A long look at gallstones and how you can battle back against them

One in five Americans over the age of 65 has gallstones, and most people with them are never bothered by them. The gallbladder sits directly under the liver where it stores, concentrates, and releases bile into the intestinal lumen (opening). When we eat fat, the gallbladder contracts to release bile, while emulsifies fat, cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins into tiny globules so fat splitting enzymes have more surface area to break it down. Gallstones are hard pebble-like deposits that form in the gallbladder made from cholesterol or other substances found in bile. They can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.

What Causes Gallstones?

Gallstones form when cholesterol or bilirubin (a breakdown product of red blood cells) are condensed and crystallize, creating small stones. Though the exact cause is unknown, there are several dietary factors thought to contribute to their formation.

Extreme low calorie or low-fat dieting can be associated with gallstones, as is excessive coffee and sugar consumption. Food sensitivities can play an important role in the development of gallstones – most people with gallstones have sensitivities. Gallstones can also be a sign of liver insufficiency, or if the gallbladder does not fully empty as it should.

Symptoms

Often times, people remain completely unaware of their gallstones. Nevertheless, the following are common symptoms associated with stones:

• Pain in the pit of your stomach or upper right part of abdomen
• Pain in upper back or shoulder blade area
• Pain that worsens after eating a meal or snack with fat in it
• Note: the pain associated with gallstones can be either mild or severe, constant or variable
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Belching
• Food intolerance or sensitivities

Gallstones that block a bile duct may cause pain with fever and chills, or your skin or the whites of your eyes may turn yellow. Call your doctor immediately if this occurs. A blocked bile duct can result in pancreatitis!

Conventional Treatment

Medical treatments for gallstones are varied. Both intravenous and oral medications can be used to dissolve the stones, lithotripsy uses sound waves to break the stones apart, the entire gallbladder can be removed.

Nutritional Approach

This is one of the few circumstances where a low-fat, low-meat or lean-meat only diet is necessary. This can help reduce the pain and inflammation associated with gallstones. Since the gallbladder contracts in the presence of fat, you run the risk of lodging a stone in the common bile duct, which is very dangerous and requires emergency treatment. Vegetarian diets can be very therapeutic for those with gallstones, in both their prevention and treatment. Other dietary considerations include:

• Eat lots of fiber from vegetables and fruit: People with gallstones tend to err on the side of constipation or have slower transit time than those who are stone-free. Fiber reduces bowel transit time.
• Eat some fat: The essential fatty acids are healthful for the gallbladder. Consume 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed, non-refined oil or extra virgin olive oil daily.
• Avoid coffee: As mentioned above, high coffee intake is associated with gallstone formation. In addition, coffee can trigger gallbladder attacks in susceptible people. Coffee stimulates the release of cholecystokinin, an intestinal hormone that stimulates the gallbladder and liver to release bile.
• Identify and avoid food sensitivities: As mentioned above, people with gallstones tend to have food sensitivities. Sensitivities can provoke an inflammatory response, and also might delay gallbladder emptying.
• Drink lots of water: Ideally, you should drink at least one-half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. Coffee, black tea, alcohol, and sodas are all diuretics, and therefore dehydrating.

Supplements

In addition to dietary considerations, the following supplements can be therapeutic for dissolving gallstones:

• Milk thistle: This herb has been used for centuries to help normalize liver function, detoxify the liver, and improve the solubility of bile. Silymarin, the active bioflavonoid in milk thistle, promotes flow of bile and helps tone the spleen, gallbladder, and liver.

• Lecithin or phosphatidylcholine: Phosphatidylcholine is the most bio-active form of lecithin. Lecithin increases the solubility of cholesterol, reducing the formation if gallstones. Try 100mg of lecithin or phosphatidylcholine three times daily.

• Lipotrophic supplements: These contain substances that help normalize liver and gallbladder function. Herbal and plant lipotrophics include milk thistle, dandelion root, beet greens, black radish, artichoke leaves, and turmeric. Supplements may contain any of these in addition to methionine, lecithin or phosphatidylcholine, inositol, and vitamin C. Magnesium and B vitamins enhance their function.

• Bile salts: These can be useful for people who already have had their gallbladder removed. Take 1-2 capsules or tablets with fatty meals

• Lipase-loaded digestive enzymes: Lipase is the fat-digesting enzyme and can help digest dietary fat

• Try a Gallbladder Flush: From Monday through Saturday (6 days), drink as much natural, organic apple juice as possible. Continue to eat normally and take your usual medications or supplements. On Saturday, eat a normal lunch at noon. Three hours later (3:00pm) dissolve 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in 1/4 cup of warm water and drink it. This is a laxative and helps peristalsis move the stones through your digestive system. It doesn’t taste great, so you may want to follow it with some lemon or grapefruit juice. For dinner, eat citrus fruits or drink citrus juices ONLY.

At bedtime, drink 1.5 cups of warm extra-virgin olive oil blended with 1.5 cups of lemon juice (not the bottled kind). Go to bed immediately and lie on your right side with your knees pulled up close to your chest for half an hour. On Sunday morning, take 1 TBSP of Epsom salts in 1.5 cups of warm water an hour before breakfast. If you have gallstones, the idea is that you will find dark green to light green stones in your bowel movement on Sunday morning.

However, this has not been proven, and skeptics argue it is simply congealed olive oil. If you have chronic gallbladder problems, you may want to repeat this therapy in two weeks. The flush can be repeated every three to six months if you continue to form stones.

Resources
• Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski
• www.medicinenet.com