Facts About Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease is one of the prominent causes of problems with digestion that corollary in hospital admissions. Did you know that colse to 10% of the population (on average) in most Western countries has gallstones? Most of these are "silent" but about 4% of patients with stones develop symptoms each year. For about half of them, the symptoms reoccur within 12 months. More men than women suffer from acute gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis), whereas more women than men contact gallstones (men have more kidney stones), and married women with children have more gallstones than unmarried women. The term "gallbladder disease" is in one sense a misnomer, for it is the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder that form the ideas that enables your body to Ant. Eject fats and all are likely to participate in gallbladder problems.

I have always said that doctors commonly see condition problems as conditions with symptoms requiring drugs, whereas surgeons see condition problems as conditions requiring the knife, and when a outpatient is admitted with abdominal discomfort surgeons are often keen to remove the gall bladder as it is believed that it 'serves very petite purpose' and that the outpatient can "live favorably without it". This is a ridiculous and very untrue view however, and I want you to think twice about having your gallbladder removed, because over half of population I have seen who had their gallbladder removed still had the same digestive question they started with in the first place unresolved, yet now without their gallbladder. Once it is out that is it, it does serve a purpose like every organ you were born with and having your gallbladder removed will affect your condition to some degree. For some patients, the removal of their gallbladder had a major consequence on their condition down the track. For others, it was a minor consequence.

Sensitive Stomachs

A surgeon I once spoke to many years ago mentioned that the gallbladder operation was one oftentimes performed in larger hospitals by the younger surgeon to "bring them up to speed" in the operating room. He said that it was a relatively easy operation chronic from thirty to forty minutes enabling them to gain surgical contact before they move onto "bigger and best things" as far as abdominal surgery is concerned. I can't help wondering if all the gallbladder operations performed are literally that necessary, because they are so quick to take it out these days. The apprentice mechanic will first be introduced to the motor by studying to replace the spark plugs before he is allowed to work deeper into the engine. If the plugs were removed, determined cleaned and then replaced they commonly last a long time. But then again, today more than half the stuff we buy is made in China and it is "chucked" as soon as it is even slightly defective!

What is the gallbladder's function?

Your gall bladder's main function is to derive and incorporate bile produced by the liver that the body uses to Ant. Eject fats. Think of bile a bit like you would dishwashing liquid. Have you ever tried to wash dishes with fat or grease on them in water without dishwashing liquid? Not literally sufficient is it? Not at least until you squirt a petite dishwashing liquid into the warm water then they are clean in no time. Your gallbladder makes fullness of its own type of "degreasing liquid" called bile. Bile becomes up to twelve times more concentrated in the gallbladder (and hence much more effective) than it was in your liver. Think about this, with your gallbladder gone, your liver now has to produce, store and secrete bile. It can do this but not as effectively as it can without that petite purse called the gallbladder hanging by its side.

The liver makes in the middle of 600 - 900 mls of bile each day, and what is not sent while meals to the duodenum (beginning of your small bowel) directly via the liver's main duct to emulsify fat, it is diverted through a smaller duct (branching off the main liver duct) to the gallbladder for storehouse until required. When fat in a meal reaches the duodenum (where most of the food you eat is digested and absorbed), hormones enter the circulation and along with nerve signals, stimulate the gallbladder to contract. This contraction, assisted by the small intestine's contractions, induces the gallbladder's small round muscle and the stored bile is propelled into the duodenum where it mixes with food from your stomach and pancreatic juices from the pancreas by way of the pancreatic duct. If you eat a fairly fatty meal (fish and chips for example) your gallbladder can empty completely within one hour. It is this combination of bile and fats that can make one feel "queasy" at times after a fatty meal.

Bile itself is made up of water, salts, fatty acids, lecithin, cholesterol, bilirubin, and mucus and has two main functions. The first function is to help in the absorption and digestion of fats, and the second to eliminate certain waste products from the body, especially excess cholesterol and the haemoglobin from worn out red blood cells, which have an median lifespan of 3 months.

