What You Need To Know About Your Gallbladder

I received a piece of mail today from Premier Health for the Fall 2010 which represents an informational magazine of the Premier Medical Group of the Hudson Valley.  It was very professionally done and looked like the information could be really important to the average reader.  After all, why else would the Premier Medical Group of the Hudson Valley take the time to put this out, if it was not important?  I am always intrigued by Traditional Allopathic Medicine and I do my best to read up to date information about the latest "cutting" edge understanding the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry have come up with; after all, they have way deeper pockets than I have, and their ability to come up with different answers to common health conditions always helps me understand these conditions better.

So I read the one article highlighting Salvatore M. Buffa, M.D. and the title "What You Need To Know About Your Gallbladder."  The first highlighted portion of the article said, "Nearly 1 million new cases of gallbladder and gallstone disease are diagnosed every year in the U.S.  Yet most of us don't even know why the little pear-shaped organ is there."  The article never did address why the organ is there, but it did offer a solution for gallbladder and gallstone disease.  Read on.

I was quite interested to find that according to the article, "If you have frequent gallbladder attacks, you may be advised to have your gallbladder removed, one of the most common surgeries performed in the U.S.  Luckily, the gallbladder is a non-essential organ, and you'll do fine without it and very fine without the pain of gallstones."  The two parts of those two statements I found most interesting is that having gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed in the U.S.  My natural question immediately is, "Just because it is 'one of the most common surgeries,' does that make it O.K.?"  What is Allopathic Medicine and the Pharmaceutical Industry doing to research why this is such a common surgery in the U.S.?  My second question naturally is, "Why did GOD give us this 'non-essential' organ?"  Your gallbladder is necessary for helping you break down your fat.  Fat is necessary for stopping inflammation and for building hormones.  If you cannot sufficiently breakdown your fat, you will have too much inflammation and will develop hormone imbalances.  Could these be a reason why the Medical Profession and the Pharmaceutical Industry have not come up with solutions for this organ called the gallbladder?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and everything I have found over the past 20 years of practice, your gall bladder is the area of the body that helps to make decisions.  Most people think the brain is where decisions are made, but from a physiological perspective, research indicates that the neuro-peptides related to your ability to make decisions are found and stored in your gallbladder.  What's also interesting is your ability to plan and organize your thoughts is carried around on neuro-peptides that are found and stored in your liver.  And the two of these organs are paired in Traditional Chinese Medicine and are categorized as the Wood Element, one of the 5 Elements in the 5 Element Theory of Health.  What's also interesting is the chief emotions associated with the gallbladder are those of resentment, feeling galled, a sense of stubbornness, emotional repression (holding your feelings in), depression and indecision.  Likewise, with the liver, we have anger, frustration, aggression and irrationality.  Why do I bring these emotions up?  Simple.  We are emotional beings and yet we have spent years being taught that it is improper to show our emotions, especially if they are going to make others uncomfortable, or if we might embarrass ourselves or other by showing them.  Well, that being common, I'm sure as common as or more so than one of the most common surgeries performed on this non-essential organ, the suppressed or unexpressed or repressed energy associated with all of those emotions will lead to gallbladder pathology.  If you are failing to express the true feelings you have about a spouse, child, co-worker or life circumstance that causes you to feel any of the emotions listed, either all of the time or even just some of the time, this will lead to gallbladder disease and gallbladder pathology.

Now, certainly you could have one of the most common surgeries done every year in the U.S., and you could have this 'non-essential' organ removed, and then what?  Meaning what do you do now to know that you are suffering from stuffed emotions?  Having the indicator of the imbalance removed does not get rid of the imbalance?  Failing to address the underlying cause, the emotional imbalances, does nothing to help the patient other than allowing the problem to get bigger. 

I have had several patients over the years that have come to me after they have had their gallbladder removed.  Each and every one of them still has issues with their health.  True, their gallbladder doesn't bother then anymore, yet they have digestive issues and are on at least one (usually more than one) medication for the rest of their lives.  And the best part about it is the liver, which is the other half of the Wood Element, now has to be able to filter and detoxify the medications, which continues to create stress on the system of the patient.  Ultimately, it becomes a more convoluted to resolve and sometimes the patient gives up before they can have their problem handles.

A better option would be to do a Liver/gallbladder flush and to discuss a way of dealing with the repressed emotion.  This requires a different approach, but like my mom always said, "Different isn't wrong, different is just different."  Always liked that and have always remembered that. 

So the next time you are told, "you have gallbladder issues" or "you need your gallbladder removed and it is one of the most common surgeries done in the U.S.," simply smile and say, "Thanks for the diagnosis Doc.  Now I will go deal with the imbalance and be able to keep my gallbladder."  After all, it is your decision maker and we wouldn't want you to have that taken away from you, would we?

If you are having trouble with your Gallbladder, please feel free to call me at 845-561-2225 or e-mail me at Dr. Huntoon and we can discuss all your options to keeping your gallbladder and leading a healthier life.  It would be my pleasure to help you to better health.

Dr. Huntoon has a single mission:

To support as many people as possible in their quest for health and enable them to improve and maintain their health to the highest level possible, while educating them about the benefits of Chiropractic, Natural Healthcare and Holistic Living, so they in turn can teach others to support us having a healthy community.

Your Choice

• Continue doing the same thing and nothing changes or it may get worse

OR

• Try something different and get a different result that makes you happier and healthier.