The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Hot Bath for Gallbladder Pain
Posted by Jason (Michigan) on 07/12/2013
★★★★☆
I just went through a lasting attack, 3 plus hours or so. I will have to try the Apple Cider Vinegar next time. What helped me tonight was a hot bath. My pain was pretty high when I got home from work, I could not get any relief from anything so I ran a hot bath and laid in there for about a half hour. The pain wasn't completely gone in the bath but it provided so much relief and that made me more comfortable.
Apple Juice
Posted by Jane (Los Angeles California) on 12/24/2013
Be careful with Gall Bladder disease! The daughter of a friend of mine went in for a ultrasound to check for what was causing her gallbladder pain and for some reason the young woman's gallstones were not seen in the image. The doctor missed them? Well in time the woman's gallbladder burst! And this woman had nothing but terrible health problems after her gallbladder burst! This woman was obese and the gallbladder catastrophe cause her not to be able to eat much at all. Doctors tried to mend her medical problems but nothing worked. When I last saw her she was walking around and was as thin as a Barbie Doll! But always in pain. Eventually her mother found her daughter on the floor deceased from a heart attack! Please don't ignore gallbladder pain! With protection laws in the U.S. This woman didn't received one cent in compensation. Judges would not help her in the slightest! She lost her case of malpractice in court!
Avoid Lettuce
Posted by Marsh (Colo) on 10/01/2023
★★★★★
I didn't realize lettuce could cause gallbladder issues in some people. My sweet Dad was uncomfortable after eating salads and here I was fixing healthy salads when we visited to minimize the fried foods his wife fixed. At 86 he was in such agony, his gallbladder was removed. Nightmare. One evening we had pizza, the next morning he had bacon, eggs, butter on toast at our favorite restaurant. He ran to the restroom and didn't come out. I had to ask for the key. Bless his heart, it was a horrible mess, and he was horribly embarrassed. The moral of this story is watch your fat intake if you don't have a gallbladder, keep your body alkaline, and watch your fat intake. Off to buy chanca piedra
General Feedback
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 03/03/2011
Hi, the common mistake is indeed eat little fat! If you want to understand better how it works maybe you should consider reading Barry Groves' book Trick and Treat where he explains the problem of eating a low fat diet and why when you start eating fat the stones start moving and you get pain but after you get rid of them eating enough fat will prevent you from having them! I have just had an ultrasound this afternoon because of high enzymes in the liver, luckily everything was ok and... No gallstones! The book is very interesting........ Whether ACV would help I don't know!
You can also get some information in Adelle Davis' book Let's Get Well. It is pretty much the same advice. She says that people get to afraid of having pain again that they stop eating fat which only makes things worse. She advises a diet rich in Vit. E and A also B vitamins and high in fats, low in carbohydrates. She says you should stay away from saturated fats but keep in mind that this book is very old so some of the information may be out of date. Still.... a very interesting book advised to me by some on this site and luckily I could get my hands on one! I hope this helps.....
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Marilene (TN) on 09/04/2023
I wonder if you have a functional gallbladder disorder. I believe that is what we are dealing with. It can happen as a result of viruses (covid/spike proteins) from the reading I'm doing now. It can happen in adults and children. Traditional solutions don't work well for this disorder, however, I believe by treating it with high dose vitamin C and being careful not to aggravate with fat, along with lots of prayer, we will see healing around the corner. It can take up to 3 months for this to resolve so do not get gallbladder removed before that point!
Lavender Oil
Posted by Jill (Bronx, New York, United States) on 12/17/2009
★★★★★
Biliary Pain (Gallbladder, Sphincter of Oddi, Pancreatitis)
Although I had my gallbladder removed 9 months ago, I still get the classic "attack" pain every now and then. While I will get this checked out with my doctor (it is most likely a 'Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction') in the meantime I discovered a fantastic remedy that relieves the pain within SECONDS.