In particular, the bile

(1) increases the solubility of fat-soluble vitamins, fats and cholesterol to support in their absorption,
(2) stimulates secretion of water by the colon to help move its contents along,
(3) is a medium for urination of bilirubin (the chief bile pigment) as a waste stock of destroyed red blood cells, other waste products, healing drugs and their degradation products, and other toxins.

Bile salts are in fact re-absorbed into the small intestine, and re-secreted into the bile after removal by the liver. All bile salts in the body re-circulate some 10 to 12 times a day by means of this so- called enterohepatic circulation. In each circulation small amounts of bile salts enter the colon where bacteria break them down for urination with the feces.

Who is the many at risk of gallstones?

o Female gender: women outnumber men at least 2:1.
o family history
o Forty or more years of age
o 3 children or more
o Diet: low calorie, low cholesterol, low fat. (especially a diet like this after a diet high in fat)
o Diet: previously high in refined carbs, alcohol, chocolate, chips, etc.
o Smoking
o High cholesterol history
o Constipation history
o Rapid weight loss
o Obesity
o Food allergy history
o Dehydration due to not enough water
o Liver problems like cirrhosis or past hepatitis infection
o Sensitive to penicillin antibiotics

Signs and symptoms of gallbladder problems

I have seen many women in the clinic who have for years on and off never felt quite well in terms of their digestion. Many have experienced a low grade ill feeling, a digestive discomfort which was put down to indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea or even a "grumbling appendix". They go on for years and years with digestive symptoms and never realise that they may be linked to a gallbladder problem. That's because they are so inter-related with other digestive symptoms and too easy for their doctor to say: "You are fine; there is nothing to worry about". Constipation is one of the most commonly missed complaints, and so is farting. Don't be embarrassed here, we all fart, some men (and fullness of smallish children) enjoy boasting about it but women do it too and are commonly totally embarrassed. Flatus is most base in bed when you first lie down, while the night or when you get up. This is because your bowel changes its position and gas more literally escapes through the anus with the large intestine in a horizontal rather than in a vertical position. Don't laugh, but do you sometimes feel fat, frumpy and farty and at times "sicky" after eating a fatty meal like fish and chips or chocolate? Does your partner joke about how much you "let off"? Then you may very well have a gallbladder issue.

The Four F's

Have you heard about the four f's? We learn when we study rehabilitation that women who are "fat, fertile, forty and flatulent" are often the gallbladder girls. They are much more prone to having gallstones or a sluggish liver and gallbladder. The following list in case,granted here may be linked to gallbladder but please bear in mind that it could also be something else. The first four symptoms mentioned are the most indicative of gallbladder issues. It is not indispensable to have all or many symptoms to have gallbladder problems but the more you have from this list, the more confirmation you have that your gallbladder is involved. Please note that it is still advisable to consult your Gp for an spoton diagnosis.

Signs and symptoms of impending gallbladder problems (If you answered yes to the first four (with an asterisk) go to your health-care expert for a more spoton diagnosis.)

Pain or tenderness under the rib cage on the right side, could be central too* Pain in the middle of shoulder blades, central but could be under the shoulder blades* Stools light or chalky colored* Indigestion after eating, especially fatty or greasy foods* History of gallstones or gallbladder removal in your family Weight gain after modern digestive troubles or after gallbladder removal Frequent use of antacids Nausea Dizziness Bloating Farting Burping or belching up gas literally after meals Feeling of fullness or food not digesting Diarrhea (or alternating from soft to firm) Constipation (or naturally skipping a day here or there) headache over eyes, especially right Bitter fluid comes up after eating, could be a petite reflux and very subtle Frequent use of laxatives

Being big is literally in itself a big risk factor in gallbladder problems, and women with a Bmi (body mass index) of 30 or greater are more than double at risk than women who have a Bmi of 25 or less. Although a decrease in weight reduces the risk of gallstone formation, there is a 15 to 25 percent growth in gallstone formation while or immediately following weight loss! I have seen this with any patients over the years; they have lost weight and are proud of if only to contact digestive problems and then a bad bout of pain within twelve to eighteen months after the weight loss. A major heart study in America discovered that women with Type 2 Diabetes were practically twice as likely (41.8 percent versus 23.1 percent) that non diabetics to have gallstones, and the risk was top surrounded by the 30 to 59yr old group.

