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Olive Oil Treatment for Gallstones

by Dr. D. Koh

Dept. of Social Medicine and Public

Health

National University of Singapore,

Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 0511.

Koh reports here

a case of spontaneous passage of multiple cholesterol gall-stones after

self-treatment with olive oil and lemon juice.

It is estimated that gallstones are

present in approximately 15% of adult females and 6% of adult males, and

its prevalence increases with age. Although it is generally agreed that

there is a need for surgical treatment, in patients with cholelithiasis

who develop complications, the treatment of 'silent stones' is controversial.

At present, the application of drug

treatment of cholelithiasis is relatively expensive and limited, usually

for those unfit for surgery, with small radiolucent stones, and without

history of complications.

Other methods of treatment of gall

stones have also been described. Kurtz and Classen have reported that treatment

for common bile duct stones may include endoscopic removal and lithotripsy,

and gallstone dissolution by irrigation procedures.

CASE REPORT

The patient, a 32-year old Indian

male, insurance salesman, had a 3-year history of epigastric pain and colicky

right hypochondrial pain whenever he took fatty meals. Physical examination

was unremarkable and a barium meal study showed no evidence of gastro-oesophageal

reflux or hiatus hernia, and no evidence of gastric or duodenal ulcer.

However, the plain abdominal X-ray revealed multiple radio-opaque gallstones.

The patient was advised surgery for

cholelithiasis, but was not enthusiastic about the idea. He returned the

following day with news that he had attempted a self-cure for the gallstones

using olive oil and lemon juice. According to him, after fasting from noon,

he took one pint of olive oil and lemon juice at 7 p.m. He then went to

sleep on his right side. At about 2 - 3 a.m., the following morning, he

felt a churning sensation in the abdomen. At 5 a.m. he passed out oily

stools which he collected in a strainer. Upon washing the stools, he found

numerous smooth stones.

Analysis of two of the stones showed

them to be greenish, smooth and soft, measuring 15 x 12 x 5 mm and 10 x

6 x 3 mm, respectively. The stones were found to consist entirely of cholesterol.

TREATMENT

P.Airola in his book How to Get

Well has described an 'oil cure' for removal of gallstones, using raw

natural unrefined vegetable oils of olive, sunflower or walnut, while

has prescribed a specific dosage of 1 pint of olive oil and the juice of

8 to 9 lemons. The patient is required to take 4 tablespoonfuls of olive

oil followed by 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice at 15-minute intervals.

This is to be started in the evening after fasting from lunch time, and

the gallstones are expected to be passed out within 24 to 48 hours.

This form of treatment has been largely

promoted by non-physicians, but a doctor from Canada (Kotkas L.J.) has

reported that 95% of cases he saw this treatment used on passed out gallstones.

This treatment is non-invasive, and

numerous stones measuring up to 15 mm could be passed out. As the olive

oil cure could perhaps prove to be a relatively inexpensive alternative

to costly conventional drug treatments, it is suggested that controlled

and supervised studies could be considered to explore the safety and efficacy

of this mode of treatment for gallstones.