Maintaining a Healthy Gallbladder What You Need to Know
Your gallbladder is about four inches long and rests on the right side of your body, just under the liver. It performs one very important job: it holds toxins from the liver until they can be released from your body. When blood flows into your liver, it removes all of the toxic and poisonous stuff from your blood and mixes it with a substance called “bile.”
Bile is a digestive agent that contains cholesterol, bile salts and “lecithin,” among other things. Bile is passed to your gallbladder, where it is temporarily stored until food arrives in your small intestine. When this happens, the bile is released and passes through the cystic and bile ducts into the small intestine. Eventually, the toxins are passed out of your body as waste.
Gallstones & Inflammation
Normally your gallbladder, like most of your organs, works like clockwork, doing its job without you ever being aware of what’s going on. But sometimes one of the compounds in bile — usually cholesterol — becomes so saturated that it forms a solid. This solid is called a “gallstone.”
It is estimated that as many as one in 10 people have gallstones, though they might not know it. Gallstones may not necessarily cause you any problems, but sometimes when one is pushed out of the gallbladder, it gets stuck in the bile duct. This can cause a lot of pain and is what is known as a “gallbladder attack.”
Gallstones can also cause nausea, vomiting and severe pain in the chest. Pain can last from half an hour to several hours. If a gallstone blocks your bile duct, you could experience chills, shaking and even jaundice. If your gallbladder becomes inflamed, it can actually be life threatening.
Preventing Gallstones
The best way to deal with gallstones is to not get them in the first place. Treating them after they form can be a bit more of a challenge. Diet, as with many health conditions, is probably your best line of defense against gallstones and gallbladder attacks.
Research shows that diets that are high in fiber and low in fat can help prevent the formation of gallstones. Vitamins C and E are important, too. A deficiency in vitamin C could lead to gallstone formation. Vitamin E prevents fats from becoming rancid.
In one clinical study, researchers wanted to study the link between gallstone formation and diet. They already knew that gallstone disease was a common condition in Western populations. Previous studies had shown that obesity, aging, estrogen treatment, pregnancy and diabetes were consistently associated with a higher risk for the disease.
The researchers studied the results of several studies that evaluated how cholesterol, fatty acids, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and alcohol intake could be potential risk factors for gallstone formation. They concluded that a high intake of simple sugar and saturated fats favors gallstone formation. They also noted that fiber and moderate consumption of alcohol had the opposite effect and reduced the risk for gallstone disease.1
Herbal Help for Gallstones
If you suffer from periodic gallbladder attacks, here are four herbal remedies that could help break down gallstones and ease painful symptoms.
1. Dandelion and milk thistle both contain a substance called “taraxacin.” Taraxacin helps stimulate bile production. The more bile you produce, the less concentrated it is, and the less likely gallstones will be able to form. Also, the greater the volume of bile you can produce, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to flush out a stone. Both dandelion and milk thistle can be taken as tea.
2. Peppermint oil has been shown to help break down small gallstones. Buy them in capsule form from your local health-food store.
3. Rosemary stimulates bile production and can act as an “antispasmodic.” Rosemary helps with fat digestion and, in fact, is often used as a herb in high-fat dishes by chefs.
4. If you are prone to developing gallstones, try adding some turmeric to meals. Turmeric may be able to reduce your risk of forming more stones.
Fiber Reduces Risk for Gallstones
In another study out of Harvard Medical School, researchers studied the relationship between dietary fiber and gallstone disease. They used data from a clinical trial called the Nurses’ Health Study, which involved 69,778 women aged 35 to 61 with no history of gallstone disease. The women were asked to fill out questionnaires every two years in regard to their fiber intake and whether they had undergone surgery to remove their gallbladders.
During the 16-year follow-up, the researchers documented 5,771 cases of gallbladder removal. The research team found that women with the lowest fiber intake had the greatest risk for needing gallbladder removal. Women with the highest fiber intake — specifically, “insoluble fiber” — had the lowest risk.2
So it’s clear that fiber plays a big role in preventing gallstones. Want to increase your fiber intake? Eat more fruits and veggies. They are high in fiber and vitamins, low in fat, are cholesterol free and could help in the prevention of other diseases, too.
Coffee Could Help Prevent Gallstones
Harvard researchers have discovered that coffee may be beneficial for preventing gallstones. Researchers examined the coffee-drinking habits of over 80,000 women who had no history of gallstone disease. Coffee consumption and gallstone surgery were reported by participants on biennial mailed questionnaires.
During 20 years of follow-up to the year 2000, 7,811 women reported having gallstone surgery. Compared with women who consistently reported consuming no caffeinated coffee, women who drank coffee had a lower risk for developing gallbladder disease. The research team concluded that the consumption of caffeinated coffee could play a role in the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease in women.3
Two Home Remedies for Gallbladder Attacks
Try these home remedies the next time you have a gallbladder attack: drink one teaspoon of apple-cider vinegar in a glass of apple juice. This should give you some quick pain relief. Apple juice on its own helps soften gallstones. Alternately, you can drink three tablespoons of olive oil with the juice of a lemon. Many people have reported success in passing gallstones with this remedy.
A Word of Caution About Gallbladder Attacks
Once stones have formed in your gallbladder, they could cause serious medical problems if they block the bile duct. Surgery may be necessary. If you experience painful symptoms for more than an hour, seek medical attention. You’ll also want to rule out other medical conditions.
And remember, you can always get more natural health advice, the latest alternative health breakthroughs and news, plus information about nutrition, alternative remedies and cures and doctors health advice, all free when you sign up for the Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin. Visit http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/ now to find out how to start your free subscription.
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