The Sphincter of Oddi, named after Ruggero Oddi, an Italian anatomist who described this structure in 1887, is the muscular valve that regulates the flow of bile and pancreatic juice to the duodenum (beginning of the small intestine). Regulation of the sphincter of Oddi is achieved by the nervous system and blood through special messengers – digestive hormones.
When there is no food in the intestine, the sphincter of Oddi valve remains closed. Bile is held in the gallbladder and pancreatic juice is held in the pancreas. Spasm or blockage of this valve can cause bile and pancreatic juice to back out.
If a small amount of bile gets into the pancreatic duct, serious problems can arise. Bile can activate digestive enzymes in the pancreas, and these enzymes begin to digest their own pancreatic cells, causing pain, congestion, inflammation, and even death of pancreatic tissue. This is called pancreatitis.
The blockages of the sphincter of Oddi due to tumors, large gallbladder stones or scars after inflammation, must certainly be operated on. The number of people with these problems is relatively small, but millions of Americans occasionally suffer transient spasms of the sphincter of Oddi with pain, nausea, and bloating. In most situations, their tests are normal and these individuals are labeled with acid reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), stomach flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses.
Many of those individuals have type III Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD). According to statistical information, the prevalence of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction in the general population is 1.5%. It could mean that 4.5 million people in the US suffer from SOD.
Lack of proper treatment of Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction can cause serious complications later on, such as pancreatitis and inflammation of the gallbladder.
Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction can affect children, women after the age of 40, overweight individuals and people after abdominal surgery. For example, statistics show that nearly 20% of individuals with pain after gallbladder removal have sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.
Why does the sphincter of Oddi spasm? The answer depends on many reasons if we take into account the very complicated regulation of this sphincter by the nervous system and special blood messengers – digestive hormones. Here are some examples of what can cause the sphincter of Oddi to spasm:
• Stress, depression and anxiety
• Bad eating habits such as “eating on the go”, eating while watching television, irregular dieting, dieting, fasting and food miscombinations such as mixing fatty foods with starches and sugars
• Drugs, some medicines, alcohol and nicotine
• Hard, intensive and repetitive “liver cleanse”
• Hormone imbalance such as lower thyroid function or menopause
• “Aggressive” sour bile with sand, sludge, gallbladder stones and more
Usually, we can see combinations of these factors in individuals predisposed to obesity, sedentary lifestyles and prolonged stress.
The standard American diet, which is full of processed and acidic foods (meat, sugars, alcohol, animal fats, white flour, etc.) causes acidification throughout the body. The standard American diet also leads to acidic conditions in the bile and pancreatic juice. The bile becomes acidic and the amount of bile acids in the bile also increases. Bile acids are very aggressive substances; they irritate the wall of the sphincter of Oddi and cause muscle contractions – spasms.
Daily 3-4 liters of mixed pancreatic juice and bile flow through the sphincter of Oddi. Acidification of these fluids makes them very “aggressive”, corroding and irritating to surrounding tissues, especially the sphincter of Oddi. Considering that bile is a vehicle for removing toxic chemicals such as bile pigments, heavy metals, drugs, drugs and poisons from the body, and that bile ducts and gallbladder often harbor parasites, there is no doubt that the sphincter of Oddi is an easy target for irritation. In addition, alcohol, unhealthy foods, irregular eating and improper food combinations also cause chaos in the normal functioning of the sphincter of Oddi.
The most common and prominent symptom of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is upper abdominal pain. This is often experienced as a sharp pain in the center of the abdomen just below the ribcage. Pain can be severe in nature, taking people to the hospital and needing pain medication. But in many cases, the pain can be mild and usually no pain medication is needed. Symptoms of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction are divided into bile pain and pancreatic pain.
Symptoms of Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction Biliary Abdominal Pain include:
• Biliary pain felt in the middle or right part of the upper abdomen
• Pain radiating to the back at the base of the scapula or right shoulder
• Pain often accompanied by bloating, nausea and vomiting
• Pain caused by fatty foods or alcohol consumption
• Pain varies in intensity and lasts from 15 minutes to 4-5 hours
Symptoms of Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction Pancreatic Abdominal Pain include:
• Pain in the upper abdomen on the left or right side
• Pain that radiates directly through the abdomen to the back
• Pain often accompanied by bloating, nausea and vomiting
• Pain caused by incorrect food combinations of protein/fat/starch/sugar foods or alcohol consumption
Non-drug holistic approaches can be helpful. Holistic remedies for sphincter healing Oddi Dysfunction Type III are widely used in many countries around the world.
The Sphincter Oddi Dysfunction type III healing program may include some actions:
• Customized diet healing
• Drinking medicinal mineral water prepared with real spring salt from Karlovy Vary
• European full-body cleansing by restoring the friendly intestinal flora and hydrotherapy of the colon
• Anti-Candida program
• Acupuncture
• Herbal medicine
• Nutritional supplements
• Chiropractic Manipulations
• Visceral massage
• Relaxation, Meditation, Hypnosis, Custom Hypnosis CDs
Healing courses of alternative and holistic medicine can be used separately or as complementary approaches to traditional medicine.
The information in this article is presented for educational, informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed medical professional.
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