Ask not ‘what does the gallbladder do for us?’ but ‘what can we do for it?’…..
So where exactly is the gallbladder, and what does it do?
“The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. In response to signals, the gallbladder squeezes stored bile into the small intestine through a series of tubes called ducts. Bile helps to digest fats, but the gallbladder itself is not essential.” .
Says WebMD.
But, if the gallbladder is not essential, then why is it there?
I have been fascinated with this topic ever since I had a painful infection in my gallbladder years ago. This was the final catalyst for me regarding my journey back to health.
I wanted to understand what had caused this infection. As precautionary measure, the NHS gave me an ultrasound scan intended to detect any gallstones. However, nothing could be seen. Naturally I wanted to know why I had the infection, which caused a delirious fever. I had to take a course of antibiotics.
Further down the line, when I learned about parasites, it seemed common for these to be found in the gallbladder and bilary ducts:
Was it the PH of the gallbladder that attracted these parasites, I wondered, and left the GB conundrum on the back burner.
Dr Stephen Gangemi, DC, DIBAK, DCBCN appears knowledgeable about the gallbladder and its importance:
“When fats from food enter the digestive tract, they stimulate the secretion of a type of hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) in the upper part of the small intestine – the duodenum. This, along with the stomach’s secretion of hydrochloric acid, signals the gallbladder to release some of its approximately 50ml of bile into the gut to help aid in digestion of those fats. Since, by most, it’s viewed as a ‘storage tank’ and nothing more, it’s often seen as only a nuisance when it comes to digestive problems and pain – expendable at the first sight of problems and removable with surgical ease. But there’s so much more to it than just storage.”
Dr Drganagemi goes on to talk about the role of bile, which is stored in the gallbladder:
“Bile is a lovely dark green/yellow-brown fluid and contains about 10% bile salts. The bile acids (salts) have a strong relationship to hormonal regulation as they share many of the same synthesis pathways as hormones. This is why people with hormonal problems, especially women with estrogen dominance, are more susceptible to gallbladder problems. The more hormonal stress on the body, the lower the bile acids which, in turn, disrupts normal hormonal metabolism. It’s not a coincidence that many women have their gallbladder removed at the same time they have a hysterectomy…
The gallbladder also plays a role in insulin regulation and that β-like cells that produce insulin in the pancreas also occur in the gallbladder. Insulin is also metabolised by the liver and can therefore have an effect on the bile salts – so diets high in refined carbohydrates and those with insulin resistance will also be more likely to have troubles with their gallbladder.”
Wikipedia makes a good point about bile in this article:
“Since bile increases the absorption of fats, it is an important part of the absorption of the fat-soluble substances,[3] such as the vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Besides its digestive function, bile serves also as the route of excretion for bilirubin, a byproduct of red blood cells recycled by the liver. Bilirubin derives from hemoglobin by glucuronidation.”
The role of the gallbladder was beginning to look more important in the grand scheme of things. It came as no surprise to find that, during my year working with bioresonance testing in America, the gallbladder always emerged as the most chronic and advanced pathological issue in my body. It consistently showed that I was suffering from what I later realised to be a common condition known as cholelithiasis, or gallstones. Aside from these gallstones, I could see clearly that I had a liver fluke problem: opisthorchis felineus
Furthermore, I had tested low in all my fat-soluble A, D and K vitamins during my visits to clinics in Mexico, and had been desperate for an explanation. Dr Drganagemi discusses how bils resembles ‘dirty oil’ that needs changing:
“These bile acids are recycled from the intestines and back to the liver and gallbladder. However, if there are problems with digestion, such as an all-too-common poor diet, then the salts can become ‘dirty’ – the bile becomes thick like a vehicle’s oil that is way past the oil change date. Eventually, this thick, dirty bile can accumulate and form a gallstone, also known as a cholelithiasis. Usually, these stones contain some or a significant amount of cholesterol, so it’s often cholesterol that gets blamed for causing the stones when really it’s an issue with oxidative stress, inflammation, and digestive problems caused by other factors, (discussed in a bit). Gallstones in the gallbladder can lead to cholecystitis, which is an inflammatory condition of the gallbladder. The stones leaving the gallbladder can also obstruct the bile ducts which can be life-threatening, especially if a stone blocks the pancreatic duct leading to pancreatitis. Also, low levels of bile salts can be a reason for gallstones; this problem would ultimately fall on a production problem with the liver.”