One drop of pure 100% essential oil of Lavender in a tall glass of water. Sip it slowly and steadily. I went from doubled over and delirious in pain to blissful relief in no less than 30 seconds (and have not had an attack since). I make sure I always have some on hand just in case though. A nice side-effect was it relaxed me so much I enjoyed a lovely afternoon nap! Lavender is on the FDA "GRAS" List (generally recognized as safe) for ingestion. Make sure whatever brand you purchase is 100% pure essential oil (not diluted with jojoba or other carrier oils... those would not be suitable for ingestion).
Flax Seeds
Posted by Faith (Forest Park, Ohio) on 01/04/2012
Use it DAILY INSTEAD of waiting on an attack, it helps to CLEANSE the liver and IT HELPS TO EMULSIFY FATS... Reducing cholesterol in the body!
Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, ACV, Apple
Posted by Doris (Santa Ana, CA, USA) on 04/15/2008
★★★★★
Cramps under my ribs began a month ago after each dinner. I often felt nausea, overfull of food, irritable. When hubby had a kidney stone attack and this site had his (
lemon + oliveoil + water) cure, we also bought ACV hoping to fix his allergies. I knew an apple slice before bed prevents heartburn, and helps gall bladder. I feared my years' lower back pains also pointed to gall bladder, liver.
I googled "gall bladder holistic" and read here and at alive(dot)com the liver, gall bladder, small intestines, stomach issues and holistic fixes. I decided to try a light purge.
My breakfast was mostly fresh fruit and lots of water, with hot lemon tea (gall bladder cleanse beginning), by lunch while hubby drank his 2nd day's kidney stone cocktail, I also drank one (2 oz lemon juice blended with 2 oz olive oil chased with big glass water) - my gall cleanse at work. 5pm dinner my usual cramps above stomach in ribcage began. But this time with bloating. At 530pm I drank a mix of 1 oz ACV with 3 oz water. At 6pm still bloated, despite the full meal, I ate an apple. At 620pm instead of worse pain from eating more volume, my stomach felt MUCH better. Rib cage felt light yet low belly felt very heavy - gall purge building. When at 630pm I sat down as lower intestines really were gathering momentum, I wondered if I had some diarrhea bug and didn't know it. I hoped it was the lemon-olive oil, ACV and apple working. At 6:40pm I suddenly felt relief under my ribs and looked down, watching bloat go away before my eyes; it not only left, but my stomach was flattening too. My tshirt was loose! My stomach didn't hurt at all, NO bloating at all, I was visibly thinner! Lower intestines were churning. Decided to eat an half-inch apple slice just before 9pm bedtime. It canceled slight nausea from the churning. In a few minutes, a repeat of the slight bloat, lower instestine churning, then relief with disappearing bloat and visibly flattening stomach. I expected gas from the disappearing bloat. The gas bloat feeling didn't travel south, it disappeared! Amazing. I woke up about midnite with slight stomach upset, so I ate 1 more bite of apple. The repeat pattern never happened. It felt so good to not be bloated, and have a happy stomach for once. At the morning toilet I did flush a terrible lot of mucousy greenish light-brownish sludge then 15 minutes later a much lesser quantity of the same. Immediately I felt like energetic and upbeat, ready to take on the day. Miracle of natural healing! My body operates like I'm 18 since then - no heartburn, no coffee cravings, no bloat, more often smaller stools, lower intestines feel calm, sleeping deep and rested, far more energy, no nausea ever after meals, no heavy stomach feeling anymore. The scale shows slow and steady weight loss too HOORAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Lecithin
Posted by Faith (Forest Park, Ohio) on 01/04/2012
NOT EVERYONE can HANDLE the SOY, I would not recommend it for anyone because it could eventually lead to other problems. That said, FLAX SEED and EGGS are rich in lecithin, so is BEE POLLEN, make those a part of your daily regimen and you will get plenty of NATURAL lecithin!
