Treatment of cholecystitis with folk remedies can be effective and safe. Complex therapy for this disease necessarily includes not only medications, but also proper nutrition, as well as the use of herbal infusions and decoctions. In addition, many plant extracts are used to make pharmaceutical preparations, which once again confirms their effectiveness. However, before starting treatment, it is worth undergoing an examination to ensure that the diagnosis is correct, as well as to clarify the form and cause of the disease.
The effectiveness of traditional medicine against cholecystitis
There is a huge variety of folk recipes that help get rid of the manifestations of cholecystitis. The disease is an acute or chronic inflammation of the walls of the gallbladder. The process can be associated with various factors and develop under the influence of cold, poor nutrition, viral or bacterial infection, as well as helminth infestation.
Depending on the conditions of cholecystitis, two types are distinguished:
- calculous - associated with the formation of stones in the cavity of the gallbladder;
- non-calculous - with this form there are no stones, and the disease manifests itself only by inflammation of the walls of the organ.
Cholecystitis is a disease for which treatment at home is justified. The main goal of therapy is to normalize the outflow of bile through the biliary tract, since they can be compressed by inflamed tissues. In addition, this secretion becomes thicker and does not pass well through the ducts into the duodenum. Thick bile accumulates in the cavity of the gallbladder and can precipitate, which is the first degree of gallstone disease.
Treatment for calculous and acalculous cholecystitis will differ. In the first case, it is important not only to normalize the outflow of bile, but also to get rid of its cause - stones in the cavity of the gallbladder. There are pharmaceutical preparations and herbal extracts that provoke the resorption of stones, but in advanced cases, traditional methods may be ineffective. Large stones are not amenable to medication and can only be removed on the operating table. If chronic cholecystitis occurs due to poor nutrition, it can be easily cured at home.
Proper nutrition is the basis for the treatment of cholecystitis
Why do problems occur in the gallbladder?
Gallbladder diseases occur due to excessive secretion of bile or, conversely, its stagnation.
The main factors that provoke the accumulation of bile in the gallbladder and its diseases are:
- poisoning, including alcoholic;
- excessive negative emotions such as anger;
- constant stressful situations at work;
- poor nutrition, excess meat dishes in the diet;
- helminth infection, such as opisthorchiasis;
- consequences of surgery
- sedentary lifestyle.
Of course, a healthy diet is very important, but problems mainly arise due to stress and lack of physical activity.
Modern people move little and mostly sit in offices at the computer. The abdominal area must be massaged for the health of its internal organs. In our case, to stimulate the gallbladder so that bile does not stagnate.
But still, the main problem of bile stagnation is the frequent manifestation of negative emotions. Worried about something, nervous, we unconsciously compress the muscles of the internal organs, in our case the sphincter of Oddi, as a result we do not allow bile to exit normally from the gallbladder. Negative emotions are especially destructive during meals, at the moment when bile begins to be released.
Let us now consider how to treat chronic inflammation of the gallbladder.
Foods that help with an inflamed gallbladder
Diet is the main condition for recovery from inflammation of the gallbladder. Cholecystitis is often caused by eating unhealthy foods or eating irregularly. Its main reason is a large amount of animal fats, which form cholesterol deposits. In addition, an abundance of fatty foods disrupts the processes of natural secretion and outflow of bile. It is this secretion that is involved in the emulsification and breakdown of fat in the intestines, and is produced in response to food entering the stomach.
Regardless of the method of treating gallbladder inflammation, it is important to completely reconsider your diet and create a correct diet. Treatment of cholecystitis at home should begin with proper nutrition. Since many products have anti-inflammatory and choleretic properties, they become mandatory for consumption. For any form of cholecystitis, doctors recommend eating as follows:
Dissolving gallstones with folk remedies
- divide the daily portion of food into 5-6 meals and eat it every 2 hours;
- drink at least 2 liters of water a day (it helps to dilute bile and normalizes its outflow), but do not wash it down with food, but drink it between meals;
- exclude fats of animal origin, especially during an exacerbation - they can provoke the formation of cholesterol gallstones;
- eat fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as juices from them - these products cleanse the gallbladder;
- do not exceed the permissible calorie intake - to process large amounts of food, the liver must produce bile in increased quantities, which aggravates the disease;
- prefer lean first courses, cereals, boiled or stewed vegetables, and choose only low-fat varieties of meat and fish;
- completely avoid alcoholic and carbonated drinks, strong coffee and tea - they can be replaced with natural herbal infusions.
