No, not necessarily. The presence of cholesterol is also going to play a major role as the sterols in the olive oil have a very strong binding affinity for cholesterol. The sterol-cholesterol complex therefore can play a role in the formation of the "stones".

You ought to read this:

http://www.pathguy.com/altermed.htm


"Gallstone Flush

People who have gallstones, or think they have gallstones, are invited to "flush" them out by swallowing a concoction of 1/2 cup of olive oil, a big grapefruit, 4 tablespoons of Epsom Salts , and three cups of water.


It was a nice idea, and interesting things will appear in the toilet bowl soon after. But I'm afraid that they're not your gallstones. Here's why:


Real Gallstones are faceted polyhedra, like the ones in the picture on the links below, or else shaped like mulberries. What you'll get from the recipe are spheres. One of my correspondents describes a friend who saved the spheres and displayed them to his friends.

Real Gallstones hurt bad when they pass through the cystic and common bile ducts.

Real Gallstones sink in water. (As an autopsy pathologist, I'm very familiar with this.) The "gallstones" you'll produce from this recipe will float, as the "alternative thinkers" themselves point out. (They claim that real gallstones float, too. Liars.)

If you know a little basic chemistry, you'll realize what is happening. The Epsom Salts are magnesium sulfate, and the grapefruit contains some complex carbohydrates. When these slosh around in the stomach and small intestine, they'll form a tough film that will encase drops of olive oil. This will produce some yellowish balls that will float in the toilet.

Hulda Regehr Clark, the author of "The Cure for all Cancers" and "The Cure For HIV/AIDS" promotes this. Since she claims to have both a doctorate in naturopathy and a Ph.D. in something (the latter implying having done substantial original lab research), one would think she would have made an experiment with a real gallstone and discovered that it sinks. There's a nice photo, which she stole from my friend, pathologist Ed Klatt MD. She calls them "such small stones" though they're obviously 7-10 mm across. She thinks the stones she displayed formed in the liver and "rolled" into the gallbladder, which is silly. You see many more stones in the gallbladder because that's where bile is concentrated and stored; if they all "rolled" there from the liver, we'd see much more biliary colic. She says gallstones "can be of any color", which is a hoot. She also claims that the major cause of gallstones is wearing shoes.

If you want to believe these people, that is your business. If you try the purge, please chew your grapefruit up thoroughly. Otherwise, you're asking for a gastic bezoar and a trip to the endoscopist to remove the obstruction.

Gallstone cleansing: The premiere site is now down.
Gallstone Flush from Hulda Regehr Clark. Much of the material on these sites is identical though it's not clear who has borrowed from who.


Follow-up: April 2003. My notes on the gallstone flush have generated considerable "controversy". I look forward to a real surgeon taking these people on a visit to the surgical ward to see whether it's really true that 99% of people who pass a gallstone have no pain, or whether most gallstones sink or float in water. (The impurities make them heavy. They sink. If you have any doubts about who is massively ignorant, go ask any general surgeon or pathologist.) There are also photos, some of which appear to be real smooth faceted gallstones, and others showing shaggy surfaces that are obviously not gallstones. Instead of continuing to sling mud at me, these people should take somebody with ultrasonographically-proven gallstones, administer the "flush", and repeat the ultrasonogram. If there are now no gallstones, publish the finding in a non-refereed junk journal. The fact that nobody's done this invites the obvious conclusion. If you are presented with the physical results of a "gallstone flush", cut it in half. Real gallstones have concentric layers of colors often varying from pale yellow through black, sometimes with a center of radiating crystals.
The world is full of crooks. It's your money.

If you decide to take these people to court, I would welcome the opportunity to testify on your behalf as a courtesy. I'll bring some gallstones and show the court what happens when you put them in water.

Follow-up: August 2007. My cyberfriend Marlene Curyer, who tells me she's not at all hostile to alternative health claims, decided to try the gallstone flush, complete with Chinese herbs. She also decided to take my challenge and get an ultrasound before an after a gallstone flush. "To say I was disappointed is vastly understating the case. There appeared to be more stones (my surgeon concurred). On top of that, I immediately felt worse... I have had pain and nausea on a daily basis since the last flush. Previously, these episodes had been uncomfortable but infrequent." Of course, to date no one has written me about a gallstone flush shown to have worked by real imaging. The mud-slinging on the message boards has also stopped. Thanks. "