Ox Bile
Posted by dashiell123 (Los Angeles, CA) on 03/11/2021
★★★★★
Hi I had sludge in my gallbladder which was causing a lot of discomfort. After taking ACV to manage the pain, the doctor suggested taking Urso, OX Bile to reduce the amount of sludge. Within two months after taking Ursodiol and Taurine twice a day, I did an ultrasound and the sludge was gone. I am also managing my diet by avoiding fats, oils, dairy, and other triggers. I do not need to continue the Urso and Taurine anymore but may need to take it the sludge comes back. I am so thankful for this site and for everyone's generosity in sharing their tips for managing their ailments.
Aloe Vera Juice
Posted by Elizabeth (CA) on 10/14/2023
★★★★★
Yes, it will either say "whole leaf" or "inner fillet." If you have an aloe vera plant, cut off the spine on a leaf and then crosswise into about 2" pieces, soak in cool water for about 30 minutes to allow the yellow latex to seep out. Cut off the peel, place 2-3 pieces in blender with about 1c. of water, blend and drink. To prepare beforehand, prepare aloe vera plant as above (a large leaf). Puree in blender (WITHOUT water), freeze in small amounts. This is great to add to smoothies.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Denise (Us) on 11/17/2018 50 posts
Hello Karen, I'm pretty new here and haven't suffered with what you are going through, but I love this site. There is so much information, and best of all, it's from people that have actually had the ailments, and tried the many different types of remedies. Here is a link I found regarding the gallbladder removal. I hope it has something helpful to you, Denise:
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/cholecystectomy.html
General Feedback
Posted by Steve (Nevada) on 07/03/2015
The best way to heal the gallbladder is to do gallbladder and liver cleanses: http://www.drclark.net/cleanses/advanced/liver-cleanse-page/liver-cleanse-recipe
For immediate relief of gallbladder attack pain drink a cup of warm water with a TBSP of epsom salt dissolved in it. Lay on your right side with your knees pulled up for about an hour or more. This will open up the ducts in the liver and gallbladder and release some of the stones and sludge that is causing the pain. Doing the full cleanse will get rid of lots of stones and truly get to the root of the issue.
Caraway Seeds
Posted by Alla (Los Angeles) on 05/20/2015
★★★★☆
There are a couple of herbs with anti-spasmodic properties: dill, fennel, caraway seed, cumin, peppermint in lesser degree. They are all relatives, except peppermint. When I feel pain coming in I take 1/3 of tea spoon of caraway seeds and chew them, then swallow. It helps to take the spasms off and does not interfere with digestion. The ACV works also, but the mechanics are different, it reduces need for bile, so it does not try to get out of the gallbladder, so no pain, but you need bile to digest fats and proteins.
There is an over the counter medication in Europe, called No-Shpa. It is widely used to alleviate gallstone attacks and spasms. I do not know if it exists here, the active ingredient is dropaverine.
I use ACV with meats, just pour over a piece. And take some caraway seeds in the end of the meal. Also, add caraway seeds in soups and other dishes.
Just my 5c, :)
Two Types of Gallbladder Attacks
Posted by Phil (San Jose, California) on 07/18/2014
Consider adding magnesium to your diet. Magnesium is needed for muscle relaxation, while calcium is needed for muscle contraction. Muscle spasms may indicate magnesium deficiency. Dark leafy greens contain magnesium, since it is part of the chlorophyll molecule. You could also use a supplement such as magnesium malate tablets, which readily decomposes in the digestive tract into a bio-available form of magnesium and malic acid, the latter being found in apples.
Betaine HCL
Posted by Xanadu (Memphis) on 11/04/2017
It is weird that you would say B6 helps with gallbladder attacks in that on the very day (yesterday, 11/3/17) I started taking vitamin B6 for other issues I had an attack that evening. I didn't know what is was at first because the pain was moving all over the place, right mid abdomen, right side at waist, left side at waist, under right ribs into right waist, even the pelvic area, and then sort of concentrated in the right waist. I wondered if the large amount of grass fed butter I had eaten on an ear of corn had anything to do with it, so looking up info on the gallbladder it talked about biliary colic which can have different causes, among them the gallbladder or even the heart, and the pain can radiate to different areas along with the nausea and lightheadedness. So to hopefully pin down if it was my gallbladder I came here to remind myself what I had done in the past from the methods here for my gallbladder and since I had no apple juice I just mixed up some ACV with the live mother in water with stevia to sweeten to taste and an hour later I was much better. This morning I am still a little nauseated and weak so I will continue the treatment. I am going to take another B6 and hope it doesn't aggravate the condition.
