Have you been told you don’t need your gallbladder? Think again. Sure, you’ll live without it, but the gallbladder is actually a vital digestive organ. If you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, you need to pay extra attention to your gallbladder.
How Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism can impair gallbladder function
Hypothyroidism has been shown to make the gallbladder distended and sluggish, thus not releasing enough bile. This makes it difficult for the liver to detoxify. The liver breaks down hormones, filters toxins, and cleans the blood. Byproducts from all these processes go through the gallbladder for final removal. Since thyroid hormones are converted into a usable form in the liver, hypothyroidism creates a vicious cycle with poor gallbladder function. Managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism is a vital to improving gallbladder health.
The gallbladder stores bile, a chemical made by the liver that emulsifies fat, and secretes it into the small intestine when needed.
Bile is necessary for the digestion and absorption of fats, and it helps ensure you absorb vitamins and minerals from foods in your diet.
Gallstones and a congested gallbladder
Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries today and is performed when the gallbladder becomes congested with gallstones.
Things that can cause gallstones are nutritional deficiencies, hydrogenated fats (trans fats), processed vegetable oils, hypothyroidism, and no-fat or low-fat diets.
The gallbladder there is like a holding tank for bile that secretes it as needed, such as when you eat something fatty.
Without a gallbladder the liver continuously leaks bile into the small intestine.
This means there is not enough stored bile to digest fats. As a result, fats can be become rancid and irritate and inflame the digestive tract. This can result in not only discomfort, but also poor digestive function and inadequate absorption of nutrients.
If you have a gallbladder but it’s sluggish and congested with stones, this backs up the liver’s detoxification pathways. As a result, the liver cannot effectively detoxify hormones, toxins, and other metabolites.
This is why it’s so important to manage your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism to protect your gallbladder health.
Things to watch out for if you’re gallbladder has been removed
Gallbladder removal puts you at risk for deficiencies of essential fatty acids, which are vital for good brain health and hormone function, and fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D, A, and E, which are especially important for good immune health.
Also, if the gallbladder isn’t there to emulsify fats, the health of the entire digestive tract may become compromised. Studies suggest gallbladder removal increases the risk of colon cancer.
How to support gallbladder health when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism
Luckily, various nutritional compounds support gallbladder health, fat digestion, and liver detoxification, including dandelion root, milk thistle seed extract, ginger root, phosphatidylcholine, and taurine.
These compounds can also help if your gallbladder has been removed, along with ox bile.
Maintaining good gallbladder health when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism
Following are some tips to support good gallbladder health when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism:
- Manage your autoimmune thyroid condition — this goes beyond thyroid hormone replacement to include regulating the immune system
- Eat a diet high in fiber
- Avoid refined and excess starchy carbohydrates (white flour, sugar, potatoes, etc.)
- Avoid trans fats, hydrogenated fats, and processed vegetable oils
- Get plenty of essential fatty acids and omega 3s
- Eliminate food intolerances
Contact our team of experts for more advice on how to support your gallbladder and digestive health if your gallbladder has been removed or if you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
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I have my wife in hospital just now having her gall investigated. She has Hashimotos too! Wish we had been informed about the connection between gall and hyperthyroidism by her doctor. Your arcticle has been very informative and given us direction to improve her health. Hopefully her gall will not need to be removed but if it does have to go, we have your information to assist. Need to get your book ASAP.
Thanks for contacting us, John. Sending prayers for your wife and the medical team treating her! Once she’s home and stabilized, let us know if you’d like to discuss natural routes to support the treatment plans prescribed by her doctors!
xoxo, Dr. Joni
Looking forward to diving into this site. At 33 yo I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Endocrinologist doesn’t treat it. I’m vegetarian and rarely eat salmon (not even 1x/month) and my only source of dairy is low-fat Activia yogurt (~2 cups/day) and eggs (only if cooked within a product like cake) or soy veggie products in an effort to keep B12 and Vitamin D in range. 4 yrs ago I had to take B12 shots and 50,000 IU of Vitamin D to get in range.
I’m pretty sure I don’t get enough Selenium and Zinc and possibly Magnesium.
Thyroid numbers are always in range but TPO Antibodies have been in the 900s. I started experiencing high cholesterol after Vitamin D levels and B12 were in range. Great HDL but increased LDL. Great Triglycerides. I’ve been avoiding statins b/c of side effects but 3 yrs and Total Cholesterol hasn’t gone down. I’ve done a great job avoiding fried foods but do have work to do on processed foods. The only explanation for my Cholesterol levels is Hashimoto’s. Of course, this makes me concerned about future gallbladder issues and possible heart issues. I was in great health and no meds before Hashimotos. PCP said if my TC hasn’t decreased at next set of labs in a couple of months, I have to go on the statin.
I have a functional/wellness PCP but I need to find an Endocrinologist like you who will give Hashimotos attention. It’s stupid to me to wait for it to progress to Hypothyroidism before treating.
Hi LT, let’s see how we can help. If you are interested in scheduling a free phone consultation, please click the link below. Fill out our health history form and once that’s submitted, you’ll be redirected to our calendar. Hope to hear from you!
https://www.thyrosisters.com/health-history-form/