Lifestyle Changes As Treatment For Gallbladder Stones

Sometimes the physical complaints we have are a result of the lifestyle we live.

For example, lifting too much weight at the gym might equal a muscle strain.

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Gallbladder stones, or gallstones, can often form as a result of our lifestyle choices.

The good news is that some symptoms of disease and illness are controllable through lifestyle changes.

With the guidance of a naturopathic doctor, some simple lifestyle changes can make a world of difference for your gallstones.

And if you have a genetic history of gallstones, these lifestyle changes can also help reduce your risk of developing them.

Keep reading for more information.

What Is A Gallstone?

Despite the name, a gallstone isn’t really a stone.

Rather, it’s a mostly solid mass of cholesterol, calcium, and possibly other byproducts of the liver, such as bile.

When compacted, gallstones can be quite hard.

However, they’re also sometimes soft or almost sludgy in consistency.

In some cases, you may have gallbladder sludge rather than gallstones.

Gallstones form in the gallbladder, which is the little sac under your liver that stores bile.

Bile is needed for fat digestion, elimination of waste (detoxification) and other uses in your body.

Gallstones are surprisingly common as well.

A report from Johns Hopkins University found that up to 15% of the population may have them, even if they aren’t aware of it.

Types Of Gallstones

There are 2 types of gallstones: cholesterol stones and pigment stones.

Cholesterol stones are the most common type, by a 4:1 ratio, and are usually yellow or green in colour.

Pigment stones are smaller, darker stones that are made up of bilirubin, which comes from the breakdown of red blood cells and is found in bile.

Symptoms Of Gallstones

Some people with small gallstones may experience little to no symptoms.

In these cases, you might not even realize you have gallstones until a complication occurs, such as a blocked bile duct.

When this happens, you’ll feel pain, usually in your upper right abdomen area and your upper back between your shoulder blades.

Other symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bloating
• Indigestion
• Gas
• Heartburn

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Causes And Risk Factors For Gallstones

When it comes to gallstones, it’s a good idea to understand and be aware of your risk factors.

This is especially true if you sometimes don’t notice them until they’re causing you significant grief.

Common risk factors for gallstones include:

• Poor diet
• Genetic influence, such as a family history of gallstones
• Obesity and high cholesterol
• Pregnancy or menopause related hormone changes
• Diabetes and excess triglycerides (a type of blood fat)
• Rapid weight loss
• Medications, such as birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or cholesterol meds

Now that you know a bit more about the risk factors associated with gallstones, let’s look at lifestyle changes that you can make to help reduce some of these factors.

Lifestyle Changes To Improve Gallstones

Lifestyle changes are often the most effective approach for gallstone prevention and management.

By altering your daily living, you also improve your overall health and wellness, which is the foundation of naturopathic medicine.

A healthier overall lifestyle will improve your gallstone outcomes.

Here are my top four recommendations:

1. Eat Bitter Vegetables

Bitters, including bitter vegetables, help improve bile flow and production.

Examples include:

• Dandelion
• Rapini
• Endives
• Arugula
• Radicchio
• Bitter melon
• Artichokes
• Chicory

These foods are often steamed, added into a stir fry, or simply eaten raw in a salad.

I know, I know, some people don’t like the bitter taste, but the benefit in helping your gallbladder by supporting your bile is worth it.

Luckily, most people grow a tolerance to the taste with regular consumption.

You can also mask the taste by combining bitter vegetables with a more neutral food, such as squash or sweet potato.

2. Eat An Anti Inflammatory Diet

An anti inflammatory diet has many benefits which aren’t limited to just improving gallstones.

Processed foods, such as those high in sugars or vegetable oils, are a particularly bad culprit for inflammation.

Avoiding them can help reduce some of your body’s inflammation.

Alternatively, load up your plate with more high fiber foods, as well as beets, artichokes, and dandelion tea or greens, all of which help improve bile flow.

I especially recommend sprouted seeds for reducing inflammation.

You can even sprout these yourself at home using any one of flax, chia, or hemp seeds, mung beans, or pumpkin seeds.

Turmeric also has anti inflammatory properties thanks to curcumin, its active ingredient.

Mixing turmeric with black pepper can help further increase the bioavailability of the curcumin in turmeric.

In addition to anti inflammatory foods, My Health Alberta recommends eliminating foods low in fat.

3. Maintain A Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is another important lifestyle change for gallstones.

This includes avoiding extreme weight fluctuations.

For example, extremely low calorie diets can actively stress the liver and bile production, making you more susceptible to gallstones.

Rapid weight loss often results in electrolyte imbalances and other deficiencies, which also increases your chance of experiencing gallstones.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to lose some inches and maintain a healthy weight.

One to two pounds per week of weight loss is typically considered healthy.

In addition to drastic weight loss, obesity is also a factor in gallstone development.

If you’re obese, I recommend losing weight steadily, slowly, and safely.

And of course, you can always book an appointment with me if you need help finding the right weight for you and formulating a plan to maintain it.

4. Maintain An Active Lifestyle

One of the methods for maintaining a healthy weight is through staying active, which also happens to help digestive function.

Anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise per day will do wonders for your gallstone issues.

Staying active keeps your body functioning more efficiently, and it means a less restrictive caloric intake, because you’re burning the calories you consume.

5. Herbs and supplements

Last but certainly not least, there’s a few herbs and supplements that may be helpful in improving bile flow and production, ultimately reducing the risk of gallstones.

However, these supplements require the supervision of a healthcare practitioner while undergoing gallstone treatment.

Please speak with Dr. JJ about these products if you’re interested in hearing more.

Questions? Ask Dr. JJ

Living with gallstones is painful, but the good news is that naturopathic treatments can provide effective solutions.

Naturopathic remedies can help you avoid more invasive treatments, such as surgery.

If you’ve already had gallbladder surgery and are having trouble digesting fatty foods, Dr. JJ can help.

We’ll start you on a healthier lifestyle that’ll help reduce your risk of developing gallstones.

Call me now and we’ll set up an appointment for a consultation and I’ll help you get your gallbladder health in line with your life goals.

We even offer virtual consultations.

If your gallstones symptoms are acute or are getting progressively worse, please go to your nearest hospital for emergency assistance.

Next week, we’ll talk about the types of naturopathic treatments available for addressing your gallstone concerns.

Book your appointment with me, Dr. JJ, today to work on improving your health using natural means.