The awesomeness of bile !
When 25 years ago, as part of my training, I first came across “The Gall Bladder Flush”, I was intrigued. I was taught that it was a prescription for flushing the gall stones we all harbour in our liver and gall bladder that contribute to hepatic “congestion”. This justified enduring such a scary practice consisting of drinking between 120 to 200 ml of olive oil on an empty stomach.
The effort being rewarded by quantity of “stones”, which could be collected from the stools the following morning, somehow made the challenge worth undertaking and I was sold on the idea. 
From then on, I started practising regular flushes and prescribing them as part of my detox retreats and cleansing packages. Over the years I must have supervised thousands of gall bladder flushes despite being repeatedly challenged by those of a mind that a gall bladder is essentially an appendage designed for the benefit of newly practising surgeons.Those doubters believe that the pea-shaped yellow green blobs that are released can only be oil (or cholesterol)…and what could possibly be the point in that?
For a start, I can confirm that some of those blobs are indeed genuine gall stones even if a lot of them are a soft congealed mixture of bile and cholesterol; additionally and on closer examination the softer blobs frequently reveal hard calcified centres proving that, although not strictly speaking stones, they are on their way to become calcified. Colour varies from yellow/grey to black or green also clearly indicating variations in state and composition.
I have come to realise from my extensive experience with clients, and with myself, that a “Gall Bladder flush” may get rid of gall stones (although not everyone seems to suffer from them) but even more reliably flushes a quantity of bile from both the liver and the gall bladder… And there is a definite benefit to that whatever the state of your gall bladder.
Bile is the bright green viscous liquid made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder which has the specific property of emulsifying fat but does so much more than participating in fat digestion. Through the bile system, the liver excretes cholesterol and detoxifies some fat-soluble molecules such as hormones (oestrogen, testosterone etc.) metabolites (the broken down bits that need to be eliminated to avoid toxic accumulation). Perhaps the most remarkable function of bile is in the control of bacteria especially of the gut. The bile acids that make up bile act as a strong antibiotic and tightly regulate the type and amount of bacteria that can thrive. Without optimal bile composition and flow (encouraged by regular flushes), pathogenic organisms in the gut can quickly run out of control and start wrecking havoc with the immune system leading to chronic inflammation not just in the gut but in the whole body. Chronic inflammation is now a well documented cause of many diseases from cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia and cardio-vascular diseases to obesity and depression. As part of a whole system approach, bile flushing effectively targets chronic inflammation and should not be overlooked in the control of chronic diseases.
Last year I undertook a “Gall Bladder Flush” journey which taught me a lot about its benefits.
I decided to experiment with my own body and in order to establish exactly how useful they are. I also wanted to know if what came out changed/reduced (how many “stones” could one liver actually store or produce?) and if the practice itself became easier as the liver became “cleaner”. I was a very good candidate for this because I have always had a delicate liver after contracting hepatitis A as a child. This also meant that drinking oil made me feel queasy and all of my previous (but much less frequent) flushes had produced quantity of yellow/green stone-like matter.
Far from a self-inflicted punishment for the sake of science, my journey of self discovery quickly became fascinating and a turning point in my own health management. Every time I did a flush I would observe immediate benefits: feeling lighter, clearer thinking, emotionally calmer, reduced PMT, reduced knee pain, etc… It didn’t always lasts but it was always noticeable. Twice I suffered with a bad cold straight after but it still spurred me on. I can’t actually remember at which point I was able to say that lasting changes had taken place but gradually the experience became easy, the released amount of bile and stones much less and my general well-being and energy level more stable than they had ever been.
There are contra-indications to gall bladder flushing (gall bladder disease being one of them) and it is not always useful or beneficial. Bile composition is unique to the individual as is its tendency to thicken and produce general liver congestion. That’s why it should never be undertaken without a full medical history and the supervision of an experience practitioner. However time and time again I have seen how helpful it can be to relieve hormonal issues such as menopausal symptoms and how it substantially improves symptoms of heartburn and bloating. It undoubtedly works on an emotional level too and can subtly help release old resentments, hurt and anger.
A colonic treatment on the day of the flush and on the day after will make the experience more comfortable and ooccasionally I have also recommended a follow up treatment a few days later.
All of the detox retreats I run include the possibility of a gall bladder flush.
