Gall Bladder Disease can be Treated with Alternative Remedies

Gall bladder disease is a condition that affects many people, mostly women, of any age. It is more common with age, however, and in those that are overweight, those with a high blood cholesterol level, those taking birth control pills, or those with relatives who have also had it. It has also been shown to be more common in developing in some women after they have given birth. However, it truly can affect anyone at just about anytime.

The main cause of gall bladder disease is the development of gallstones. A healthy gall bladder helps process the fats you eat by contracting and pushing its stored bile into the bile duct and then into the intestines, further aiding the digestion process. It's when the gall bladder cannot process these fats well, that the bile instead turns into little stones of calcium, cholesterol and bile salts. These end up passing slowly through the bile duct, and tend to block it, which will then usually result in severe amounts of pain or nausea.

The treatment for gall bladder disease is almost always removal of the organ. Once someone starts to develop gallstones, they always seem to return, and surgery is generally the only permanent option to end the problem. However, some people are unwilling to have the surgery, or just have to endure with the pain while awaiting it. Doctors sometimes prescribe strong prescription painkillers to deal with the pain, or will advise you to take over-the-counter painkillers for a more mild gall bladder attack. These medications don't always work for the severe pain that is associated with an attack, and when they do it can cause more harm than good. For instance, if you are taking a prescription pain killer that effectively numbs the pain, it doesn't change the fact that gallstones are still blocking the bile duct. This can be dangerous, as you won't be able to gauge the amount of pain, and if the bile duct becomes too blocked it can cause a serious infection or even the gall bladder to burst.

But fortunately, there are also some alternative methods you can do to not only be able to better cope with the pain, but to minimize gall bladder attacks.

- One of the best things you can do is eat only low-fat foods, or even eat as little of them as possible. The main cause of gallstones is from the gall bladder being unable to process the fats you ingest, so eating less of them should help lessen the amount of attacks you get. This may be boring, as fat is in just about everything, but once you've experienced the pain of a gall bladder attack you'll understand that cutting it to avoid the pain is well worth it.

- However, fats aren't the only thing that can spark an attack. In my experience, even ingesting something very cold or spicy may cause the organ to try to contract and this will lead to more pain. Try to restrict even mildly spicy foods and any really cold food and drinks. I've found clear liquids, such as chicken soup and jello (as boring as that sounds) to work very well.

- Adding more Vitamin C into your diet may also be helpful, as part of what this vitamin is good for is turning cholesterol to bile. It has not been proven that this will help after you've already started developing gallstones, but many people have claimed that it has, and in theory it doesn't hurt to try.

- When in the middle of an attack, I've found it useful to apply either something really warm or really cold on the painful area. For me it usually hurt the worst in either the middle of my abdomen, or on my back between the shoulder blades. Sometimes a heat pad (on not too hot of a setting) would help soothe the pain, and others I responded better to a soft ice pack. Other times laying in a warm bath would help.

These alternative treatments can help prevent attacks and treat the pain in the meantime, but if you suspect having gallstones you should always see a doctor.