Gallstones and Treatment

What are Gallstones?

Gallstones are a formation of crystallized bile and cholesterol occurring in an organ that is part of the digestive system called the gall bladder. The only effective methods of treating this condition is by either surgically removing the gall bladder, using electrowave shock therapy, or drugs for stone that are composed mostly of cholesterol. These stones are quite similar in how they form to kidney stones. Kidney stones form when urea starts to crystallize in the kidneys and build up in size to the point where they cause pain and have to then be surgically operated on. The creation of gallstones is a similar process to this.

The gall bladder is a non-essential organ in the body. It is basically a reservoir for a digestive juice called bile. Bile is created from the destruction of red blood cells in the spleen and is filtered from blood by the liver. The liver secretes bile in small quantities and this is then sequestered in the gall bladder. The gall bladder stores and then concentrates the bile so that it is more potent when it comes in contact with food. It is in fact the bile that neutralizes stomach acid so that the enzymes can break down food. In the process of sequestering bile and cholesterol, a natural process of crystallization can take place. If the contents of the gall bladder are not completely emptied then some of this bile will remain and get further concentrated. If left unchecked, gall stones can even get to become the size of a golf ball, at which point the whole gall bladder must be surgically removed.

Best Treatment For Gallstones

There is no specific trigger to the condition but it is accepted that the problem arises when one eats a high-fat, cholesterol rich diet. In addition to this, it is known that high levels of estrogen and the use of oral contraception are risk factors for this problem. Curing a gall stone naturally or by using home remedies is not an effective option as most of the tests conducted have revealed limited or no efficacy. The only established treatment options mirror those kidney stones like electrowave shock therapy, where a high powered ultrasound device is used to break up the gall stones so that they can be passed out of the gall bladder. This is only effective when stones are small. Another option is the use of a cholesterol dissolving agent call ursodeoxycholic acid but this has to be taken for almost two years before benefits are noticed. The only guaranteed method of treatment is surgical excision.