– Cholelithiasis (Gall Stones) – If you can clean the organ – don’t’ remove it!
Many of us are not aware of the importance of the gallbladder and its function within our bodies. The Gall bladder works alongside the Liver filtering the blood, producing bile and digesting fats within the body. Having our gall bladder removed is very dangerous as it is essential for our digestion process playing a vital role in the digestion of fats.
Just about everyone has intrahepatic stones in their gallbladder. Quite often these do not show up on X-rays as they are either too small or are lodged in the Liver. If the stones are left they will grow in size eventually causing major problems to our digestive systems and adversely affecting other organs. The facts show that 90% of adults have intrahepatic stones but 99% are unaware they have them. People can have up to 3000 stones in their gallbladder ranging from sand-like in size to a centimetre in diameter.
Furthermore, 15-30% of children aged 14-18 have intrahepatic stones and like adults very few of them suffer any symptoms. What’s even scarier is that 99.95% of people diagnosed with cancer have intrahepatic stones. The etiology of gall stones is common if fair, fat, female and forty, with the ratio of women to men 4:1.
Gall stones are roundish stones found in the gall bladder. They can range in look from squashed green-grey grapes, mushy peas to cucumber pips. The core make-up of gallstones contains a mixture of cholesterol, bilirubin and protein combined with other substances such as uric acid, lecithin and calcium.
The signs and symptoms depend on the size, number and location of the stones. The stones remain dormant and give little distress unless inflammation and distension of the gallbladder takes place or if it enters or is unable to pass through the biliary duct. Pain can often radiate to the back and right side of the abdomen and stomach. Pain is most common several hours after eating or when the stomach is empty. Flatulence, bloating, belching and dyspepsia are common symptoms. Complications resulting from untreated gallstones include chronic and acute cholecystitis, internal biliary fissure and pancreatitis.
Orthodox treatment methods involve the use of analgesics, oral bile acids and generally result in cholecystectomy, the total removal of the gall bladder. Over ½ million gall bladder removal surgeries are performed per year in the USA alone, the UK statistics are close behind.
The body is incredibly clever, especially in respect to the digestion process. For example if we were to digest a jacket potato with butter and cheese, various apparatus in the body such as is present in the saliva, stomach and ileo caecal valve will measure the amount of fat being ingested and calculate the exact amount of bile that is needed to be released by the gall bladder in order to break down the fats being in-taken. When the gall bladder is removed, the body can not produce the correct amount of bile needed to digest the fat intake so instead a constant drip feed is surgically enabled. This drip feed process only allows small amounts of bile from the liver to be dripped into the small intestines resulting in only small amounts of the fat being eaten to be absorbed. This results in more pressure being placed on the all ready overworked liver, build up of liver stones which can block the hepatic ducts, a build up of bad cholesterol in the blood stream and in most cases serious weight gain due to the body’s inability to correctly estimate and carry out the digestion of fats. It is therefore more important to nourish and cleanse the liver if the gall bladder has been removed.
Possible causes of gall stones include food allergies such as dairy products, high fat diet, low stomach acid, low fibre diet; food intolerances; parasites such as round worm and liver fluke; stress and constipation.
The Naturopathic approach to the treatment of gall stones involves reducing saturated fats in the diet such as fried foods and red meats; avoiding food intolerances such as eggs, pork, milk, onions, fowl, corn and nuts; eating less smaller meals; eating regularly reduces the burden on the gall bladder; fasting; increasing water intake; introducing globe artichoke, celeriac, beetroot and kale to the diet; increasing Vitamins C and E intake and most importantly breaking down and cleansing the gall bladder and liver of stones already present by performing the gallbladder flush through the use of herbs such as Milk Thistle and Dandelion. For more information and direct instruction on how to perform the flush please contact us for full details.
As we can see from the facts, performing a gallbladder cleanse yearly can prevent gallstone formation and other diseases associated with gallstones. Gallbladder cleansing also improves general digestion, metabolism of fats, energy levels and immune function. As the proper digestion of foods is vital for nutrient absorption and energy production, you can see now how important a role the Gallbladder plays in our overall health. The gallbladder cleanse is an ancient method that is a very cost-effective, simple method of cleansing that should be done twice yearly.
Remember “if you can clean the organ you don’t need to remove it!’
‘Your health is your greatest wealth’ Hippocrates
©Article written by Caroline Evans of Heaven On Earth Herbals™