Your Unseen Spleen

Another neglected organ

Many people neglect their spleen. More often than not, they treat it as a has-been (or even a never was). These people acknowledge its presence, but then ignore it completely. Your spleen is actually very important for your health and wellbeing. Let’s look at its many jobs.

Your spleen’s job description:

Your spleen works much like your lymph nodes (its actually like an extra large lymph node) and to a lesser extent, like your lungs and kidneys. It acts as a filter for your blood and removes old red blood cells that get degraded so their iron and protein parts can be recycled. It also stores healthy red blood cells and platelets.

Platelets are the troops sent out to stop the bleeding whenever you cut yourself. You definitely want plenty of them stored up just in case!

Additionally, your spleen plays a major role in your immune function. It produces antibodies and stores white blood cells to help your body combat all manner of infections and intruders.

Under normal conditions, your spleen is about the size of your clenched fist and a brownish colour. It’s located on the left side underneath your ribcage. If you’re healthy, don’t bother trying to look for it. You will not be able to feel it.

Do we really need a spleen? Well you can live without your spleen. BUT, yes, that’s a big but. If your spleen is removed (called a splenectomy), your body’s ability to fight infections will be severely compromised. You’ll be more susceptible to opportunistic infections and bugs going round. So you’ll need to take extra care to support your immune system in its tireless efforts to keep you healthy.

Signs that you may have a troubled spleen:

Pain on the left upper side of your abdomen. This could mean that your spleen is enlarged or heavier than usual. Pain could be present, but also may not be. If pain is present, it could radiate to your left shoulder. An enlarged spleen can also manifest as anemia (low red blood cell count) and easy fatigability (easily tired).

An enlarged spleen may indicate the following medical conditions:

Infections like mononucleosis (“Mono” or glandular fever) and toxoplasmosis.
Cancer especially blood cancers like lymphomas and leukemia. The cancer could also come from another site (called metastatic cancer).

Splenic injury. The position of your spleen makes it susceptible to physical injuries. It’s the most common organ involved in blunt force trauma or injury to the abdomen. If you do a lot of contact sports, you could suffer from a ruptured spleen secondary to a physical injury. Be careful and make sure that you wear plenty of protective gear. More importantly, don’t get hit!

Note: If you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms, consult your healthcare practitioner. We are not suggesting you diagnose yourself, leave that to your doctor who knows what he’s doing!

How to have a healthy spleen:

1. Hydrate your spleen. To function well, your spleen needs fluids. Don’t wait for your body to get thirsty before you drink water. Ensure that you have enough of the stuff by drinking eight to ten glasses per day. If you don’t drink enough water, your spleen will not be able to filter out dead red blood cells and toxins efficiently.
2. Reduce the burden placed on your spleen. Eat organic, unprocessed foods to lessen the number of toxins entering your body with your food. Identify any food sensitivities and avoid the offending foods. This means your immune system won’t need to get involved. Also, doing a yearly cleanse supports your detox organs like your liver and kidneys to function better which means less work for your spleen to filter your blood.
3. Load up on maitake mushrooms. Maitake mushrooms contain beta-glucans which are believed to increase the amount of immune cells in your spleen. Maitake mushrooms are commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for spleen ailments.
4. Fish for omega-3 fatty acids. Examples of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, kingfish), chia seeds, as well as hemp seed, flaxseed and algal oils. Omega-3s help to reduce inflammation in your body and may also support antibody production by your spleen.
5. Supplements to support optimal health. Every body system and organ in the body is connected and interrelated. So support your overall health. A multivitamin and mineral provides nutrients for daily health and wellbeing. Likewise, probiotic supplements helps to rebalance the good bacteria in the gut which work to prevent intruders from entering the bloodstream. This in turn lightens the spleens load.
6. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for a healthy spleen. The spleen is a much more highly valued organ in TCM, than in Western Medicine. This is because TCM recognises how intimately its connected with the rest of the body. So visiting a TCM practitioner can give you insights into how well your spleen is doing and other things you can do to help it function better.

Don’t neglect your spleen. It has some essential functions. It may not be as vital as your brain or heart, but if it’s troubled or missing, it can raise your hospital bills to the roof. Why not just avoid this, and follow the simple tips above to make sure your spleen stays healthy.

References

Cheung, P. C. K. (2008). Mushrooms as functional foods. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley.
Ulene, A. (2001). The Nutribase Nutrition Facts Desk Reference (2nd ed.). Avery Trade.
(2012). Harrison's principles of internal medicine (18th ed.). (Vols. 1-2). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Longe, J. L. (2005). The Gale encyclopedia of alternative medicine (2nd Ed.). (Vols. 1-4). Detroit: Thomson Gale.
https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/spleen
https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/detoxification/the-lymphatic-system-and-your-health.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15539254
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15850970


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