Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Most folks have diarrhea after gallbladder removal, because the excess bile produced that would usually store there is just constantly dumped into the intestines. For some, like me, however, we have the opposite issue: constipation. This has something to do with the liver producing less and less bile, and the gallbladder performing less and less. Usually the gallbladder dumps when fat is detected in the meal. However, if you got suckered into the high-carb fad of the 90's then you probably ate very little fat. Without much fat in your diet the gallbladder doesn't exercise and dump as much. This leaves it full of bile that stagnates into stones. I switched from a high-carb diet to an Atkins protein diet... and that's when I got gallstone attacks. My gallbladder had stagnated for so long it was just full of stones. My liver had also stagnated, and stopped producing much bile. I had my gallbladder removed in 2001, and since then it was a downward spiral of health issues. I slowly gained weight (200lbs to 300lbs). Joint issues, allergies, fatigue, constipation (which eventually turned foul as bacteria overgrew my system)... the issues mounted. Doctors told me it was because I didn't exercise and was gaining weight. All of the research I did pointed to fatty acid deficiency. I craved fatty foods, so I ate them a lot. I didn't digest very well, so I was bloated for hours after a meal and burping it up and not wanting to do anything. I was gaining weight, so obviously I was digesting fat in a way to store it, but I always felt like I wasn't getting something from my food. I'd eat lean meats and felt like they were cardboardish, like they were missing something. (The fat I was craving). So, one day I decided to get some bile supplement. Turns out it's a pain in the rear to find it (no health stores want to carry it for some strange reason). But, it was what I needed. First, bile is digestive aid that helps your body process fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins in a way that it can use them instead of just store them. Likewise, bile is part of the digestive system's flushing process. Without it, the normal bacteria in your system starts to get out of control. (Exacerbated if you're taking probiotics). The main problem with this product (as some have stated) is that the dose is very high. 500mg is a lot for some of us, as we end up with the runs. 250mg would be great, but they don't make that dose. I've tried other bile supplements (cholacol, etc) and they just don't work like Nutricology's. I take one 500mg capsule once a day, trying to dose it with my fattiest meal. I also take all of my vitamins at that meal (since it helps utilize the fat soluble vitamins). One pill is enough. When I eat lean meat now I no longer feel like something is missing, and I no longer crave fat and tank up on it (which was an overcompensation method of the body to get something it was missing). My body flushes itself out, so bacteria is kept in check and i no longer suffer when eating fermented foods. Food digests in a timely manner, so I'm no longer bloated and burpy and immobile for hours on end waiting for it to digest. Energy level is up. Mental clarity is up. Fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins are critical to health, and you don't realize that until you've been suffering with deficiency for years. I sometimes run out of the supplement, and forget to order more. I don't notice an immediate issue. Instead it's a matter of a month or two that I end up on this downward spiral ... I gain weight, don't digest well, start craving fat, overeat fatty foods ... and I'm wondering why I feel so miserable. Then I remember I stopped taking the supplement because I ran out. I order more, it shows up, and within days I'm feeling better. It's ridiculous that my liver has decided to shut down production so much that I need to take a supplement, but at least I'm one of the few that knows what's going on and has found a fix.