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Gallstones - causes, symptoms and natural treatment options

Gallstones cause pain, bloating and biliary colic. Find out all about the causes, symptoms, conventional medical therapies and natural preventative measures.

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Things worth knowing about "Gallstones"

Gallstones cause pain, bloating and biliary colic. Find out all about the causes, symptoms, conventional medical therapies and natural preventative measures.

Bile stones (cholelithiasis) are crystalline deposits that can form in the bile bladder or bile ducts. They usually consist of cholesterol, bilirubin or calcium salts and form when the balance of the bile is disturbed. Gallstones can go unnoticed for years or cause painful symptoms - especially if they impede the flow of bile.

Causes and risk factors

The formation of gallstones is a multifactorial process. Common causes are:

Excess cholesterol in the bile
Disturbed bile flow (e.g. due to lack of movement of the gallbladder)
Obesity, high-fat diet, periods of fasting
Female sex and hormonal influences (e.g. oestrogen, pregnancy, contraceptive pill)
Genetic predisposition and familial clustering
Diabetes mellitus or liver disease

People over 40 are particularly frequently affected, women more often than men - the classic ""5-F rule"" names the typical risk factors: female, forty, fat, fair, fertile.

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Symptoms of gallstones

Many gallstones initially remain asymptomatic (""silent stones""). Symptoms usually only occur when a stone blocks the bile ducts. Typical symptoms are:

Severe pain in the right upper abdomen (biliary colic), often after a high-fat meal
Radiation of the pain to the back or right shoulder
Nausea, vomiting, bloating, flatulence
Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) due to bile duct obstruction
Fever in inflamed gallbladder (cholecystitis)

Diagnosis and conventional medical treatment

Gallstones can usually be detected by ultrasound or MRI. Symptomatic stones are often removed surgically - usually by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder). In certain cases, drug dissolution (e.g. with ursodeoxycholic acid) or endoscopic procedures (ERCP) are also used.

Natural support & prevention

For prevention and accompanying treatment, natural measures can be helpful:

Bitter substances (e.g. artichoke, dandelion, milk thistle) stimulate the flow of bile
Regular meals prevent congestion in the gallbladder
A high-fibre diet with a moderate amount of fat supports the fat metabolism
Healthy body weight and exercise reduce the risk
Phospholipids and lecithin can help keep cholesterol in solution in the bile
Liver and bile teas can have an antispasmodic and bile-promoting effect

Attention: In the case of acute biliary colic, fever or jaundice, immediate medical clarification is always required.

Literature references:

Stinton, L. M. & Shaffer, E. A. (2012). ""Epidemiology of gallbladder disease: cholelithiasis and cancer."" Gut and Liver.
RKI (2020). ""Biliary tract diseases in Germany - frequency and care.""
Portincasa, P. et al. (2006). ""Pathophysiology and natural history of gallstones."" Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology.

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