Video: Gallbladder Issues in Austere Settings

In this video, Joe Alton MD, aka Dr. Bones, discusses all you need to know about the gallbladder and the role that stones or buildup plays in disrupting the workings of the GI tract.

The gall bladder is a hollow sac-like organ that is attached to the liver; it stores a thick liquid substance called “bile” that the liver secretes to help you digest fats. After a meal, the gall bladder contracts and bile passes through to the small intestine through tubes called ducts.

Excess bile cholesterol can cause solid deposits inside the gallbladder that range in size from miniscule to, say, the size of a golf ball. These are commonly referred to as “gallstones”.  Gallstones are relatively common; perhaps ten to fifteen per cent of the population has them. That means a large enough group of people in a survival community will likely include someone with the condition. The medic needs to be able to diagnose and treat conditions related to medical problems as well as traumatic injuries.

To watch, click below:

Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad,

Joe Alton MD

Hey, learn more about medical issues, traumatic injury, and  150 other topics as they relate to survival in the 700 page Third Edition of the Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide for When Medical Help is Not on the Way. Also, check out Nurse Amy’s entire line of kits and individual supplies for the survival medic at store.doomandbloom.net. You’ll be glad you did.