THE liver is the filter of the blood and is necessary for survival. Located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, the liver bravely does daily battle against toxins, poisons, and disease that try to invade your body. In the Zulu language, the word for liver (isibindi) is the same as the word for courage.

In ancient mythology, Prometheus was the Greek god who was humanity’s champion and stole the gift of fire for human use. Prometheus came to represent human striving, particularly the quest for scientific knowledge, and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences. In particular, he became representative of the romantic hero whose efforts to improve human existence could also result in tragedy.

According to pagan legend, Prometheus was punished by the gods for revealing fire to humans by being sentenced to eternal torment. He was bound to a rock, where each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent to feed on his liver, only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day.

The liver is the only human internal organ that actually can regenerate itself to a significant extent. The primary functions of the liver are to detoxify the body and to produce the bile used to digest food. However, the liver also stores certain vitamins, minerals, sugars, regulates fat storage and controls the production and excretion of cholesterol. By neutralizing poisonous substances, metabolizing alcohol and removing bacteria from the blood, the liver plays an important role in keeping the body healthy. If the liver has been damaged, a healthy, well-balanced diet may help the liver cells regenerate.

Artichokes, dandelions and milk thistle are foods that have been purported to heal liver damage and promote liver cell regeneration. Artichoke's active phytochemical is called cynarin and is found primarily in the plant leaves. Like silymarin in milk thistle, cynarin reportedly promotes liver recovery and protection.

In order to give the liver a chance to regenerate, avoid substances that can stress the liver. Since alcohol is filtered out of the body through the liver, all forms of alcohol should be avoided until the liver has a chance to rebuild. Also avoid medicines containing acetaminophen, since, like alcohol, acetaminophen is filtered through the liver.

Certain herbal remedies like comfrey, germander and chaparral can also be toxic to the liver, especially if liver cells have already been damaged. In addition, amphetamines such as the recreational drug “ecstasy” (3,4-Methylenedioxymetamphetamine) have been associated with life-threatening cases of fulminant hepatitis.

On Guam, our Prometheus is GMH and the fire he stole is the passion that our hospital employees have to provide excellent medical care to our island people. The Guam Memorial Hospital represents our collective effort to obtain medical knowledge and therapeutic interventions that will provide relief for the pain and suffering of our sick island people.

Like Prometheus’ liver, the millions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies to GMH are eaten up every year by the vulturous politicians who use GMH as a political dumping ground. For the overreaching sake of political patronage, the bloated GMH payroll has the unintended consequence of robbing sick hospital patients of reliable supplies of medicine, morphine, and even blood.