No More Gall Stone Surgery.

If you care about natural health, the statistics are, well, galling. Avery year, 1 million Americans are diagnosed with gallstones, joining 20 million others who already have the problem. About 500,000 people a year have gallbladder surgery, in which the organ is removed. This is the most effective "solution" offered by conventional medicine.

According to alternative physicians, however, most of those surgeries-possibly up to 85 percent-are unnecessary. People could achieve the same results (eliminating pain and the risk of damage to the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas) with alternative remedies, says Mark Stengler, N.D., a naturopathic physician in San Diego.

"About 15 percent of those who are diagnosed with gallstones need surgery because their stones are large and dangerous," Dr. Stengler says. "But the other 85 percent-those who have small to medium gallstones-can prevent gallstone attacks or complications with dietary changes, herbs, and nuritional supplements."

To understand how alternative home remedies work, you need to know a little about the gallbladder. This small, pear shaped organ stores bile, a liquid produced by the liver for digesting fats. When bile becomes too concentrated while sitting in the gallbladder, hard, crystal-like stones can form. (Eighty percent of gallstones are made of cholesterol; the other 20 percent are made of calcium salts and the pigment bilirubin.) People who are overweight are much more likely to form gallstones than those who are lean. In fact, for every pound of fat in your body, you produce 10 milligrams of cholesterol.

The stones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball, and there can be one stone or thousands. The stones may irritate and inflame the gallbladder ducts (the tubes that connect the gallbladder and the small intestine), causing the intense pain of a gallstone attack.

"Alternative remedies can't dissolve gallstones, but they can keep stones from becoming larger and also keep the gallbladder ducts from becoming inflamed," Dr. Stengler says.

"With alternative remedies, you're very likely not to have any symptoms or need surgery."

LOW-FAT DIET: Cutting Off the Bile Pipeline
The saturated fat in dairy foods, meats, vegetable shortening, coconut oil, palm oil, and hydrogenated oils makes bile more concentrated, says Elizabeth Lipski, a certified clinical nutritionist in Kauai, Hawaii. People who reduce the amount of fat and sugar in their diets while at the same time increasing fiber intake may be able to stop gallstone attacks because the bile will be less concentrated, making stones less likely to form.

FATTY ACIDS: Keep Stones Small
While cutting down on fat is a must for people with gallstones, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids-the kind of fats found abundantly in fish, flaxseed oil, and olive oil-is recommended. High-quality oils help improve the solubility of bile, stopping the growth of stones, says Lipski. She recommends taking 1 to 2 tablespoons a day of flaxseed, olive, canola, safflower, soy, sunflower seed, or walnut oil.

HIGH-FIBER FOODS: Protection against Excess Cholesterol
Since most gallstones are made of cholesterol, getting more dietary fiber is essential. This indigestible portion of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds helps remove excess cholesterol from the body, says Dr. Stengler.
He recommends eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day as well as plenty of whole-grain foods, such as high-fiber breakfast cereal, and beans.

WATER: Make an Effort to Drink More
Bile tends to become concentrated when people are somewhat dehydrated, says Lipski. To prevent this, she recommends drinking a lot of water. A useful guide is to drink Y2 ounce of water for each pound you weigh. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, you should drink 75 ounces of water.

SUGAR: Less Is Best
Eating too much sugar can inflame the gallbladder ducts, says Dr. Stengler. He recommends avoiding table sugar as well as sugary foods such as cookies, cake, and candy.

MILK THISTLE: Stimulation for the Liver
Milk thistle is believed to stimulate the liver and also may help reduce cholesterol levels in the bile, Dr. Stengler says. He recommends taking 600 milligrams of milk thistle extract daily, standardized to 70 to 80 percent silymarin, the active ingredient in the herb.


The Gall Bladder Flush.
People with small gallstones may be able to get them out with a gallbladder flush, says Teresa Rispoli, Ph.D., a licensed nutritionist and acupuncturist in Agoura Hills, California. Here's how to do it.

• About an hour before bedtime, blend Y4 cup of olive oil and Y4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and drink the mixture. Then take cascara sagrada, an herbal laxative, according to the label directions.
• Lie on your right side for 30 minutes, then go to bed.
• In the morning, check to see if your stools contain tiny green stones (you may see dozens). If you find some, you'll know the flush was effective.
• Repeat the flush for 2 or 3 more days. To be safe, you should do gallbladder flushes only with the approval and supervision of a health care practitioner, Dr. Rispoli says.