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Fight that pain
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The right diet and timely medical help can relieve gallstone infection
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TAB ON FOODS Haphazard intake of foods can disturb the balance
Women in their forties, particularly those who are obese, are prone to gallstones. The stones are not always detrimental they can be a cause for concern when they get entangled in the ducts. Gall bladder is a pear-shaped organ in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen below the liver, and acts as a reservoir for bile juice. Since fat it is not easily digested by water, our body produces the bile juice from the liver that helps in breakdown of the fats.
Bile juice stored in the gall bladder is called on through the common bile duct into the duodenum or the latter part of the stomach when fatty food is ingested. In certain cases, the bile retained in the gall bladder over a period of time tends to form small calculi or stones.
Bile juice contains cholesterol, calcium, mucin, phospholipids and water. If the equilibrium is disturbed due to increase or decrease of one of the contents there is a tendency for calculi or stone formation. Increased intake of foods rich in fats and refined carbohydrates, and reduced consumption of foods rich in fibre can disturb this balance.
The incidence is more in women in the childbearing age, although in obese women the probability could increase with age. The risk of gallstones is also pronounced in women who take oral contraceptives rich in oestrogen.
This can cause inflammation and thickening of the wall of the gall bladder. The irritation thus caused and the slightest contraction is enough to push out the sludge and stones through the narrow cystic duct into the common bile duct.
This could lead to bacterial infection and the decrease of blood circulation to this area can compound the problem. The stones, eventually, might travel further and block the duct coming out of the pancreas and infect the pancreas. If the stone is large, it can cause severe pain compelling an urgent need for surgery too.
Pain in the right upper abdomen usually worsens after eating as the gall bladder is compelled to contract and release the bile juice. Nausea, vomiting and acidity like symptoms can also be noticed. The pain could spread below the ribs to the back. Fever could be associated with it. This condition is called Cholecystitis. The blocked stone can cause jaundice too.
If gallstones are spotted during an X-Ray or an ultrasound scan of the abdomen, the practice is to leave the gallstones alone. Only when the above mentioned symptoms are noticed, the physician would ask for a scan to check swelling of the wall of the gall bladder, contraction of the organ or detect tiny calculus that might have got entangled in the duct.
Homoeopathy has good remedies in the form of Bryonia and Berberis vulgaris to relieve the inflammation and thickening of the gall bladder wall. If the liver is fatty and coincidentally there is also an increase in the level of blood cholesterol, Chelidonium comes into the picture.
People who fall prey to this problem due to indulging in fatty foods can be given Kali bichromicum and Nux vomica. If it is associated with gastric symptoms, Hydrastis stands in good stead. Lycopodium helps get rid of tendency for formation of stones.
DR.VENUGOPAL GOURI.
drvenugopal@gmail.com
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