White Vinegar in Orange Juice
Posted by Jennifer (Spokane, Wa) on 11/12/2013
★★★★★
I have my gall surgery already scheduled but, its still two weeks out. I keep having attacks and all the traditional medicine just wasn't working without ending up in the ER again. So I came on here last night as a last ditch effort and in severe pain, and saw a post for the vinegar and orange juice. I put 1 tbsp vinegar in one 8 oz glass of orange juice and drank it... Within 20 minutes most all the pain was gone! THANK YOU!!!
Apple Juice
Posted by Marie (New York) on 12/24/2013
Hi;
I believe I was having gallbladder issues and so I started with 1 tablespoon of non soy Lecithin in morning on food ..and then another tablespoon in the afternoon... I also was doing two lemons in water everyday and 2 tablespoons of ACV in water before each meal...and from advice from great lady in healthfood store have been taking two probiotics after dinner.
I also do acupressure which is called EFT.. tapping. You can look that up. Its been awhile now and maybe more than three months but my pain has subsided and feeling way better than I was. Apparantely lemons and lecithin and ACV wash out the cholesterol in the liver and gallbladder which is talked about here on EC...It might even have lowered my bp because that might have been the cause of it all along..but not sure about that one yet. You might have to tweak your own remedies but its worth it in the long run.. I wanted a cure and not just the immediate fix although the ACV and apple juice works well.
Good Luck
Foods That Trigger Gallbladder Attacks
Posted by KT (USA) on 07/25/2013
This will be quick... When I was pregnant the first time I was so afraid of getting stretch marks I eliminated excess fat from my diet (i.e., no butter on my toast, no mayo on my sandwich for lunch other than what was in the potato salad or tuna salad... The bread was dry). At night I had horrible gallbladder attacks. I later read that the gallbladder needs fat to contract. So, it seemed the timing of my attacks made sense. I didn't eliminate excess fat with my second one. I had no more attacks. BTW, I have no stretch marks. This may not be for you because I don't know what else you may be eating, which will make a difference, but this is what I learned and thought I'd share.
Foods That Trigger Gallbladder Attacks
Posted by Lynn (Orange County, CA) on 01/16/2022
Hi Kelly,
I would try eating like a baby. Green smoothies & veggie soup without oils and fats. If you have a blender you can boil some zucchini, garlic cloves, celery and leek and once it's soft blend up the soup in the blender and add salt and pepper. Your body can heal faster when it does not have to work so hard on digestion. I feel better after a week of doing this kind of eating, I think my body absorbs the nutrients better this way.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Geralyn_d (Atlanta, Ga) on 12/11/2012
★★★★★
Dieting is a real problem for the gall bladder and juicing veggies is just the low fat type of diet to cause cycling of your OWN body fat into a real bad attack. I used the cabbage soup diet to lose 60 pounds a few years back and I recall a few friends losing their gall bladders to that diet. I knew how to do the gall bladder cleanse and every second week I did the diet(1 week a month) I would do a GB cleanse. I still have my gall bladder and only when I veggie feast do I have attacks now.
Pickle Juice
Posted by Deepa (Usa) on 12/23/2013
★★★★★
This was a great idea. It worked exactly in 15 min. Thank you.