So why didn’t gallstones show up in my ultrasound? Well, it transpires that ultrasound isn’t such a reliable diagnostic tool as we are led to believe. Gallstones, it seems, are likely to be undetected unless they are very large. By then, they may have caused some health problems.
Another option existed for cleaning out the gallstones, if that was the issue. This was a liver or gallbladder flush. Dr Hulda Clark was an early proponent of the flush.
I had been advised that I should do liver flushes but, for some reason, this idea scared me. What if a stone became blocked? Or perhaps I was just scared of drinking vile things such as Epsom salts and olive oil. Gradually, the relevance of the gallbladder problems was compelling and so I embarked upon my first flush in 2015. But nothing passed!
I wanted to tell myself then that I didn’t have any stones and all was well! Alas, the bioresonance I had learned in my studies did not lie. Contrary to some opinions found on the internet, my experience of bioresonance have always been that it is very reliable.
The flush was not pleasant. However, like many things in life, it wasn’t as bad as anticipated. I plucked up the courage to do it again… and ensured that I finished all the Epsom salts second time round. How rewarding it was to see those stones in the toilet and out of my body. This gave me the drive to try it again. To date, I have done three successful flushes, although the last one wasn’t as productive as I tried magnesium oxide instead of the bitter-tasting magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts). It didn’t work so well. If you’re not of optimum health, and need to flush your gallbladder (which suggests less than the best of health), then a flush can sure take it out of you. It’s not to be taken lightly, as the salts dehydrate the body. Proper re-hydration should be considered with the use of electrolytes. A consultation with a practitioner is wise before embarking on a flush.
I’ve heard of people doing many many flushes, and passing hundreds and hundreds of stones. I will continue flushing for a while and leave a few weeks between each flush.
Clearly though, flushing the gallstones is only part of the solution. It isn’t addressing the cause of this issue – is it parasites? Dr Clark, amongst others, seems to believe that the stones are formed initially from dead parasites, which become crystallised with fat deposits and/or calcium deposits:
“Gallstones, being sticky, can pick up all the bacteria, viruses and parasite eggs that are passing through the liver. In this way, ‘nests’ of infection are formed, forever supplying the body with fresh parasite eggs and bacteria. No stomach infection, such as ulcers or intestinal bloating, can be cured permanently without removing these gallstones from the liver.”
She goes as far as to say that a blocked gallbladder can slow the flow of lymphatic fluid.
Another well known practitioner in the realms of biotoxin illness, Dr Richie Shoemaker, understands the implications of a toxic gallbladder when it comes to treating his patients. He prescribes a ‘bile sequestrant’ known as cholestyremine (CSM) to bring down toxicity in his patients. I was prescribed CSM and soon began to understand the logic behind this canny tool for detoxing. Toxins are re-cycled around the body through our bile and, by using CSM to bind to this bile, we bring down the toxic burden on our bodies.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has an interesting take on the gallbladder, typically coming from a more holistic point of view. In TCM, the gallbladder is a ‘Yang’ organ, and is very much related to courage and bravery:
“The gall bladder engenders the capacity for courage and bravery. In the West, we speak of having gall to express this quality. Weakness in gall bladder function may manifest with a tendency towards fear and timidity. While the liver is responsible for planning and organising, the gall bladder is responsible for decisiveness and execution. Inability to act may be tied to a gall bladder imbalance.”
