The Functional Medicine Approach To Gallbladder Disease with Dr. George Papanicolaou

The Functional Medicine Approach To Gallbladder Disease | This
episode is brought to you by Essentia and Paleovalley The
gallbladder is an organ we don’t often pay much attention to, but
if you or a loved one has had gallstones, you know they can be very
painful. About 6-9% of adults experience gallstones and their
associated symptoms which can include nausea and vomiting. The
gallbladder plays a vital role in our digestive process by storing
bile which helps us break down fats. If your bile is imbalanced,
gallstones may form. The conventional approach to relieving
gallbladder pain and discomfort is through the use of medication or
surgery to remove the gallbladder, whereas the Functional Medicine
approach seeks to uncover the root cause of the problem and
approaches treatment from that place. In this episode, Dr. Hyman
discusses gallbladder disease with Dr. George Papanicolaou. They
talk about how they work with patients to determine what is causing
the disease, and how an imbalance in the composition of bile can
also result in gut problems like dysbiosis and SIBO. They also
provide tips on supporting your body to optimize digesting fats if
you’ve had your gallbladder removed. George Papanicolaou is a
graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is
Board Certified in Family Medicine from Abington Memorial Hospital.
He is also an Institute for Functional Medicine Practitioner. Upon
graduation from his residency he joined the Indian Health Service.
He worked on the Navajo reservation for 4 years at the Chinle
Comprehensive Medical Facility where he served as the Outpatient
Department Coordinator. In 2000, he founded Cornerstone Family
Practice in Rowley, MA. He practiced with a philosophy centered on
personal relationships and treating the whole person, not just not
the disease. He called that philosophy “Whole Life Wellness”. Over
time as the healthcare system made it harder for patients to
receive this kind of personal care Dr. Papanicolaou decided a
change was needed. He began training in Functional Medicine through
the Institute of Functional Medicine. In 2015, he established
Cornerstone Personal Health—a practice dedicated entirely to
Functional Medicine. Dr. Papanicolaou joined The UltraWellness
Center in 2017. This episode is brought to you by Essentia and
Paleovalley. Right now, you can take advantage of Essentia’s
incredible Labor Day offer of 25% off with 2 free pillows (normally
a $300 value) by going to learn.myessentia.com/DrMarkHyman. 
Paleovalley is offering 15% off your entire first order. Just go to
paleovalley.com/hyman to check out all their clean Paleo products
and take advantage of this deal. In this conversation, Dr. Hyman
and Dr. Papanicolaou discuss: The root cause of gallbladder
disease, including gallstones What healthy bile is and why it’s so
important in the role of digesting fats The difference between the
conventional medicine and Functional Medicine approach to treating
gallbladder disease How bile imbalances can lead to gut imbalances
such as dysbiosis and SIBO The tie between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
and gallbladder disease and the role of gluten Consequences of
surgery to remove the gallbladder Supporting the body if you don’t
have a gallbladder Additional Resources: Digesting Fat, Optimizing
Your Health, and My Daily Supplements
https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/04/28/digesting-fat-optimizing-health-daily-supplements/
A New Roadmap for Treating Disease
https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/05/16/a-new-roadmap-for-treating-disease/
Healing Psoriasis from the Inside Out with Dr. Todd LePine
https://drhyman.com/blog/2020/10/16/podcast-hc27/ How to Prevent
and Reverse Fatty Liver Disease with Functional Medicine
https://drhyman.com/blog/2021/08/02/podcast-hc67/