General Feedback
Posted by Judy (Meadville, Missouri,usa) on 12/07/2011
I had my gallbladder removed 7 years ago. I had nothing but trouble every since. I now have bile reflux. The bile that used to go into my gallbladder now dumps into my stomach. It's just like having my gallbladder back, pain, nauseau, back pain, bloat. Today my drs. has suggested that I eat pickled beets, and dill pickles also. So I'm going to try the apple cider vinegar. What do I have to lose at this point. I guess my comment is this, don't think because you have your gallbladder removed your problems will be over. I know it's only about 10% of the population will have this problem after surgery. Lucky me!
General Feedback
Posted by Rebel (Somewhere, Usa) on 12/07/2011
Hi Judy. My wife had her gallbladder removed as well and is still having symtoms of attacks every so often. We use the shot glass or 2 Tablespoons of vinegar in a glass of room temp apple juice. Her pain and sickness is usally gone within 30 minutes. Hope this helps.
Certain foods will trigger attacks as well. Like eggs and cabbage.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Shanti (Tiruvannamalai, Ta India) on 10/27/2011
★★★★★
I have to agree with Stephen from Baltimore. Laying prone, crawling, rolling, hanging upside down, writhing, moaning and crying do nothing to relieve the pain of gallbladder attacks unfortunately.
Epsom Salts are really the only thing that has any effect in my case. I take 2 large tablespoons with hot water. Normally I put the Epsom Salts in capsules so I don't gag taking them (I can't stand the taste). If I'm lucky, the pain will subside over the next 2 hours. It doesn't always work, but usually it does. Of course Epsom Salts not only relaxes bile ducts, it is a powerful laxative, so be prepared for an obvious side effect. It's better than having gallbladder pain though!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Shanti (Bangkok, Thailand) on 12/25/2009
Ej, Hopefully you are feeling better by now, but I thought I would say what works for me. I have been having Gallbladder attacks several times a month for over 15 years. I won't go into the list of things I have done long term that have helped right now, but what definitely helps me when an attack is taking place is Epsom Salts. It is the most vile tasting stuff on Earth, so I put it in capsules and take at least 5, sometimes up to 20, depending on the severity of the attack. I am pretty sensitive by now to how much I need to take. It helps for sure. It also causes the runs, but it's MORE than worth it! It doesn't always work quickly (sometimes it does), but always eventually. The Epsom Salts allows the bile ducts to relax. I am like you, no stones come up on multiple tests and no other issues either, though I have done well over 50 liver flushes and got multiple stones and other CRAZY stuff out of my liver/gallbladder over the years (including parasites). All this has been part of what has worked for me. Now that I am posting I will also say that there is an Amazonian herb called Stonebreaker (Phyllanthus niruri) which is supposed to heal the gallbladder and help remove stones. It has had amazing success rates in studies. I ordered some of this and took it (about a table spoon of powdered herb) during attacks and it definitely seemed to help! This is not the prescribed way to use it. You are meant to use it long term, but I went overseas and didn't take it with me, so I can't report on its long term effects. I will do it again when I get back.
Over the years the severity of my attacks has reduced very substantially... I rarely have an attack these days that has me begging for death, but that used to be very frequent a few years ago.
ACV sometimes helps me a little bit, but not enough to write home about (during an attack). Hot tea with lots of honey is a great help always, if only to calm me down. I sometimes drink litres of this during an attack.
Here are a few other things that have helped during bad attacks:
- enemas
- charcoal
- magnesium tablets (from the pharmacy)
- HOT HOT baths
- massage of area and the same area on the back
- doing a Hulda Clark liver flush during the attack sometimes releases the spasm
- sugar seems to help so sometimes I eat cough lollies if I don't have honey on hand to put in herbal tea.
- hot coffee sometimes can help (I have had no luck with coffee enemas during an attack)
- lying on a very hot surface or using hot water bottles front and back.
- Sounds silly, but sometimes TV is a great distraction during an attack. I don't normally watch it at all, but during an attack the distraction can help the relaxing of the gallbladder area in my experience.
- lying on my left side so the gallbladder can drain is less painful than on the right side normally.
