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One of the biggest crimes in modern American medicine is the amount of unnecessary surgery preformed. Gallbladder operation is the most common operation in North America. Every year, more than half a million people in the United States and more than 50,000 people in Canada undergo surgery to remove their gallbladders because of gallstones. Many of these surgeries are unnecessary.
Incidence; Causes & Development
Some 7% of Americans harbor gallstones, and as we get older these stones become even more common - half of all women in the US over the age of 70 have gallstones. The huge prevalence of this disease has the potential for big medical business. Consider that at the turn of the century there were 800,000 hospitalizations, and $2 billion spent annually on gallbladder disease. With more honest consumer information all of these figures could be cut to a fraction of the present figures.
If it were true that doctors actually help people by removing symptomatic gallstones, then the medical business would be actively trying to eradicate the "gallstone plague" upon our society by setting up X-ray booths and surgical units on every street corner across the country. This action would cause well-deserved criticism, because the scientific research clearly and consistently shows that your risk of death and disability is much greater if you take a course of immediate surgery upon discovery of gallstones, rather than "watchful waiting", until some symptoms develop.
Patient surveys taken 2 to 24 months after both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy indicate that 40-50% of patients have one or two symptoms that continue, such as abdominal discomfort from excess bowel gas or dull pain, although 80-90% regard the operation as highly successful. One of the most serious complications of gallbladder surgery is injury to the common bile duct. Because of limited visibility, this injury is more common with laparoscopy surgery than open surgery. (Major bile duct injuries occur in about 0.33-0.5% of laparoscopic operations, compared with about 0.06% in open procedures.)
Gallbladder patients just need to thin out their bile, clean up their diet and eliminate food allergens. Once a gallbladder has been removed, there are things you can do to reduce the consequences.
Complications
Reasons to Keep Your Gallbladder. Long-term consequences of removal of your gallbladder are related to the lack of a storage sack for bile acids. Bile is continuously synthesized by the liver. The purpose of the gallbladder is to store this greenish fluid between meals. When you eat, the gallbladder contracts, empting its contents into the small intestine, where the bile mixes with the food. If there is no storage sack (gallbladder), then the bile constantly drips into the intestine, even when no food is present. In this concentrated form, the bile acids are very irritating to the linings of the intestine. In the short term, irritation of the large intestine by bile acids often causes diarrhea - and long-term the irritation can cause colon cancer. This is the reason why cancer of the right side of the colon is more common in people who have had their gallbladders removed.
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Risk factors for Consequences of Gallbladder Surgery:
Consequences of Gallbladder Surgery can lead to:
Recommendations and treatments for Consequences of Gallbladder Surgery: | | | | | Animal-based |  Bile Salts | Once a gallbladder is removed it is important to be on bile acid supplements. They need to be taken with every meal in which fat is consumed otherwise your fats will not be properly emulsified and absorbed. |
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Detoxification |
 Activated Charcoal| | If a change in your diet fails to relieve diarrhea, then the next step in treatment is to use bile acid sequestering agents, such as activated charcoal or doctor-prescribed cholestyramine (Questran) or colestipol (Colestid). |
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Diet |
Low/Decreased Fat Diet| | The long-term side-effects can be reduced or eliminated for people who have no gallbladder by eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Fat is the primary stimulus for bile acid production. On a low-fat diet much less bile acid is produced. |
Plant-Based Nutrition| | After removal of the gallbladder, a healthy low-fat, plant-food based (high-fiber) diet is very important. |
High/Increased Fiber Diet| | Dietary fiber (which is only present in plant foods) will combine and deactivate bile acids, thus protecting the bowel. |
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KEY | | Weak or unproven link |  | | Proven definite or direct link | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Abdomen (Abdominal)
That part of the body between the chest and the hips that contains the stomach, intestines, liver, bladder, pancreas and other organs.
Allergen (Allergens)
A substance that is capable of producing an allergic response in the body.
Bile
A bitter, yellow-green secretion of the liver. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and is released when fat enters the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) in order to aid digestion.
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
Colon (Colonic)
The part of the large intestine that extends to the rectum. The colon takes the contents of the small intestine, moving them to the rectum by contracting.
Diarrhea
Excessive discharge of contents of bowel.
Dietary Fiber (Insoluble Fiber, Insoluble Fibers, Soluble Fiber, Soluble Fibers)
There are two types of dietary fiber - soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber acts like a sponge; it absorbs water and moves solid waste out of the intestines. It is found mainly in whole grains and on the outside of seeds, fruits, and legumes. Soluble fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, seeds, brown rice, barley, oats and oat bran. It forms a gel when mixed with liquid producing a softer stool. It also prevents and reduces the absorption of certain substances from the intestines into the bloodstream.
Gallbladder (Gall Bladder)
A small, digestive organ positioned under the liver, which concentrates and stores bile. Problems with the gallbladder often lead to gallbladder attacks, which usually occur after a fatty meal and at night. The following are the most common symptoms: steady, severe pain in the middle-upper abdomen or below the ribs on the right; pain in the back between the shoulder blades; pain under the right shoulder; nausea; vomiting; fever; chills; jaundice; abdominal bloating; intolerance of fatty foods; belching or gas; indigestion.
Gallstone (Biliary Calculus, Gall Stone, Gall Stones, Gallbladder Attack, Gallbladder Attacks, Gallstones)
Stone-like objects in either the gallbladder or bile ducts, composed mainly of cholesterol and occasionally mixed with calcium. Most gallstones do not cause problems until they become larger or they begin obstructing bile ducts, at which point gallbladder "attacks" begin to occur. Symptoms usually occur after a fatty meal and at night. The following are the most common ones: steady, severe pain in the middle-upper abdomen or below the ribs on the right; pain in the back between the shoulder blades; pain under the right shoulder; nausea; vomiting; fever; chills; jaundice; abdominal bloating; intolerance of fatty foods; belching or gas; indigestion.
Laparoscopy (Laparoscope)
A surgical procedure in which a tiny, flexible tube with a lighted end is inserted through a small incision just below the navel. This procedure allows the doctor to view the internal abdominal and pelvic organs on a computer screen, as well as take specimens for cultures or microscopic studies.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Pancreas (Pancreatic)
Opposite the liver and behind the stomach, the pancreas has two main functions - to manufacture various enzymes for digestion, and to release hormones to help control the body's use of carbohydrates. It releases insulin to help each cell absorb glucose to burn as energy. In this way, insulin controls the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Proper pancreatic function is very important: too much, too little, or no insulin production can be life-threatening. Some of the chemicals released by the pancreas are not hormones, but stimulate other glands to make hormones. Once again, balance is necessary. Nutritional requirements for the pancreas are many. Research indicates that chromium vitamins C, E, B-complex, calcium, magnesium and potassium are especially important.
Small Intestine (Small Bowel)
The small intestine lies between the stomach and the large intestine. It is about 6 meters (20 feet) long and its primary function is to digest (break down) food and absorb nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats). The small intestine makes up more than 70% of the length and 90% of the surface area of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
X-rays (X-ray)
High-energy radiation used to take pictures of areas inside the body.
Last updated: Nov 14, 2009
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