Says Robert Kellerka, a classically trained TCM specialist:
“The law of midday-midnight asserts that gall bladder deficiencies will manifest during the opposite hour, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, which is the time of its lowest energy. This is also heart time. The midday-midnight theory illustrates the relationship between the gall bladder and the heart. The right/left tropism described above also reflects this relationship. In addition, the gall bladder acts as a protector of the heart. The heart is protected by the gall bladder, and the gall bladder is protected by the appendix. They are affected by excess heat and dampness in ascending order of biological importance, with the heart obviously appearing at the end as it is considered to be the ruler of the body. It is very common clinically to see people who have their appendix out as a teenager, their gall bladder out as an adult, and then to suffer from heart disease and an eventual heart attack later in life. This illustrates the concept in Chinese medicine that illness occurs as a gradual progression over the course of one’s life. When the symptomatic expression of one illness is removed without properly treating its root, then symptoms will simply manifest elsewhere at a later date. Without a model which connects these events, they are seen as different illnesses. Symptom chasing occurs, possibly over the course of years, without ever addressing the underlying cause.”
Andreas Moritz really blows the lid off the gallbladder mystery in his book ‘The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush’. Here, he pretty much describes the gallbladder as being the premier organ, with regards to blood flow:
“Gallstones in the liver may lead to poor circulation, enlargement of the heart and spleen, varicose veins, congested lymph vessels, and hormone imbalances.”
He explains how this can happen:
“Almost all types of heart disease have one thing in common: blood flow is being obstructed. But blood circulation does not become disrupted easily. It must be preceded by a major congestion of the bile ducts in the liver. Gallstones obstructing the bile ducts dramatically reduce or cut off the blood supply to the liver cells. Reduced blood flow through the liver affects the blood flow in the entire body, which, in turn, has a detrimental effect on the lymphatic system.”
He makes some groundbreaking connections. An intriguing one is how he associates swollen abdomens in later life with lymphedema of the ‘cysterna chyli’:
“These toxins, along with fats and proteins, enter the body’s largest lymph vessel, the thoracic duct,at the cysterna chyli. The cysterna chyli are dilated lymph vessels in the shape of sacks, situated in front of the first two lumbar vertebrae at the level of the belly button. When the cysterna chyli (lymph sacks) are overtaxed and congested, the lymphatic system is no longer able to sufficiently remove even the body’s own degenerate proteins (from worn-out cells). This results in lymph edema. While lying on the back, existing lymph edema can be felt as hard knots, sometimes as large as a fist, in the area of the belly button. These ‘rocks’ are a major cause of middle and low back pain and abdominal swelling, and, in fact, of most symptoms of ill health. Many people who have grown a ‘tummy’ consider this abdominal extension to be just a harmless nuisance or a natural part of aging. They don’t realize that they are breeding a living ‘time bomb’ that may go off some day and injure vital parts of the body. Anyone with a bloated abdomen suffers from major lymph congestion.”
I have been dismayed by a fairly recent manifestation of a protruding abdomen and somewhat puzzled by what has been causing it. I had always prided myself on a lovely, flat stomach, and began observing how most people’s abdomens seemed to be swollen after a certain age, despite slim body types. I wondered about the connection with lymphedema. It would appear to make sense.
The most obvious answer would be diet. Too much fat and the gallbladder is said to be overworked, too little and it’s under-worked. The website ‘Gallbladder Attack’ stipulates the importance of balancing fats in the diet:
“Do not avoid all fats unless you are in attack or close to attack mode. Even then, a small amount of the flax oil in the beet recipe can be helpful. Fat-free and low-fat diets can be a cause for gallbladder problems as well as too much of the wrong fats. The body needs fats. Use omega 3 oils like flax or fish oil. Cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil is also recommended. Use with vinegar or fresh lemon juice.”
The bile, the blood and the plot thickens. I am certainly going to pluck up the courage to do another flush… are you?
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