Hiatus Hernia: The Ignored Missing Link in all Chronic Diseases

HIATUS HERNIA: THE IGNORED MISSING LINK IN ALL CHRONIC DISEASES

By Dr S V Bulatov – registered homeopath

 Hiatus hernia has been called the "great mimic" because it mimics many disorders. A person with this problem can get such severe pains in their chest that they think they are having a heart attack. They may think they have an over acid stomach because they will regurgitate stomach acid after they eat, or their stomach may hurt so badly they will think they have an ulcer.

 The esophagus passes through an opening in the diaphragm muscle called the hiatus. The esophagus ends where it connects to the stomach. The stomach lies in the abdominal cavity below the diaphragm. When a person has a hiatus hernia, a portion of the stomach protrudes up into the chest cavity through the opening for the esophagus.

The diaphragm muscle is supposed to contract downward into the abdominal cavity to expand the chest area when we inhale. As the diaphragm relaxes upward, we exhale. This is why a baby's tummy rises and falls when they are breathing. The movement of the diaphragm causes the abdomen to expand outward when we inhale and relax inward as we exhale.

When the stomach is in the way of the diaphragm, it can't move like it is supposed to, so the person can't take a deep abdominal breath. In order for the person with a hiatus hernia to take a deep breath, they must lift their chest and shoulders.

This is how we could determine if a person has a hiatus hernia. Ask them to take a deep breath. If they breathe upwards into their chest, show them how to breathe abdominally and ask them to try it. 

A person who has a hiatal hernia cannot take an abdominal breath—even when we try to coach him how to do it!

Chronically ill people are almost universally chest breathers. Occasionally, with a little coaching they can take a little bit of an abdominal breath, but even then it is strained, suggesting that they may have a partial hiatus hernia. Some chest breathers seem able to be taught how to breathe abdominally and can do it with coaching. This suggests they don't have a hiatus hernia, but they still have tension in the solar plexus, which is inhibiting breathing. This tension is affecting digestion, too, even though the problem is not actually a hiatus hernia.

Check yourself, right now. Place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. Take a deep breath. Your chest should move only slightly, but your abdomen should expand outward noticeably when you inhale. If your chest expands outward and your stomach pulls inward when you take a deep breath, you probably have a hiatus hernia or at least tension in the solar plexus.

Medical literature suggests that 1-20% of the population have a hiatus hernia, but about 95% of the people have problems breathing deeply from their diaphragm. While this doesn't mean they have a medically-diagnosable hiatus hernia, it does suggest they have problems with both breathing and digestion that are contributing to their health problems.

 

All chronically ill people have a hiatus hernia!!!

 The first problem a hiatus hernia creates is shallow breathing. Shallow breathing increases acidity in the body because breathing is the first line of pH buffering. Shallow breathing also increases pain, since pain is usually a sign of lack of oxygen to the tissues. Shallow breathing reduces energy levels, because the cells need oxygen to create energy. A low oxygen environment is ideal for the growth of bacteria, parasites and cancer cells. In short, lack of oxygen is one of the primary causes of chronic illness—a cause that is overlooked by most people who are selling nutritional supplements or teaching people about nutrition or health.

That's bad enough, but the problem doesn't stop there. Besides causing shallow breathing, the hiatus hernia also inhibits digestion. It causes stress on the nerves to the stomach, which reduces secretion of acid and enzymes. As a result, proteins are not properly digested and minerals are not properly absorbed. This is why people with severe hiatus hernia lack muscle tone and are often very sickly. Many young people with this problem are excessively thin, while older people tend to be overweight with poor muscle tone.

Depending on how far up into the diaphragm a person's stomach protrudes, a hiatus hernia may or may not cause problems with acid reflux. If the stomach is in certain positions, the sphincter at the top of the stomach will not close properly to hold acid in the stomach.

People with chronic acid reflux always have a hiatus hernia. However, the reverse is not true—not everyone with a hiatus hernia experiences acid reflux.

People with hiatus hernia don't produce enough hydrochloric acid to properly digest food, but because they are prone to acid indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux, they are frequently neutralizing what little acid they do produce with antacids and acid blockers. The result is a vicious downward spiral of declining digestive function and general health.

