By Dr. Yu Kang December 2025
I’ve seen so many patients who had their gallbladder removed, often before anyone explored the real reasons behind their symptoms. In the U.S., gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) is extremely common. Around 500,000 to 750,000 Americans undergo this surgery every year. About 20 million adults have gallstones, but only a portion ever become symptomatic. That means many people make decisions without a full picture and without addressing the root causes of their discomfort.
Most digestive discomfort comes from deeper functional issues like low stomach acid, poor bile flow, insufficient digestive enzymes, or stress affecting the liver and gallbladder system. When these root causes aren’t addressed, people often feel bloated, nauseous after fatty foods, heavy, sluggish, or uncomfortable after meals. Surgery doesn’t always solve that.
Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the gallbladder as more than a small organ that stores bile. It is a Yang organ that holds pure fluid, helping the body digest and transform food. Emotionally, it plays a bigger role. The gallbladder is considered the organ of decision-making, courage, clarity, and the spark to take action.
When gallbladder energy is strong, people feel confident and purposeful. When it’s weak, they may feel hesitant, easily overwhelmed, or stuck. TCM also teaches that the gallbladder provides “minister fire,” a spark that helps metabolize food. When this fire is low, people may feel cold easily, gain weight more easily, have sluggish digestion, or experience rib-side tension and headaches.
Removing the gallbladder does not always fix symptoms, and many people experience new digestive issues afterward because bile becomes less regulated. Before considering surgery, it can help to support stomach acid, strengthen digestive enzymes, improve liver and bile flow, reduce stress affecting liver-gallbladder energy, and adjust nutrition to support fat metabolism.
With the right support, many people feel dramatically better without needing surgery. The gallbladder has a bigger story than most people realize, both physically and energetically. With the right approach, it may be possible to preserve it.
If you’re navigating digestive issues or facing the possibility of gallbladder surgery, I’m here to help explore all options and get to the true root cause.
#GallbladderHealth #DigestiveWellness #FunctionalMedicine #TCM #GutHealth #Nutrition #PreventiveCare #HolisticHealth #HealthyLifestyle