Gallstone operation
I have been diagnosed with gallstones and am scheduled to have an operation in June. My doctor has advised me this laser surgery is optional, but if I’m going to have it I should do so while I’m still quite healthy and not too old. I am still undecided about going ahead. I am a great believer in alternative remedies and wondered what I should take or avoid in the meantime? I also have hiatus hernia and have suffered quite a lot of digestive problems because of this.
There are two types of gallstones - the majority (up to 85%) are made from cholesterol, the others are formed from bile pigment. You don’t say which yours is, so we will assume it is one of the more common cholesterol ones.
Dr Adam Carey, co-founder of The Centre for Nutritional Medicine (no longer in operation) says nobody really knows why gallstones form, but one theory is that the majority are a result of overproduction of cholesterol by the liver. Another is that there is too much cholesterol in your diet.
Dietary changes should include avoiding foods which are high in saturated fats, including red meat and dairy products and cutting out refined carbohydrates which are converted to fat in the body and which boost triglyceride levels which are, in turn, a precursor to the formation of cholesterol.
You need to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains but you should not cut all fat from or diet. The body cannot make the essential fatty acids but must glean them from diet. The best source is unrefined olive oil which, according to Carey has been shown to reduce the symptoms of gallstones.
He suggests you supplement your diet with 500mg of vitamin C, three times a day and says there is some as yet unsupported evidence that 1000mg of an amino acid called Taurine taken twice a day will help control bile production and keep the bile thin.
To reduce problems caused by your hernia avoid lifting heavy objects, do not overeat, cut out coffee and spicy food from your diet and boost your intake of fibre. Moderate your consumption of alcohol and drink 1/4 of a glass of aloe vera juice, twice a day, to help soothe the lining of the digestive tract.
* Solgar makes a Taurine supplement. 50 x 500mg veggie capsules cost £5.29. Take one a day. For stockists call 01442-890355.