If you want to avoid the expense, recovery time and possible complications from gallbladder surgery, you might be considering an alternative treatment such as a liver and gallbladder flush. A flush or cleanse involves drinking olive oil and lemon juice, which is intended to dissolve gallstones and excrete them through your stool. No reliable evidence suggests that a flush will work. Talk to your doctor before trying this home remedy.
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment for gallbladder problems, and more than 500,000 Americans undergo gallbladder surgery each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Traditional surgery is a major abdominal operation that requires up to six days in the hospital. Some doctors use a less invasive procedure that uses a laparoscope and requires less recovery time. Risks include bleeding, infection, pneumonia and pancreatitis.
Flush
A typical liver and gallbladder flush calls for 1/2 cup of oil – either olive oil or vegetable oil – and a juice such as lemon juice. Some recipes add herbs or Epsom salts. The flush acts as a laxative, and you may see round globs in your stool. The globs are not gallstones but oil that has soaked up bile from your gallbladder. The oil and bile combine to make soap-like balls due to a process called saponifaction. Drinking lemon juice and oil may cause diarrhea and other stomach upset. Ingesting Epsom salts, otherwise known as magnesium sulfate, may cause grave, even fatal side effects.
Treatment Options
Oral medications, while more reliable than liver and gallbladder flushes, do not boast a high success rate. They can take up to 2 years to dissolve small gallstones and work only 40 percent of the time, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If your gallstones measure more than 15 millimeters in diameter, nonsurgical options include drugs injected into your gallbladder and shock wave therapy to break up the stones. If gallstones are blocking a gallbladder duct, you may require surgery.
Risk Factors
Several factors can increase your risk for developing gallstones. One is gender. According to the Cleveland Clinic, women between the ages of 20 and 60 are two times more likely to develop gallstones than men in this same age range. Excess estrogen can also put you at a greater risk of developing gallstones, so pregnancy, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy increase risk. Being obese can also greatly increase your chances of developing gallstones, particularly if you are female.
References
- QuackWatch; The Truth About Gallbladder and Liver "Flushes"; Peter Moran; March 2007
- MayoClinic.com: Gallbladder Cleanse: A 'Natural' Remedy for Gallstones?; Michael F. Picco; February 2010
- MedlinePlus: Laxative Overdose
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallbladder Disease; February 2010
- Cleveland Clinic: Gallstones - Digestive Disease Institute Overview
- MedlinePlus: Gallbladder Removal
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