Eating apples or drinking apple juice -- organic or not -- may help protect you against cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as lung and colon cancer, according to a 2008 article in the medical journal "Planta Medica." But no reliable evidence suggests that an organic apple juice and olive oil cleanse will help your gallbladder. Talk to your doctor before trying a gallbladder cleanse or any alternative treatment for gallstones or gallbladder disease.
Gallbladder Cleansing
Some people try an apple juice and olive oil cleanse in an attempt to dissolve gallstones. The theory, proposed by herbalists and naturopathic doctors, is that properties in apple juice will soften and break down gallstones and the olive oil will help them pass through your stool. You should not expect such a cleanse to dissolve gallstones, according to Dr. Michael Picco, an internist and gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic. During the process of digestion, organic juice will not enter your gallbladder -- a sphincter muscle prevents juice and anything in your intestines from reaching your gallbladder, according to Peter Duran, author of "The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver 'Flushes.'"
Side Effects
Organic apple juice contains about 115 calories a cup and provides a good source of potassium and antioxidants. The olive oil in a gallbladder cleanse can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some gallbladder cleanses add herbs and magnesium sulphate -- Epsom salts. Research the side effects of herbs before adding them to a cleanse. Taking an overdose of magnesium sulphate could cause collapse, coma or death, according to MedlinePlus.
Medications
Prescription medications, taken orally, may help dissolve small gallstones -- no larger than 15 mm in diameter. For larger gallstones, drugs may be injected directly into your gallbladder. Although apple juice cleanses possess no proven ability to dissolve gallstones, drug therapy is not a guaranteed solution. Oral medications only work 40 percent of the time and, if they do work, it may take up to two years before your gallstones are fully dissolved, according to the University of Maryland Medical Clinic. In the meantime new gallstones may form in your gallbladder.
Considerations
If gallstones cause you extreme pain, you may need surgery to remove your gallbladder. Surgery may also be needed if your gallstones are creating a life-threatening blockage in a gallbladder duct. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that surgical removal of the gallbladder is a minimally invasive procedure and that you can live healthfully without a gallbladder. A diet that includes organic apple juice and other sources of antioxidants such as blueberries may help treat symptoms of gallbladder disease.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Gallbladder Cleanse: A "Natural" Remedy for Gallstones?; Michael F. Picco; Feb. 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallbladder Disease; Feb. 2010
- “Planta Medica”; Cancer Chemopreventive Potential of Apples, Apple Juice, and Apple Components; C. Gerrhauser; October 2008
- QuackWatch; The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver "Flushes"; Peter Moran; March 2007
- MedlinePlus: Laxative Overdose
- United States Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database
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