A quick housekeeping note here at Holistic Blends:From July 14th through 18th, the office will be closed. Much like Danielle’s last time off, orders placed will be held for processing until July 21st at which time shipping will commence, and messages will be addressed in the order in which they were received. Barring any unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, this will be the last closure for the year aside from the regular weekends and holidays. She and I both appreciate your patience as she closes out her allotted vacation time for the year with her family.

I once spoke with a client who told me that she had exploratory surgery for abdominal pain and during the procedure, her doctor removed her gallbladder “because it appeared inflamed.”

But she was assured that her gallbladder wasn’t really necessary anyway, and that she would be just fine without it.

Wrong!

There are no mistakes in the human body—none of your organs are “optional” or there by accident, and that includes your gallbladder.

Let’s look at all that the gallbladder does and why life is not “just fine” once you lose it.

Nature’s storage unit

Your gallbladder and liver work together as a team.

Your liver secretes about a quart of bile each day, and it gets sent to the gallbladder through the common bile duct. While the gallbladder is storing the bile, it absorbs excess water out of it, making it more concentrated and stronger—to the tune of 5 to 18 times more concentrated!

Then when you eat a meal, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile into the upper part of your small intestine (the duodenum).

The bile works like a detergent on grease—it emulsifies the fat, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in your food, and then your pancreatic lipases (fat enzymes) finish the job.

Then the bile gets absorbed through the intestinal wall and sent back to your liver to be reused—for up to 20 times.

Life without your gallbladder

Without having your gallbladder there to store and concentrate bile, the (weak, un-concentrated) bile instead randomly trickles directly from the liver into the small intestine…so you eventually end up having too little bile when you need it (and also are prone to diarrhea)!

Here is the ripple effect of having no gallbladder and being bile-deficient:

You may run into cholesterol trouble.

Bile is needed to help eliminate free (excess) cholesterol from your body, so when you are low on bile, you are at risk of elevated cholesterol levels.

You struggle to eliminate toxins.

Your liver is your detox organ, and it works its magic by filtering toxins out of your bloodstream and putting them into your bile to be excreted through the intestinal tract.

Well, without enough bile to do the job, toxins can build up in your liver and eventually impair its functioning.

Your liver can get to the point where it becomes backed up or “constipated” just like your colon.

You may run into thyroid issues.

The (inactive) thyroid hormone T4 is converted to the active T3 form by your liver and gallbladder, but without your gallbladder, this conversion can’t take place, and eventually your thyroid function can be affected.

Your thyroid controls most of your body’s functions from head to toe, so having thyroid troubles opens Pandora’s Box of potential health issues!

You incur deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Here is a brief synopsis of what each of these vitamins does for you, and why you don’t want to be without them:

Vitamin A: Important for vision; without it your vision (especially night vision) suffers. Also dry skin develops.

Vitamin D: Without vitamin D, your bone level of calcium can’t be regulated, and you can develop bone pain. Your immune system also suffers, and you are at an increased risk of depression and heart disease.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E increases oxygen to your heart, and is called the anti-angina nutrient, so it’s not something you want to be without. Also being low in vitamin E can affect your fertility.

Vitamin K: Prevents calcium from building up in your arteries and joints.

You become deficient in Omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Omega-3 EFAs are Nature’s anti-inflammatory and being low in them can increase your risk of arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression.

In addition, your brain MUST have Omega-3 fatty acids to function properly. 

So, now tell me: What about the gallbladder sounds “unnecessary” to you?

Take care of your precious gallbladder and liver

Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to help keep your gallbladder and liver working like they should:

Get tested

A study published in The Lancet found that about half of the people with gallstones had low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl). Your doctor can test your level of HCl with a Heidelberg capsule test or blood test.

You can also do a home test to see where you might stand! Here’s how:

1. Mix 1/4 tsp of baking soda in 4–6 oz. of cold water first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything.
2. Drink the baking soda solution.
3. Time how long it takes for a burp (or belch) to come about. Wait for up to 5 minutes. If you have not burped or belched within 5 minutes, that’s a sign of insufficient stomach acid production.

Also, a liver function profile can be helpful to see if there’s a problem with your liver. Many times what are thought to be gallbladder issues are actually problems with the liver.

Eat your way to healthy organs

This is crucial. NOTHING can undo the tsunami of health-destroying effects from a highly processed diet.

Concentrate on fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and healthy fats like real butter, coconut oil and olive oil.

At the same time, limit refined carbs (like bread, pasta, snack chips, crackers and pastries) and eliminate all processed foods. Also swear off unhealthy fats like vegetable oils and margarine.

Exercise

Studies show that as many as 34 percent of cases of gallbladder disease cases could be prevented by incorporating regular exercise to the tune of 30 minutes, five times per week.

Get your doctor’s OK and get moving.

Flush out your liver 

Every morning drink a large glass of room temperature water to which a splash of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar has been added.

But what if I have gallstones?

If you have been diagnosed with gallstones, note that many times they can dissolve on their own (with close monitoring by your doctor, of course).

Gallstones that get caught in the common bile duct are more dangerous and painful than gallstones in the gallbladder. But they can be removed by a physician trained in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

With ERCP, the doctor inserts a scope through your mouth down to the small intestine (under anesthesia!) and through the duodenum to inject a dye, allowing the bile ducts to be seen. He can then often remove any gallstones that have moved into the ducts.

In addition, taking a digestive enzyme formula (see below) can be especially helpful in supporting all of your digestive organs.

If your gallbladder is already gone

If your gallbladder has already gone to gallbladder heaven, it’s VITAL to help pave the way for proper digestion with enzyme supplementation.

And our very own Digestizol Max digestive enzyme formula is up to this important task!

Digestizol Max provides a complete blend of 15 plant-derived enzymes that will help your body break down whatever you eat (including fats!) and paves the way for comfortable, complete digestion.

Plus, it contains herbs that have been shown to help soothe an inflamed GI tract including peppermint, ginger, and fennel.

In addition, fresh vegetables come with their own enzymes and can also assist your body in breaking down your food! The key is to have them raw or minimally cooked (crisp-tender). 

Take care of your precious gallbladder or help compensate for it if it’s gone. I’m sure you’ll see an enormous difference in how you feel.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia