Gallstones are solid lumps or stones that form in the gallbladder or bile duct. They are formed when some of the chemicals stored in the gallbladder harden into a mass. One large stone may develop, or a lot of tiny ones.

Bile contains cholesterol, bile salts and waste products like bilirubin (a pigment formed from the breakdown of old red blood cells). Gallstones form when these substances are out of balance.

Turmeric contains an active ingredient called curcumin, a spicy yellow pigment that is used both for cooking purposes and as a medicine. Curcumin has the ability to help combat a wide range of diseases with proven benefits in the areas of dementia and memory problems, cancer and heart disease.

Now, a new study conducted at the University of Reading has revealed yet another condition turmeric can help treat: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

A recent study from Cancer Prevention Research shows that daily consumption of broccoli sprouts may cut Helicobacter pylori infections (H. pylori), and offer protection against stomach ulcers, and maybe even certain types of cancer. H. pylori is a bacterium that inhabits various areas of the stomach and duodenum (first section of the small intestine). It causes a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of duodenal and gastric ulcers and stomach cancer.

Candida is a friendly yeast that lives in the large bowel, it feeds the good bacteria that help our bodies to stay healthy. If these good bacteria are compromised through the use of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, steroids or prolonged illness or stress, the digestive system becomes unbalanced and an individual can experience an overgrowth of Candida. The overgrowth leads to Candida becoming a parasitic fungus. Using these remedies to cleanse your body from a Candida overgrowth will certainly put you on a road to speedy recovery.

Since the article, Candida: Which Foods To Avoid, featured last week I’ve heard from so many of our readers. My heart goes out to all of you suffering from this agonising cycle of eating, bloating, discomfort, pain and cramps and then it starts all over again. Or worse: It never goes away! Last week I advised that the first step to healing Candida is to get diagnosed, but we all know that is much easier said than done and a diagnosis does not bring a fast solution either. After all, we all must eat and if it’s food that makes you ill, where do you begin without starving yourself.

Candida ferments sugary foods in your stomach to produce carbon dioxide, which causes bloating and flatulence. Candida also produces alcohol and other chemicals that irritate the lining of the stomach, causing painful spasms and making it less able to assimilate food, leading to constipation or diarrhoea. These effects make Candida a major cause (although not the only one) of irritable bowel syndrome.

Dyspepsia is a digestive malfunction that may prompt some or all of these symptoms: * Heartburn * Nausea * Gas * Bloating * Belching To make matters worse, the cause of dyspepsia is often unknown. But for the numerous people in the UK who cope with different forms of chronic arthritis, the cause of their dyspepsia may be no mystery - it's very likely prompted by frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Most of us have experienced the pain and distress caused by diarrhoea. That overwhelming desperation to get to a toilet accompanied by the horrendous dread of not being able to make it in time. If that wasnt bad enough there's also the painful stomach cramps to contend with. Fortunately there are ways to cure both acute and chronic diarrhoea naturally with these home remedies...

Research points to dysbiosis an abnormal condition of the gut flora as a possible factor in coeliac disease. An effective way of rebalancing the gut flora in favour of the beneficial organisms is to take a probiotic supplement. Although no clinical trials of probiotics have yet been carried out in coeliac disease patients, the above studies suggest that they are likely to be of great benefit...

Most people only find out they have gallstones when one gets stuck in the tube leading to the bile duct. If it isn't quickly dislodged, this can be dangerous and cause spasm and inflammation of your gall bladder. Fortunately there are ways to prevent gallbladder attacks naturally...