In case of malnutrition, cholecystitis often occurs in combination with other diseases. The inflammatory process spreads to the rest of the digestive tract, and the patient is diagnosed with gastritis, pancreatitis, hepatitis or intestinal diseases. For all these pathologies, it is recommended to normalize the diet, and then begin treatment with medications or traditional methods. Mild inflammation of the gallbladder can be cured solely with diet, without taking additional medications.
Treatment at home
Treatment of cholecystitis can be done independently at home. However, only the doctor determines the treatment regimen. All his recommendations must be followed unquestioningly.
Medical supplies
When treating cholecystitis, different groups of drugs are used depending on the symptoms, laboratory tests and ultrasound, and the presence of concomitant diseases.
Antibacterial medications
Antibiotics are used if the pathology is caused by a bacterial infection. They are mainly prescribed for acute cholecystitis. The active substances of the products quickly penetrate the bile and destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
Such drugs as Ampicillin, Ciprolet, Cefotaxime, Clarithromycin are effective.
They are prescribed based on the sensitivity of the pathogen to a specific medication. If the bacteria is resistant to the product, treatment will not give any results. That is why it is important that the drug is selected by the attending doctor.
Choleretic medications
This group of tablets is used to enhance the production of bile, improve its outflow, prevent the process of stone formation, and the development of cholelithiasis.
Drugs such as Digestal, Nicodin, and Allohol are often prescribed.
Antispasmodics
These drugs help relax the muscles of the gallbladder and its ducts, which helps improve the movement of bile and reduce pain.
The following remedies help well: “Drotaverine”, “No-Shpa”, “Meteospasmil”.
Medicines against parasites
If parasitic organisms are identified in the gastrointestinal tract, these remedies cannot be avoided. The action of medications is aimed at destroying parasites and removing them from the patient’s body as quickly as possible.
Among the popular drugs are “Chloksil”, “Vermox”, “Trichopol”. The doctor selects a medicine depending on the type of parasite that has settled.
Medicines are prescribed exclusively by a doctor. In no case should you accept them uncontrollably, based on reviews alone. This is fraught not only with a lack of effect from treatment, but also with aggravation of the course of the disease and the occurrence of negative consequences.
Nutrition
For calculous or other types of cholecystitis, a mandatory component of treatment is diet. Without it, it will not be possible to achieve the desired result. After all, it is poor nutrition that most often provokes the development of this pathology. This is all due to the consumption of animal fats.
General principles of therapeutic nutrition:
- Eat food in small portions, that is, often, but in small portions. Doctors advise eating about 250 g of food once every 2 hours, 5 times a day.
- Maintain drinking regime. Drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day, as it will help make bile more liquid and improve its movement.
- Never wash down your food. Consume drinks only after meals.
- Remove foods containing animal fats from your diet. These substances contribute to an increase in cholesterol and the accumulation of cholesterol stones in the gall bladder.
- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables allowed for cholecystitis.
- Monitor calorie levels when planning your menu. The more calories, the more secretion is produced, which aggravates the course of cholecystitis.
- Prepare food in any way, except for frying.
- Completely avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, carbonated juices, strong coffee and tea. It is better to include herbal infusions and green tea in your diet.
Products that have a choleretic effect and can suppress the inflammatory process are recommended for consumption. You must eat:
- lean soups;
- porridge;
- vegetables fruits;
- lean meats and fish;
- milk with a small percentage of fat content.
All harmful products that many patients love so much will have to be removed from the menu. These are, for example, smoked meats, sausages, fast food, spicy, fatty and fried foods, mushrooms.
Treatment with mineral water
During the treatment period, doctors advise drinking mineral water, for example, Essentuki, Smirnovskaya. Healing water will help enhance the outflow of bile, preventing its thickening and improving its quality.
Such mineral waters contain substances that have a choleretic effect and help relax the walls of the bile ducts.
But you don’t need to drink this water like regular water. Compliance with a specific dosage is required, which should be prescribed by the attending physician.
