Root Cause | 2. Gallstones & Cholecystitis

One of the more common causes of abdominal pain, and one of the most commonly removed organs in the body. However, few people understand the cause of gallbladder dysfunction.

Photo by Anton Maksimov 5642.su on Unsplash

When people hear “gallstones” they may think of dense balls in the gallbladder, which can inflame so severely that it can be fatal.

No one really gives you a good explanation of how you go from living your daily life to developing gallstones, to potentially dying of septic shock.

How did your gallbladder get so bad that a surgeon had to cut you open to save you from your own body?

I’ve performed ultrasounds on countless patients who come through the emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting only to find that their gallbladder is inflamed, full of gallstones, or both.

The conversation almost always goes something like this:

Me: Did you know that you have gallstones?

Patient: Yes.

Me: Has anyone explained to you how this came about, or how to prevent this from getting worse?

Patient: No.

Some patients tell me that they have been advised to avoid fatty foods or heavy meals.

The problem is that most doctors think of gallbladder dysfunction from a narrow perspective:

An obstruction downstream of the gallbladder that prevents the forward-flow of bile.

This perspective accounts for an all-too common observation: obstruction leading to inflammation, and sepsis requiring immediate surgical removal of the gallbladder.

Few people concern themselves with the upstream production and delivery of bile into the gallbladder.

The real question is: what happens when we are not producing bile of sufficient quality and quantity?

There is a lot to unpack, and in this article we will discuss:

• The nature of bile

• The relationship between the gut, liver and gallbladder

• The relationship between biliary colic, gallstones & inflammation

• Contributors to gallbladder dysfunction and formation of gallstones