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Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic staff
Remedies to prevent gallstones from causing complications
If you have gallstones that aren't causing signs or symptoms, you may worry that you'll experience pain or other symptoms of gallstones in the future. For this reason, some people turn to complementary and alternative medicine for gallstone cures.
No alternative therapies have been proved to cure or dissolve gallstones.
Some alternative therapies may help reduce your risk of gallstone complications, though. Ask your doctor about which therapies may be safe for you to try. Options might include:
- Eating a high-fiber diet that includes healthy fats. Choose a diet that's full of a variety of fruits and vegetables. These high-fiber foods may help prevent additional gallstones from forming. Also include healthy, unsaturated fats in your diet. Foods that contain unsaturated fats include fish and nuts.
- Taking vitamin supplements. People who don't get enough vitamin C, vitamin E or calcium may have an increased risk of gallstones. There isn't enough evidence to suggest that supplements containing these vitamins can prevent gallstones. Ask your doctor about the benefits and risks of vitamin supplements. The safest way to get more vitamins is to choose foods that contain them.
- Gallstones. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/index.htm. Accessed May 28, 2009.
- Understanding gallstones. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5680. Accessed May 28, 2009.
- Choi Y, et al. Biliary tract disorders, gallbladder disorders and gallstone pancreatitis. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/biliary.asp?mode=print&. Accessed May 28, 2009.
- Browning JD, et al. Gallstone diseases. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/140200591-2/0/1389/0.html. Accessed May 28, 2009.
- What are the risk factors for gallbladder cancer? American Cancer Society. Accessed June 8, 2009.
- Rakel D. Cholelithiasis. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/142209696-2/0/1494/0.html. Accessed June 8, 2009.
- Venneman NG, et al. Gallstone disease: Primary and secondary prevention. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2006;20:1063.
