Gallstones are pebbles made from cholesterol and other substances found in bile. If they are painful and recurrent, it is important to see your doctor for appropriate treatment. Depending on your condition, your doctor will prescribe drug, surgical, or shock wave therapy. In the meantime, you can try to relieve pain with natural remedies.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Relieve the Symptoms
Step 1. Take 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil mixed with lemon juice twice a day
Use the juice of one lemon. Taken twice a day, this mixture will help you expel gallstones. It should be taken as soon as you wake up and before going to bed.
Step 2. Adopt a high-fiber diet
The fibers facilitate intestinal transit and reduce the risk of gallstones forming. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables that includes artichokes, turnips, and dandelions.
Adult women should consume at least 25g of fiber per day, while men should consume at least 35g
Step 3. Avoid processed, fried, or very spicy foods
Eliminate or at least limit industrial foods, especially those rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates. You should also avoid fatty meats, fried foods, and very spicy foods, as they can cause or aggravate gallstones. Also, replace fizzy drinks, which contribute to stone formation, with natural mineral water or tea.
Coffee is a sneaky drink as it helps prevent gallstones, but at the same time irritates the body when these are already present
Step 4. Lose weight slowly
If you need to lose weight, avoid too restrictive diets as they can cause new gallstones to form. Consult your doctor and try to slowly lose weight in a healthy way (about half a kilo per week). It will take longer, but you will gain health.
Step 5. Eat only healthy fats
A high-fat diet can cause gallstones to form, but generally the real culprits are so-called bad fats. Eat only monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats and in moderate amounts.
For example, use extra virgin olive oil when cooking
Step 6. Drink 2-4 cups of herbal tea per day
Make it using herbs that help keep the gallbladder and liver healthy. Place one teaspoon (4g) of dried herbs in a small teapot, add 250ml of boiling water, and use the lid to prevent beneficial volatiles from escaping into the air. The infusion time depends on which parts of the plant you use to prepare the herbal tea; in general for the leaves or the flowers it takes 5-10 minutes, while for the roots it takes 10-20 minutes.
- Milk thistle helps relieve pain and reduce the size of gallstones.
- Dandelion leaves stimulate the liver and gallbladder by promoting the expulsion of stones.
- Turmeric has the ability to make bile more soluble, so the body will find it less difficult to excrete stones.
- Artichoke promotes gallbladder and liver health, but may increase bile production, so if the bile ducts are blocked by stones, avoid artichoke tea.
Step 7. Fight swelling with castor oil and heat
Spread the castor oil on a soft cloth and spread it over your abdomen. Cover the cloth with cling film and place a bottle full of hot water or an electric kettle on it. Let the castor oil work in combination with the heat by putting its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to good use. Keep the warm compress on your abdomen for 30-60 minutes to improve blood flow to the gallbladder.
You can repeat the treatment for up to 3 consecutive days
Step 8. Take Phosphatidylcholine 1-2 times a day to dissolve gallstones
Phosphatidylcholine is a substance that belongs to the category of lipids (fats) and can help break down and dissolve gallstones. Consult your doctor to find out how much should be taken in your case. Normally, the standard dose is around 800 mg taken 1-2 times a day.
- Phosphatidylcholine can be purchased at the pharmacy.
- Choose a third-party tested product that contains few additional ingredients.
Step 9. Try acupuncture to relieve pain and improve gallbladder functioning
Make an appointment with a certified acupuncturist. Acupuncture sessions will help you relieve pain caused by gallstones and improve the flow of bile.
It may take several weeks of therapy before real results are achieved
Method 2 of 3: Ask the Doctor for Help
Step 1. See your doctor if you have abdominal pain or jaundice
Gallstones are often expelled from the body without causing pain or complications. However, if you experience acute or persistent pain in the upper abdomen or if you experience symptoms of jaundice (yellowing of the skin), you should see a doctor.
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and will want to know your medical history. He may order blood tests or ultrasounds to help you make a more accurate diagnosis
Step 2. Relieve symptoms of gallstones with pain medication and improve your diet
If the pain caused by the stones is bearable or sporadic, your doctor may prescribe an over-the-counter pain reliever medication, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Improving nutrition can also help prevent painful attacks.
