Natural Remedy for Gallbladder

Natural Remedy for Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a little pear-shaped pouch tucked behind the lobes of the liver. Its main job is to store up the cholesterol-rich bile that’s secreted by the liver. Bile helps your body digest fatty foods. So when that piece of prime rib reaches the intestines, they send a message up to the gallbladder to send some bile their way. Once the bile saturates your steak, it becomes more digestible and easily makes its way through the rest of the digestive process.

Gallstones become a problem when they get pushed out of the gallbladder and into the tube that connects the liver and the small intestine.

Who’s at Risk?
Pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, a sedentary lifestyle, a high fat diet, and certain forms of anemia can all increase the risk of gallstones.

People who are overweight and lose and gain weight repeatedly are more susceptible to gallstones, as are women who have had two or more children.

Lack of exercise is a significant contributor to the development of gallstones. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study, inactivity can actually account for more than half of the risk of developing gallstones.

Women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones, although the reasons are unclear. And people older than 60 years of age have a greater risk of gallstones.

Other risk factors include a family history of gallstones and taking hormones, such as birth control pills or estrogen.

Home Remedies -

Coffee.
New studies are finding that drinking a couple of cups of java a day can prevent gallstones. One study discovered that men who drank 2 to 3 cups of regular coffee a day cut their risk of developing gallstones by 40 percent. Four cups a day reduced the risk by 45 percent.

High-fiber cereal.
People who eat a sugary, high-fat diet probably will have more problems with their gallstones. But adding in some fiber-rich foods and avoiding the sugary snacks and fatty foods can help you keep your gallbladder healthy. Grabbing some cereal in the morning will also get something in your tummy. Studies have shown that going for long periods without eating, such as skipping breakfast, can make you more prone to getting a gallstone.

Lentils. 
An interesting study found that women who ate loads of lentils, nuts, beans, peas, lima beans, and oranges were more resistant to gallbladder attacks than women who didn’t eat much of the stuff.
Red bell pepper. Getting loads of vitamin C in your diet can help you avoid gallstones, and one red bell pepper has 95 mg of the helpful vitamin — more than the 60 mg a day the government recommends for men and women over age 15. A recent study found that people who had more vitamin C in their blood were less likely to get the painful stones.

Salmon. 
Research is finding that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, may help prevent gallstones.
Vegetables. Eating your veggies is a good way to ward off gallstones. One study found that vegetarian women were only half as likely to have gallstones as their carnivore counterparts. 

Researchers aren’t sure exactly how vegetables counteract gallstones, but they believe vegetables help reduce the amount of cholesterol in bile.

Do’s and Don’ts

Exercise! Staying active can cut your risk of developing gallstones in half.

Lose some weight. Being overweight, even as little as 10 pounds, can double your risk of getting gallstones.

Diet sensibly. If you are overweight, plan on shedding pounds slowly. Losing weight too fast can increase your chances of developing gallstones.

Reduce your saturated fat intake. Too much fat in the diet increases your risk of gallstones. But don’t cut back too drastically. You need some fat to give the gallbladder the message to empty bile. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t go below 20 percent calories from fat.

Eat a low fat, low-cholesterol, high-fiber diet. Multiple studies show this is your best bet for a healthy body and a healthy gallbladder.

Now that you understand how the gallbladder works and the home remedies you can use to keep it healthy, you’re on your way to looking and feeling better.