Although small in size, the role of the gallbladder greatly outweighs it’s physical size. Unfortunately it’s function in keeping us healthy is greatly underemphasized by the medical community as a whole.
This under appreciated organ is critical in your ability to emulsify fats, so you can use them for energy, regulation of body chemistry, and rebuilding of every cell in your body.
The reason this gland gets overlooked is usually because the manufacture of bile is the liver’s job. The gallbladder stores this bile until it’s stimulated to constrict by a hormone known as cholecystokinin. This hormone is secreted from the small intestine when fats enter from the stomach.
The term bladder refers to a hollow organ used to store a fluid. Your urinary bladder is an example of this. As your kidneys create urine, it’s stored in the bladder until the appropriate time to empty it. Preferably when you are over the toilet.
If you were to think of bile like the detergent you wash your dishes with, you add the detergent when you have a sink full of hot water. so you can bust up the grease. Likewise, your gallbladder is the detergent bottle that gets squeezed when you consume fats.
When the gallbladder has been removed, you no longer have a receptacle to hold bile in reserve for when you consume fat. Bile continues to be made and secreted into the common bile duct, but doesn’t get stored. Instead, it goes directly into the intestine and eventually into the toilet, unused. Just as you would be dripping urine all day long, and requiring a diaper without a urinary bladder.
So, without a gallbladder, fat emulsification is impaired. This can be a huge problem since fat is the preferred fuel of the brian, heart, and muscles. Fat is also required to restore and repair all cell walls. Without good fats, your nervous system can short circuit.
I like to demonstrate to my patients a couple of wires wrapped together with the ends going to different locations. Provided the insulation is intact, there is no interference in the individual signals. If the insulation is compromised, we see the signals getting crossed. This can be a major problem with people with ADD and ADHD, and even with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Good fats along with good bile activity is important in these patients.
The number of patients I see who’ve lost their gallbladder is ridiculous. Usually when I see a history of gallbladder loss, there’s been an abuse of sugar in the diet. Sugar is converted into a fat known as triglycerides. The liver produces these for energy from starches, and over production can lead to a fatty liver. We usually look at cirrhosis and fatty liver as a byproduct of alcoholism. Alcohol is actually a refined sugar. So we can see fatty liver in someone who has never consumed alcohol.
I view the gallbladder as an extension of the liver. When the gallbladder is unhappy, I can’t ignore the liver and it’s health. Dietary abuse affects the liver heavily and can result in the gallbladder being inflamed. There are nutritional supports including specific herbs to limit the inflammation and restore the gallbladder. The most important consideration is to adjust the diet to prevent further inflammation and stone formation.
Maintaining good bile consistency and flow is dependent on getting adequate healthy fats in the diet. When there is inflammation of the gallbladder, I use a beet leaf product with vitamin A and poly-unsaturated fats to put out the fire and thin the bile. There are homeopathic supports that can also help deal with the colic pain of a gallbladder being inflamed.
When possible, always try to keep your gallbladder. The surgeon may tell you it’s not important, but just ask how important is his or her urinary bladder. If you have had gallbladder symptoms, it’s time to do some liver clean up and dietary changes. Get the sugar and other carbs out of your diet! Eat good healthy fats, and don’t get caught up in the low fat insanity.
This under appreciated organ is critical in your ability to emulsify fats, so you can use them for energy, regulation of body chemistry, and rebuilding of every cell in your body.
The reason this gland gets overlooked is usually because the manufacture of bile is the liver’s job. The gallbladder stores this bile until it’s stimulated to constrict by a hormone known as cholecystokinin. This hormone is secreted from the small intestine when fats enter from the stomach.
The term bladder refers to a hollow organ used to store a fluid. Your urinary bladder is an example of this. As your kidneys create urine, it’s stored in the bladder until the appropriate time to empty it. Preferably when you are over the toilet.
If you were to think of bile like the detergent you wash your dishes with, you add the detergent when you have a sink full of hot water. so you can bust up the grease. Likewise, your gallbladder is the detergent bottle that gets squeezed when you consume fats.
When the gallbladder has been removed, you no longer have a receptacle to hold bile in reserve for when you consume fat. Bile continues to be made and secreted into the common bile duct, but doesn’t get stored. Instead, it goes directly into the intestine and eventually into the toilet, unused. Just as you would be dripping urine all day long, and requiring a diaper without a urinary bladder.
So, without a gallbladder, fat emulsification is impaired. This can be a huge problem since fat is the preferred fuel of the brian, heart, and muscles. Fat is also required to restore and repair all cell walls. Without good fats, your nervous system can short circuit.
I like to demonstrate to my patients a couple of wires wrapped together with the ends going to different locations. Provided the insulation is intact, there is no interference in the individual signals. If the insulation is compromised, we see the signals getting crossed. This can be a major problem with people with ADD and ADHD, and even with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Good fats along with good bile activity is important in these patients.
The number of patients I see who’ve lost their gallbladder is ridiculous. Usually when I see a history of gallbladder loss, there’s been an abuse of sugar in the diet. Sugar is converted into a fat known as triglycerides. The liver produces these for energy from starches, and over production can lead to a fatty liver. We usually look at cirrhosis and fatty liver as a byproduct of alcoholism. Alcohol is actually a refined sugar. So we can see fatty liver in someone who has never consumed alcohol.
I view the gallbladder as an extension of the liver. When the gallbladder is unhappy, I can’t ignore the liver and it’s health. Dietary abuse affects the liver heavily and can result in the gallbladder being inflamed. There are nutritional supports including specific herbs to limit the inflammation and restore the gallbladder. The most important consideration is to adjust the diet to prevent further inflammation and stone formation.
Maintaining good bile consistency and flow is dependent on getting adequate healthy fats in the diet. When there is inflammation of the gallbladder, I use a beet leaf product with vitamin A and poly-unsaturated fats to put out the fire and thin the bile. There are homeopathic supports that can also help deal with the colic pain of a gallbladder being inflamed.
When possible, always try to keep your gallbladder. The surgeon may tell you it’s not important, but just ask how important is his or her urinary bladder. If you have had gallbladder symptoms, it’s time to do some liver clean up and dietary changes. Get the sugar and other carbs out of your diet! Eat good healthy fats, and don’t get caught up in the low fat insanity.
RSS Feed