Inside your rib cage, on the left side of your body is…your stomach.
Located behind the top part of your stomach is another organ. That organ is your Spleen, and the subject of this discussion.
Your spleen is a rather large organ: about 5 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. It plays a big part in keeping you “fit as a fiddle”. Your red blood cells pass through your spleen. While healthy red blood cells have no problem with this task, unhealthy cells are stopped, blocked and broken down by large white blood cells. Consider it a security operation taking place right in your body.
Your spleen also participates in recycling. For example, it keeps reusable elements from your broken-down cells, such as iron. What does it do with the iron? It is returned to your bone marrow. This enables your bone marrow to do its job, producing important stuff, like hemoglobin molecules.
Here’s something else your spleen does: it stores about a cup of your blood.
Why? Well, if you lose a lot of blood, your spleen will release this reserve helping you stay alive! Consider it your own little blood bank. Hats off to your spleen!
And, hats off to the Creator, for you are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
-By Steven McFie
