Normally, the liver produces bile which is used by the small intestine to digest fatty foods and absorb important vitamins. Bile is stored in the gallbladder. However, sometimes bile is filled with cholesterol. When that happens, cholesterol gallstones form (cholelithiasis). Women are more likely to have gallstones than men because estrogen increases cholesterol levels in bile. Another risk factor is obesity. About 20% of gallstones are "pigment stones" made of calcium salts and bilirubin, a product formed from the breakdown of red blood cells. This type of gallstones is usually caused by liver disease, anemia, or a bile duct infection. Laparoscopic surgery makes cholecystectomy, or gallstone removal, the most common procedure for treating gallstones, but there are other non-surgical options.
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Method 1 of 3: Trying Non-Surgical Treatment Options
Step 1. Consider oral dissolving therapy
Doctors can prescribe ursodiol to dissolve gallstones without surgery. This treatment basically uses bile acids in pill form. Ursodiol is widely used because it is one of the safest drugs available.
- Oral dissolution therapy tends to be more successful in treating small stones (less than 1.5 cm in diameter) with high cholesterol content. About 30% of gallbladder patients are candidates for this treatment.
- If you have pigment stones, you will need other treatment.
- This treatment tends to be less successful in obese patients.
Step 2. Try shock wave therapy
This therapy is usually combined with oral dissolution therapy although with the advent of laparoscopic surgery, shock wave therapy is rarely used. This therapy, also called lithotripsy, uses sound waves to break up gallstones into more soluble parts.
- Shock wave therapy is most successful for gallstones less than 2 cm in diameter.
- This treatment is very rare and is only available in a few locations.
Step 3. Know that gallstones usually return after non-surgical treatment
Gallstones return in the majority of patients who choose the dissolution option. As a result, this treatment is no longer a common option and is usually reserved for patients who cannot physically tolerate surgery.
Method 2 of 3: Trying Alternative Medicine
Step 1. Treat gallstones with organic compounds from plants
Scientific testing of a mixture of a plant-based compound called rowachol found positive results. Six months of treatment succeeded in dissolving gallstones completely or partially in 29% of the study population of 27 patients.
- Plant compounds can stimulate the production of bile by the liver and inhibit the formation of cholesterol crystals.
- Rowachol also increases the effectiveness of other dissolving drugs.
Step 2. Consider gallbladder cleansing
Opinion about gallbladder and liver cleansing varies, but there are several reports of success that still need to be substantiated. Remember that most of the "evidence" seen in the stool after the cleansing process is not actually gallstones, but a by-product of the treatment itself. However, you can try the following options:
- Fasting 12 hours. Then, starting at 7 pm, swallow 4 tbsp. olive oil, followed by 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Repeat every 15 minutes during the treatment cycle 8 times.
- Or, just drink apple and vegetable juice throughout the day. Then, around 5 or 6 pm, ingest 18 ml of olive oil, followed by 9 ml of lemon juice. Repeat every 15 minutes until you have consumed 250 ml of olive oil.
- Gallbladder cleansing usually results in pain and diarrhea.
- The next morning, you may have green or brown soft stones. Again, usually they are not gallstones, but a byproduct of treatment.
Step 3. Try acupuncture
This treatment may not destroy gallstones, but it can reduce spasms, increase bile flow, and maintain liver and gallbladder function.
Step 4. Treat symptoms of gallbladder disease with herbal or homeopathic remedies
It is important to note that this medication does not destroy gallstones, but, under the supervision of a trained professional, can reduce symptoms so that you can tolerate stones already in your body.
- Green tea, milk thistle, artichoke, and turmeric support liver and gallbladder function. Again, consult a trained medical professional before trying herbal remedies. If not used quickly, herbs can trigger a gallbladder attack or cause unwanted side effects.
- Homeopathic remedies for gallstones include colocynthis, chelidonium, and lycopodium which are prepared in specific concentrations. It should be noted that there is no evidence of the effectiveness of homeopathy.
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Gallstones Formation
Step 1. Follow a diet that is proven to prevent gallstones
There are a number of eating habits that are associated with a lower chance of gallbladder disease, as follows:
- Consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
- Eat lots of fiber.
- Consume caffeine as part of your daily diet.
- Follow a vegetarian diet.
- Avoid excessive intake of processed sugars, such as sucrose and fructose.
- Some circumstantial evidence indicates that eating lots of legumes may increase the risk of gallbladder disease.
- Limit alcohol consumption to a minimum.
- Consider eating 25 grams of nuts several times a week. Peanuts have been shown to be beneficial in studies involving female subjects.
- Eat regularly, never skip meals.
Step 2. Use preventive nutritional supplements
Nutritional supplements containing vitamin C, soy lecithin, and iron have been shown to be beneficial in preventing gallstone formation.
Step 3. Lose weight slowly, then maintain a healthy weight
Losing weight too quickly increases the risk of gallstones forming. Obesity is a risk factor for gallbladder disease, and this risk factor needs to be eliminated by weight loss. The best method for losing weight is slowly, about 0.5 to 1 kg per week.
Step 4. Get an allergy test and avoid allergenic foods
By identifying and avoiding foods that cause allergic reactions, you can reduce your risk of gallstones forming.
Tips
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard procedure for treating symptomatic gallstones. For patients with gallstones who are asymptomatic, very few doctors will take action.
- Surgery for symptomatic gallstones is only used for patients who refuse or cannot tolerate surgery.