- I used to have a yoga teacher who could stop an attack in its tracks with some very skillful manipulation/massage. It took him about 5 minutes to release the spasm and I was all good! :) Sorry I don't have his details anymore.
I have tried the flax remedy above with no luck, but I know many have benefited from it. Flax tends to make my gallbladder flare up more, whether it's oil or gel or seeds/flour. But that's only me perhaps.
I hope some of this helps. I know the desperation of a bad GB attack and would have loved to have known all this 15 years ago.
I wish you all the best!
Flax Seeds
Posted by George (Middlesex) on 02/20/2023
Well I bought flax seeds to use after having my gallbladder removed, pity I only found out now, as I was wondering no coffee after surgery, apple juice is fine but not from concentrate, so the dilemma goes on what to eat and drink and what not to eat and drink, but I did ask Google so I'll give it a bash, hope this reaches as I see most comments come from the states, this is a reply from the UK so thanks for the input, yes hospitalised twice with a Flare up of the gallbladder, hope other people take time to read the post you ladies have put on Google.
Many Thanks
George
Celery and Mint Leaves, Lemon Juice
Posted by Rossana (Toronto, Ontario, Cnada) on 07/01/2009
★★★★★
For gallbladder attacks, or when you feel it coming, boil water and in a 250ml cup add fresh celery leaves, mint leaves and 1/2 lemon juice and drink it gradually. This may cut down the pain from regularly 3 hours to 1 hour. I have been scheduled for surgery in August and had been using this as backup.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Lettuce
Posted by Eleana (Sweeden) on 03/22/2021
Do you know why? Why lettuce can make it worse? I eat a lot of veggies with lettuce - we just call it lettuce - It is mainly spinach and red cabbage and ruccula - which should be good because of the bitterness.
Chanca Piedra
Posted by mmsg (somewhere, europe) on 10/15/2023
Bill, or anyone else, would you know if chanca piedra would remove or minimize gallbladder polyps?
Peppermint Essential Oil, ACV
Posted by KB (Western Australia) on 06/20/2022
★★★★★
On the body over the pain area, rub peppermint essential oil to move the gallstones from the outside. It will penetrate into the body and help move the stones. I did this along with taking freshly juiced green apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Worked a treat.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Karen (Arkansas ) on 11/17/2018
Thank you so much. I will try the lecithin to keep on hand. I'm just 6 days from surgery, and eating moderately..so far-so good. No digestion problem yet, just getting all the poisons out of system from all the drugs from the surgery.
Tonic Water
Posted by Lucy (Us) on 04/22/2018
Tonic water is a miracle for gallbladder attacks (for me, at least). Apparently the quinine stops the gallbladder from contracting (hence the discomfort).
Triggers
Posted by Ozzy (Orlando, Florida) on 01/25/2015
What seems to bring on my gall bladder attacks are: hot melted cheese, heavy creme, spicy mexican food, hot chocolate.
Best remedies: organic apple cider with apple cider vinegar, warmed up but not hot.
1 apple grated and mixed with 1-2 inch grated ginger root. (Both grated with a micro-plane grater)
20 drops of peppermint oil in warm peppermint tea.
Use one of these combinations but if you don't feel much better you can try any of the other remedies.
I recommend the grated apple-ginger in addition to any of these remedies.
Pickle Juice
Posted by Francesca (London) on 07/09/2023
Trying to avoid fat (the staying slim thing), is a killer for the gallbladder. And slows down bowel movements too, making everything feel worse. A teaspoon of olive oil with my lunch salad or sandwich really sorts things out on the gallbladder/digestive front for me. Then I try to manage the fear of being "fat ":-/ I know....I also use artichoke capsules, peppermint tea and chamomile in case of spastic attacks which come on if I am anxious or repress stuff, or eat a little too much.
Pickle Juice
Posted by M girl (Md) on 10/13/2021
For Tanzie…..you might research chance piedra on this site
Flax Seeds
Posted by Kim (Louisville Ohio) on 05/31/2014
★★★★★
The flax seed tea worked so well, thank you!