Massage treatments
To enhance the movement of bile at home, it is allowed to massage the abdomen. The procedure helps:
- normalize the activity of the biliary tract;
- increase blood circulation in the abdominal area;
- ensure the movement of lymph;
- improve the flow of bile.
For the first few sessions, it is better to call a specialist so that he can teach you how to properly perform a massage.
ethnoscience
There are a large number of unconventional ways to relieve inflammation of the gallbladder. The most effective folk remedies are worth considering in more detail.
Tyubazhi
The method involves the use of special solutions for cleaning the gastrointestinal tract, for example, sorbitol, mineral water, and decoctions based on medicinal herbs. Doctors often prescribe it for the treatment of cholecystitis at home, but they select the means themselves.
During the procedure, the patient performs the following steps:
- In the morning, on an empty stomach, drink the warm solution prescribed by the doctor.
- Lie on the right side and place a warm heating pad in the liver area, which helps relax the muscles of the biliary tract.
- Lies for 1.5-2 hours, then the urge to urinate occurs.
If a person goes to the toilet often, it means that the warming has had a positive effect. All accumulated bile, as well as harmful substances, are released along with the feces.
Before the procedure, the doctor is required to prescribe an examination of the patient. This is a mandatory point that cannot be neglected. It is important to check the gallbladder to see if there is a stone there. If it is present, there is a risk that during warming up it will begin to move and block the bile duct. As a result, the person will have to be treated surgically.
Herbal therapy
In the arsenal of alternative medicine there are many recipes for the treatment of chronic cholecystitis using medicinal plants. The most popular means are:
- Honey-rowanberry mixture. Pick the fruits, rinse them well, pour boiling water over them, and squeeze out the juice. Mix the resulting liquid with honey in a 2:1 ratio. Take 50 ml three times a day.
- Rose hip decoction. Grind the roots of the plant, separate 2 tablespoons and add a glass of water. Place on the stove, bring to a boil, strain. Drink the resulting volume throughout the day, dividing it into several doses.
- Infusion based on corn silk. Pour a teaspoon of raw material into a glass of boiled water and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Drink half a glass twice a day on an empty stomach.
Cleansing the gallbladder using traditional methods
Exacerbation of cholecystitis can be caused by excessive secretion of bile and its accumulation in the gallbladder. In this case, it is necessary to free it from excess contents, otherwise the inflammatory process will continue to progress. Pharmacies sell special medications that have a choleretic effect, but they can be replaced with one of the simple products.
- Olive oil stimulates the flow of bile through the bile ducts. It is drunk three times a day before meals, you can start with 1 teaspoon. To enhance the effect, drink it with fresh apple or pineapple juice. The cleansing course lasts 3 days.
- For cholecystitis that is not accompanied by high levels of cholesterol in the blood, you can treat it with raw chicken egg yolks. Every morning on an empty stomach, drink 2 eggs, and the first meal should be half an hour later. This product should be used with caution as it may contain parasite larvae and eggs.
- No less effective is cleansing with rosehip decoction. Two tablespoons of the crushed root of this plant are poured into a glass of water and brought to a boil. The medicine should be taken throughout the day; you can additionally eat chicken egg yolks in the morning.
- Fresh black radish juice is another recipe that stimulates the flow of bile. It is squeezed out of the raw product and taken 50 ml per day. To improve the taste, you can add a small amount of honey. The drug is contraindicated for peptic ulcers of the digestive tract.
Medicinal herbs are taken separately or as part of complex preparations
Treatment of cholecystitis with folk remedies can be no less effective than taking expensive drugs. During the course of therapy, you should pay attention to your well-being. Pain and other symptoms should gradually subside, and their exacerbation indicates that the chosen medication must be stopped.
Acute cholecystitis
Acute cholecystitis is usually a more dangerous form of the disease, which is accompanied in 90% of cases, according to doctors, by gallstones. What makes cholecystitis dangerous in the presence of gallstones, such cholecystitis already has a name - cholelithiasis or calculous cholecystitis.
The danger of calculous cholecystitis is the accumulation of gallstones, which can enter the bile ducts and disrupt the flow of bile from the gallbladder. Often, acute calculous cholecystitis requires urgent medical intervention.
