Before you have your gall bladder removed...

...try the Gall Bladder Flush.

For ten years, on a fairly regular basis, I got to stand by and watch my husband writhe in the most excruciating pain with what had been diagnosed as a duodenal ulcer. All I could do was make him hot tea with shoyu and umeboshi and wait until he stopped screaming to spoon some into his mouth. That seemed to help, and he could go for months at a time without another attack. But we were always waiting, knowing the problem was still there.

In Texas, while we were still trying to make a go at a cooking school that ultimately failed, we met a lot of wonderful Texans, one of whom had battled gall stones for years. When you teach macrobiotic cooking, conversations often turn to discussions of internal organs. In one such conversation, our friend, Connie, described her gall stone attacks, and the flush that saved her from the surgeon's knife. John was listening to her description of the pain and thought it sounded an awful lot like his "ulcer."

"Why not give the gall bladder flush a shot?" he thought out loud. He did, it worked, and he's never had an attack since.

I've shared this gall bladder cleanse recipe with a number of people since then and it works like a charm, or some might say miracle, every time.

Word for word from Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, here's the recipe:

One can often quickly purge the gall bladder of stones and other sediment with a one-day ritual commonly called the "Gall Bladder Flush." There are many variations on this, but one of the simplest and most effective is the following:

• Beginning in the morning and throughout the day, eat only apples, preferably organic, as many as desired, but at least four or five. Apples of the green variety seem most effective, although all apples will help soften the stones. Water, herbal teas, and/or apple juice may also be taken.

• At bed-time, warm up two thirds of a cup of virgin olive oil to body temperature and mix in one-third of a cup of fresh lemon juice. Slowly sip the entire mixture, and then immediately go to bed, lying on the right side, with the right leg drawn up. In the morning all stones should pass in the stool.

We recommend this flush be done with the guidance of an experienced and qualified health practitioner. According to our experience, we estimate this remedy has made gallbladder operations unnecessary in thousands of likely candidates.

If you want to avoid getting gall stones again, avoid eggs and dairy. Last week when John suggested this to my favorite cashier at Whole Foods following his success with the flush, he said, "But I love eggs and cheese. And now I know what to do when I have gall stones so I don't have to stop eating my favorite foods!"

As you wish. It's up to you!