wasn't quite as coordinated at the others, maybe a little slow. The sad thing was, the "cool" girls who were making fun of this girl were members of the church. I was happy to be peculiar and be this girl's friend, rather than to be "cool".

Dare to be different. Dare to stand up for what you know is right.
Dare to walk out of a movie.
Dare to turn the radio off.
Dare to turn the television off.
Dare to tell your friends no, when they ask you to compromise your standards. Even if they are members of the church.
Dare to be ridiculed by others because of your unwavering standards.
Dare to talk about the Gospel and its standards to nonmembers.
Dare to be peculiar.

I could give several more examples of when I did and didn't follow this advice. But I think I will leave it at that. Suffice it to say, life is much more enjoyable when you follow the Gospel and live the standards of the church. Let us all strive to be peculiar!

Why should we care about the world's opinion anyway? In the end, it is the Lord's opinion that matters.

I hope the world finds me very peculiar!

That's my two cents.

The Much-Anticipated Liver Post

Okay so maybe it is only much anticipated by me. :-) I have put a lot of work into this entry. So I hope you enjoy it.

The liver is one of the most versatile and amazing organs. It is quite a workhorse. It has many functions and performs many tasks. Some interesting things about the liver that you might not know are:

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It weighs approximately 3 to 3 1/2 pounds and is the size of a football.

The liver is located in the right upper quadrant, below your lungs.

The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself. If up to 75% of the liver is removed, it will grow back. I read that after two thirds of a liver was removed, one week later it had regenerated back to the same mass it was before. This is one of the liver's most interesting abilities: self-repair and the regeneration of damaged tissues. In clearing the body of toxins, the liver is damaged by exposure to harmful substances, demonstrating why this capability is important.

Approximately 1500 ml (1.6 quarts or approximately 6 cups) of blood enters the liver each minute, making it one of the most vascular organs in the body.

Some of the major functions of the liver include:

Breakdown and excretion of toxins. Including many drugs (some drugs are cleared by the kidneys) alcohol, poisons, bacteria, old and defective red blood cells, foreign particles, and other harmful substances.

Protein metabolism including production of amino acids (which are the building blocks of proteins). The liver synthesizes about 50 grams of protein each day, primarily in the form of albumin. Albumin is a protein in blood which helps regulate blood volume and also serves as a molecular carrier. Liver cells also chemically convert amino acids to produce ketoacids and ammonia, from which urea is formed and excreted in the urine. The liver has the ability to convert certain amino acids into others.

Carbohydrate metabolism. The liver helps metabolize carbohydrates in three ways:
1. converting sugars into glycogen to be stored in the liver
2. converting glycogen back into sugars to maintain blood glucose levels
3. synthesizing glucose from proteins or fats.

Sugar Storage: The liver stores enough glucose in the form of glycogen to provide about a day's worth of energy.

Fat Metabolism. Including production of triglycerides and cholesterol. Calories ingested in a meal and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides, by the liver, and transported to fat cells to be stored. The fatty acids produced from digestion of fat are used to produce cholesterol among other things. The liver produces 80% of the cholesterol in your body.

Produces Clotting Factors: Most of the body's 12 clotting factors are plasma proteins produced by the liver. Prothrombin and fibrinogen, substances needed to help blood coagulate, are both produced by the liver. The liver also produces the anticoagulant heparin and releases vasopressor substances after hemorrhage.

Vitamin And Mineral Storage: Fat soluble vitamins such as: Vitamin A (1-2 years supply), Vitamin D (1-4-month supply), Vitamin E, Vitamin K. Water-soluble: Vitamin B1 (riboflavin), Vitamin B12, Vitamin C. Minerals such as: Iron and Copper.

Produces Bile: Bile is a greenish liquid required for digesting fat. Some bile drains directly into the digestive system and some is stored in the gallbladder. Bile salts aid in fat digestion and absorption. Bile is continuously secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder until a meal, when bile enters the beginning of the small intestine. Bile production ranges from 250 mL to 1 L (approximately 1-4 cups) per day depending of amount of food eaten.

Excretion of Bilirubin: Bilirubin is one of the few waste products excreted in bile. Macrophages(a type of white blood cell) in the liver remove worn out red blood cells from the blood. Bilirubin then results from the breakdown of the hemoglobin in the red blood cells and is excreted into bile by hepatocytes (liver cells). Jaundice results when bilirubin cannot be removed from the blood quickly enough due to gallstones, liver disease, or the excessive breakdown of red blood cells. Bilirubin must be conjugated in the liver, changed from fat soluble to water-soluble, before it can be excreted.

Producing Immune Factors and Removing Bacteria, helping the body fight infection. The phagocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the liver produce acute-phase proteins in response to microbes (bacteria). These proteins are associated with the inflammation process, tissue repair, and immune cell activities.

Currently, there is no artificial organ or device capable of emulating all the functions of the liver.

I tried to make this easy to understand, so I hope I accomplished that. I think the liver is the most underappreciated organ in the body. It has always been my favorite organ. If there is such a thing. :-) So, I hope this makes you appreciate your liver!

That's my two cents.

