Gallbladder Attack | Can Smoking Increase The Risk Of Gallstone Development?
Hospitalization due to gallbladder disease cost over 5 billion US dollars every year. In fact, of all the digestive diseases, gallbladder disease is responsible for the most sickness and death in the USA and Europe. (2) These statistics are staggering and understandably, many scientific medical studies have been done to determine causes and risk factors for gallstone development, biliary sludge, gallbladder inflammation or, cholecystitis, and gallbladder cancer. While strong links exist between tobacco cigarette smoking and liver, pancreatic and gallbladder cancers, less definitive links have been found between smoking and gallstone development. Some studies have suggested that there is a connection and risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked.
The gallbladder is a small, pear shaped organ located just beneath the liver. Its role is to store bile and toxins which are created in the liver. The fat content in the food that we eat triggers specific volumes and concentration of bile to be released into the small intestines in order to emulsify fats and make them useable. As well, fat soluble vitamins are transformed so that they can be absorbed when they come into contact with bile. When the gallbladder does not empty efficiently or the cholesterol levels in bile are excessively high, this fluid may thicken, crystals and stones may form and irritation of the gallbladder lining may occur. Many people have gallstones ranging in size from small grains of sand to large marbles without being aware of it, however when one of these tiny pebbles travels and lodges in a bile duct, the result is extreme pain and inflammation, often referred to as a gallbladder attack.
Gallbladder Attack, Liver Injury and Smoking – What Does Science Say?
Understandably, reducing risk factors for disease development goes a long way toward not only saving health care costs but preventing unnecessary pain, digestive issues and disease. We know that smoking tobacco cigarettes reduces circulatory blood flow. Smoking also increases the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in liver cell injury, increased red cell mass, iron overload and excessive production of uric acid and stress to the liver in smokers. Liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular or gallbladder carcinoma are possibilities. (1) The liver is responsible for processing drugs and other toxins. The over 4,000 toxic chemicals from cigarettes increase the development and severe hepatic lesions and negatively affect its function. A diseased liver will alter elements such as bilirubin in its fluid output can be altered. The digestive system organs are closely linked and dependent on each other.
What we know today is that maintaining healthy weight and diet as well as reducing certain known risk factors such as hormone therapy will reduce the likelihood of developing gallstones. And because smoking cigarettes is known to have negative effects on the digestive system and liver function, it would be a good bet for gallbladder health to eliminate that too.
Gallstones are crystallized toxins. Whether the toxins are endogenous such as from metabolic waste byproducts, or exogenous ones that arise from chemical exposure, chemical food additives, excessive protein consumption, smoking drinking etc., the body will bind toxins by using minerals such as calcium, magnesium and other electrolytes in order to contain them. That is how gallstones, kidney stones, joint crystallization form.
Long Term Prevention Against Gallbladder Attack And Gallstone Development
The Gallbladder works in conjunction with the liver. When there is excessive toxicity in the liver, there is bound to be the same in the gallbladder. That is because bile is manufactured in the liver and is stored in the gallbladder. But when there is excessive accumulation in the liver, the bile crystallizes in part and causes the development of gallstones and eventually that may eventually result in a gallbladder attack.
The Pulverexx Protocol is a one-month program for the dissolution of gallstones, toxic liver deposits and obstructions that may occur in the liver, gallbladder, common bile duct and the mouth of the pancreas. It dissolves cholesterol or calcified gallstones. Click here for more information.
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4088100/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4977331/
