Sometimes we like to step back and take a look at some of the parts of the body and how our high-quality supplements work with them. For instance, we discussed the liver and how our liver detoxifier can help keep it healthy.* We also wrote an interesting article about how our natural thyroid support works and why you want to do everything you can to give your thyroid the supplements it needs to work properly.
Today we thought we’d take a look at the gallbladder. While we don’t have a supplement that is specifically tailored to help the gallbladder, our turmeric curcumin pills are a great supporter of the digestive system,* of which the gallbladder is part. Let’s take a look at what the gallbladder does, why it’s so important, and how we can survive without it despite how important it is!
What Is The Gallbladder?
The human gallbladder is part of the digestive system, as well as the smaller biliary system. It is an organ (as opposed to a gland) that lies just under the liver and aids the liver in digestion. It weighs about 2 ounces, is about 3.5 inches long, and 1.5 inches in diameter. Other names for it include biliary vesicle and cholecyst, but you seldom hear either of these anymore.
What Does It Do?
The liver produces bile, which is sent to the gallbladder via the hepatic ducts where it is collected and concentrated by removing water and electrolytes. Bile is made mostly of water but also contains bile salts, bilirubin, cholesterol, fatty acids, lecithin, and other inorganic salts.
From there the gallbladder releases the bile into the duodenum, the uppermost part of the small intestine. Bill is used to digest lipids in the small intestine, and the gallbladder can store between 30 to 60 milliliters at one time.
Why Is It Called The Gallbladder?
Gall is simply another word for bile. It could just as easily have been called the bilebladder.
What Are Gallstones?
Gallstones are stones that form in the gallbladder out of certain components of bile, and they are usually made from cholesterol or bilirubin. There’s a good chance that you might have them and not even know it, because they don’t always cause problems. Still, you want to do whatever you can to ensure that you don’t get them, because when they do cause cholelithiasis they can be incredibly painful. The pain is often in the upper right part of the abdomen and can last for hours.
When gallstones do start causing problems, the gallbladder or pancreas will most likely become inflamed, and the liver might as well (not a good thing at all considering how important the liver is). Besides the pain, a person may have a fever, vomiting, yellowish skin, and strange-colored urine.
Why (and How) Are Gallbladders Removed?
Having a gallbladder removed involves surgery called a cholecystectomy. In decades past a large incision would have to be made in order to remove the gallbladder, which is called an open cholecystectomy. Most cholecystectomies of today are done laparoscopically, which is where small scopes and surgical instruments are used to remove it through a relatively tiny incision. Reasons for the removal of the gallbladder can be inflammation (called cholecystitis), inflammation-causing gallstones, or cancer.
How Can We Survive Without It?
When someone comes into a hospital with symptoms of cholelithiasis or gallstones, the answer is almost always the same: take it out! (Just be glad they don’t remove your brain when you have a headache!) This is in stark contrast to how we treat many of our other organs. Doctors perform open heart surgery, they destroy kidney stones sonically. So why do they immediately recommend removing the gallbladder?
The fact is, we can live perfectly healthy lives without the gallbladder. After the gallbladder is removed, the surgeon will rearrange things a little so that the liver delivers the bile directly through a bile duct and into the duodenum, where it moves along into the small intestine. While it might take you body some time to adjust to this change, within a few weeks most people end up eating the same types of foods they did before the surgery.
But Why Not Keep It In The First Place?
Enough about removing the gallbladder! You should do whatever you can to keep it healthy and happy so that you don’t suffer from gallstones or cholecystitis, and we’d suggest our turmeric curcumin pills. They’re a great way to boost your gallbladder and support the entire digestive system.*
If you’re in intense pain right now, get to the emergency room! But if you’re simply hoping to keep your gallbladder and the rest of your digestion system as healthy as possible, give our high-quality turmeric supplements a try! It comes in two different sizes, one with 60 veggie capsule and one with 120 for a double supply. Don’t run out; grab what you need today!
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* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary.