Stones commonly form in the gallbladder.  Many people have stones in their gallbladder and never experience symptoms.  other people can experience occasional pain, especially after they eat fatty meals.  Sometimes, however, patients can experience more severe complications such as acute inflammation of the gallbladder, obstructed bile duct, and even pancreatitis.   Gallstones are usually diagnosed with ultrasound.  Sometimes a cat scan will show gallstones but this test is not as good.  Your doctor may suspect gallstones based on your symptoms.  he may send you for further testing based on his findings.

Gallstones can cause pain.  In many cases this will be called colic, or pain that goes away with time.  at times, the gallbladder opening can become blocked.  this will cause the gallbladder to become inflamed.  this is a painful and potentially dangerous condition.  The pain will usually not go away on its own.  You may develop fever, and abnormal blood lab tests.  this condition is called acute cholecystitis and is most frequently diagnosed with ultrasound.  Ultrasound will show a thickened wall, fluid around the gallbladder, and pain over the site of the gallbladder.

Gallstones can pass into the bile duct.  this is a tube that runs from the liver and gallbladder to the intestine.  Bile helps with digestion, and in response to a meal, bile will be released.  Sometimes, the stone will pass into this tube and cause an obstruction to flow of bile.  this will cause pain, nausea, and jaundice at times.  Blood lab tests will also be abnormal.  An ultrasound will show a dilated bile duct, and sometimes the actual stone which has passed.  There are more advanced tests such as an MRCP or ERCP which are used for more definitive diagnosis.

Gallstones can also cause pancreatitis, since the bile duct passes in close proximity to the pancreas.  a stone lodged in this region can contribute to pancreatitis.  In these cases, you will often have severe pain in your abdomen.  Your blood lab work will also be abnormal.  It is important to have your gallstones diagnosed promptly as your symptoms may be the result.  Gallstones can potentially be dangerous and you may have to see a surgeon for possible gallbladder removal.  Talk to your doctor about the options.

Inflammation is a normal and beneficial process that occurs when our white blood cells and other chemicals protect us from foreign invaders like viruses, bacteria or tumours. Most of us don’t realise that we need some level of inflammation to stay healthy. however it’s also possible, and increasingly common, for inflammatory responses to get out of hand.

When our immune systems mistakenly trigger an inflammatory response when no threat is present, it can lead to excess inflammation and conditions linked to asthma, allergies, auto-immune disease, heart ailments, cancer and other diseases.

For instance, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) leads to shortness of breath and loss of strength; inflammation of the small tubes that transport air to the lungs leads to asthma attacks; inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis) leads to high blood pressure or kidney failure; and inflammation of the large intestine (colitis) leads to abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.

When we become injured or infected, inflammation is necessary to help protect and heal and, through a series of biochemical reactions, white blood cells and other chemicals are sent to the injured area. we have all certainly experienced this type of beneficial acute inflammation with symptoms like fever or skin abscesses.

When inflammation becomes chronic, however, there are often no symptoms because the condition is low-grade and systemic, often silently moving in to damage tissue. This process can go on for years without being noticed, until heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s or an auto-immune disease like multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis or rheumatoid arthritis shows up uninvited.

Chronic inflammation can be the result of a malfunctioning, over-reactive immune system, or it may be due to an underlying problem that the body is attempting to heal. certain dietary components can trigger or prevent health effects and this is very true with inflammation. Eating rancid fats and sugar will increase inflammation while healthy fats like fish oil can reduce it.

How can we determine if you have chronic inflammation?

One test used is the C-Reactive Protein blood test, which measures a protein that signals responses to many forms of inflammation. another test that is also effective is an ESR blood test, which checks for non-specific indicators of inflammation. we can also use a fasting blood-insulin level. Although this test is typically used for diabetes, it’s also a marker for inflammation. Repeatedly elevated white blood cells are indicators of immune responses that also are markers for inflammation.

Traditionally we recommend anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) when treating inflammation, but using these regularly can cause peptic ulcers or gastritis.

Statins (cholesterol lowering drug) are also frequently prescribed to individuals with normal cholesterol who have elevated C-reactive protein levels, in order to combat inflammation and presumably reduce the risk of developing heart disease. taking statins in this case won’t resolve the underlying problem causing the inflammation and may increase the risk of drug side effects.

Prednisone is an immuno-suppressive drug that is associated with serious long-term side effects such as cataracts, bone loss, weakening of the immune system, and many others. Prednisone will cover up the inflammatory symptoms of the disease, but the underlying dysfunction won’t be repaired.

But, how can we fix the missing link?

Lifestyle changes go a long way in reducing chronic inflammation:

- Avoiding pro-inflammatory foods like fried fatty foods, sugar and white grains cooked at high temperatures. Increased consumption of fish oils, grapes, turmeric powder and vitamin C help reduce inflammation, along with eating a 50% raw food diet, focusing in particular on fruit and vegetables.

- Consider limiting or eliminating your intake of grains and sugars until you optimise your blood sugar.

- Exercise is a great way to lower inflammation without the side effects.

- Quit smoking. Cigarettes increase inflammation!

- use healthy outlets for stress. High levels of stress hormones can lead to excess inflammation, so be sure to use tools like meditation, prayer and yoga for relief.

- Increase your vitamin D levels. Most people are not aware that vitamin D can have a profoundly dramatic impact on your immune inflammation responses.

Although the above are long-term solutions, herbs can be useful in the short term. Bromelain found in pineapples is a natural anti-inflammatory. Ginger is anti-inflammatory taken as a tea. Resveratrol is a potent anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory found in pomegranates, red wine and cocoa.

Inflammation may be a normal response that can be protective but, like anything in this life that becomes excessive, there is a cost. it is important to live life to the fullest, to enjoy ourselves. it is good to savour every drop provided that we leave a little for later; we must be careful not to burn ourselves out.

And some day we might even discover that inflammation was the missing link, the secret to keeping one’s cool in an existence that often seems to be perpetually inflamed by stress.

May you all stay well.

Prof Nithi Mahanonda is a heart specialist at Perfect Heart, Piyavate Hospital.

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We’ve already established that a person infected with the zombie “virus” will likely not show any signs of sickness for an extended period of time.  Now ZRS Researcher Jim Wagner suggests that rabies may provide further evidence to support this theory.

Rabies is a viral neuroinvasive disease that causes acute inflammation of the brain, and is almost always fatal if not treated prior to onset of symptoms.  It’s transmitted by animals, most commonly from a bite, but occasionally through other forms of body fluid contact.  And the similarities between rabies and zombiism don’t end there:

“Early-stage symptoms of rabies include malaise, headache and fever, later progressing to acute pain, violent movements, and uncontrolled mania and aggression.”

In terms of incubation, the rabies virus travels to the brain through peripheral nerves, and so the time period depends on how far the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system.  A bite on the neck might result in death within a matter of days, while a scratch on the foot might take many months to show any symptoms.

Wagner argues that a zombie infection likely works the same way.  And because the incubation period for rabies can last between ten days and seven years, a zombie outbreak may be nearly impossible to pinpoint, isolate and control if he is correct.

Imagine being infected and not knowing it for almost a decade, then suddenly falling ill, dieing, and coming back to feed on your defenseless family and friends all within just a few hours.

Makes it hard to trust anyone, including yourself.