Facts About Gallstones

By Chandrasekaran Rajamani

Women are more prone to gallstones attack than men probably due to estrogen. Among women, those with children are more susceptible to gall stones than those without children. The susceptibility to gallstones increases with age and infants and children are rarely affected. It is believed that heredity plays a role and those who have a family history of gallstones are more prone to it.

Gallbladder is a small pouch like organ connected to liver on the one side and small intestine on the other side. The main job of gall bladder is to store bile which is a greenish yellow digestive juice,and to send small quantities of bile into the liver as and when required to facilitate digestion of fat. The bile is made up of calcium,cholesterol and bilirubin (waste product from old blood cells). If any one of these ingredients builds up beyond normal levels, crystals are formed which clump together and harden to develop into gallstones. The size of these stones may be very small or as big as an egg. Normally these stones create no problem. But when the stones try to squeeze through the small duct connected to small intestine,it causes interruption in the bile flow resulting in extreme pain till the stone passes.

Gallstones are mainly of three types. They are stones made up exclusively of cholesterol,mixed stones formed by the combination of cholesterol,calcium and bile pigments,stones made up of bile pigments alone which is rare. Among these, stones made up of cholesterol tend to be large.

Most of the times these gallstones are silent and give no trouble and we are not even aware of them. However sometimes the stones become active and may cause gallbladder infection and sometimes even gallbladder burst which may become life threatening. Gallstones attack cause extreme pain which gets worse with deep breathing. These attacks normally occur after consuming a fatty meal.

If the pain comes in waves it means that the duct is trying to push the stone and if the stone crosses the duct, the pain goes away. If the duct is blocked for long periods it may cause constant pain,vomiting,fever and jaundice.

Avoid fatty foods and consume fiber rich foods. Consume lots of water. Lose weight gradually and avoid sudden weight loss which is found to help stone formation. Regular exercises help in preventing stone formation. Avoid prolonged sun exposure as it is found to help gallstone formation. If you have a gallstone attack,it is advisable to lie down on a bed and keep rolling from side to side. The chances of gallstone attack can be minimized and even prevented by following the steps listed above.

There are effective and cheap home remedies to get rid of gallstones that cost fraction of the cost of hospitalization and drugs that go with it with all the side effects. It is advisable to try natural gallstones remedy through gallbladder cleanse which is efficient and quick.

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