I always ask a someone these approved questions when they come in with a (suspected) gallbladder dysfunction - "Did you loose weight recently, say in the past two years?" "Have you been on a fat free diet lately?" "What kind of foods/drinks do you like to regularly have?" By asking the right questions, you would be surprised how many will literally tell you what is wrong with them, and their answers can point right to the heart of the problem. In my observation, the main factors prominent to gallbladder attacks and dysfunction are obesity (and rapid weight loss (for example1 pound a week); "fat-free" diets are especially bad.

Poor dietary habits - especially too many fatty and fried foods, alcohol, too much dairy food like cheeses and full cream milk, refined sugars and starches, high protein foods (in excess), food allergies, parasites, long-term use of birth control pills, and a sedentary (couch potato) lifestyle. The Atkins diet craze caused a lot of gallbladder problems, for example. Once these factors are operating, bile produced in the liver and flowing through the biliary ducts into the gallbladder becomes too thick, the bile ducts may then become obstructed, gravel and stones may form (90% of all gallstones are cholesterol), and the whole biliary ideas may become clogged. Other causative factors comprise insufficient water consumption, a weak immune ideas (increases likelihood of infection in the gallbladder), as well as diabetes and varied liver diseases.

Prevention of gallbladder problems lies in controlling obesity, diet and enough intake of thoughprovoking water, and the use of approved physical exercise. Louise Hay, an thoughprovoking lady who wrote the noted book "Heal Your Life" way back in 1976 with regard to how emotions can trigger physical problems, mentions that anger, aggressiveness, and bitterness can corollary in gallbladder problems. Retention the immune ideas strong and the liver and small intestine salutary is very prominent too. Let's look now at some non-medical alternatives once gallbladder problems are evident, and also how to prevent this question in the first instance.

Food allergies

Often looking and eliminating food allergies can stop frequent attacks of gallbladder pain and prevent unnecessary surgical removal. In one study, avoidance of allergens relieved symptoms in 100% of 69 patients with symptomatic gallstones or post-cholecystectomy (after the operation) syndrome (uncontrolled trial commented on by Dr. Alan Gaby, Usa). I'm not convinced just testing for antibodies in terms of food allergies is the way to go, try also: muscle testing, you may know somebody who does do electro-dermal testing. Whether way, try going on an elimination or allergy diet, it may be the acknowledge to your problems.

For recurring gallbladder pain - reason food allergies in just about 100% of patients. On median I find that they are reactive to 4 or 5 foods, and agreeing to Dr. Jonathon Wright, one of America's most experienced natural rehabilitation doctors, egg is commonly always one of the prime food allergens involved. There are over 800,000 cholecystectomies (gallbladder operations) performed in Usa per annum, they cost ,000 Us to perform. If you do the math here, sufficient preventative natural rehabilitation rehabilitation could spare 4 billion Us dollars with gallbladder conditions alone. I can dream how many of the operations are performed needlessly in Nz each year, and it is truely phenomenal how many population I have seen who have their gallbladder out only to find that it did not fix up the question they originally went to the doctor for in the first place.

Other healing methods of handling gallstones in the gallbladder comprise attempts to fragment them with sonic shock waves (lithotripsy). Of procedure there are other times when surgery may become necessary, such as in perforation of the gallbladder (often from gangrene) or where for example non-benign tumours and cancers are present. All this is what I call "crisis medicine," so base in the orthodox healing procedures used in the hospital system. Does it not make sense to prevent a gallbladder condition in the first place rather than waiting for disaster to attack and then to take action?

How is your back?

