Gallbladder

Located below liver. Through bile ducts it is connected to liver and duodenum.

Pear-shaped, measures 8x4cm.

Main tasks are to store bile produced in liver and transport it to the duodenum.

Gallbladder is able to store 60ml of bile, but liver produces 0.5-1l bile daily.

A small amount directly transferred to duodenum, the rest of the liquid is dehydrated, so that it fits in the gallbladder.

Gallbladder only in use when amount of bile directly transferred to duodenum not sufficient. Eg if ingested extremely fatty foods, hard to digest or larger amounts of alcohol.

Consists of water, gall salts (bile acid), bilirubin, cholesterol, lecithin, mucus. Due to mucus it has a viscous appearance.

It is produced in hepatic cells of liver.

Main task is to emulsify ingested fats do that they can be processed by respective enzymes and be allocated throughout body.

The emulsification of fat is undertaken by gall acids.

After doing their job, they are not excreted through colon but transported to blood through small intestines, then returned to the liver. Here it partly gets used again.

Digested enzymes in small intestines need an alkaline pH value to function properly. But food comes directly out of acidic stomach.

Bile (supported by digestive juices) created an alkaline environment for that.

Liver uses bile to get rid of substances like excessive amounts of cholesterol, pharmaceuticals, toxins.

When over-aged red blood cells are degraded in liver, one result is yellow gall-colorant cAlled bilirubin.

If too much of it reaches blood, can lead to yellow tainting of skin and mucous membranes. This Symptom called jaundice.

Occurs with several liver and gall bladder diseases, eg cirrhosis, hepatitis, impaired flow of bile (if bile ducts are blocked, eg by gallstone).

Exits liver through left and right hepatic ducts, which flow into common hepatic duct.

From there it branches off to gall bladder. Right below this junction, common hepatic duct is referred to as common bile duct.

This leads into the pancreas, where it units with pancreas duct through which digestive juices (produced in pancreas) are transported to intestine. Bile duct and pancreas duct both end up in duodenum.

Larger stones (up to size of walnut) or many tiny stones (also called gall sludge) within gallbladder.

Stones can be out of cholesterol, calcium, bilirubin.

Can be detected in 1 out of 4 people over age of 60. Women‘s risk twice as high.

Rule of 5 F‘s, which are especially prone to suffer from gall stones:

Female, Fat (overweight), Fair (light-skinned), Fourty (age), Fertile (gave birth to multiple children)

Bad nutrition: excessive sugar, isolated carbohydrates, animal products, fats of minor value, too much alcohol. Overburdens liver and lead to acidification.

Lack of activity

Synthetic hormones: birth control pills. estrogen causes liver to secret more cholesterol into bile, which leads to development of cholesterol gall stones.

Lack of magnesium

Bile acid malabsorption syndrome

Calcium and magnesium con only be optimally processed by body when present in certain ratio. Ideal is 2:1

If not enough magnesium, calcium can not be used effectively. It might get stored in gallbladder in form of gallstones.

Uncommon condition that leads to lack of bile. Not a gall bladder, but rather intestine condition.

If intestine is overburdened, intestinal mucosa damaged, intestinal flora unbalanced: bile acid can borne absorbed and returned to liver.

It reaches larger intestine, irritates it (might lead to diarrhea) and is discarded.

Thus, body lacks effective bile and cholesterol (which is supposed to be parting the bile) can no longer be solved. It clumps together and cholesterol gallstones form.

Suppressing emotional feelings and anger too often. This accumulation of aggressions and held-back feelings might manifest as gallstones.

Saying „Gift und Galle spucken“ for someone who gives way to anger.

Oftentimes remain unnoticed and therefore untreated. But sometimes after fatty foods or alcohol, symptoms are present.

Pressure in upper abdomen

Digestive disorders (diarrhea, bloating, constipation)

Food intolerances (especially fat, legumes, coffee)

Uncommon condition that leads to lack of bile. Not a gall bladder, but rather intestine condition.

If intestine is overburdened, intestinal mucosa damaged, intestinal flora unbalanced: bile acid can borne absorbed and returned to liver.

It reaches larger intestine, irritates it (might lead to diarrhea) and is discarded.

Thus, body lacks effective bile and cholesterol (which is supposed to be parting the bile) can no longer be solved. It clumps together and cholesterol gallstones form.

Biliary colic (gall stone gets stuck in bile duct)

Inflammation of gall bladder

Jaundice

Inflammation of bile duct

Inflammation of pancreas (pancreatitis)

Extremely painful complication of gall stones. Gall stone is on its way to bile duct and gets stuck there.

Leads to insufferable pain in upper abdomen, which may radiate to back and shoulder blades. Often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, strong sweating, fever.

Pain results form (among others) cramps contractions of bile duct to remove gallstone. In addition, gall bladder contracts to get rid of bile, but the bile duct is blocked.

In most cases gallstones is discarded, but might last up to five hours.

Present gallstones to get rid of symptoms like flatulence, digestive disorders after eating fatty foods.

Although these symptoms might go away, new problems can arise

Sudden increase in weight, hard to loose again

Long-term, hardly controllable diarrhea

Chronic constipation and strong flatulence

Original symptoms come back (5% of cases), like pain, flatulence, heart burn, food intolerances. These are often explained by agglutinations in peritoneum, scar tissue in bile ducts or missed gallstones in bile ducts.

—-Underlying reasons for gallstones are not solved however. Gallstones can still be produced in bile ducts or liver instead.

Healthy, base-excessive diet (little sugar, alcohol, animal products, only valuable fats)

Bitter components to support and relieve liver

Colin cleansing and buildup of healthy intestinal flora

Regular physical activity

Avoiding synthetic hormones

Regulating magnesium supply

Loosing excess pay weight

Taking herbs or herbal products to promote healthy bile flow (such as peppermint tea, yarrow, fumitory, wormwood, dandelion, artichoke juice)

Eating curcuma (spice or tea) to prevent gallstones