Gallbladder Problems


Not too long ago, I began to have problems with my gallbladder; a common problem, I came to discover. So, talking to a few friends (primarily a fellow witch, Lady Caldera), and backing up their advice with a bit of research, I came up with a list of gallbladder do's and don'ts.. as well as some natural therapy that one should try before resorting to surgery. Make no mistake; you should go to a qualified medical practitioner for a proper diagnosis! However, if you are not at the point where surgery is mandatory, these remedies may work well for you.

Diet

{This information is from The Healing Foods by P. Hausman and J. B. Hurley (© 1989). It contains a wealth of information as to how you can use nutrition and diet to better your health.}

Diets for a problem gallbladder can be a little rough at first. This is because the "foods-to-avoid list" is longer than you'd like. But there's a bright side; some people can tolerate more of the banned foods than others.

Below you will find a list of okay and not-okay foods designed for patients with gallbladder disease. Naturally, these are general guidlines; for some, they will turn out to be stricter than necessary. Let's start with what you can eat before turning to the list of troublemakers

Food Type                Allowed

    Beverages                Whole milk, only 2cups; skim milk as desired; coffee, coffee 
                                      substitutes, tea,fruit juices.

    Breads                       All kinds except those with added fat.

    Cereals                     All cooked or dry breakfast cereals, except possibly bran: 
                                     macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, rice.

    Cheeses                    Cottage only.

    Desserts                   Angel food cake, fruit whip, fruit pudding, gelatin, ices
                                     and sherbets, milk and cereal puddings using part of 
                                      milk allowance.

    Eggs                         3 per week.

    Fats                          Vegetable oil or margarine.

    Fish                          All non-fatty varieties.

    Fruits                       All kinds when tolerated.

    Meats                       Broiled, baked, roasted, or stewed without fat: lean beef,
                                      chicken, lamb, pork, veal.

    Seasonings              In moderation: salt, pepper, spices, herbs, flavoring extracts.

    Soups                      Clear

    Sweets                    All kinds: hard candy, jam, jelly, marmalade, sugars.

    Vegetables             All kinds when well tolerated; cooked without added butter or cream.


Food Type              Avoid

    
    Beverages             With cream: soda-fountain beverages with milk, cream or ice cream.

    Breads                   Griddle cakes, sweet rolls with fat, French toast.

    Cheeses                All whole-milk cheeses, both hard and soft.                                   

    Desserts               Any containing chocolate, cream, nuts or fats: cookies, cakes,
                                  doughnuts, ice cream, pastries, pies, rich puddings.

    Eggs                       Fried

    Fats                       Cooking fats (lards and shortenings with lard), cream, salad dressings
                                  (mayonaise and the like, including ranch, 1000 island, etc.)   

    Fish                       All fatty varieties.

    Fruits                    Avocado: raw apples, berries, melons may not be tolerated.
    
    Meats                   Fatty meats or poultry, bacon, corned beef, duck, goose, ham, fish 
                                  canned in oil, mackerel,pork, sausage, organ meats, smoked 
                                  and spiced meats if they are poorly tolerated.

    Seasonings          Sometimes not tolerated: pepper, curries, meat sauces, excessive 
                                  spices, vinegar.

    Soups                   Creamed

    Sweets                 Candy with chocolate and nuts.

    Vegetables          Strongly flavored may be poorly tolerated: brussel sprouts, broccoli, 
                                  cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, onions, peppers, radishes,
                                  turnips; dried cooked peas and beans.

    Miscellaneous    Fried foods, gravies, nuts, olives, peanut butter, pickles, popcorn, 
                                  relishes.

Because avoiding the fat in food is usually essential to calming a sensitive gallbladder, you should restrict your fat intake to less than 20 grams per day; as fat intakes of 75 to 100 grams daily are common in the U.S., you can see that this change is a dramatic one.

As you might expect, however, some people can handle more fat than others. It's a matter of determining personal tolerance. In testing the waters, though, be sure that you increase fat only in small, carefully controlled amounts.

Remedies

This is one from the vaults of Lady Caldera, a second degree witch and overall wonderful woman; I also saw an entry about this in Rodale's Encyclopedia of Natural Home Remedies by Mark Bricklin(copyright 1982). It's primarily recommended to ease an attack, but it is also helpful for preventing one!
(personal experience!!)

Take fresh lemon or grapefruit juice, approximately four ounces (frozen will do if necessary, so long as it's unsweetened), mix in from 2 tablespoons to four ounces of virgin olive oil (as much as you can tolerate). Mix well, and drink on an empty stomach.

There's also an herbal mixture on the market called "Stone Free" if you, like me, are having trouble with gallstones; I do not have much information on it at present, but check back over the next few weeks... I'll be trying it myself!!!
*NOTE*
I never had the chance to try the "Stone Free"... my gallbladder was too far gone, and had to be removed. But, I would recommend anyone who is developing a problem to try it out... several people wrote to me and told me of their experiences with it. Enough to make me believe it's definitely worth a try!

Herbal Index
Back Home
The Charge
WebRings
About Me
My Spellbook
Help our Mother
Backgrounds, Bars & Buttons



This page hosted by GeoCities.. Get your own Free Home Page! 



Background by Aerta © 1997