Gallbladder stones, sometimes simply referred to as gall stones are pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. They cause pain in the upper abdomen areas and lead to various other gallbladder problems including gallbladder stones, gallbladder pain, inflamed gallbladder and even jaundice. There are two types of gallbladder stones- cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are generally yellow-green and are made of hardened cholesterol. About 80 percent of gallbladder stones are cholesterol stones. Pigment stones are small, dark stones made of bilirubin. gallbladder stones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pea and even bigger than that. There can develop just one large gall stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination of sizes.

Causes of Gallbladder Stones

Gallbladder is situated at the right side of abdomen below the liver. Liver, responsible for digestion of food, produces bile to digest fatty food. Bile goes into the gallbladder and collects there till there arises the need to digest any fatty food. The bile goes to small intestine via bile ducts and from there is excreted out of the body. Abnormal concentration of bile acids, cholesterol imbalance and phospholipids in the bile can cause the formation of gallbladder stones. The cholesterol stones are formed when bile contains too much cholesterol, bilirubin, or not enough bile salts, or when the gallbladder does not empty completely or often enough due to constipation or other reasons. The cause of pigment stones is not exactly known. These stones tend to develop in people having liver cirrhosis, biliary tract infections, or hereditary blood disorders where the liver makes too much bilirubin. Some causes of gallbladder stones may be listed as under.

• • Excess of the hormone estrogen. That is why women suffer more from gallbladder stones than men.
• • Heredity. Gallbladder stones often run in families due to some genetic cause.
• • Obesity. Being even moderately overweight increases the risk for developing gallbladder stones, especially in women.
• • Low fiber- high fat Diet. Increased cholesterol in the bile and reduced gallbladder emptying leads to gallbladder stones.
• • Constipation Accumulation of bile in gallbladder can lead to formation of gallbladder stones.
• • Cholesterol-lowering drugs. These drugs increase the amount of cholesterol secreted into bile leading to formation of gallbladder stones.
• • Diabetes. Diabetics usually have high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides that increase the risk of gallbladder stones.

Gallbladder Stones Symptoms

If you experience the following symptoms, you might be at risk of gallbladder stones

• • Acute or intermittent pain in the upper abdomen that can last for a few minutes or hours together.
• • Constant pain below the breastbone that can go up into the right or left shoulder and even to the back.
• • Indigestion that may show signs of gastric trouble and abdominal pain.
• • Nausea and vomiting accompanied with gallbladder pain.
• • Yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes.
• • Dark colored urine along with clay-colored stools.

Gallbladder Stones Home Remedies

As soon as gallbladder stones are detected, they should be treated by adopting certain home remedies. Adopting a right diet for gallbladder stones and avoiding certain food habits can lead to home treatment for gallbladder stones without going for gallbladder stones surgery.

• • Adopt the perfect gallbladder diet, that is high fiber-low fat diet. Low fat food will reduce the amount of cholesterol going into gallbladder and high fiber food will relieve you from constipation avoiding any formation of gallbladder stones.
• • Diet for Gallstones Drink lots of water during the day. Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water is beneficial for over all health too.
• • Exercise regularly to help keep your bowel movement smooth. Reduce weight by natural ways to avoid gallbladder stones and many other health risks.
• • Drink fresh juice of beets, carrot and cucumber twice a day. They help in gallbladder cleanse.
• • Eat pear or drink its juice for cleansing gallbladder. Also take carrots, beets, grapefruit, lemons or grapes raw or in form of juice.
• • Take about 125 ml each of the juices of dandelion and watercress twice a day.
• • Take plain yoghurt, cottage cheese, and a tablespoon of olive oil twice a day. The best way is to include them into your diet.
• • Avoid high fat foods like meat, eggs, animal fats, processed foods, fried and greasy foods, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, sugar as well as spices, condiments, and pickles.
• • Eat frequent small meals rather than 2 or 3 large meals during the day.
• Drink apple juice for two days before going to bed. On the second night mix 3 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon and three ounces of dark olive oil and drink. If your gallbladder stones are very small, they will dissolve and pass out on the third day.
• • For gallbladder pain, drink 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of apple juice for quick relief from pain. If the pain does not subside, get treatment for other disorders like gastroesophogeal reflux disease or heart problems.
• • To increases bile production, add dandelion and milk thistle in your morning tea. Other herbs such as chamomile, marshmallow, and slippery elm can also be added to decrease gallbladder inflammation.
• • Rosemary and wild yam are antispasmodic herbs that increase bile flow and lessen gallbladder pain.

It is always better to prevent formation of gallbladder stones and that is possible by adopting healthy life style- healthy diet and exercising regularly.