A gallbladder attack is characterized by inflammation in your gallbladder, typically caused by a gallstone obstructing a path in your gallbladder. You will experience pain, possibly severe, in the upper right side of your abdomen. If stones block a bile duct – a tube that connects your gallbladder and liver -- you may also develop jaundice. Claims that apple juice can help dissolve gallstones remain unproven.
Apple Juice and Gallstones
Gallbladder cleanses date back to the 1950s and originally involved drinking lemon juice and olive oil. Some modern versions use different types of juice, including grapefruit and apple, and some call for ingesting Epsom salt. Drinking oil and juice is supposed to break up gallstones in your gallbladder and expel them. A variation of the gallbladder cleanse involves drinking an ample amount of apple juice for several days before performing the gallbladder cleanse, which purportedly softens your gallstones and relieves your gallbladder attack.
Misinformation
Belief that apple juice can relieve a gallbladder attack may stem from an article published in 1999 in "Lancet," a medical journal with a history of publishing peer-reviewed clinical studies. But the article linking apple juice to gallbladder relief was simply a letter to the editor, written by a man who said his wife consumed a large amount of apple juice and olive oil and passed what looked like gallstones in her stool. The man's letter inquired, "Could these be gallstones?" but the "Lancet" did not answer the question.
Explanation
According to Quackwatch, what most people believe are dissolved gallstones in their stool – blobs that appear in their bowel movements after performing a gallbladder cleanse – are actually balls of oil. Quackwatch states that there is no logistical way for apple juice – or any other ingredients in a gallbladder cleanse – to get into your gallbladder to break up gallstones. This is because the body contains a sphincter muscle that blocks substances you consume orally from traveling between your intestines and your gallbladder.
Side Effects
A gallbladder cleanse that includes apple juice and oil may cause vomiting, abdominal pains, nausea and diarrhea. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. If you add Epsom salt, chemically known as magnesium sulphate, to a cleanse, it will also act as a laxative. But Epsom salt is a poison. It can cause collapse, coma, slowed breathing and lowered blood pressure. An overdose could kill you.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Gallbladder Disease; February 2010
- QuackWatch; The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver "Flushes"; Peter Moran; March 2007
- "Lancet"; Apple Juice and the Chemical-Contact Softening of Gallstones; R. Dekkers; 1999
- MayoClinic.com; Gallbladder Cleanse: A 'Natural' Remedy for Gallstones?; Michael F. Picco; February 2010
- MedlinePlus: Laxative Overdose
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