Facts about Gallbladder Stones

First thing you need to know is the progression of gallbladder stones. It makes no sense to treat the stones if you don't know how the stones formed in the first place. On my gallbladder page, I explain that the gallbladder gets sludgy from excess "unhealthy" carbs.

In the human body, the progression of most fluids is:

Thin - normal flow
Thick or sluggish
Stones-clots-congestion-impaction when the sluggish flow has become chronic.

Once the gallbladder condition has gone on so long that stones have formed, we either need to have the gallbladder surgically removed (medical solution) or we need to attempt to have the gallbladder forcibly push out the stones into the small intestine and then we need to do a supplement protocol and diet change that insures the stones don't reform.

Gallbladder Flushes

What are gallbladder stones?

Simply put, these stones are crystallized deposits of cholesterol and other bile constituents. The main issues associated with the formation is chronic progressive sludgy-ness of the bile caused by chronic consumption of "bad" carbohydrates. You may hear that the issue is that you're eating too many fatty things, but the consumption of fatty foods shows that you have gallbladder issues. It's like having a sunburn and then going into a hot shower. Sure, it burns more when you're in the hot shower than it did before, but the reason for the pain is because you burned your skin with excessive sun exposure. Once that sunburn heals, the hot shower will no longer bring on the same burning sensation.

Typically, most practitioners will request an abdominal diagnostic ultrasound to visualize stones in the gallbladder because it's very accurate and non-invasive and doesn't involve potentially harmful radiation. Stones can also be seen/noted on other forms of imaging (CT, MRI, some X-ray). There is an imaging technique called a cholangiogram which uses an injected (radioactive) dye to better visualize the gallbladder and common bile duct. Most times in the diagnosis of gall stones, this technique is unnecessary because diagnostic abdominal ultrasounds are pretty reliable.

What is the medical approach to gallbladder stones?

The medical approach to any issue with the gallbladder (stones, inflammation, cancer, etc) is to just surgically remove it. In the medical model, you can live without it. So if it's problematic/symptomatic, let's just remove it and "see if your symptoms improve". But then if they don't improve or the patient experiences post-surgical issues as a result of the surgery or just because now they don't have a gallbladder, they can't very well put the surgically removed gallbladder back.

What do I do if I've had my gallbladder removed and my body reacts if I eat food with a certain level of fat?

The solution is fairly simple. Ox bile. Yep. Exactly what it sounds like. It's the bile from an ox. And taking it is pretty simple as well: you take as much as you need with each meal that has fat in it to reduce the symptoms you're getting from the fat in the meal.

So sometimes that's going to be one 500 mg pill and there are other times where you're eating a higher fat/oil content meal and you need more pills.

The link above is my online dispensary where you can find 125 mg and 500 mg ox bile pills you can purchase. You'll just need to create an online account (for free) and then you're free to shop.

3 Day Liver/Gallbladder Flush

3 Day Gallbladder Flush
In my humble 20 years of looking at healing methods for the human body, this flush is probably one of the most dramatic and successful. Many people have avoided gallbladder operations using this simple and effective technique. The tools you will need for this program are:

1 gallon of organic apple juice
1 eight ounce bottle of cold pressed virgin olive oil
2 whole organic lemons
herbal laxative or colon prep (mag citrate liquid) or something to insure the bowels are moving well.

Start by drinking one quart or more of apple juice per day. On the evening of the third day, after the last meal, mix the eight ounces of olive oil with the juice from the two lemons and drink this completely. Then I immediately go to bed and lay on my right side with my knees up to my chest for one half hour.

The oil travels through the gastrointestinal system and signals the muscles of the gallbladder go into spasm to rapidly eliminate all the bile in hopes of emulsifying the olive oil. If the gallbladder is full of stones, stones are going to be forced out through the common bile duct and into the small intestine. It's probably a good idea the next day to do some type of laxative in the morning (herbal, magnesium citrate that they use for colon prep, etc). These help to facilitate the exit of the stones. The stones come out completely soft looking like greenish/white waxy pieces.

WARNING: It doesn't happen often but there is a risk of the gallbladder spasm pushing a stone into the common bile duct and having it get stuck there. Unfortunately, this is a surgical situation. Having said that, I've never seen this happen with the apple juice prep. However, it's still a risk and you need to be aware that it's at least a theoretical possibility.

It's important to use lemon juice from fresh lemons, and not frozen or concentrate.

The process of drinking oil and causing your body to go into spasm and inducing loose stools can be challenging. But once you see the stones come out, you'll realize that it's worth the "trauma".

