TREATING GALLSTONES

The gallbladder is the end of the detoxification road that begins in the liver. Bile is the fluid into which the liver excretes its toxins. (The other routes of elimination are the sweat glands and the kidneys.) After bile is produced in the liver, it runs into the gallbladder and eventually into the intestinal tract. We have found that in many cases people with liver problems also have gallbladder problems, and vice versa.

Bile is made in the liver from cholesterol, bilirubin, and lecithin, and is then secreted into the gallbladder. While in the gallbladder, bile is concentrated by a reabsorption of the liquids back into the circulatory system. A proper ratio of bile components is necessary for it to remain in solution. Abnormal ratios promote the formation of cholesterol crystals or stones in the gallbladder. During a meal, bile is secreted by the gallbladder into the intestines to promote the digestion and breakdown of oils and fats. After the intestines absorb them, these bile-digested fats are used in the body to build cells, hormones, and prostaglandins (a group of chemicals that act like hormones).

When constipation occurs, bacteria in the intestines split the toxins that are bound up in the bile, in turn causing reabsorption of these already detoxified poisons. A diet high in vegetables will prevent constipation. Beta-glucuronidase is an intestinal bacterial enzyme that releases compounds for reabsorption. To prevent this reabsorption of toxins, an adequate supply of calcium d-glucarate, a natural ingredient in vegetables that inhibits beta-glucuronidase activity, is necessary. Charcoal will also bind up the bile and prevent toxins from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Gallstones, a common complaint in North America, can easily disrupt the flow of bile. They are found in sixteen to twenty million Americans and are twice as common for women as men. Usually the stones are a mixture of cholesterol, calcium, bilirubin, and lecithin. Occasionally, however, the gallbladder also forms a stone consisting mainly of calcium with a little bit of cholesterol. My recommendations for gallstones, observe the following instructions:

1. Take lecithin daily. Cholesterol stones are caused when your liver excretes more cholesterol into the gallbladder than it does lecithin and bile acids. The cholesterol tends to “supersaturate” and form stones. A daily supplement of 500 mg of lecithin with meals keeps the bile flowing smoothly.

2. Limit dietary sugar. Sugar intake correlates with gallstone formation, suggesting that sugar stimulates cholesterol synthesis.

3. Take 5 g of soluble fiber (pectin in fruits, beans, or oat bran) daily with meals to absorb the bile in the gut.

4. Eat a healthy-fat diet to optimize bile production.

5. Eat small meals to ensure proper digestive capacity.

6. Avoid food allergens, which are notorious for provoking acute attacks of gallbladder inflammation. Eggs are considered the worst offender.

7. Take 500 mg of bile acids with every meal; this is usually 50 percent effective in reducing the size of the cholesterol variety of gallstones.

8. Take supplements of the amino acids methionine and taurine. Because women’s bodies make less taurine than men’s, this might be the clue to their twofold increased risk for gallstones. The dose is 1 g of each amino acid, between meals, twice daily.

9. Take dandelion root (Taraxacum officinalis) extract. It’s a superb cholegogue (releases stored bile), gentle in action, and safe to use. The dose of the solid extract is 1 teaspoon, 3 times a day. The solid extract is hard to find in the store, but the next best thing is to use the powdered root. The dose is 8 g as a tea, 3 times a day.