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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team (on leave)
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Posted: Sun Jan 14th, 2007 22:53 |
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What should I do for liver or gallbladder pain?
The liver is located in the right upper quadrant (RUQ), mostly tucked up under the lower ribs below the diaphragm. Pain in this area can radiate to the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades (it can be breath-taking for an instant) and may be accompanied by nausea and/or indigestion. Ultrasound may not show any gallstones....it could be due to inflammation only. Avoiding fatty foods may be helpful.
This study shows 1,25-D controls bile enzymes, which may be a reason for gallbladder dysfunction.
"There have been several folks recently who have felt the need to remove their gall bladders. The VDR (and Vitamin D) is closely involved with the bile acids, and with the ability of the liver to clear 'toxins'. I would expect gall bladder problems to, therefore, resolve, as do the other manifestations of Th1 disease. Please take a look at this paper.
..Trevor..
June 07 -Dr. Marshall writes;
"The gall bladder is heavily involved in Th1 disease process because the VDR subfamily of Nuclear Receptors are key to xenobiotic mechanisms in the body.
The VDR superfamily consists of (at least) the VDR, the PXR and the CAR. Of these the PXR (Pregnane Xenobiotic Receptor) is heavily involved in the Th1 disease processes, as it is activated not only by the bile acids, but also by the steroids. Our work has shown that high levels of 1,25-D, such as characterize Th1 inflammation, disable the proper functioning of the PXR.
Your surgeon probably won't understand a word of this I would be happy to chat with him about it
Bottom line - is that a badly functioning gall bladder will most likely become functional again once the Th1 pathogens have been killed off. Ripping out the gall bladder of a Th1 patient, IMO, should be avoided at all cost.
The truth is that I have no idea what the job of the gall bladder is, nor does anybody else. The knowledge about the PXR is only a few years old, one of the results of the sequencing of the genome. Its close relationship to VDR is still being discovered and documented, week by week.
My comments were really meant to make somebody think twice about a surgeon's advice that people can function perfectly well without their gall bladders. They are still telling us Vitamin D is good for us, too. 
In your case you will need to keep an eye out for new knowledge as it comes along. My suspicion is that as your body returns to health you will notice the loss of the gall bladder less and less, but that is purely a wild guess on my part."
Fatty liver
Fatty liver is caused by an imbalance in the metabolism of fatty acids, resulting in an accumulation of lipids (usually in the form of triglycerides) in the liver. This condition is reversible.
A diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver does not necessarily mean the liver is damaged. This article on the American College of Gastroenterology's website says,
"The most common form of NAFLD is a non serious condition called fatty liver. In fatty liver, fat accumulates in the liver cells. Although having fat in the liver is not normal, by itself it probably does not damage the liver."
Historically, the first report (1963) associating use of tetracyclines with fatty liver disease was the case of a pregnant woman on high-dose IV tetracycline. Similar reports in the 1960's involved pregnant women on high-dose IV tetracycline, often in treating pyelonephritis. So these circumstances were not similar to your own.
We do know that fatty liver is associated with idiopathic disease, inflammation, insulin resistance and obesity, but we see that Th1 inflammation has the same associations. Had you considered that fatty liver might be a manifestation of underlying Th1 inflammation? ~Belinda
Palliation
The first measures taken to reduce pain in the area of the gallbladder should be aimed at reducing immunopathology. See My immune system reaction is too strong. What should I do?
NSAIDs (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs)
These commonly prescribed pain medications can increase liver enzymes. If pain medication is needed, an alternative should be considered.
Milk thistle
RUQ pain is often relieved with the use of Silymarin/milk thistle which is available in capsules. Milk thistle is made from Silybum marianum seeds. With herbs like this, it's hard to measure the active ingredient amount. Since it all comes from plants, they vary with growing conditions. Some brands may work better than others so you may want to try another if one doesn't seem to help.
For quick relief (especially when the digestive system is not working well), you may try liquid milk thistle drops which are usually available from a local health food store. The drops taste horrible, but you can tolerate the taste in order to get rid of the pain. You can use the drops in addition to the capsules if needed.
Here is a list of milk thistle products.
Fennel tea is not recommended because fennel is thought to have antibiotic properties.
See also PAIN CONTROL
Members' experiences
-Some time ago, I found a liquid milk thistle that I like quite well. My husband was the one who bought it -- thought liquid would work faster/better because of nausea, indigestion from RUQ pain. One liquid dose (one dropper) has 500 mg, but I have no way of knowing how much active ingredient is in there. I just squirted it in the back of my mouth PRN. I used to take two droppers-full twice or even three times a day to control the pain. I rarely use it now, and usually only a dropper or two a day at a time. I can recall that when my left upper quadrant (which I vividly remember as spleen pain, since I used to have an enlarged spleen) followed my RUQ pain, the milk thistle would calm both. Your mileage may vary. I just know that when my liver pain got intense enough, I also ended up with spleen pain and milk thistle stopped that orchestration of pain. ~Belinda
-To share my story, I had a Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy or HIDA Scan for the gall bladder done in October of 2002. I couldn't digest any fats and had some severe digestive problems, nausea, gas and bloating, and shoulder blade pain. They found no obstruction or inflammation - but it was only emptying at 14%. It just wasn't contracting. They just diagnosed it as chronic biliary dysfunction and so, of course they said take it out. I said, I think I can do better. One of the main areas of intense burning I've had on the MP is in the gall bladder/liver area. The burning is pretty much gone in that area now, but was intense in phase 2. I've noticed I'm digesting fats better, have much, much less digestive problems, and don't have the pain in the backing up of the bile in the ducts. Seems pretty clear cut to me that as the MP says, we will find Th1 problems in areas we never had a clue were there. And, I'm so happy I didn't have my gall bladder taken out. My doctor and I are both interested later in the protocol, to redo the test. Bet it will be functioning much better.~Vikki
-I had to have a lap choley almost two years ago (middle of the night emergency ambulance ride to hospital!) When it came out the surgeon biopsied sarcs on the GB and my liver. That was the first clue that I had sarcoidosis. ~Linda Lou
-I certainly have experienced gall bladder symptoms as Herx reactions. ~Greg
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