Gallstones and Gallbladder Disorders

Definition

Gallstones affect the gall bladder, a small sac-like organ located beneath the liver. The gallbladder serves an important function in the body by storing bile produced by the liver.

Types

The most common problem associated with the gallbladder is gallstones, which are rounded stones made up of cholesterol, bile, pigments, and lecithin. Gallstones can exist for a long time without signs and symptoms, but ultimately they typically cause blockages or damage to the gallbladder. This can cause extreme digestive symptoms and pain.

Gallstones form whenever liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The actual liquid, called bile, is used to help the body digest fat. Bile consists of water, cholesterol, fats, salts, and bilirubin. Bile salts break up fat, and bilirubin is what gives bile and stool a brownish color. Bile is created in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder until the body is able to absorb fat. At that time, the gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube, known as a duct, which sends it to the small intestine where it helps aid in digestion. If the liquid bile contains too much cholesterol, bile salts, or bilirubin, it may harden into stones.

Problems associated with gallstones include severe cholecystitis, which is an infection in the gall bladder caused by a gallstone getting trapped. Symptoms of acute cholecystitis include the stomach becoming extremely painful to the touch, as well as fever. Repeated attacks are called persistent cholecystitis, which manifests exactly the same symptoms.

Gallbladder cancer is yet another possible disorder, but it is very rare, occurring in only 3 in 1,000 individuals each year. Gall bladder cancer generally causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin) as well as pain in the upper-right abdominal area, but it may also be present with no symptoms at all.

Symptoms

Only about 20% of people with gallstones experience symptoms, the rest of people don’t know they have any problem. A common symptom of gallstones is pain in the right part of the abdomen and/or pain in shoulder or shoulder blade. Pain can also occur in the center of the upper abdomen, over the breastbone. In all instances, pain, wherever it occurs, is usually constant and progresses slowly. This rises to a plateau and then gradually decreases, usually inside several hours following a meal and especially after meals which are high in fat. Other symptoms include nausea, feeling, “stuffed,” belching, heartburn, gas, and throwing up.

Cause

Poison overload in your system from chemicals, additives, processed and junk foods, and excessive saturated animal fats in the diet plan can contribute to gallbladder problems. When the liver becomes overloaded with excess saturated fats, the gall bladder becomes inflammed and swollen. This excess of saturated fats first becomes cholesterol debris and then later becomes gallstones.

Women are four times more likely to suffer from gallstones than men, especially women who are over 40 years old, are overweight, and are fair-skinned. Twenty percent of adults over 65 years old suffer from gallstones with difficulties and pain. Over 500,000 surgeries are performed each year to remove gallbladders due to gallbladder disorders, the most typical being gallstones.

Constipation, food allergies (especially to whole milk products and eggs), digestive issues (especially those caused by a deficiency of muriatic acid), intestinal diseases, a highly-reduced-dietary fiber diet, dental disturbances, foreign organisms, rapid weight loss, and tension can all cause or contribute to gall stones and other gallbladder problems. For lasting relief of symptoms, many of these factors should be addressed if they are present.

Natural Cures

Be aware: In order to make a precise diagnosis of gallbladder disorders, an ultrasound examination may be required. If surgical treatment is necessary, laser surgery is typically used, which does not require cutting into the stomach which promotes a much faster recovery. The majority of gallbladder surgical procedures, however, can be easily avoided through dietary and natural intervention, with emphasis on identification, avoidance, and treatment of food allergies.

Diet plan: Identify and avoid
Avoid all meals to which you’re allergic or sensitive, particularly milk and dairy products, gluten, and wheat products. Also reduce your overall fat intake, particularly saturated fats, to less than 20% of your diet. Eliminate all processed and hydrogenated fats but do not cut fat completely, as this can increase your odds of developing gallstones. Focus on monounsaturated fats (olive oil, coconut oil) which are the best fats to include in your diet.

Eat smaller meals because overindulging places stress on the gallbladder. Make sure to eat breakfast every day, don`t skip meals, and eat a balanced and healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, beans, legumes and other vegetarian sources of protein. Eat fresh dietary fiber to enhance bowel movements, and steer clear of refined carbohydrates, which can cause gallstone formation. Overall, eat less animal fats and prepared foods and transition to a whole-foods, vegetarian- oriented diet plan. If you are obese, lose the weight, but do it in a slow and healthy manner.

Good foods to include in your diet include black cherries, pears, beets (raw as well as cooked), fresh steamed vegetables such as beet tops, collards, kale, and cauliflower. Snack on seasonal fruits, and eat plain organic natural yogurt, as well as more raw meals in general.

Gall bladder Flush: Eliminating stones from the gallbladder is a common natural cure and practice of holistic doctors. It is not a very difficult process.

For six days perform the following: Follow a whole foods diet with no animal products and no processed foods. Eliminate all white flour products, and eat whole grains such as quinoa and brown rice. Limit dairy products to organic plain yogurt. Consume organic apples as a snack, and make your own applesauce or juice. Eat fresh abundant green salads, steamed vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and veggie soups.

On the seventh day, mix ½ a cup of extra virgin olive oil with 1/3 of a cup of fresh lemon juice. Consume the entire mixture and skip your evening meal. Go to bed earlier (no later than 10 p.m.), and sleep with your knees tucked up to your side. In the morning, you should be rid of the gallstones, which will appear greenish yellow. If you do not have a natural bowel movement each morning, see the enema instructions in the Cleanse and Detoxification section and proceed with an enema. Repeat as necessary six months after the initial cleanse.

The protocol described is an extremely gentle non-invasive gallbladder flush. See Cleaning and Detoxification for a more detailed process.

Herbs: Mix the tinctures of wild yam, fringetree bark, whole milk thistle, and balmony in equal components and take 1 tsp. of this blend 3 times per day. An infusion of chamomile or lemon balm may also be taken regularly throughout the day.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the application of water, ice, steam and alternating hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Remedies include full body emersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating an array of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a personal-care program. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and day spas use hydrotherapy as part of their treatment. We recommend several at-home hydrotherapy remedies. Please seek the advice of an alternative healthcare practitioner prior to undergoing these types of procedures to make sure they are right for you.

-Purified water is essential for any hydrotherapy remedy. Remedies involving purifying bath water offer clear instructions and remedies.

Liquid Therapy: The following juice combinations can help improve gallbladder health: Carrot, beet, cucumber, radish, and dandelion root with a clove of garlic; Grape, pear, grapefruit, and lemon.

Lifestyle: Choose non-toxic cleaning and personal care items.

Dietary Supplementation: These supplements can help relieve gallbladder problems: Digestive enzymes with each meal, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, choline, inositol, lipotrophic factors, alfalfa tablets, acidophilus bacteria, lecithin, and the amino acid, M-taurine. Peppermint oil mixed with fresh water, and sipped throughout a meal is also known to be helpful.

Topical Ointment Treatment: Castor oil packs positioned over the gall bladder can help speed relief of gallstones.

Alternative Professional Care

If your signs and symptoms persist despite following the steps listed above, seek the help of a qualified medical expert. The following expert treatments have all demonstrated an ability to be helpful for treating gallstones and gallbladder disorders: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Detoxification Therapy, Environmental Treatments, Magnetic Field Therapy, Naturopathic Medicine, Neural Therapy, and Osteopathy. (See Glossary for descriptions of these Alternative Treatments.)