Thursday

Home Remedies For Gallstones

Gallstones

The gallbladder is a small sac found just under the liver. It stores bile made by the liver. Bile helps you digest fats. Bile moves from the gallbladder to the small through tubes called the cystic duct and common bile duct.
Gallstones are made from cholesterol and other things found in the bile. They can be smaller than a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.

Most gallstones do not cause problems. But if they block a duct, they usually need treatment.
Gallstones form when cholesterol and other things found in bile make stones. They can also form if the gallbladder does not empty as it should. People who are overweight or who are trying to lose weight quickly are more likely to get gallstones.

Most people who have gallstones do not have symptoms.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area. Sometimes the pain is more severe. It may be steady, or it may come and go. Or it may get worse when you eat.
When gallstones keep blocking a bile duct, you may have pain with fever and chills. Or your skin or the whites of your eyes may turn yellow. Call your doctor right away. Having stones in your bile duct increases your chance of having a swollen pancreas (pancreatitis). These symptoms may also be a sign of an infected gallbladder.

Causes
Gallstones develop when cholesterol and other substances in the bile form crystals that become hard stones in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small sac located just under the liver. Gallstones can occur when your gallbladder does not empty properly or if you have too much cholesterol in your bile. Too much cholesterol in your bile is not caused by eating too much cholesterol or having high cholesterol (in the blood).

Symptoms
The most common symptom of gallstones is pain in the stomach area or in the upper right part of the belly, under the ribs.
The pain may:
  • Start suddenly in the center of the upper belly (epigastric area) and spread to the right upper back or shoulder blade area. It is usually hard to get comfortable. Moving around does not make the pain go away.
  • Prevent you from taking normal or deep breaths.
  • Last 15 minutes to 24 hours. Continuous pain for 1 to 5 hours is common.
  • Begin at night and be severe enough to wake you.
  • Occur after meals.
Gallstone pain can cause vomiting, which may relieve some of the belly (abdominal) pain and pressure. Pain that occurs with a fever, nausea, and vomiting or loss of appetite may be a sign of inflammation or infection of the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis). Symptoms that may mean that a gallstone is blocking the common bile duct include:
  • Yellowing of the skin and the white part of the eyes (jaundice).
  • Dark urine.
  • Light-colored stools.
  • A fever and chills.
There are many other conditions that cause similar symptoms, including heartburn, pain caused by a heart attack, and liver problems. Stomach flu (gastroenteritis) and food poisoning also can cause symptoms similar to gallstones. Diarrhea and vomiting occur with the flu and food poisoning, but the pain tends to come and go rather than be constant. Also, pain with these conditions may be felt all over the belly, rather than in one spot.
Belly pain that comes and goes (rather than being constant) and that occurs with nausea and vomiting and possibly a mild fever is more likely to be caused by stomach flu or food poisoning than by gallstones. 



Remedies to Cure Gallstones
1. Lemon Juice
Squeeze juice of 4 fresh lemons and drink it on an empty stomach every day. It is of great help in removing the gallstones naturally.
2. Water
This is a widely used remedy. Drink plenty of water to eliminate the gallstones.
3. Vegetable Juice
Mix the juices of carrot, beetroot, and cucumber in equal proportion and drink it at least twice a day for 2 weeks.
4. Pear Juice and Honey
Take half glass of water. Add half glass of pear juice and two tablespoons of honey to it. Stir it well. Drink it at least three times a day.
  • Alternatively, eat pears to soften the gallstones. They provide relief from the pain caused by gallstones.
5. Wine
Drinking half glass of wine daily can prove out to be helpful in keeping the gallstone at bay.
6. Epsom Salt
It allows the gallstones to move out through the bile duct. Empty 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt into normal water and drink it in the evening for a couple of days.
7. Heat Packs or Heating Pad
For quick relief, make use of a heating pad, hot water bottle, or other heat packs. Place it over your stomach, directly on the gallbladder for 20 to 30 minutes. This will temporarily relieve the pain. Or else, you can also soak yourself in a hot bath water.
8. Castor Oil Compress
Another useful remedy to quickly reduce the pain linked with gallbladder is castor oil. Castor oil soothes the inflammation. Soak a clean and dirt-free rag in cold pressed castor oil. Place it over the aching gallbladder. For more effective results, place a plastic and hot water bottle over the rag. Leave it on for 30 minutes.
9. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV has acidic properties that provide relief from the pain caused by gallstones. You may drink one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar directly. And if you don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar, then combine one teaspoon (5ml) of it in 250 ml glass of apple juice and drink it for immediate relief.
10. Fiber
Take more cereals as well as other grains that are rich in fiber. It controls metabolic rate and eliminates cholesterol from the body.
11. Salmon
As per the recent research, intake of supplements that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, helps prevent gallstones.
12. Coffee
Drink coffee daily, but be sure you don’t drink excess of it. 1 or 2 cups per day are adequate. Coffee boosts up the flow of bile, thereby, reduce the risk of gallstones.
13. Calcium
Calcium binds the acids present in the bile. Hence, there are fewer chances for the formation of new stones, and the present ones are unlikely to worsen. Take calcium supplements daily.
14. Vitamin C
Vitamin C makes cholesterol more water soluble, which permits our body to remove the gallstones out of our system rather than allowing it to accumulate in the gallbladder. Take 200 mg of vitamin C supplements on a daily basis if you have gallstones. You can also consume citrus fruits.
15. Lentils
Eating plenty of nuts, oranges, peas, beans, lentils and lima beans makes one less susceptible to gallbladder problems.
16. Alfalfa
Alfalfa is known for cleaning the liver as well as for supplying various essential minerals and vitamins. Consume 1,000 milligrams of alfalfa in the form of capsule or tablet along with a glass of warm water, twice a day for 2 days.
17. Veggies
Increasing the intake of vegetables is said to be a great way to prevent or keep gallstones away. As per a recent study, women who were vegetarian were less vulnerable to gallstones than those who ate meat.

REMEMBER
Abdominal pain can be a sign of a serious or even life-threatening condition, especially if you have a heart condition or are older than 60. If you are having sudden or severe pain and are not sure what is causing it, you may need immediate medical treatment. You should be especially concerned if you are having trouble breathing or you faint or lose consciousness.