The gallbladder is an organ that is often considered unnecessary, but it plays a crucial role in storing and concentrating bile salts. Bile is produced by the liver and friendly bacteria, and about 95-97% of the bile produced is recycled. Bile is essential for many functions in the body, making the gallbladder an important organ.
- Gallbladder Anatomy
- What is the gallbladder?
- What is Bile?
- The Importance of Fat-Soluble Vitamins
- The Possible Causes of Low Bile and How to Address them.
- What are Gallstones?
- The Real Cause of Gallstones
- How to Stop Gallbladder Pain
- Best Supplements and Foods to Help with Gallstones
- 5 Tips for Dissolving Gallstones and Cleansing Gallbladder
- Liver and Gallbladder Flushing with Acupressure
- 12 Complications After Gallbladder Removal
Taking Bile Salts as a Supplement
Bile salts are often taken as a supplement, usually after a meal. They can help with bloating, belching, burping, and nausea. While most people know that bile salts extract fat-soluble vitamins from the fat in their diet, there are many other benefits of using purified bile salts and taking them on an empty stomach.
Primary Function of Bile Salts
The primary function of bile salts is to extract fat-soluble vitamins from the fat in your diet. However, there are many other benefits to using purified bile salts, such as helping with digestion and reducing symptoms of digestive discomfort.
Dr. Berg Explains the Benefits of Purified Bile Salts
Purified bile salts have many benefits for the human body. In this article, we will discuss the nine benefits of taking purified bile salts, as explained by Dr. Berg.
1. Reduced Risk of Gallstones
Bile salts can help reduce the risk of getting gallstones. This is because a gallstone is a super concentrated gallbladder crystal compound, and bile salts help prevent the formation of cholesterol crystals.
2. Extraction of Nutrients
Purified bile salts can help extract fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D, and K, and omega-3 fatty acids. Bile emulsifies fat and breaks it down into small particles that increase the surface area for the pancreas to release its enzyme called lipase, which further dissolves the fat particles. This process helps fully extract the nutrients from the food, and both bile and pancreatic enzymes are needed for it to be successful.
3. Constipation Relief
Bile is a lubricant that helps lubricate the colon. When deficient in bile, one can become constipated. If there is too much bile, it can cause diarrhea as it releases a lot of water through the intestines, specifically the large intestine. Thus, it is essential to take the right amount of purified bile salts.
4. Thyroid Hormone Conversion
Bile helps convert thyroid hormones T4 and T3. T4 is the inactive version of the thyroid hormone, and T3 is the active form. The body needs bile to make this transition from T4 to T3. People who have had their gallbladder removed and become gallbladder deficient may end up with a thyroid problem. In such cases, taking purified bile salts can help the thyroid greatly. However, if you have too many thyroid hormones, bile salts are contraindicated, and taking them can increase the conversion and make things worse.
5. Reduced Inflammation
Bile salts can act as a VDR (vitamin D receptor) agonist, which helps trigger the receptor for vitamin D. This is crucial in autoimmune diseases because inflammation is the main problem in such conditions. Vitamin D is the most important vitamin in reducing inflammation, and if there is no inflammation, there are hardly any symptoms of autoimmune conditions. Bile can help indirectly reduce inflammation in the body, especially the liver.
6. Pain Relief
Purified bile salts can help decrease pain in the body, specifically in the right shoulder. If there is congestion between the liver and the ducts going to the gallbladder or the small intestine, bile will form sludge, causing pain. A deficiency of bile can cause pain problems. By taking purified bile salts, the sludge thins, allowing things to drain through, and the pain goes away.
7. Reduced Risk of SIBO
Bile is toxic to bacteria. As it is released into the small intestine, it kills off all the bacteria there, preventing bacterial growth in the wrong place. Most of the bile is reabsorbed into the liver, and very little bile enters the small intestine, keeping bacteria in the right place, the large intestine.
8. Reduced Inflammation in the Liver
Bile is a protective substance that helps reduce inflammation in the liver.
9. Reduced Toxic Load
Purified bile salts help reduce the toxic load. Toxins filtered out by the liver need bile salts to push them out through the small intestine and then out through the large intestine.
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Dr. Berg recommends taking purified bile salts on an empty stomach, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is important to note that people with hyperthyroid conditions should never take bile salts. It is also crucial to take the right amount of purified bile salts