Gallbladder health: what do if your gallbladder has been removed, and how to keep it healthy if it hasn't.

Life after gallbladder removal.

If you have had your gallbladder removed, there is one very important piece of post operative advice that you should have been given, but likely were not. 

So here it is: when you eat a fatty meal, you should take ox bile along with it. 

Now, I have no idea why it’s not standard medical care to give this simple piece of advice after your cholecystectomy. Most likely because the Western medical system simply isn’t built for prevention. For example, you were likely not provided with the preventative treatment options to avoid the gallbladder removal in the first place.

Having your gallbladder removed isn’t the end of the world though, and life can be easier if you adopt the simple practice of taking ox bile with meals. 

To understand why this is important, let’s talk about what the gallbladder does. Bile is an alkaline digestive fluid that breaks down fat, allowing us to digest and absorb fat. Bile is made in the liver, and stored in the gallbladder.

When you eat a fatty meal, your body senses the incoming fat, and your gallbladder contracts and squirts a healthy dose of bile into the duodenum (the upper part of the small intestine) to start breaking down the fat from your meal. The bile emulsifies the fat, breaking it down into smaller particles so it can be absorbed. 

When you don’t have a gallbladder, your liver continues to make bile. Only now your body has nowhere to store it, so the bile just slowly drips into the duodenum at a slow and steady pace. This would be fine if that’s also how you consumed fat. But we tend to eat several meals throughout the day, rather than little nibbles of fat all day, hence the evolution of the gallbladder to store bile. 

In your post op instructions, you were likely given advice to significantly reduce your fat intake.

The problem with that is that fat is a very important aspect of a nutritionally complete diet, and your body will crave fat since it needs it. So after gallbladder removal, most people will limit their fat intake for a while, but eventually just go back to eating normal amounts of fat.

This usually results in one of two things: diarrhea or constipation.

When the fat isn’t broken down by bile, it often will just run through you - the diarrhea side of things. On the other hand, it’s also not uncommon for this undigested fat to gum things up and slow down bowel motility - resulting in chronic constipation. 

Among all the post op complications one can have from surgeries, this is one of the easiest to fix. Ox bile, also called bile salts, are a supplement made from dried bovine bile, which is functionally near identical to human bile.

So you don’t have a bile storage device to time your bile release anymore. But you can simply take ox bile with fatty meals, and this will simulate the effect of your own gallbladder releasing bile at the proper time. 

There are a few important things to know about taking ox bile. 

1. You want to take a capsule, and then eat some food right afterwards to make sure the capsule makes its way down your esophagus. Bile is a very alkaline substance, and you don’t want the capsule getting stuck and opening in your esophagus. It will cause an uncomfortable burning sensation. Easily avoided by taking it in the middle of your meal, and eating more afterwards. 

2. For most people a smaller dosage is better. 125 mg pills are just about right for most people. 500 mg is probably more than you need, and may lead to a gnawing hunger sensation in your duodenum as the alkalinity overwhelms the stomach acid balance. If you are crushing an entire cheese pizza, maybe 500 mg is a good match. You can find the dose that works best for you with trial and error. In either case, it's easier to titrate the dosage with a smaller capsule to begin with.

3. You want to take ox bile when eating fatty meals. You probably don’t want to take it if you’re just eating an apple or a salad. 

   
   

Life before gallbladder removal: preventative medicine for gallbladder health.

You may have found this post because your gallbladder was already removed. Or you may have found it because you’re having some trouble with your gallbladder now and have concerns about having it removed. 

If you are experiencing gallbladder inflammation, gallstones, sludge and congestion, bile reflux, problems digesting fat, nausea, vomiting, pain, or other digestive problems - you can get help through my Chinese herbal medicine clinic. 

If you are having gallbladder problems, Chinese herbal medicine treatment is the best preventative medicine for improving your digestive health and avoiding gallbladder surgery. 

GETTING STARTED WITH HERBAL MEDICINE TREATMENT

for gallbladder health

So, what’s the next step?

I have been running an intensive Chinese herbal medicine clinic for over ten years, and have a passion for helping people find lasting, side-effective free, lifestyle affirming treatments for whatever is keeping them down. 

I offer highly individualized herbal treatment for a wide variety of health concerns through an online system so anyone in the US can benefit from this medicine.

In my practice I've successfully treated many difficult cases  - including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, post-stroke paralysis, and severe diabetic neuropathy. I’ve treated fatty liver disease, bile reflux, gallstones, duodenal ulcers, cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation), nausea, problems digesting fat, and gallbladder pain — to name a few of the conditions I've worked with.

If you are wondering if I can help you, the first step is to fill out my New Client Questionnaire.

It is important that you include as much detail as possible, including a photo of your tongue in good lighting.  You can include any diagnoses you may have, but also take time to describe how you are feeling. (For example, rather than just saying “Migraines”, you might say something like: I have weekly migraines with pain behind both eyes, vomiting, and intolerance of light and loud sounds and the migraines are triggered by eating cheese” —or whatever the case may be.)

Next, schedule an initial consultation with me.

Consultations can be done in-person, over the phone or through video chat. During this visit, we will go over important details about your treatment plan, including the duration of your treatment, what to expect when taking herbal medicine, and any lifestyle or dietary change that may be important in your healing process.

You can then move forward with your treatment plan by paying for your first herbal formula. Your herbs will be delivered to you within a few days.

This first formula will last for two weeks. At that time, you will fill out the Returning Client Questionnaire with any changes to how you are feeling and an updated tongue photo.

This tells me how the treatment is working, and if anything needs to be adjusted. I will write an updated formula and send out another two week supply of herbs. We continue like that for the duration of your treatment.

Throughout the treatment process, scheduling regular consultations is not necessary for most clients. All you have to do is fill out the Returning Client Questionnaire every two weeks to stay on track. However, if you have a very difficult case, or if you simply want additional support and have lots of questions - you can schedule follow-up consultations as needed.

So how much does Chinese herbal medicine treatment cost?

I’ll be honest with you: my herbal medicine programs are not cheap. 

Our initial consultation is $200. 

The cost of your herbal medicine is $400/month, for the duration of your treatment plan. Treatment plans will vary in length based on the condition and severity, but the average treatment plan is 3 to 6 months, or $1200 to $2400.

Keep in mind that our initial consultation is a one-time cost; most clients do not need to schedule follow-up consultations for a successful treatment plan.

Treatment plans for gallbladder conditions can vary from 6 weeks to 6 months depending on the severity, so $600 to $2400.

This can sound like a lot, but in my clinic I frequently help patients who had previously spent much more on treatments that did not work. You might save a lot of money by starting here. 

A great deal of time, attention, care, and clinical experience goes into analyzing your case and selecting the appropriate herbs for you. On top of that, I use the highest quality herbs that money can buy, rigorously tested for potency and screened for contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides.

It’s also important to remember that we are not treating you indefinitely, so the monthly cost is not a long-term recurring cost. Chinese herbal medicine treatment is focused on reversing the root cause of your condition, not suppressing symptoms indefinitely. 

I have had great success using this process to treat patients for a wide variety of complaints. It is convenient for you, and allows me time to deeply consider your case. 

Want to learn more about me, my process, or Chinese Medicine in general?

There’s a blog for that!

You’ll find information about me, my practice, Chinese Medicine, herb sourcing, and more in one place on my Herbal Clinic page. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Sean Dugan L.Ac.