A hiatus hernia will often cause frequent gas and bloating. This is because improperly digested protein will accumulate in the intestinal tract and contribute to intestinal irritation and inflammation. Poorly digested food irritates the ileocecal valve (which separates the small intestine from the colon) causing it to become inflamed. When the ileocecal valve is inflamed, it swells and the swelling prevents it from shutting properly. This allows bacteria from the colon to migrate into the small intestines and feast on the sugars in the small intestine. This will cause severe gas and bloating.

An open ileocecal valve is like having your septic tank or the sewer back up into your kitchen. About 95% of all people with a hiatus hernia also have an open ileocecal valve, although occasionally you'll find one without the other. An open ileocecal valve weakens the entire body.

You can locate the ileocecal valve by drawing an imaginary line from your belly button to the protrusion of bone on the front of your right hip. The ileocecal valve is located just under the halfway point along this line. Find this point right now and press inward. If you feel pain when you press on this spot, you probably have an open ileocecal valve. You can close it by massaging this area using small circular movements while breathing deeply. When the pain goes away, the valve is closed. You'll probably need to do this at least once a day for a few weeks to keep it closed.

 If the hiatus hernia protrudes upward far enough, it puts pressure on the bottom of the heart. Occasionally, there are people with a rapid or irregular heartbeat which cleared up when their hiatal hernia was fixed.

About 50% of heart attacks are triggered by intestinal gas and bloating putting pressure on the heart via a hiatus hernia.

Since the esophagus has to be shortened because the stomach is protruding upward, this can cause a slight “kink” in the esophagus. This often happens in the throat area, which can cause the sensation of a “lump” in the throat. It can also cause difficulty in swallowing food or capsules. If this “kink” in the esophagus occurs near the thyroid, it can irritate the thyroid. In younger people, this can cause the rapid metabolism that makes them very thin. In older people, it can cause low thyroid and excess weight.

The shallow breathing and lack of hydrochloric acid (HCl) production can cause an over acid pH in the body, which makes a person more susceptible to infection. Lack of HCl also makes one more prone to infection because HCl kills infectious organisms in the stomach so they can't reach the small intestines. Lack of HCl also makes one more prone to fungal infections.

Improper digestion of proteins and lack of proper mineral absorption have subtle and far-reaching effects.

The two nervi vagi are on both sides of esophagus. The hiatus hernia causes pressure on both of them. This can trigger many vagal symptoms throughout the body.

There are two main types of vagus nerve disorders. One is caused by an under-active or inactive vagus nerve, while the other is caused by a vagus nerve that overreacts to ordinary stimuli. Patients with under-active vagus nerves often experience severe gastrointestinal problems requiring long term treatment. Those with overactive vagus nerves may faint frequently.

Vagus nerve disorders that stem from an under-active vagus nerve often lead to a condition known as gastroparesis. Patients suffering from this disorder may experience pain in the stomach, nausea, heartburn, stomach spasms and weight loss. These symptoms occur because the vagus nerve is unable to direct enough blood to the stomach to complete digestion properly. In most cases, patients with gastroparesis will need to manage the condition medically for the rest of their lives.

In some patients, problems with the vagus nerve may be seen in other systems as well. This nerve is partially responsible for maintaining the heart rate and blood pressure, and if it doesn't function properly, patients may need a range of medical interventions in order to live. Pacemakers may be used to keep the heart rate from dropping and medication may be needed to increase the blood pressure to within an acceptable range. Vagus nerve disorders that are this severe are rare and often either congenital or the result of a serious illness or injury to the nerve.

Patients may also suffer from vagus nerve issues that are caused by an overactive vagus nerve. The main symptom of these disorders is fainting. In most cases, patients who have overactive vagus nerves will begin fainting at the onset of puberty.

Overactive vagus nerve disorders can be triggered by a number of different causes. The vagus nerve diverts blood to the stomach and may divert too much away from the brain when a patient is vomiting, digesting a large meal or having a bowel movement. Stress and emotional stimuli can also cause the vagus nerve to divert too much blood away from the brain.

 The abdominal aorta and vena cava go through the diaphragm close to the esophagus. When the hiatus hernia expands it causes pressure on both of them. This could irritate their receptors and trigger various symptoms.

A hiatus hernia weakens the immune system and makes one more prone to infectious diseases, autoimmune conditions and cancer. It also weakens the structural system, causing more problems with arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis and other structural problems. Improperly digested proteins also contribute to chronic respiratory problems such as chronic sinus congestion, allergies and asthma. The glandular system is also weakened.