See your Chiropractor; you may have mid-thoracic vertebral subluxations. If you have back issues, your fourth thoracic vertebrae may a bit "dodgey", you could be looking at a subluxations which means a petite dislocation (misalignment) or biomechanical malfunctioning of the vertebrae (the bones of the spine). These disturbances may irritate nerve roots and the blood vessels which subject off from the spinal cord in the middle of each of the vertebrae, and if this is what is happening colse to the middle of your back it could be affecting your gallbladder.

Gallbladder removed? - take bile salts

I always recommend that a outpatient who has had their gallbladder removed take bile salts (digestive enzymes) because fats & oils are not properly digested and absorbed by these folk. I always give bile salts when I give them fish-oil, or Vitamin A. Digestive enzymes are indispensable for those who have had their gallbladder removed, they will feel a lot best for taking them regularly. Their digestion will improve, their bowels will work best and they will feel less full and bloated. For patients who do not enhance their diet following surgical removal of the gallbladder the removal leaves the someone with an increased risk of colon cancer. Although fast relief of some symptoms can corollary this surgery, the relief is often short-lived and the basic causes are still present. If you have lost your gallbladder, the quarterly use of bile salts at the start of meals can help substantially, along with best processing of the fat-soluble indispensable nutrients such as indispensable fatty acids and vitamins A, D, E, and K. Probably the best way to tell if you are using enough bile salts is to monitor the colour of the stool. If the colour is lighter than the normal brown colour, or is even a light beige or yellow, this implies insufficient bile flow; with it's under absorption of indispensable nutrients, and a need for more bile salts. Such a need for more bile salts will be greater after a meal with greater amounts of fats and oils. Talk to your Naturopath more here, he or she can recommend a stock which should work well. I commonly find that the digestive enzymes prescribed by your Naturopath to be stronger and much more sufficient than the sell (health-food shop) products. That is why they are classified as "practitioner-only" products. My website (see resource box) explains more about "practitioner-only" products.

Useful herbal supplements with liver & gallbladder complaints: Swedish bitters, milk thistle, chamomile, peppermint, greater celandine, gymnema, gravel root, dandelion leaf & root, chicory, rhubarb, burdock, cramp bark, ginger root, fennel, and turmeric.

Homeopathic medicine: one of the most specific homeopathic medicines is Chelidonium 30C, and I recommend this remedy for patients who complain of right-sided pains radiating through the back, pains radiating to the right shoulder blade region. It is in general view of as a liver remedy, but I find it phenomenal for gallbladder disorders as well.

Diet

Eliminate refined sugar and other refined carbohydrates, because it is these foods which in particular increases the cholesterol saturation of bile. Gallbladder problems don't commonly happen in under developed countries, they are a phenomenon of the Western developed world. We call these sorts of condition problems the "diseases of modern civilisation". You will find that our Western diet is the highly refined one, most population eat foods from the supermarket and our diets are the ones high in the refined sugars, starches and flours. Foods and drinks to strictly avoid One of the worst beverages to drink with gallbladder issues is coffee Whether decaffeinated or not, it aggravates symptoms by causing the gallbladder to compact along with sugar. So, sugar and coffee is not a good idea! I also tell patients to avoid chocolate, deep fried foods and saturated animal fats in general. Most tell me that they cannot tolerate these foods anyway, so listen to your body and avoid what makes you feel sick or sick.

Gallbladder foods which have a particular favourable corollary comprise beetroot, Brussels sprouts, fennel, sauerkraut, parsley, artichokes, pears, granny smith apples and the bitter foods such as rocket, endive, chicory, and capers.

Consume a petite olive oil daily One way to prevent build-up of gallstones is to eat some oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, daily; this encourages the gallbladder to compact and to daily "sand dump" its contents into the small intestine, preventing sludge from accumulating and forming gallstones.

Treatments

Warm castor oil packs. All you need is 200ml castor oil (try the chemist or supermarket), and old saucepan, an old cloth, and an old towel. Just warm the old cloth in the pot of oil until it is quite warm, squeeze it out and apply it over the region of the gallbladder - central a petite to the right just near where your ribcage finishes. Cover with the old towel, place a hot water bottle on top for added warmth and lie down for fifteen to twenty minutes, then rub the area for 2 minutes with an ice cube in a cloth-repeat 3 times once daily for a week can sometimes dislodge gallstones, and is especially a grand rehabilitation if used in conjunction with the flush and dietary approach. Right with castor oil, it can stain.

