“My favorite thing about being an adult is avoiding going to the doctor until I need to be hospitalized.”
Anonymous
Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located underneath your liver, in your upper right abdomen. As part of the digestive system, it stores and concentrates bile. Bile is a vital liquid that breaks down fat during digestion and is produced by the liver. As you eat (especially good tasting fatty foods), the gallbladder contracts and releases bile into the small intestine through a series of ducts called the biliary tract. Think of your gallbladder as your friend.
To maintain gallbladder health, it is important to eat healthy fats. A low-fat diet is not good for your gallbladder (don’t listen to the low-fat experts with their bow ties and clipboards). Healthy fat is good for you. Good healthy fat options include eggs (get the high-dollar free-range eggs – much higher nutritional value), grass-fed butter (margarine is poison), grass-fed beef, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), avocados, oily fish (try sardines), and nuts. Eating healthy fats signals your gallbladder to squeeze out bile sludge preventing gallstones.
Gallstones are pebble-like particles made of bile material that can clog up your bile ducts. These little monsters cause pain, nausea, and inflammation. Gallstones come in many sizes. Typically small, they can grow to the size of golf balls. When gallstones block bile and prevent it from leaving your gallbladder, inflammation causes a condition known as cholecystitis.
Cholecystitis and most gallbladder issues are treated with surgery. Gallbladder removal, known as cholecystectomy, has become one of the most common surgical procedures with more than 1.2 million performed in the United States each year.
Your gallbladder is a highly desirable organ, though non-essential. You can live without it. Since your gallbladder does help you digest fatty foods, if you find yourself separated from this organ, your diet will change. This can be hard, especially for carnivores (no more juicy steaks off the grill or late-night trips to KFC). In an effort to foster gallbladder health the following guidance is proffered. Note – It is recommended that you use this information as a starting point only and do your own research. And, as always, consult your doctor regarding your primary medical needs.
First, if you are having gallbladder pain, here is an emergency tip. It is a space age acupressure technique that really does work. Find your gallbladder – right side of your body (front), just below rib cage, approx. one to two inches off center. Then go to the opposite side, like a mirror image, and find the same spot – left side, just below rib cage, one to two inches off center (this is your pancreatic side). You should find a tender spot or knot there, opposite your gallbladder. Press this spot and lightly massage until pain dissipates.
Besides pain (in upper abdomen or back), if your gallbladder is in trouble, expect to experience nausea, discomfort after eating, vomiting, jaundice, and brown urine. To heal and restore your gallbladder, try the following.
Take bile salts in supplement form. Follow the recommended dosage (typically taken on an empty stomach and before meals). Bile salts will help break down fats, absorb vitamins, aid digestion, and eliminate toxins.
Also take virgin cod liver oil (one to two teaspoons a day). Cod liver oil is one of the richest sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Cod liver oil lowers inflammation in the liver and gallbladder and will help thin out bile sludge.
Include vitamin B9 – folate or folic acid in your diet. Folate deficiency is common in people who have gallbladder problems. Folate is needed by your liver to make bile acids. In supplement form, recommended dosage of B9 is 1000 mcg daily. You might also include beef liver,
leafy green vegetables, asparagus, and brussels sprouts in your diet. All of these will help clean out your liver, increasing bile flow and benefiting your gallbladder.
Betaine can be added also as a supplement for digestive support.
Include whole vitamin C (not ascorbic acid) by eating citrus fruit, taking acerola cherry powder, or whole vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C helps your liver and gallbladder convert cholesterol into bile acids by activating an enzyme called 7-alpha-hydroxylase. Without adequate vitamin C, your bile acids will lose their concentration and cause gallstones to form in your gallbladder.
Probiotics also help your body produce bile acids. Take in liquid supplement form, or include fermented foods in your diet (Kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea, etc.).
One more thing. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can cause your bile to crystalize and form gallstones.
Take care of your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is your friend.
© 2024 Jody Dyer
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