Dr. Brandy McCans, Peak to Peak.

Do You Need Your Gall Bladder?

I am shocked. When people search for “gallbladder” its usually to find out if they need one. Listen, if you have it, you need it. You were given all your parts for a special reason and trust they do important work. Now, maybe yours isn’t working like it should, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need it. What that means is you need to figure out why its not working and fix the underlying problem. Removing the gall bladder only gets rid of the symptom, if you’re lucky. Your problem isn’t that you HAVE a gall bladder. Getting rid of it doesn’t solve the root cause and therefore you will likely experience future problems elsewhere in your body.

What Does The Gall Bladder Do?

It partners with your liver to digest fats and fat-soluble vitamins by excreting bile salts. That includes vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin A is needed for eye and immune health, D is needed for bone and immune health, E helps prevent cardiovascular disease, balances cholesterol, hormones and prevents early aging and disease. K helps your blood clot efficiently.

Do you think it is important to absorb these nutrients? If so, then you need your gall bladder.

There are other important things to consider: many of your bodily functions need digested fat, like producing hormones, proper growth, development and function, and brain and nerve function. Fats are part of myelin, the sheath that surrounds your nerves so they can send electrical messages efficiently. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that effects the myelin sheath! Yes, you need your gall bladder.

There are 50,000 gall bladders removed each month in the U.S. ~ Think about that! Are some necessary? Maybe. Are they all, I am quite sure not. I would bet not even most. Especially after seeing what a proper nutrient protocol can do for my patients who are facing surgery, and end up not going. That is not to say people are not having trouble with their gall bladder, just that this surgery has become a first resort rather than a last. Many patients have their gall bladders saved by taking some pretty simple steps.

What To Do?

Start by eating an anti-inflammatory diet specific for your gall bladder. That includes fiber, avocado, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut oil, bananas, and artichokes. You will also want to add dandelion greens to support detoxification and beets and beet greens to help improve bile flow.

Avoid certain trigger foods, including fried foods, hydrogenated oils, sugar, conventional dairy, gluten, and other high-allergen foods.

Supplement your diet with gall bladder herbs and digestive enzymes. This could include Milk Thistle which helps with bile flow and Lipase to help break down fats. This will take a lot of pressure off your gall bladder. There are other things you may need specific for your body, so talk to a professional to help you figure it out.

Reduce cholesterol. Utilizing the above dietary recommendations can help as well as getting some exercise regularly.

Maintain a healthy weight. Now that spring is around the corner it should be way easier to get outside, eat good fruits and vegetables, and move your body.

No matter what, always get your doctor’s opinion if you feel you have a gall bladder issue, or have pain or swelling above the gall bladder.

Just remember, many people are considering the gall bladder as an “expendable organ”, just as they once thought that of tonsils and removed them at the blink of an eye. Now we know tonsils function as the first outpost of the body’s immune system at the point of easiest entry, the mouth. The tonsils filter germs that attempt to invade the body, and help the body develop antibodies to germs. This is important stuff, and I am sure that one day they will realize that the gall bladder is important too.

If you’d like to learn more, join me at:

An Evening With Dr. Brandy

A free monthly class, every third Tuesday/month.

110 Snyder St, Nederland, CO

Registration required, limited seating: 303-619-7766 or drbrandymccans@gmail.com

[This information has not been approved by the FDA and does not claim to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. This information should not be construed as a claim or representation that any formula or procedure mentioned constitutes a specific cure, palliative or ameliorative, for any condition. Health-related information provided here is not a substitute for medical advice. Dr. Brandy McCans has not evaluated the legal status of any products, services or recommendations with respect to state and federal laws, including scope of practice. Dr. Brandy McCans does not and cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences from applications of the information provided, and make no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the information provided.]