Anyone ever do a gall bladder cleanse?

[mom0299]

I've recently started having gall bladder issues. I didn't know what was wrong when I started having pain on my right side. My doctor diagnosed it as gall bladder disorder. She wants to take a wait and see approach before doing anything drastic and I'm glad for that.
I've been doing some research and would rather not have surgery if I don't have to. I've read a lot about liver/gall bladder cleanses. I've read the pros and cons and can't decide if it's worth it. Has anyone else done this? Did it work? Were there side effects?
Please no flames. I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible. I like to take care of myself naturally if at all possible. However, I'm not opposed to traditional medicine either.

 

[mom0299]

anyone?

 

[cclovesdis]

I don't know anything about gall bladder disorders, so I can't be of any help. I am thinking that someone might be able to help if you gave us some more info. My only opinion is that it seems a little suspicious that no X-rays/CT scans, etc. were done before a diagnosis was made that could result in surgery. I hope I didn't offend you. Best of luck!

 

[mom0299]

I don't know anything about gall bladder disorders, so I can't be of any help. I am thinking that someone might be able to help if you gave us some more info. My only opinion is that it seems a little suspicious that no X-rays/CT scans, etc. were done before a diagnosis was made that could result in surgery. I hope I didn't offend you. Best of luck!

I'm not offended. My doctor wanted to wait and make sure it wasn't something else before she ordered a scan. I have all the symptoms of having gallstones. My doctor had problems with her gallbladder for 4 years before she had hers taken out, so I don't think she's going to rush me into surgery.

 

[corinnak]

I've also had some gallbladder concerns - also nothing diagnosed/scanned, but I looked into the cleanses a little bit. I am a big fan of alternative medicines and therapies, but after looking at the pro and con sites, I kind of decided I was more with the cons - i.e. I think the "stones" these cleanses produce are probably solidified globs of the olive oil and epsom salts they want you to drink as part of the cleanse. I'm not sure that these things would be harmful, but it seems like there's no actual evidence that they are helpful either.

The "con" sites don't tend to pop up as readily in a general search, but here is one I found that I thought made a lot of sense:

http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/flushes.html


If you are interested in alternatives, you might check with a massage clinic - I have had a therapy called Thai Body Work that seems to have really helped clear up some of the congestion I was feeling in that area.

 

[mom0299]

Corrinak,
Thank you. I had seen the cons and was thinking the same thing. I'll ask my massage therapist about that particular massage and see if she can help me.

Thanks again!

 

[lisah0711]

You might want to consider accupuncture also. I've done accupuncture for other issues and it does help. It's not as scary as it sounds either! That cleaning thing might work for some people but cleansing regimens in general are starting to get some bad reports so I would probably not want to do that. Just my own opinion.

Good luck -- hope that you get to feeling better soon!

 

[pjlla]

Lisa....I'd love to hear more about your experience with acupuncture. My Mom tried it last year for some significant neck/shoulder problems that she has been experiencing for years. She thinks it helped some, but not significantly. But I still think it is an excellent alternative medicine for many things.........P

 

[lisah0711]

Lisa....I'd love to hear more about your experience with acupuncture. My Mom tried it last year for some significant neck/shoulder problems that she has been experiencing for years. She thinks it helped some, but not significantly. But I still think it is an excellent alternative medicine for many things.........P

I didn't want to hijack the OP's thread so I sent you a PM. I figured that there is a reason that millions of Chinese have done accupuncture for thousands of years. I liked it and I think it can be helpful for some issues.

Hope that you are feeling better soon, OP!

 

[Tinkerbella001]

I'm not sure if you are still checking this thread, OP, but I have gallbladder issues as well. Have you found anything that helps??

When I was pregnant with #4 (almost 6 yo) I had my first attack. I used a midwide and she diagnosed my pain and gave me a recipe for a gallcleanse. OF course I don't remember the exact recipe, but it included drinking lots of apple juice and then olive oil (yuck), but it worked! Her opinion was if I could keep my GB and avoid surgery it was best. Over the years I have had a few attacks, especially after fatty foods. I have googled and found various recipes and tried them. The one with the coke wasn't very effective. I also used a product called gallcleanse, and it worked great for me! I have read some bad reviews of it, but I like it.

That said, I am planning on having a tubal ligation this summer (I'm a teacher and will be off work), and plan to see if they can remove the GB at the same time. Of course they will sonogram it first, but I suspect there are lots of silent stones in there! Good luck to you....

 

[Zoesmama03]

I just had mine removed after I had one heck of a night of constant strong pain in the upper right quadrant that was only getting worse way back in November. I thought it was heartburn at first but then it didn't go away. I was certain it wasn't my heart anyway went to ER in morning and sure enough by u/s they found 5 large stones. I was really afraid of surgery but it went well the worst is the shoulder pain from them pumping gas/air into you so they can see. I had it done laparoscopically but if you can do a cleanse you might feel better but if you have gallstones it comes back so you'd only be prolonging from what I researched and know based on my limited medical education(Medical Assistant).

I had no troubles from Nov to March 5th when I had it done but I did try to avoid the high fat foods like they suggested for awhile.