How Does the Liver and Gallbladder Flush?

Why Are the Liver and Gallbladder Induced to Flush?

Proponents of natural medicine claim that the liver and gallbladder can become clogged as a result of stress and a diet containing many artificial ingredients. It's proposed that a person should flush their liver and gallbladder at least once a year in order to clean out the digestive system and remove gallstones. Whether or not this is effective is still undecided among the medical community. A common side effect to these flushes is explosive diarrhea and stomach cramps. The evidence used as proof of this method's efficacy is the presence of small globules in the stool. Some people say these are gallstones leaving the body. Occasionally this is true, but the vast majority of the time these are in fact soapstones. Soapstones are agglomerations of the chemicals used to induce the flush which the digestive tract assembles and then passes.

How Do the Liver and Gallbladder Flush?

The liver and gallbladder are flushed by the person consuming nothing but apple juice, fruits, and vegetables for two days. At the end of the second day, the person is supposed to consume two tablespoons of Epsom salts dissolved in juice, with a half cup of olive oil to follow just before bed. The reasoning behind this is that apple juice contains lots of malic acid. It's believed that this acid acts as a solvent to weaken adhesions between solid globules of waste contained within the liver and gallbladder. The Epsom salt is believed to relax smooth muscle, allowing the biliary duct to dilate so that larger particles such as gallstones can exit. Olive oil, containing high amounts of non-dangerous fatty oils, is thought to stimulate the gallbladder and bile duct into contracting and emptying themselves into the digestive tract.

Are there Any Dangers Involved?

While some gallstones are indeed passed during the flush, there is a serious danger involved. This is colitis, when a gallstone is dislodged from the gallbladder but becomes stuck on its way through the biliary duct, the opening of the gallbladder. This is a potentially life threatening condition which requires immediate surgery to correct. So anyone attempting to flush their liver or gallbladder should be aware of this danger.

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