All this is very serious and dangerous. Therefore, in case of chronic cholecystitis, it is important to prevent the appearance of stones in the gall bladder. This is how the gastroenterologist explained to me, it is important to periodically drink choleretic herbs, which I will discuss below in the article, do an ultrasound, monitor your weight and health, and then everything will be fine.
Effective remedies against cholecystitis
The most effective remedies for the treatment of cholecystitis, which are recommended by traditional medicine specialists, should not harm the body. They affect the processes of bile outflow, have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. In the initial stages, cholecystitis can be completely cured if you take one of the useful folk remedies:
- a day they eat half a glass of the mixture, which is obtained by infusing 500 g of oats with a liter of boiling water;
- freshly squeezed cabbage juice is another remedy for folk treatment of gallbladder diseases; you need to drink 500 ml in small portions per day;
- half a glass of a mixture of sunflower or olive oil in combination with grapefruit juice (in equal proportions) is drunk 2 hours after the last meal;
- a decoction of peeled crushed beets - keep it over low heat until thickened, and then take a quarter glass three times a day.
Treatment of chronic cholecystitis is a long process. Even pharmaceutical drugs cannot relieve the symptoms of this disease immediately after taking them, and natural remedies contain active ingredients in lower concentrations. They have the advantage of being accessible and safe, and they rarely cause side effects. However, before starting treatment for inflammation, you should consult a doctor and find out about all the nuances of the disease. Those drugs that are completely safe for adults can cause exacerbation of cholecystitis in children; the presence of other pathologies in the anamnesis should also be taken into account.
Difference between cholecystitis and other diseases
Cholecystitis can be confused with the following diseases that have similar manifestations:
1. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract | The patient complains of vomiting, belching and a burning sensation in the esophagus. The stool is disrupted, the intestinal walls hurt from the gases accumulated inside it. |
2. Allergies | Angioedema, urticaria, and seasonal allergies appear on the skin. Choking and increased levels of eosinophils in the blood are less common. |
3. Neurocerebral diseases | Migraine-like headaches occur. Sweat begins to be released through the pores of the skin. The patient has difficulty waking up or falling asleep, complains of irritability and depression. |
4. Rheumatism | As with this disease, patients describe joint pain, metabolic changes, and heart pain. The ECG shows a mild degree of conduction disturbance. |
5. Cardiovascular diseases | It is easy to confuse them with them - erroneous conclusions are drawn based on the presence of interruptions in the work of the main muscle of the body, as well as pain in the sternum. |
6. Thyrotoxicosis | Mood swings, increased heart rate and elevated temperature for a long time are signs of not only thyrotoxicosis, but also cholecystitis. |
To avoid mistakes when making a diagnosis, the patient is referred to an ultrasound scan of the abdominal cavity.
How to understand that you are sick with cholecystitis?
1. You experience short-term and severe pain if you deviate from your diet or are under stress. Such pain is a signal of a spasm of the pathways that remove bile. If the pain is aching, constant and becomes stronger with physical activity, then this indicates hypotension (stagnation of bile).
2. You feel a bitter taste in your mouth. Belching also has a bitter taste. If there are errors in nutrition, vomiting with bile often occurs.
3. You suffer from profuse sweating, often get tired, sleep poorly and are nervous. Excessive suspiciousness also indicates a “bilious” marker of the disease.
In the video, learn about the first symptoms of gallbladder problems that you should not ignore:
Herbal preparations and decoctions for the treatment of cholecystitis
In the arsenal of traditional medicine, there are hundreds of recipes for herbal infusions, tinctures and decoctions, but it is important to know how to treat the disease so as not to harm the patient. Treatment of cholecystitis with herbs is the most gentle way to relieve pain and inflammation, as well as normalize the processes of secretion and outflow of bile. There are several varieties of such natural preparations that can be prepared at home:
- choleretic herbs for cholecystitis are very useful because they prevent its thickening in the cavity of the gallbladder and the formation of stones;
- anti-inflammatory herbal remedies - effectively relieve pain and inflammation;
- natural antibacterial drugs - indicated if the disease is caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria.
Herbs for chronic cholecystitis can be the basis of treatment for this disease. They can be taken separately or combined with each other to increase effectiveness. It is also recommended to combine herbal components from different groups - this way they can act not only on the symptoms, but also on the causes of the disease.
