Illustration 4a: Gallstones in the Liver and GallbladderBesides manufacturing cholesterol—an essential building material of all organ cells, hormones, and
bile—the liver also produces hormones and proteins that affect the way the body functions, grows and
heals. Furthermore, it makes new amino acids^4 and converts existing ones into proteins. These proteins
are the main building blocks of the cells, hormones, neurotransmitters, genes, and so forth. Other essential
functions of the liver include breaking down old, worn-out cells; recycling proteins and iron; and storing
vitamins and nutrients. Gallstones are a hazard to all these vital tasks.
In addition to breaking down alcohol in the blood, the liver also detoxifies noxious substances,
bacteria, parasites, and certain components of pharmaceutical drugs. It uses specific enzymes to convert
waste or poisons into substances that can be safely removed from the body. In addition, the liver filters
more than one quart of blood each minute. Most of the filtered waste products leave the liver via the bile
stream. Gallstones obstructing the bile ducts turn the bile toxic and lead to high levels of toxicity in the
(^4) Right from a newborn’s first breath, the body produces amino acids and proteins from the nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and
hydrogen molecules contained in the air.