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healthy fats over the long term, those folks need serious, educated help standby helps. First, it lowers the pH of the
to rehabilitate the gallbladder and liver safely. stomach contents, which helps gently trigger
There are three simple and safe things that everyone can do to help bile release with food. It also contains malic acid
support the gallbladder. (See sidebars for other safe and effective measures and phosphorous, which help slowly thin bile.
for both prevention and treatment.) As an important first step, one should Finally, real apple cider vinegar contains good
consider the various factors (listed earlier) that commonly contribute to probiotics. I suggest taking two teaspoons in an
liver and gallbladder problems and strive to eliminate or reverse them. ounce of water before meals. Honey is optional.
A second easy step is to consume real, naturally fermented apple If apple cider vinegar causes any concerns such
cider vinegar. There are several reasons why this old folk medicine as stomach pain, a visit to a holistic physician

MORE ASSERTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR GALLBLADDER ISSUES
There are additional interventions that can help with gallbladder issues. However, those with acute pain or significant
gallstones should consult a physician before undertaking any of these more active interventions so as not to provoke or
exacerbate the problem. An intervention that someone is not personally ready for can trigger a healing crisis.

1. INTERMITTENT FASTING: This can be very helpful and can be as simple as skipping dinner or breakfast one to three
times a week and replacing the meals with fresh vegetable juice or skimmed bone broth to “rest” the digestive sys-
tem. Many traditional cultures incorporated some kind of fasting as an important element of their religion, customs
or lifestyle. To adopt aspects of traditional diets without acknowledging and incorporating the fasting component is
a set-up for conditions of “excess” such as obesity and cholestasis (problems with bile flow). Pregnant women should
not fast.
2. BITTERS: Pre-digestive tonics are popular in many cultures and include angostura bitters, bitter or sour aperitifs, bitter
salads and Swedish bitter herbal tinctures and teas. These bitter flavors stimulate healthy stomach acid production
and healthy bile flow.
3. LIVER TONIC HERBS: Safe herbs for most (non-pregnant) folks include dandelion root, burdock, berberine (Oregon
grape root), artichoke (Cynara scolymus) and milk thistle (Silybum marianum). Peppermint, chamomile and fennel, gentle
herbs that support stomach and liver function (such as in tea), are generally recognized to be safe during pregnancy.
4. MINERAL DEFICIENCIES: Deficiencies of key minerals such as magnesium should be corrected.
5. CLEANSES: There are many forms of liver cleanses or “spring cleanses” out there (and it is beyond the scope of this
article to describe them all). Traditionally, European and American medicine included a cleanse in the spring that
involved a combination of fasting and/or vegetarian fare, bitter herbs, laxative herbs, castor oil packs on the liver, sau-
nas or sweats, movement therapy, sunbathing, colon hydrotherapy (such as coffee enemas) and local or whole-body
contrast hydrotherapy (see #6). However, cleansing should not be adopted as a “lifestyle”; that is, cleansing strate-
gies (such as a juice fast or temporary vegetarian diet) can work well in the short term but should not be continued
indefinitely or other imbalances will occur. Working with an experienced healer is ideal to help create a cleanse that
fits each person’s individual needs. Pregnant and nursing women should not do cleanses.
6. CONTRAST HYDROTHERAPY: Contrast hydrotherapy, an ancient technique that moves stagnant fluids, is a technique
that fits almost everyone. It can be used in one area (such as over the liver) or as a whole-body treatment (such as
in the bath or shower). To start, simply immerse (or put a hot pack on) the liver area—as hot as is comfortable—for
three minutes; then change to cold water or an ice pack—as cold as one can tolerate—for thirty seconds. Repeat
three times and be sure to always end with cold. If carried out correctly, one should feel invigorated, not chilled!
7. OLIVE OIL FLUSHES: Olive oil flushes have become somewhat famous—or infamous. A casual Internet search for
gallbladder issues will uncover endless variations of this old standby for flushing “stones” out of the gallbladder. Most
of the “stones” flushed are actually not stones but a congealed mix of cholesterol and bile purged from the liver and
gallbladder, mixed with the olive oil. Although the procedure does not flush actual stones, it does remove some bile
that would otherwise recirculate. Conventional doctors consider olive oil flushes as dangerous heresy because of the
theoretically possible risk of flushing a stone into the bile duct and causing an impaction (which would be a medical
emergency). I have never seen a case of this in my twenty-five years of practice, but I do not usually recommend olive
oil flushes as a first-line therapy without adequate medical support, in part because of the possible risk of impaction.
Other reasons that I do not typically encourage them include the potential for nausea from the big quaff of olive oil
and the basic fact that more prudent actions are often enough to make lasting improvements. Individuals who choose
an olive oil flush should be cautious and seek the help of a physician to make sure it is safe. Individuals likely to have
active gallstones or an infection (such as those with a positive Murphy’s Sign test) should not do an olive oil flush!

30 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2018