In most cases, the body is able to excrete gallstones naturally, so just be patient. However, if the pain is severe or persistent, it is important to see your doctor
Step 3. Try the bile acid drug dissolution method to dissolve stones
Your doctor may prescribe tablets made from ursodeoxycholic acid (or ursodiol), a bile acid that when given orally can dissolve cholesterol stones. Follow your doctor's directions for dosage and continue taking the pills for several months to help dissolve the gallstones.
Note that ursodeoxycholic acid and other bile acids only work if the stones are composed of cholesterol, while they are unable to dissolve those made up of bile pigments
Step 4. Try the contact litholysis technique
If the stones are made up of cholesterol, your doctor may suggest you try this experimental method. The therapy consists of the administration of a chemical agent that is introduced directly into the gallbladder through a catheter inserted by a surgeon.
When the chemical reaches the gallbladder, it begins to dissolve the gallstones immediately. These usually disappear within a few hours of treatment
Step 5. Discuss with your doctor the possibility of using shock wave lithotripsy
It represents an effective alternative in case you are not suitable for surgical therapy. If there are fewer than three gallstones, your doctor may recommend this technique to break them up into smaller pieces using a shockwave device, i.e. high-frequency acoustic waves.
- Since shock wave therapy shatters the gallstones but does not dissolve them, it is likely that you will need to follow a drug treatment, such as ursodeoxycholic acid or a similar bile acid, to expel the fragments.
- Because shock wave lithotripsy can cause damage to the liver or pancreas and gallstones can re-form, some doctors advise against this type of therapy.
Step 6. Consider having surgery if gallstones recur
If the pain is severe or if gallstones are a periodic problem, your doctor may suggest that you have a cholecystectomy, which is a surgical removal of the gallbladder.
- Because bile is able to flow directly from the liver to the small intestine, surgically removing the gallbladder is a common solution to the gallstone problem. Keep in mind that you may have digestive problems (e.g. diarrhea) following the surgery.
- Depending on the type of cholecystectomy performed by the surgeon, you may have to spend 1 to 3 days in the hospital before a few weeks of home recovery.
Method 3 of 3: Preventing Gallstones
Step 1. Take a vitamin supplement every day to prevent gallstones
Look for an antioxidant multivitamin supplement to take once a day. Studies have shown that a vitamin C deficiency can contribute to the formation of gallstones. Choose a multivitamin complex that contains:
- Antioxidant vitamins: A, C, E;
- Vitamins of group B;
- Trace minerals: magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium.
Step 2. Eat a balanced diet to prevent gallstone formation
Include 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables and choose lean meats, such as skinless chicken and leaner cuts of beef, legumes and nuts as protein sources. Also prefer whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
- Among wholemeal cereals, he favors rice, pasta and wholemeal bread.
- Low-fat dairy products include low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and skim milk.
Step 3. Maintain a healthy body weight
If you are overweight, ask your doctor for help to find out how you can lose weight healthily. In addition to changing your diet, you will need to exercise regularly several days a week. According to experts, obesity is one of the causes of gallstone formation, so try to achieve a healthy body weight to prevent them.
- The changes you make to your lifestyle don't have to be too difficult to maintain over the long term. For example, avoid too restrictive diets and tougher sports in favor of a light physical activity regimen and healthy food choices.
- Don't lose weight too fast because losing weight too fast can also cause gallstones.
Step 4. Reduce your fat intake to prevent gallstone formation and relieve symptoms of existing ones
A high-fat diet can contribute to the appearance of stones, so try to avoid industrially processed foods and those that are more fatty and caloric, to alleviate the symptoms of gallstones and prevent others from forming in the future. In addition to a preference for whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, limit or avoid:
- Butter, oil and ghee;
- Whole milk, cream, whole yogurt and aged cheeses;
- Baked goods, such as cakes and donuts;
- Crisps, nuts and crackers
- Puddings, creams and ice cream;
- Red meats and sausages, such as ground beef, bacon and sausage.
Warnings
- Detox programs designed to cleanse the gallbladder do not allow gallstones to be expelled. According to a study published by the medical community, these so-called treatments are misleading and misrepresent the results of official medical-scientific research.
- Consult your doctor before trying any home remedies or treatments, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