Liver and gallbladder flush

there are many different gallbladder and liver flushes that will work if you have had recurrent gallbladder problems and your diet has been typically Kiwi. You literally need to work in with your health-care expert like your naturopath here. I have guided many patients through this procedure the past twenty years and have never experienced a problem, and to be honest have very rarely found somebody with a "gallstone too big to pass" as some may fear.

For a gallbladder "attack" try these recipes Here are a incorporate of tips to try with acute pain, if the pain doesn't subside, seek healing opinion.

o Drink 1 tbsp of apple cider in a glass of apple juice (warmed). This should relax the pain quickly.
o In a small glass add ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp cumin, and ½ tsp Manuka honey - top with boiling water, stir to dissolve and mix together, drink when warm. Take: 3 times a day.
o Citrus tea: have 3 glasses daily of tea made by boiling for 20 minutes in water the rind of a grapefruit.

Recommendations stopping time to come gallbladder attacks

1. Each morning, drink a "gallbladder attack flush"; 300mls Apple juice (or dilute with water), 3 cloves of raw finely chopped garlic, 1-2 inches of raw finely chopped ginger root, mix well in blender. This drink helps soften sludge and helps prepare your gallbladder to dump rubbish.

2. Liver & gallbladder flush. One straightforward flush is to drink 3 Tbs of extra-virgin olive oil with the juice of a lemon before retiring and on awakening for at least 3 days, or until no more stones pass. I have other flushes but tend to use them in a consultation with the outpatient only. This is one procedure in my view you are best not to do yourself at home without any guidance, but get the advice from a grand Naturopath, preferably one with contact in this area.

3. Eat a well balanced diet of 50% raw or partially steamed foods and fresh juices, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts/seeds. This low saturated fat, high fiber diet is a must for healing gallbladder disorders. Flaxseed and olive oil are great additions to your diet for mend and stoppage of gallstones. Bitter foods (see below) are a great addition, and will help prevent a build up in future. The two top foods to consume? - Lemon juice and olive oil.

4. Increased your intake of Vitamin C can help with gallbladder ailments. Replenish your vitamin C market by eating fullness of vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Good sources comprise capsicums (red/green/yellow), berries, lemons, and broccoli/green leafy veg. I recommend a high grade Vitamin C powder daily for the stoppage and maintenance of many conditions in the body.

5. Herbal detoxification products may be helpful in stopping and reversing a gallbladder attack. I recommend using formulas that use organic, whole herbs. There are some perfect products available, just ask your herbalist or naturopath.

3 tips for after the gallstones have passed

o Dr. Dick Versendaal, a Chiropractor from America recommends his "carotid-umbilicus technique". For the best results, it is to used every 15 minutes for 1-3 hours as follows (it's easier if someone else does it on you than you try to do it yourself ): using the index finger, apply a steady pressure into the belly button for 5 minutes, such as to depress the belly button 1-1 ½ inches (but avoiding pain). Do this once a day for up to 12 weeks after the stones are passed, it will help your gallbladder a lot.

o Firm rubbing for at least 30 seconds1-2 times a day of the neuro-lymphatic reflexes (these points may feel quite tender if you have gallbladder issues) in the middle of ribs 3 and 4, and ribs 4 and 5, just to each side of the breastbone, and in the middle of ribs 5 and 6 just under the nipple of the right breast can be quite helpful.

o Also softly Retention (not pressing or rubbing) for at least one petite the neurovascular reflexes at the former fontanel (front of head the baby's soft spot near crown of head- find at tip of middle finger when the wrist crease of Whether hand is placed on the eye brows and the middle finger extended onto the midline of the skull) and at the hairline on the forehead directly above the outer angle of each eye. Look for the "tender spots", you will find them.

Facts About Gallbladder Disease

Sensitive Stomachs