For many of my patients, the gall bladder is the cause of many of their seemingly unrelated and often common symptoms. Shoulder and neck stiffness or pain, hormone imbalances, bloating, nausea, fertility issues, headaches, weight gain, sciatica, poor blood sugar, back pain, dizziness, acid reflux, heartburn, aches and pains, difficulty breathing, dry or oily skin, poor hair quality or losing hair. These issues, and many more, often have the same underlying source.
Fats are the backbone for most of our body's hormones, our nerve and brain insulation and our skin. Poor fat digestion will cause deficiencies or imbalances affecting the function of those areas. If fat is not fully digested and remains in the gut, it will go rancid, causing inflammatory reactions, or may become a food source to the wrong bacteria and yeasts in our small intestines, causing overgrowth and toxicity. Poor digestion will cause break down of the gut lining and irritations will expand. The nerves of the liver and gall bladder originate in the upper and mid back and could cause reflexive contraction or sensations in other places those nerves control. The gall bladder has a tendency to cause tightness and pain in the right shoulder, even weakening it. This often lays the groundwork for a rotator cuff or frozen shoulder injury. In our modern life, we may encounter more than 80,000 different chemicals registered to the EPA. Many are synthetic, and the body does not have the means to metabolize and break them down. The liver in its wisdom encapsulates these intolerable toxins inside the bile hoping it will be excreted through the digestive tract. Unfortunately, over time the bile becomes thick, much like toothpaste. Time and a poor diet will make it even harder, forming a thicker sludge or even stones. Except for stones, the thickened bile is not visible on any advanced imaging technique, and often is only remarked upon after the gall bladder has been surgically removed, which often has poor long-term outcomes. If you don't have a gall bladder, you cannot properly digest fats and the above functions will be permanently compromised, causing a variety of the symptoms above. Most people gain significant weight within five years of having their gall bladder removed as a result of the ensuing hormone imbalances that develop and expand.
There are ways to mitigate these issue both before and after surgical interventions. I am a very conservative practitioner, and gall bladders are finicky organs. I prefer to slowly and smoothly improve their function. One way is through the use of certain enzyme and herbal blends to assist the digestion, thin the bile, or detoxify and improve the liver. These functions must be assessed with respect to the entire state of health, and must be done with caution and control. I strongly recommend and urge that performing any gall bladder or liver modification should be done with qualified and experienced supervision.
Source: Dr. David Pollack. Location: Creating Wellness Center is located at 66 Commack Rd., Commack. For more information, call 631-462-0801 or visit CreatingWellnessLI.com.
