Surgery shouldn't be the first course of action.

Surgery shouldn't be the first course of action. For a complaint that's mostly caused by bad diet or certain drugs, a rethink of what you eat or which drugs you take has to be uppermost. Only after this has been exhausted should you consider a surgical alternative.

Certainly, if you're contemplating laparoscopic cholecystectomy, then you should make sure you're referred only to surgeons with extensive experience of the technique. The cynical might say that a choice between the more traditional surgery by laparotomy and the newer, laparoscopic surgery is a choice between a larger scar or a slightly larger risk of bile duct injury. Make sure your surgeon informs you as completely as possible about the risks and benefits of your procedure, and that must include scientific data currently available.Clearly, drug treatment does more harm than good. It might be sold as an attractive alternative to surgery, but it creates more problems than it solves.

This makes the nutritional and herbal options the most obvious first port of call.