Gall bladder trouble.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: gall bladder
From: p_iannone.pop.com (Paul Iannone)
Date: 07 Sep 1995 07:00:03 GMT

: I have been having excruciating pain in my right side (through to my back) for several days. It feels like a spear is sticking through me. Everyone seems to think it is my gall bladder. Is there anything I could try before the knife???

A diagnosis?

From: cyli <cyli.visi.com>

> A diagnosis?

Paul has it right.

There are many things it could be. No one I know who's had gall bladder problems has had the pain be continuous and not had severe nausea and other related symptoms with it. But I don't see as many with it as doctors do. It could also be kidney stones. They are continuous pain until passed (with or without a doctor's help. I opt for the doctor every time mine get bad.). It could be appendicitis. Even though the pain seems high for it, any abdominal pain can be caused by anything else in that same cavity without the pain being right over the afflicted spot. It could even be something like endometriotis (This probably does not apply if you're male.....). It could be a hernia.

See? And that's just off the top of my head. I don't even have medical training. Seeing a doctor is a good idea with severe pain in almost any area when you don't know the cause. Sometimes it's a great idea.

From: nofa.aol.com (NofA)

I just had to have my gall bladder removed. I did not want to undergo surgery, either, but if you are in that much pain, it may be too late to try natural remedies. Also, if you have that much pain, you may be in a serious condition and should have it checked immediately. This can be a dangerous situation in which your gall bladder bursts. If that happens, the bile from your bladder will enter your system and at that point, you won't have much time to get to the hospital, not to mention that you will be in probably the worst pain you have ever experienced. I have been vegetarian for eight years and also eat a very good diet, but this does not necessarily seem to guarantee perfect health.

The statistics for gall bladder disease indicate that 50% of all people who have gall stones do not realize it. Ninety percent of those with stones are women in their 40s who have had children and who may be overweight. The remaining 10% are typically 70 year or older men. However, you may not fit the stereotype. I have one child, am in my 40s, but have never been overweight. Doctors who practice modern medicine may tell you that gallstones are not related to the liver, but I have read several sources that state otherwise. If you have gallstones, most likely your liver is clogged and not functioning properly.

There is a product made from goose liver and goose bile (chenodeoxycholic acid) that apparently can desolve gall stones. Some have claimed to rid themselves of stones by doing a gall bladder flush. The procedure is, do not eat anything after noon. At 7 pm, take 4 tablespoons of olive oil followed by 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Repeat every 15 minutes until 8:45. You will have used 16 ounces of olive oil and the juice of 12 lemons. Go to bed at 10 pm and lie on the right side. The following morning, a bowel movement should flush out the stones if they are not extremely large. You will continue to expel them for the next two days. This remedy is from "How to Stay out of the Doctor's Office" by Dr. Edward M. Wagner with Sylvia Goldfarb. However, I do not personally recommend this as the gall stones can become lodged in the bile duct which can cause serious complications. So, if you do this, try at your own risk, or talk to someone who is knowledgeable about the procedure and can help you perform it.

Gall stones are crystalized despoits of cholesterol. They are as hard as a rock and have very sharp edges, which causes the pain. This does not mean that you have high cholesterol, but it may be your body's way of dealing with excess cholesterol. When you eat products containing fat, the gall bladder releases bile to digest the fat. When you have stones, the stones move up to the gall bladder duct along with the bile and block the duct so that the bile cannot be released.

Stress seems to be a large factor in getting gall stones, because cholesterol is a component of adrenalin. During periods of stress, the liver overproduces cholesterol in an effort to aid the adrenal glands in their manufacture of adrenalin. If you do have to have your gall bladder removed, the liver takes over its function.

If you get an ultrasound, which should verify whether you have stones, if they are not large, you can try other methods. These include: Strict elimination of highly saturated and cholesterol laden foods, including high fat dairy products, meat products, fried or scrambled eggs and oil. Avoid sugar and sugar-laden foods. Use high fiber type foods such as legumes, brand, whole grains, brown rice, psyllium seeds, and whole grain pasta. Other fiber useful in removing cholesterol and bile acids are guar gum, apple pectin, oat and wheat bran.

Supplements that are helpful are lecithin (1200 mg. six time a day), multiple digestive enzymes (1 or 2 with each meal), aloe vera gel (2 tbsp three times daily), acidophilus (enteric coated, 2 billion cells per capsule, 4 times daily on empty stomach), multi-vitamin and mineral (1 daily), vitamin C (500 mg. 4 times a day). Also, fish oil (180 mg. EPA, 8 capsules daily) is said to break up gall stones.

For herbal remedies, Buckthorn breaks bile down into its normal component parts. Hydrangea prevents gall stones. Parsley is good for all liver problems. Milk thistle rebuilds liver cells. Cascara sagrada helps the body rid itself of gallstones.

From: carteffect.aol.com (CArtEffect)

Jan. a year ago I was stricken with severe stabbing pains and pains that felt like my right stomach was suddenly hardening like a rock (muscle contractions) just under my upper right rib cage. While I was waiting for an appointment with a specialist (two weeks) I put myself on a very low fat-diet (mainly because everything I ate with fat caused the pains to become severe.) My rule was that, on labels, it couldn't list more than two grams of fat or I wouldn't eat it, 0 grams were better. And, of course, I ate as much fresh fruits and veggies I could ( apples and avocados tended to bother me, thought). It was a real eye opener for me. I was totally surprised to find out how many great foods there were that were "fat-free" (I'd never looked before). I substituted so many of my favorite "fatty" foods with non-fat ones, like, for example "No Yokes" brand noodles (0 fat grams), "Keeblers" fat free and low fat cookies, "Hershey's" fat free chocolate pudding, all of the "Healthy Choice" soups, etc., etc. I developed a whole list. By the time I got to the specialist, the pains were moderate. They did every kind of x-ray and dye test they could and couldn't find anything. He said he was pretty sure it was the gall bladder, but could not detect any stones. He said sometimes there are stones so small like grains of sand that don't show up on x-ray, but they cause just as much pain. He also said that there was such a thing as a "picky" gall bladder and a low-fat diet was the best thing. He did prescribe a few medicines for a couple of months, but I kept on the diet. The problem is nearly completely gone now (just a tiny twinge every once in a while) and I lost 45 pounds in the deal. I've kept on a low fat diet but have moderated it up a little to get in a little more of the fat that my body needs to be healthy. Some fat is important, can't go totally without it for too long. You might try a low-fat/fat-free diet for a few weeks. I didn't miss the fat much at first because it caused me so much pain. Today I'm eating healthier and have kept the pains at bay. When I'm bad, they tweak me to remind me to be good again, but at least they are not bringing me to my knees like they did.

From: effie.gti.gti.net (April Baumgardner)

I also had the gall bladder spasams (terrible aren't they?) and put myself on a low fat diet for about two years. My last attack came on at work for no known reason. I thought I could live through the pain again (this was my 3rd bad attack) but then I started vomiting... To make it short, I am now 32 hours post-op and feel so much better. The laser surgery was a *snap*. I was up and walking (volentarily) 5 hours later, ate real food, and went home 8 hours after surgery. BTW, the ultrasound did not show any stones, but guess what they found!

Why did I wait 2 years? I was afraid of surgery and thought I could "heal" myself....wrong on both accounts.