This organ functions somewhat similarly to the appendix in that it cleans debris from the blood stream. It sits within the blood stream at about the 9th, 10th, and 11th ribs. It also rests behind and against the greater curvature of the stomach just below the diaphragm. Typically, it measures about 5 x 3 x 2 inches and weighs about five ounces. It faces the left kidney.

This organ is made up of masses of granular tissue around the veins and arteries. Some people (about 10%) have an accessory spleen near where the spleen is attached to the blood vessel. If the spleen were sliced open, a soft red surface would be revealed that would have two types of pulp that indicate the functions of the spleen. The red pulp is a filter that removes materials from the blood that should not be there. The white pulp is an infection fighter. The spleen also creates and stores red blood cells.

The spleen can get sick. Some of the more common ailments:

• Splenomegaly or enlargement of the spleen. Possible causes:
• Sickle cell anemia
• Sarcoidosis
• Malaria
• Bacterial endocarditis
• Leukemia
• Pernicious anemia
• Gaucher's disease
• Leishmaniasis
• Hodgkin's disease
• Banti's disease
• Hereditary spherocytosis
• Cysts
• Mononucleosis
• Tumors
• Asplenia or failure of the spleen to function, which may open the door to infections. This may be caused by the following:
• Sickle cell disease
• Surgical removal because of the following:
• Injury
• Blood diseases
• Hereditary spherocytosis
• Lymphoma
• Tumors or cysts

The modern diet is not friendly to the spleen, where almost everything we eat is either processed or cooked. Humans were not intended to eat such foods, and a return to raw and living foods will prevent the insults to the spleen listed above. The enzymes that come from raw and living foods aid digestion in the mouth, stomach, and intestines, meaning that the spleen doesn't have to work so hard to assist in the processing of food by the body.

By raw and living foods we mean the foods that contain enzymes. When food is heated to more than 116 F, enzymes are destroyed. The molecular structure of food changes when it is cooked, rendering it toxic. Besides, living and raw foods offer greater and healthier nutritional value than those that have been subjected to high temperatures.

Digestion needs enzymes, complex organic substances that exist only in living cells and use digestion to bring about chemical changes in organic substances. These are vital to digestion. Without them, food is not utilized as it should be, which results in toxicity. The spleen's job is to go after toxic substances, and it is overburdened by a modern diet.

In living foods, the enzyme content is higher. A good example of living foods is sprouts. Nuts are in a dormant state, but if they are soaked in water and begin to sprout, then they become living food and the enzyme count skyrockets.

It is also a good idea to choose only organic foods. The pesticides and other chemicals that are used to grow most of the produce we eat are toxic to the human body. Food grown without those artificial products not only tastes better, it will protect the spleen. Some people feel safe if they rinse the fresh food they buy in the supermarket. The only problem with that is that it doesn't remove the pesticides the food absorbs as it grows.

Eating raw foods is not a new thing. What is new is cooking everything to a pulp. Historically, man's diet was the food that grew naturally. There wasn't anything else. Only after he became more “civilized” was he able to kill animals and build a fire to cook his food.

Keep your spleen healthy! Eat raw and living foods.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari