About gall stones

Hi
Here in Japan, I was hospitalized after a gallstone blocked the
common bile duct for 2 weeks. Previously, by the grace of God,
I had been quite healthy and enjoying life to the fullest, for
which I am very thankful.
However, the stone blockage was very painful. I had white stools and
very dark urine. The liver panel showed AST/ALT around 300 and
bilirubin at 6.0! I had severe jaundice, my eyes and skin were
yellow.
I took all manner of herbal preparations including “GallCleanse”
and “gold coin grass”, and eventually, after consuming a glass of
Italian fizzy water, the pain of the stone suddenly vanished -
presumably, the fizzy water had generated a pressure in the
duodenum which opened the sphincter of Oddi, allowing the stone
to fall out. But my liver was all shot up from the blockage and all

the herbs I had thrown at it. Then I developed unremitting itching
and stinging all over the body which was not relieved by scratching.
I gave up at that point and decided to go to hospital.
I know it is a “good” hospital and the surgeons are very skilled, but
the fact that there is no alternative to surgery in Japan made me go
weak at the knees. Also, since I had been told my gallbladder was
probably “folded over on itself”, I was trying to “undo”
the supposed adhesion of the gallbladder by doing spinal twists
which gave me two herniated disks at L2-L3 and L4-L5.
So I was admitted to the hospital in a wheelchair, and stayed
bedridden for 1 week.
I was put on antibiotics for 3 days on a drip with no food in a ward
with another person scheduled for GB surgery and others who were
recovering from pancreas and colon cancer operations, and
pursuing chemo/radiation treatments. I had a cascade of tests,
although I was unable to walk - 8 X-rays for the back plus an MRI,
and an MRCP for the bile ducts. I also had an endoscopic ultrasound
showing the gallbladder was full of stones (a horrible procedure),
but since the bile duct was no longer blocked and the bilirubin level
was falling, I was told I could be discharged from the hospital
without having the GB removed, at least for now.
They also told me my stones were “pigment” stones of calcium
bilirubinate, coated with a protective layer of calcium salts.
I had the “GallCleanse” product at home, but I did not take
it any more since my liver was all shot up. It also appears that the
product cannot dissolve pigment stones, although the
maker says otherwise (over the phone).
Internet searches showed the only substances so far known to
dissolve the hard, brittle pigment stones are the calcium
chelator, EDTA, and - sodium metaphosphate (toxic, please do
not attempt to consume that substance).
In lab tests, the solvent action of EDTA was enhanced with a
cholesterol dissolvent such as “urso”, and a bile production
agent like heparin. Alternatively, the action was enhanced with a
detergent (surfactant) such as “Lubrol” and another bile production
agent - urea (toxic waste product of metabolism).
The Japanese authors of these reports from the 1970s “hoped that the
results would soon lead to a safe oral treatment for gallstones”, and
they also said that it was quite feasible to develop one.
Why have their wishes and hopes been ignored?
Actually, I think the EDTA could be replaced by another, safer
calcium/iron chelator (IP6 - inositol hexaphosphate). The
“urso” might be replaced by terpenes such as those in peppermint,
coriander or “GallCleanse”. The surfactant might be Manuka honey.
The bile production agent could be ginger. I also contacted
Ayurvedic doctors in Sri Lanka and they recommend consuming
aloe vera, perhaps it facilitates entry of these agents into the GB.
They also said that in Sri Lanka, the aim of surgery is now to remove
only the stones and leave the GB, whose function is then restored
with herbs.
At www.earthclinic.com, I read a story about a Thai village
where “all the gallstone sufferers got better by consuming
sesame seeds”. This is possible since sesame seeds are full of
phosphorus, some of which could end up as metaphosphate
(although they also have lots of calcium and iron) which might well
help to dissolve the stones - re the Internet reports - and Thai
people also have the black pigment stones which are the most
difficult to get rid of.
Anyway, I have been taking the IP6 and appear to be getting
better. The fatigue and nausea which I got in the late afternoon
and evening seems to be disappearing, however I still vomit
once in the morning (nothing comes up - I don’t know whether
this is due to the fact that the liver is still damaged, or whether
the body is still trying to expel the stones).
The herniated disks are very unstable in the morning and I am
treating them with Chinese herbal patches, hoping that they will
improve over the next month.
If my back gets stronger, I hope to travel to the National
Gallbladder Center of Long Hua International Hospital, Shanghai, to
see the Director, Zhu Pei Ting. He has developed several new herbal
treatments for pigment and cholesterol gallstones over the last 10
years which are available only in China. However, the hospital said
he will not answer the phone (I heard he doesn’t speak English) and
it is necessary to go to Shanghai to be treated by his protocols.
I apologize for the long post, but I hope it will stimulate
discussion on the difficulties of dissolving brown and hard black
pigment stones, which account for 15-20% of gallstones in Western
countries and 80-100% in Asian peoples.
My heart goes out to everyone suffering from gallstones and
all degenerative diseases.
God Bless,
Max