Gallstones, Common Treatment Options

Gallstones, Common Treatment Options

One of the most common operations that many Americans undergo through is the operation for the gallbladder. More and more North Americans are undergoing this surgery every year.

The most common operation being done is removing gallstones. The presence of gallstones will not manifest symptoms for the person who has them, thus remaining silent for a long time. When one feels the symptoms of gallstones they usually progress and will frequently occur.

There are certain food and drinks that should not be taken by a person with gallstones like eggs, chocolate, caffeine and other products with milk like ice cream. They should also avoid eating foods which are fried and have lots of oil. These foods can trigger pain and symptoms to worsen.

One of the common symptoms is pain in the abdominal section which causes a person to get uncomfortable or to experience letting out gas and feeling full after eating. A sharp kind of pain may also be felt on the shoulders, chest, back or neck. In some cases the gallstones can even affect the duct of the bile which can lead to an infection.

There are many treatments for removing gallstones however most of them can give unnecessary risks. Surgery is one of the common treatments to remove gallstones however there are patients who come out of it who still have gallstones in their bile duct. This was reported by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

Damaging or injuring the bile duct is one major risk when having a surgery to remove the gallstones. Damage to another part of the body such as the duodenum or bile duct could require a patient to undergo another surgery to undo the damage.

Another treatment in medicine is dissolving the gallstones through drinking medicines which contain Chenix, or chenodeoxycholic acid, and Actigall,or ursodeoxycholic acid, ethyl propionate and methyl tert-butyl ether. However these medicines target the small stones caused by cholesterol. They usually cause hepatic injury and diarrhea.

Alternative TreatmentThere is an alternative treatment in removing gallstones besides surgery. This can be done by what is commonly known as gallbladder flush. In Europe a traditional medicine is using lemon juice and olive oil to flush away the stones. The Chinese have a traditional treatment for gallstones by using the gold coin grass so the stones will be flushed away in a slow process. There are a large percentage of people who like combining the medicines and alternative treatments to cure gallbladder problems like gallstones.