Another Obama Blunder

I received this e-mail today. Korihor a.k.a. Obama is at it again. For any of you who read this blog who are still blinded by the craftiness of men regarding Obama, maybe this will help you see the light. Obama's choice for Deputy Attorney General is David Ogden, who according to this article, is amoral and not the kind of person we should have in charge of enforcing laws that he has been fighting against most of his life.

Article by Maureen Proctor, Washington, DC:
"If there is ever a chance to stop the assault upon our lives that Internet pornography represents, it is through the Department of Justice being tough and enforcing the obscenity laws on the books. That is why it just rings with irony that David Ogden, whose hearing is today, is President Obama's pick for Deputy Attorney General.

Pornography and Obscenity: Ogden has extensively represented Playboy, Penthouse and other pornography businesses on numerous occasions and even argued to force the government to use tax dollars to publish portions of Playboy in Braille at the Library of Congress. He also served as legal counsel opposing the Children's Internet Protection Act and the Child Protection Obscenity and Enforcement Act, which requires pornographers to verify "performers" are not children.
Anti-Life Record: Ogden has a record of supporting an almost unlimited right to abortion, providing legal counsel for groups like Planned Parenthood, National Organization for Women and People for the American Way. He argued that "abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems," opposed parental notification for 14-year-olds, and called spousal notification a "burden" that "cannot be justified."

Pro-homosexuality activism: Ogden served as counsel of record for a legal brief that said homosexuality "is a normal form of human sexuality" and has called traditional marriage a "social prejudice."

Ogden has been nominated to uphold the very laws he has spent a career fighting.

Take Action: Call your Senators
Call your senators when you get this email and ask them to oppose the nomination of David Ogden. The Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121."

Everybody is hoping for "change" from Obama. It seems to me like the only change we have seen is for the worse. Is this really the change we need?

That's my two cents.

Hamburger Bun Bagel

This morning for breakfast, Dad brought me what he thought was a toasted bagel with cream cheese. In actuality, it was a hamburger bun, toasted, with cream cheese.
Yum :-)

Straight and Narrow

I was listening to BYU TV on Sunday and I heard a good talk. I don't remember who the devotional speaker was, but I'm going to somewhat paraphrase what he said. He was talking about the straight and narrow path and how it is usually depicted as being flat and level. But he suggested that it is actually quite mountainous. In other words, there are a lot of ups and downs, a lot of steep inclines, and declines.

I thought this was very interesting because I always pictured the straight and narrow path and holding to the iron rod as being level. Maybe this is because all the pictures I've seen are always level. But I think this devotional speaker had a good point. If we think about life and holding to the rod on the straight and narrow path, if we also have to start climbing a big hill, it makes the great and spacious building even more appealing. It becomes a lot easier to let go of the iron rod and leave the straight and narrow path and head over to the great and spacious building. It seems to me like it is when life starts getting harder, i.e. climbing a hill, that most people falter. When we are struggling to hold to the rod while climbing a steep incline, it is more easy to give up and go join the people mocking us from the great and spacious building.

This is when we have to rely on the Lord, and everything we've been taught, to keep holding to the iron rod and stay on the straight and narrow path. Because eventually we will reach the top of the hill and the straight and narrow path will level out again.

Anyway, I thought this was a great analogy, and a good reminder to stay on the straight and narrow path, no matter how steep it is.

That's my two cents.

Maintain a Firm Stance

I don't know when I will get around to finishing the post I've been working on, it might take a few days. I got another great "gem" in my e-mail today so I figured I would post it.

"It requires courage to make good choices, even when others around us choose differently. As we make righteous choices day by day in little things, the Lord will strengthen us and help us choose the right during more difficult times. "The teachings and values we cherish the most are not embraced by a secular world. To maintain a firm stance for ourselves and our children, the message of the restored gospel must be firmly planted in our hearts and taught in our homes."
W. Craig Zwick, "We Will Not Yield, We Cannot Yield," Ensign, May 2008, 98

I have noticed this to be true. The more right, good choices I make, the easier it is to continue making good choices. Sometimes it does take courage to choose the right especially when most people in the world do not share our values. We must maintain a firm stance.

That's my two cents.

Prayer

Since I haven't done a post in a few days, I thought I would put this quote on my blog today. It is my "daily gem" today. I have been working on my next post but haven't been able to complete it yet so hopefully tomorrow I will get it done. In the meantime, enjoy this quote by Elder David A. Bednar.

"I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as 'a form of work, . . . is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings' (Bible Dictionary, "Prayer," 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say 'amen,' by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father. Asking in faith requires honesty, effort, commitment, and persistence."
David A. Bednar, "Ask in Faith," Ensign, May 2008, 95

Sometimes it's hard to remember that we must put forth effort and work for blessings we ask for in prayer. We must do all that we can and then ask Heavenly Father for those things which we need or want. For instance, if we are sick, we must do all within our power to get better, such as seeing a doctor, taking prescribed medicine, getting enough sleep, eating well, etc. and after all we can do, then Heavenly Father will bless us with healing, if it be His will. If we ask Him in prayer.

That's my two cents.