Q: I came to know about the process of liver cleansing with olive oil and epsom salt by which you can flush around hundreds of gall stones through bowel movements. Is this process safe? Also, is there a need to flush the gall stones? Will this flush also helps in reducing cholesterol?

A:It is the job of the liver to make bile everyday. The liver is full of tubes (biliary tubing) that deliver the bile to one large tube (the common bile duct). The gallbladder is attached to the common bile duct and acts as a storage reservoir. Eating fat or protein triggers the gallbladder to squeeze itself empty after about twenty minutes, and the stored bile finishes its trip down the common bile duct to the intestine, and eventually to the colon (large intestine). That is basically what the Liver cleansing aims to do. Liver cleansing is a naturopathic method that aims at painlessly removing from the gallbladder and liver; stones, gravel and crystals. epsom salts are MgSO4 - magnesium sulfate - an intestinal purge, and also a muscle relaxant for the bile ducts and the gall bladder, to prevent cramps and retention of gall stones. Olive oil, taken following the above procedure, causes the liver ducts and the gall bladder to forcefully contract, and expel their collection of gall gravel and gall stones. The gall bladder does not hold enough bile to neutralize all of the liver cleanse solution you have ingested. The empty gallbladder then signals its master, the liver, to dump all available bile forcefully into the common bile duct as well. In this fashion, the liver turns itself practically inside out and empties all of its available bile together with stones, gravel and crystals to condition (treat) the bile using the potent liver cleanse solution. Individuals having very small stones inside their gallbladder may be able to cleanse them with the liver-gallstone cleanse. It is possible for a small stone to exit the gallbladder via the cystic duct. A larger stone however may then produce obstruction of the cystic duct, or it may get into the common bile duct and produce an obstruction there. It may obstruct the ampulla of Vater and produce pancreatitis. Biliary tract obstruction leads to jaundice with increased total and direct bilirubin in the blood serum. Do not do this on your own without first consulting a physician who has the knowledge in alternative and natural healing modalities. Never cleanse when you are ill. Pregnant mothers should consult their physician. The elderly should do this purge only under the recommendation and supervision of a health specialist. This procedure does contradict many modern medical viewpoints since there are many versions of liver/gallbladder flushes floating around. Many of them are too harsh or dangerous for people. These involve consuming an large volumes of olive oil and using epsom salts you mentioned as an intestinal flush. Consumption of this Epsom salt mixture usually results in watery diarrhoea within a half hour. Sure, it will get the intestines moving - but too much and too fast. Despite the seemingly dramatic results, this can actually be a poor intestinal cleanse. Diarrhoea can deplete vital electrolytes, cause extreme fatigue and can be dangerous for those on heart medications and other medications that depend on proper electrolyte balance. It is never necessary to induce diarrhoea in order to cleanse the colon. Many of these flushes rely on the oil to cleanse the liver without using herbs that protect the liver from the very toxic materials that can come out. Try asking for a program allows people to increase the oil content of the flush gradually and can be safely used by those without gallbladders as well as one that contains herbs and vitamins, minerals and electrolytes that specifically protect the liver as well as cleanse it and naturally strengthen its functions. Though the liver cleanse is supposed to reduce the cholesterol, the best, most effective and safe way to reduce your cholesterol would be to follow a long term moderate fat, low saturated fat diet through life.