Why Do So Many People Have A Gallbladder Problem?

If you don’t have a gallbladder problem yourself, it’s likely you know someone who does. Gallbladder conditions have become a modern day epidemic. Why is this so? Your doctor may have told you it’s genetic and there’s nothing you can do to change your situation. I disagree. There are reasons why sludge or stones form in the gallbladder, or why it becomes inflamed and fails to contract properly. That means there are almost always solutions for most gallbladder problems and alternatives to surgery.

Women are more at risk of gallstones than men, and this is mostly because of the effect of female hormones. Women with estrogen dominance, women who have had several pregnancies and those who take hormone replacement therapy are more at risk because estrogen can make the bile thicker. Gallstones are more common in Western European, Hispanic and Native American people compared with Eastern European, Japanese and African American people.

Carrying excess fat on your body increases the risk of getting gallstones by approximately 80 percent. Being a normal body weight while having insulin resistance does as well. This is because insulin resistance causes higher production of triglycerides by the liver, and thus more fat ends up in the bile within the gallbladder. Berberine is the number one herbal remedy for helping to reverse insulin resistance.

Other reasons you may have gallbladder disease

• Diabetes.
• Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland). This condition usually causes elevated cholesterol, a reduced metabolic rate and slowed digestion. People with an under active thyroid are also more likely to suffer with sluggish bile flow and delayed emptying of the gallbladder.
• Food intolerance or food sensitivities. This is a very common yet under-recognised cause of gallbladder disease. Food sensitivities impair healthy digestion and can reduce the ability of the gallbladder to contract and empty fully. Stasis of bile within the gallbladder promotes the formation of sludge and the eventual formation of gallstones. A Digestive Enzymes supplement helps to improve digestion and enhances the ability of the gallbladder to contract.
• Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria). This goes hand in hand with indigestion and food intolerance. Many people spend much of their lives taking antacid medication that reduces stomach acid. Common brands include Nexium, Somac and Zantac.
• Gluten intolerance/celiac disease. There is a strong association between this condition and gallbladder disease.
• Having a family history of gallbladder disease.
• Rapid weight loss. If you lose weight extremely quickly, where does the fat go? Your hard working liver will break it down because it is the main fat burning organ in your body. Then the fat will be secreted into your gallbladder as a component of bile. Bile can then become super saturated with fat and raise the risk of stones forming. Alternatively stones that were already in your gallbladder can grow bigger.
• Estrogen in contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen increases the amount of cholesterol in bile and that makes stones more likely to form. Women naturally have much more estrogen in their bodies than men and this is why they suffer from gallbladder disease more frequently than men.
• Very low fat diets. Every time you eat fat, hormone signals are sent to your gallbladder prompting it to contract and empty its contents into your small intestine. If you don’t eat enough fat, old bile will stay inside your gallbladder too long and that raises the risk of stones. It is important to eat adequate healthy, unprocessed fat in order to keep your bile moving and keep your gallbladder clean.
• People with high cholesterol and high triglycerides in their blood are at increased risk of gallstones. This is because they make the bile thicker. An ox bile supplement helps to make the bile thinner and can help to reduce the size of stones.
• Cholesterol lowering drugs raise the risk of gallstones; particularly statins and clofibrate.
• Having a fatty liver or sluggish, overworked liver significantly raises the risk of developing gallstones. In fact they are almost inevitable.
• People with indigestion, bloating, heartburn, reflux, flatulence or burping are more prone to developing gallbladder disease.
• High alcohol intake.
• Binge eating or eating excessively large meals. Eating more food than your digestive organs can handle is a risk factor for developing gallstones and a major risk factor for getting a gallbladder attack and emergency trip to the hospital if you already have gallstones.
• The antibiotic ceftriaxone.
• Diets high in sugar or other carbohydrate rich foods, junk food and deep fried food.
• Constipation.
• Diets lacking fibre.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)
• Infection in the stomach with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori raises the risk of cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder). The presence of this bacteria also seems to be associated with cancer of the gallbladder or biliary tract. Helicobacter pylori is a very common bacterial infection that raises the risk of stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. It is important not to have an overgrowth of this bacteria in your digestive system because it creates chronic inflammation, which can eventually lead to serious disease. The most effective way to eradicate Helicobacter pylori is to improve the health and function of your digestive system. Parasites and pathogenic organisms are attracted to a sick and dysfunctional digestive tract. You need to make your digestive system healthy and inhospitable to harmful bugs. There are also excellent herbal products designed specifically to eradicate harmful microbes from the digestive system.

For more information, see the book, “Save Your Gallbladder Naturally and what to do it you’ve already lost it”.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.