1. A Common Surgery in the U.S.
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most common way to control chronic gallbladder problems. Gallstones, formed of crystals from your liver bile, can cause severe pain, nausea and high fever. A common procedure performed is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During this procedure, your surgeon will make tiny incisions in the abdomen and use a camera to give him a close up of the gallbladder. This is a minimally invasive surgery with a fairly quick recovery. Surgery, however, should not be your first line of treatment to control your gallbladder problems. About one-third of people who have a gallbladder attack never have another one. Most physicians recommend using a conservative treatment approach in the beginning.
2. Eat That Bran
You can help treat your gallbladder problems by changing your diet to benefit your liver. You should include high fiber foods, such as bran, vegetables and plenty of fruits, especially raw apples and pears. You will need to limit dairy products and saturated fat. Add healthy fat found in cold water fish, nuts and avocados. An exercise regime is another good way to naturally treat gallbladder problems.
3. Be Wary of Supplements
Talk to your doctor about using herbal supplements to treat gallbladder problems. Some patients take flaxseed oil capsules and fatty acids. Others recommend herbs such as dandelion and milk thistle. The medical jury is still out on using these home remedies to treat gallbladder disease, so be sure to consult your physician before starting a supplement program.
4. It's Shocking
Lithotripsy is a procedure that utilizes shock wave therapy to break up large gallstones. Your doctor may have you to take bile salt tablets after lithotripsy to dissolve lingering fragments. Even without lithotripsy, doctors sometimes prescribe bile salt tablets to raise the level of bile acids in your gallbladder and dissolve stones made of cholesterol. It's a long-term approach to treatment. Expect it to take months or even years for a sizable stone to dissolve.
5. Skip the Flush
Some people use a gallbladder flush, also known as a gallbladder cleanse, as an alternative treatment for gallstones. A gallbladder flush consists of drinking olive oil and fruit juices and eating herbs during a period of several days. People who use them say the herbs break up gallstones and the olive oil functions as a laxative to rid the body of the broken gallstones. However, researchers say there is no scientific evidence to show that a gallbladder flush can prevent or treat gallstones in any manner. Furthermore, they say the flush itself can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