If the gallbladder is inflamed, it is recommended to clean it using traditional methods.
- One spoon of corn silk is poured into a glass of boiling water and left for at least an hour. The infusion should be drunk during the day, and a fresh one should be brewed the next morning. This remedy stimulates the outflow of bile and normalizes the process of its secretion.
- Two tablespoons of dried crushed yarrow are brewed in 200 ml of boiling water. The mixture must then be strained, divided into 4 servings and drunk before each meal.
- Two tablespoons of sage are poured into 400 ml of boiling water and left for half an hour. The product is drunk several spoons every 2-3 hours. It relieves inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract and gall bladder.
- A good remedy for cholecystitis is a complex choleretic preparation. Birch leaves, juniper fruits, wormwood and yarrow raw materials are mixed in equal proportions and crushed. One spoon of the mixture is poured into a glass of boiling water and simmered over low heat for 15–20 minutes. Then the broth is filtered and drunk a glass in the morning and evening.
- A mixture of St. John's wort, motherwort, immortelle and mint also has medicinal properties. For 1 liter of boiling water you will need 4 tablespoons of dry crushed raw materials. It is poured with boiling water and left in a thermos for at least 2 hours. You need to take half a glass three times a day. The drug is contraindicated in case of increased secretion of gastric juice.
Treating gallbladder inflammation at home is a lengthy but effective process. If the process is not caused by the formation of large stones or organ deformations, treatment with folk remedies will be no less useful than taking pharmaceutical medications. The course of therapy should begin with normalizing nutrition and cleansing the gallbladder cavity of excess contents. However, during periods of exacerbation of the disease, some medications may be contraindicated. It is also necessary to exclude the presence of inflammatory or ulcerative changes in the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. It is possible to completely get rid of cholecystitis at home, but treatment will take at least 2-4 weeks, unlike potent medications - some of them relieve inflammation immediately after administration.
Cholecystitis. Causes
The most basic reason is poor flow of bile from the gallbladder. As a rule, this is called bile stagnation. You can read more about bile stagnation in the article on the blog “Bile Stagnation“. This process can lead to the formation of gallstones, which further obstruct the flow and sometimes block the bile ducts.
- The reasons that can cause cholecystitis include improper and irregular nutrition.
- Overeating is one of the main causes of chronic cholecystitis. Meals should be fractional, you need to eat 5-6 times a day in small portions and do not overload. It is very important.
- Abuse of fried, fatty, spicy, smoked foods.
- Sedentary lifestyle. Natural processes in the body are inhibited. The outflow of bile and the formation of gastric and pancreatic juice are disrupted. A sedentary lifestyle leads to poor stimulation of these processes.
- Pathogenic changes in the microflora of the gallbladder. Pathogenic changes occur when pathogenic microorganisms enter the bile and bile ducts, which multiply and this leads to blockage of the ducts, which can result in inflammation of the gallbladder, that is, cholecystitis.
- Pregnancy can provoke cholecystitis. During pregnancy, especially in the second half, hormonal changes occur. But, cholecystitis during pregnancy occurs in older women.
- Hereditary predisposition.
Symptoms of acute and chronic cholecystitis
Acute and chronic forms of the disease are interconnected - the first, in the absence of therapeutic measures, inevitably turns into the second.
Acute cholecystitis is indicated by intense pain in the right hypochondrium, which can radiate to the collarbone or right shoulder. When you press on the area of the right hypochondrium, muscle tension and pain are felt. The patient complains of vomiting and dry mouth. The skin takes on a yellow tint. This condition is accompanied by bloating, belching and an increase in temperature 2-3 degrees above normal.
See also video about acute cholecystitis:
Chronic cholecystitis manifests itself somewhat differently. The pain on the right under the ribs is not sharp, but aching and dull (bilious colic with sharp pain only appears periodically). It does not disappear completely and usually appears 1-3 hours after the patient has eaten heavily. Fatty and fried foods are a key factor in provoking the disease.
Moving upward from the hypochondrium, the pain affects the right shoulder, neck and shoulder blade. The taste in the mouth becomes bitter, “iron.” Digestive system disorders manifest themselves in nausea, bloating, and stool disorders: diarrhea often alternates with constipation. Patients become irritable and cannot sleep peacefully.