The gallbladder is an organ most doctors don’t pay much attention to until it’s too late and removal is the only option.
Each year, 20 million people are diagnosed with gallbladder dysfunction and roughly half will have their gallbladder removed as the “cure”.
While removal of this important organ is sometimes needed, it doesn’t fix the underlying reason that caused gallstones to develop in the first place. With no gallbladder, digestion will be suboptimal and the likelihood of other chronic symptoms increases.
You can survive without your gallbladder but, as I tell my patients, you can also survive without your right leg. Life, and your health, is better when you have all your parts.
What does the gallbladder do?
The function of the gallbladder is to act as a reservoir, or storage vessel, for bile. Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder until it’s needed to digest dietary fats. When we consume fats, the gallbladder constricts, releasing bile through the bile ducts into the intestine. Here, bile mixes with the food in the small intestine, emulsifying dietary fats and fat soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K), making them easy to absorb.
What can go wrong?
The most widely know dysfunction of the gallbladder is the formation of gallstones.
Gallstones develop when there is insufficient production of bile. These stones can literally block the bile duct leading to back up of bile in the gallbladder. This back up result’s in infection of the gallbladder and the intense pain that this causes.
Symptoms of gallstones include:
- Severe, sudden pain in the upper right abdomen and possibly the upper back
- Fever and shivering
- Nausea and vomiting
- Jaundice
- Clay-colored stools or dark urine
Gallstones are not the only problem.
Another condition that is frequently overlooked but very common is biliary stasis. Biliary stasis occurs when bile becomes thick and sluggish but there are no stones blocking the duct. Thick bile doesn’t flow easily through the bile duct. This results in a bile deficiency in the small intestine and, as a result, poor digestion of fats and fat soluble vitamins.
Not digesting fats can lead to a number of imbalances:
- Overgrowth of intestinal microorganisms: Yeast, bacteria and parasites can all feed on the undigested fats. This can lead to bloating, constipation, chronic loose stools and excessive gas production.
- Impaired liver detoxification: Another function of bile is to carry toxins out of the liver and into the intestines to be eliminated. When bile is thick, the liver cannot effectively detoxify hormones, toxins, and other metabolites. This increases the toxic burden on your system, which in turn increases inflammation.
- Deficiencies of fat soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K): Because symptoms increase with fat consumption, many patients with biliary stasis avoid consuming healthy fats. Low fat diets increases health risks, especially for the brain, hormones, and the immune system.
What if you don’t have a gallbladder?
Removing the gallbladder can be needed, but it can also result in all the same symptoms as biliary stasis. With no gallbladder, there is no longer a reservoir for bile to be stored. This leads to insufficient levels of bile to properly digest and absorb fats.
How to improve gallbladder function.
The good news is it’s easy to improve gallbladder health. Nutritional compounds that support gallbladder health, fat digestion, and liver detoxification, include dandelion root, milk thistle, ginger root, phosphatidylcholine, and taurine. Taking these supplements individually or in combination can work wonders for keeping bile flowing smoothly.
If your gallbladder has already been removed, you can improve digestion by taking bile salts with your meals. Taking bile salts effectively replaces the function of the gallbladder. I highly recommend taking bile salts to all my patients that have had their gallbladder removed.
Keeping the gallbladder healthy requires the following:
- 25–40 grams of fiber a day (more for men, less for women).
- No processed or high carbohydrates foods (white flour, sugar, potatoes, pasta, etc.).
- No trans fats, hydrogenated fats, or processed vegetable oils.
- Plenty of essential fatty acids and omega 3s.
- No foods to which you have an immune response, gluten and dairy being the most common.
- Manage low thyroid function or autoimmune Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
About Dr. Garcia
Dr. Garcia is a chiropractic physician and the owner of the Idaho Center For Functional Medicine. He sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders. Dr. Garcia uses a natural, science-base approach to help his patients overcome chronic disease.
