Christine is a 39 year old mother of four who came to my clinic seeking help for her fatty liver. She has had a fatty liver for the last 6 years. Christine has a copy of my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It and she has been following the plan in that book for the last 6 months. A subsequent ultrasound showed her liver has experienced a very mild improvement, but Christine is quite concerned about her health and that’s why she wanted a consultation.

Christine got her gallbladder removed 9 weeks ago. She had gallstones for almost as long as the fatty liver. Christine has experienced a dull ache in the right upper side of her abdomen for many years (liver region). One night 9 weeks ago the pain became so bad that her husband drove her to hospital. Christine broke out in a sweat, she felt intensely nauseous and the pain was unbearable.

Christine left the hospital the following afternoon, without her gallbladder. In many cases gallstones can be dissolved and an inflamed gallbladder can be healed. This involves a big change in diet long term, but it is possible. In Christine’s case I was glad she had her gallbladder removed. The scan report said that there were 4 large stones present, her gallbladder was greatly inflamed and the walls of her gallbladder were significantly thickened. This means the condition was advanced and it had been present for a long time.

The problem is, despite having her gallbladder taken out, Christine was still in a significant amount of pain. This was a big shock to her. Surely the surgery was supposed to fix this.

I explained to Christine that a significant percentage of people still experience pain and discomfort after having their gallbladder removed. Yes it is necessary to remove a very diseased organ, but the bigger problem is still present. Why did Christine develop a gallbladder problem in the first place? What can be done about her fatty liver?

A number of different things can contribute towards causing gallbladder disease. We have described them in detail in our book Save Your Gallbladder, and what to do if you’ve already lost it. Generally if the liver is unhealthy, it will produce poor quality bile that is excessively thick and stagnant. Over time this can lead to the formation of bile sludge in the gallbladder. Eventually sludge can turn to stones. People with digestive problems are also more likely to develop gallstones. Celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can all impair proper contraction of the gallbladder. If the gallbladder can’t contract properly, it can’t empty fully. This also increases the risk of biliary sludge and stones.

The most important thing to do now is reduce Christine’s pain, improve her digestion and reverse the fatty liver.

This is what I recommended:

  • The eating plan in the book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. This is a lower carbohydrate, higher protein and healthy fat diet. It is not necessary or beneficial to avoid fat if you’ve got a fatty liver. You just need to avoid unhealthy fats: margarine and industrial seed oils high in omega 6 fats.
  • Christine suffered with a lot of heartburn and research has shown this can be caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. I asked Christine to take Intestinal Parasite Cleanse capsules for their anti-microbial effects, and also glutamine powder supplement, such as my Ultimate Gut Health powder,to heal the lining of her intestines and esophagus.
  • The liver tonic, Livatone Plus contains the nutrients needed by the liver to burn fat efficiently and also detoxify the bloodstream. I asked Christine to take 2 capsules twice daily with meals.
  • I asked my patient to drink 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in ¼ mug of warm water five minutes before lunch and dinner. This would prepare her digestive system for food and also improve nutrient absorption from her food and supplements.
  • Since she has had her gallbladder removed, Christine feels quite unwell after eating oily foods. The good fats in foods such as avocados, olive oil, egg yolks and pastured meat offer many health benefits and they also increase the satiety of a meal. Therefore I gave Christine an ox bile supplement to enable her to digest these good fats properly.

I saw Christine one week ago and plan to have another consultation with her in 3 weeks. She has sent me one email though and said so far she hasn’t experienced any pain in her liver region. Fatty liver is extremely common, but in Christine’s case it’s quite advanced and serious. Reversing it will take time and dedication but she has a strong determination to improve her health.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.