Piggy in the middle playing Devil's Advocate

July 9, 2006

When it comes to my gallstones problems, I feel like piggy in the middle

between the medical establishment and the alternative camp advocating

gallbladder flushes. I was in hospital a couple of weeks ago following 3

days of on and off (mainly on!) gallbladder attacks and gastritis. I

admitted myself in the wee small hours of the 4th day as I hadn't been able

to keep down any food for over 3 days and was concerned about the likelihood

of pancreatitis which I'd suffered from about 6 weeks before. It turned out

I had jaundice this time. I asked the doctor if he'd heard about liver and

gallbladder flushes. He hadn't and his response after I'd explained it was,

" It sounds like witchcraft to me. " I thought that was the end of the

subject until I met later that day with the same doctor and the general

surgeon (this is a small rural hospital). It transpired that the doctor had

done an internet search that morning and liver and gallbladder flushes had

been the subject of conversation (and no doubt some hilarity) all morning in

the operating theatre! Neither of these doctors took the idea of flushes

nor my questions seriously, other than to say that they wouldn't recommend

it (partly because I am obsese and the idea of me consuming half a cup of

oil was anathema to them when I need to lose weight so they can operate!).

The idea of coffee enemas seemed to tickle their funnybones too...

As a result of this fruitless discussion I visited one of our local GPs who

I know can think " outside the box " as she's trained in homoeopathy (though

from a medical standpoint which, to me, is a contradiction in terms, but

that's another subject!). She also had not heard of liver or gallbladder

flushes so I described the procedure. She took notes and then went through

the different elements one by one. Here are the main points that I

remember:

- She could not see how pectin would reach stones in the gallbladder and

have any effect on them.

- She told me categorically that Epsom salts will NOT help open the bile

ducts. Period. She said Epsom salts are an irritant and clear out the

large intestine, " rushing everything through " .

- " Sludge " and " gravel " (which I have rather than stones) are the most

painful of gallstones because they can " dribble " out so easily. (I've had 6

attacks in as many months, with 2 hospital admissions, pancreatitis and

jaundice.)

I am so frustrated that I can't find some medical back-up for trying a

gallbladder flush. I'm too scared to do it now, with 3 doctors'

disapproval, but mainly because I am scared of further pancreatitis or

jaundice. I'm booked for an MRCP (MRI scan of the relevant area), mainly, I

believe, because of the jaundice, and was told quite categorically by the

surgeon that there is no alternative but to have my gallbladder removed.

I'm following a more-or-less fat free diet (even though all my attacks were

preceded by eating high carb/high fat combination - high fat on its own has

not brought on an attack yet) simply out of fear!! This is of course

temporary until I have the op. I also think I'm still slightly jaundiced -

the whites of my eyes are still a bit yellow though my stools are fine in

colour, meaning the bilirubin is getting through to my intestines (it wasn't

when I was in hospital last time).

Any comments, suggestions or advise gratefully received!

Alison

God bless

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July 9, 2006

Alison, you need to look up Hulda , she knows what she's talking about ,

she has written the book on liver and gall bladder cleansing.

Jeanne

July 10, 2006

Hello Alison,

My sister went to Emurg in the middle of a GB attack. She had taken

some epsom salts to help to ease her GB attack (this sometimes helps

to relieve pain). They performed an ultra sound and noted that her

bile ducts were slightly dilated.

She subsequently had another ultra sound done a few weeks later and

the bile ducts were normal - this time she had not used any epsom

salts prior to the ultra sound.

Epsom salts help to relax smooth muscle tissue - hence the quick

elimimation of the bowels. I feel that the above gives evidence.

Just think - if you do a flush, the epsom salts relax the bile ducts

and allow them to expand enough for a lot of sludge to empty out

easily. The oil gives the gallbladder an added incentive to work

hard to quickly get rid of the oil. During this " explosive "

reaction, you may be able to rid yourself of s lot of sludge, etc.

In any case - surgery is not reversable. And it has complications.

Doctors will tell you - oh it's so simple and easy to recover from -

we'll just do the " keyhole " surgery and you'll recover in no

time.......... if nothing complicates the matter.

So don't do the flush if you're afraid, but you've got some time to

eat healthy to promote having a healthy liver, which in turn will

help your GB function better.

Check out http://www.sensiblehealth.com/ and

http://www.liverdoctor.com/ and do some research to help you with

your decision.

Good luck!!

PS - there are plenty more sites to go to than just the above, but

it's a start.

> - She told me categorically that Epsom salts will NOT help open the

> bile ducts. Period. She said Epsom salts are an irritant and

> clear out the large intestine, " rushing everything through " .

July 13, 2006

See below.

----- Original Message -----

From: Alison Orr<mailto:alison@...>

gallstones <mailto:gallstones >

Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 1:53 PM

Subject: Piggy in the middle playing Devil's Advocate