November 29, 2002
Newsletter #30
YOU'VE GOT GALL
By CJ Puotinen
A Healthy Gallbladder Makes A Big Difference In Digestion
Small organs play a major role in maintaining optimal health. Consider the gallbladder, which is only 3 to 4 inches long. This pear-shaped organ stores and releases bile, a powerful digestive agent produced by the liver.
Bile contains cholesterol, bile salts, lecithin, and other substances, including toxins filtered from the blood by the liver. Approximately 1 pint of bile moves through the gallbladder every day. When food arrives in the small intestine, the gallbladder sends bile there to break down, or emulsify, fats as they pass through the duodenum. Toxins contained in bile are eliminated with other wastes. Then in one of the body's amazing feats of recycling, most of the bile acids that have been delivered to the duodenum are absorbed back into the blood.
When the gallbladder functions normally, digestion proceeds as is should. When it doesn't, gallstones (or cholelithiasis) and inflammation of the gallbladder (or cholecystitis) can be the result.
A REAL PAIN
Some 20 million Americans have gallstones, but a significant number of them don't even know it. That's because an estimated 80 percent of all gallstones cause no symptoms and need not be treated. Unfortunately, the remaining 20 percent can cause medical emergencies.
Pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen that's accompanied by nausea or vomiting may signal the presence of a gallstone that's stuck in the bile duct. Gallstones can be tiny (the size of a grain of sand) or as large as a pea. Most contain cholesterol, and the rest, called pigment stones, are composed of bile pigments and calcium salts.
Risk factors for gallstones include rapid weight changes (yo-yo dieting), lack of exercise, gender (women get gallstones four times as often as men), age (one-fifth of adults over 65 have gallstones that create pain and other problems), and combinations of factors (fair-skinned, overweight mothers over age 40 are more prone to gallstones). Food sensitivities (especially to eggs and dairy products), digestive disorders caused by a lack of hydrochloric acid (HCI), insufficient fiber in the diet, parasites, intestinal disease, and constipation have all been linked to gallstones and gallbladder disorders. Large, infrequent meals, foods that are high in fat, and refined carbohydrates are also associated with gallstones. Ironically, extreme low-fat diets may cause gallstones, too. Avoid processed and hydrogenated fats, but don't eliminate essential fats from your diet.
Gallbladder inflammation, which can coincide with the presence of gallstones, causes intense pain that lasts from 30 minutes to several hours, usually in the evening. In some cases, the pain resembles that of a heart attack because it often occurs in the chest or spreads from below the breastbone into the shoulder area and upper back. Any upper abdominal pain that lasts for more than an hour may be due to gallbladder disease, and it requires medical attention.
GALLBLADDER SUPPORT
Several foods, herbs, and supplements help the digestion process by improving gallbladder function. Often extracted from soybeans, lecithin is a type of fat that occurs in brewer's yeast, eggs, fish, grains, legumes, and wheat germ. Unlike other fats, lecithin is partially soluble in water, which makes it an emulsifying agent. Some experts recommend 1 tablespoon of lecithin granules with each meal or one 1,200-mg lecithin capsule per meal for those with gallbladder problems.
Taken before meals according to label directions, digestive enzyme supplements that contain ox bile improve digestion when the gallbladder secretes too little bile. (Ox bile supplements are not recommended for children.) And since many digestion formulas with ox bile also contain HCI, it's important that anyone with stomach ulcers avoid these products. A good multivitamin-mineral supplement helps prevent the nutritional deficiencies, including inadequate vitamin C and B complex, that contribute to gallbladder problems.
In Europe, capsules containing peppermint oil are used to cleanse the gallbladder Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are now sold in American health food stores as digestive aids or antacids. These capsules break apart in the small intestine, where bile is release. Although peppermint tea and hot water containing a drop of peppermint oil can be sipped to help relieve gallbladder symptoms, enteric-coated capsules are more effective because they deliver the peppermint where it is most needed.
Several other herbs are recommended for the gallbladder, including barberry root bark (not to be taken during pregnancy), Oregon grape root, dandelion, ginger, and turmeric. These are available individually as teas, tinctures, and capsules; as spices (ginger and turmeric); and as fresh foods (dandelion and ginger). Another food for the gallbladder is the globe artichoke. A close relative of the milk thistle, the artichoke is thought to offer similar liver-supporting and antioxidant properties. Through their action on the liver, both artichoke and milk thistle seed stimulate the manufacture and flow of bile. All of these herbs can help prevent gallbladder problems. None of them, however, should be taken during a gallbladder attack, especially if a gallstone blocks the bile duct.
Of the many foods that are gallbladder friendly, the most versatile may be the apple, whose juice is cleansing and can help to soften gallstones. To treat a gall-bladder attack, drink 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar in a glass of apple juice. If this simple remedy doesn't relieve the pain quickly, seek emergency medical care to rule out diseases that cause similar symptoms, such as heart disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
Two famous home health treatments are the gallbladder fast and gallbladder flush. But like the herbs mentioned above, these preventive treatments are not recommended during a gallbladder attack.
The gallbladder fast has many variations. Most involve a 3-day juice fast (drinking only pure water and freshly prepared pear, beet, and apple juice) or a week-long diet of mostly raw fruits and vegetables including as much fresh, raw apple juice or raw apples between meals as possible. Apple, pear, and beet juice all cleanse the system and can be consumed in large quantities to improve gallbladder health.
A gallbladder flush completes this cleansing process. On the morning after finishing the 3-day juice fast or 6-day raw diet, mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. Drink it all at once. Or take 3 tablespoons olive oil mixed with the juice of a lemon at bedtime and again upon awakening.
Continue the program for another day or two, if desired, by starting the day with 3 tablespoons olive oil mixed with 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or take 1 teaspoon grapefruit juice mixed with 1 teaspoon olive oil before each meal.
SELECTED SOURCES
PRODUCTS ON SALE DECEMBER 1, THRU DECEMBER 31, 2002
KYOLIC
Formula 10041 Yeast Free Hi-Po - 100capsules
Regular Price----$12.25 .Sale Price----$8.79
Formula 10242 Enzyme Vegetable - 200 capsules
Regular Price----$23.45 .Sale Price----$15.99
Formula 10442 W/Lecithin - 200 capsules
Regular Price----$21.45 .Sale Price----$13.99
HERBS FOR KIDS
Sweet Echinacea - 1oz.
Regular Price----$8.99 Sale Price----$5.99
BOIRON
Oscillococcinum - 6 dose
Regular Price----$13.85 ..Sale Price----$9.99
Oscillococcinum - 3 dose
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BACH
Rescue Remedy Cream - 1 oz.
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Rescue Remedy - 20ml
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NATURES GATE
Toothpaste Gel Cherry, Cool Mint or Wintergreen - 5oz.
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FOOD FOR LIFE
Ezekiel Bread 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin, Organic - 24oz.
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Rice Pecan Bread WF, GF - 24oz.
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Grain Sprouted Wheat Bread, Organic - 24oz.
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Prices good through December 31, 2002