Rarely is the gallbladder flush a one-and-done thing. Typically follow-up flushes need to be done to make sure the gallbladder is adequately emptied of stones. You should be able to do a follow-up in 4-6 weeks. Make note of the amount of stones released each time. Once the stones start getting less in number, the flushes can start being stretched out or even eliminated.

You also need to be aware that a normal gallbladder starts becoming problematic because the bile in it starts getting thick/sludgy. After prolonged "sludginess" it starts to form stones. Biliary stasis (sludginess) is generally caused by excessive carbohydrates in the diet (especially the processed ones like white flour, white sugar, and corn syrup).

In my world, there's no point doing the flushes if you're not planning on doing the food change necessary to keep this from happening again.

To see more on gallbladder issues, click here.

Gradual Gallbladder Cleanse
This cleanse takes 21 days and is slower and gentler on the body. This is the one often recommended for those unsure of how much sediment or stones they may have. Cleansing two or three times a year ensures a healthy gallbladder.

During the cleanse, avoid all foods high in fat, meats, dairy, eggs. Eat unrefined grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes to help clear the gallbladder.

These foods hasten gallstone removal:

pears
parsnips
seaweed
lemons
limes
turmeric

Radishes also remove stones, so, for the entire 21 days eat 1-2 radishes a day between meals and drink three cups of cleavers tea or five cups of chamomile tea a day.

For every 160 pounds of body weight use five teaspoons of cold-pressed flax seed oil. Pour the flax oil over your food during one meal of the day or divide into half and use on two meals. Take the flax oil six days a week for two months.

Gallbladder Flush

For 5 days prior to the flush, consume as much apple juice or cider as the appetite permits, in addition to regular meals. Add a total of 90 drops of Ortho-Phos to the apple juice or cider each day. Nutritional supplements should also be take during this time. The first preference for juice would be freshly juiced organic apples, and secondly, apple juice or cider (unsweetened and preferably organic if possible) purchased either from the health food or grocery store. A person should be sure to read the labels carefully and obtain a juice that has no additives, whatsoever.

If one is a severe hypoglycemic, is diabetic, or has difficulty tolerating the juice or cider (e.g. allergies), he/she may take 30 drops of Ortho-Phos (Ortho Molecular) with each meal (90 Drops daily) in distilled or reverse osmosis purified water or some sort of juice other than apple juice. Due to the high acidity, it is wise that one brush his/her teeth or rinse out their mouth with milk of magnesia or baking powder after taking the Ortho-Phosphoric Acid.

At noon on the 6th day, one should eat a normal lunch and take supplements scheduled for that time.

Two hours after lunch, 1-2 T of Epsom salt should be taken, dissolved in 1-3 oz of warm mineral, distilled or purified (reverse osmosis) water. The taste may be objectionable to some. If so, the mixture can be followed by a little citrus juice if desired (freshly squeezed if possible).

Four hours after lunch, one should take a 1-quart enema with ¼ cup of Epsom salt dissolved in it. This should be retained for 15 minutes and expelled.

Five hours after lunch, take 1 T of Epsom salt, dissolved at the previous dose. (See step 3.)

6-11 hours after lunch, one may fast if desired. However, it is preferable to have a fresh fruit salad, using as many fresh fruits in season as possible. Using heavy whipping cream as dressing on the salad whipped with a little honey if desired. One can eat as much as desired of the whipped-cream-covered salad. If fresh fruit is unavailable, frozen berries such as strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc…. can be used. These should also be covered with whipped cream and a large portion eaten. Take citrus fruit or juice after the cream and fruit meal, if desired. For hypoglycemics, the cream should balance the fruit. However, each hypoglycemic should adjust the amount of salad eaten to his individual tolerance.

At bedtime, there can be 1-3 choices (all juice should be freshly squeezed if possible):

Take one-half cup of unrefined olive or other oil followed by a small amount of orange, grapefruit, or lemon juice if the oil taste is objectionable.
Take one half cup of unrefined olive or other oil blended with ½ cup of orange grapefruit or diluted lemon juice.
Take 4 tbl of unrefined olive (or other oil) followed by 1 tbl of citrus juice every 15 minutes until 8 oz of oil has been consumed. This choice is preferable for those who are unusually week or have had gallbladder problems in the past. It has been found helpful to rinse the mouth with an alcohol base drink, like sherry, to cut out the residue of the oil taste or for non-alcohol, use a natural carbonated drink, or club soda (do not swallow it).

NOTE: If one should vomit during the consumption of the oil and juice the procedures should be continued until it is finished. It is not necessary to make up for the amount that was vomited. Nausea felt during this process usually indicates stimulation of the gallbladder and/or liver.