The hiatus hernia weakens the whole body.

Both sayings“death begins in the stomach” and “death begins in the colon” are valid.

A hiatus hernia is a mechanical problem. It couldn't be fixed just by taking nutritional supplements. You have to mechanically manipulate the stomach downward from the diaphragm.

The dandelion flower essence is very helpful in relaxing the muscle tension at the solar plexus that accompanies a hiatus hernia. There is often a noticeable relaxing of the area and a deepened breathing after just one dose.

Massaging the abdomen will also help this problem. Concentrate on massaging downward from below the rib cage. This can be done from a standing position or while lying down.

Practicing deep breathing will also help fix a hiatus hernia. Concentrate on pushing your belly out as you breathe in. As you exhale, suck in your belly and pull your diaphragm upward. Exhale as deeply as you can. This helps release the diaphragm and make the next breath fuller and deeper. It may even help release the hiatus hernia. Exhaling fully may also help the stomach to slide back down into place.

 Hiatus hernia is typically caused by excess weight, pregnancy, lifting heavy objects, constipation and frequent coughing. A large percentage of women in their 8-9th month of pregnancy develop this problem. Many obese people also have this problem. However, those who seem to have it the worst are usually very thin, not pregnant or overweight, which suggests other causes.

Many natural healers often attribute the problem to intestinal gas and bloating putting pressure on the stomach.

Stress is a big factor. People with hiatus hernia often have a hard time expressing anger. They “swallow” it instead of expressing it or finding constructive ways of dealing with it. This might be the real cause of a hiatus hernia. Anger release work will often relax the stomach immediately.

 

Everybody has heard the phrase “gut instinct.” We all have gut instincts because we have a “gut brain.” The nervous system and the digestive system develop from the same embryonic tissue and the guts produce neurotransmitters just like the brain. There are also more nerves sending messages from the intestines to the brain than there are nerves sending messages from the brain to the intestines.

Most people in modern Western society don't pay much attention to the messages their guts are sending. Guts can and do “speak” to us and we can learn to listen by paying attention to the solar plexus.

The solar plexus is the soft area just underneath the breastbone and above the stomach. This area marks the place where a network of nerves radiating outward in all directions like the rays of the sun, hence, the term solar plexus.

In muscle testing, a muscle weakens when something is “wrong” and tests strong when things are “good” or “right.”

The solar plexus is an internal system of muscle testing that is constantly responding to the same subtle influences one picks up with muscle testing. The solar plexus tenses when something is wrong and relaxes when something is all right. The tension makes us hold our breath and the relaxation helps us breathe deeply.

Native people learned to depend on this “knot” in the stomach to warn them of danger and guide them to safety. Soldiers in war often report that learning to pay attention to this has saved their lives by warning them of danger.

You can observe the solar plexus response at work by doing an experiment with essential oils. Get a variety of essential oils and find a “test” subject. Have the person stand up straight with his eyes closed. Then, pass an open bottle of some essential oil under their nose so they can smell it.

If the oil has a positive effect, you'll see them relax a bit, breathe more deeply and lean forward slightly. If the oil has a negative effect on them, you'll see them tense a bit, breathe more shallowly and lean slightly backwards. This observable reaction will center on the response of the solar plexus to the oil. Try several different oils to observe different reactions.

 

Most people in Western society live primarily in their heads. In fact, nearly all of us have received the message since childhood that the body and its feelings or emotions are not to be trusted. As a result of this training, we learn to live in our heads, believing the things we have been taught and ignoring the messages we receive from our body and our emotions.

In fact, Western society places the mind as pre-eminent and the body and heart as secondary. Decartes said, “I think, therefore I am,” and Western civilization has considered thinking to be the seat of being ever since.

Spirit, soul and body are equally important, completely interactive and the mind is not the only source of “knowing.” Yes, we can learn and do things through our mind, but the guts (which represent the body) and the heart (which represents the spirit and soul), know things the head does not.

There is an emerging scientific evidence for this viewpoint. Research is showing that we have a “gut brain” and that every part of our body “thinks” or has intelligence.

 

Here is a real life experience of a natural practitioner:

About a year or two after I first learned about the solar plexus response I was driving back to Roosevelt from Salt Lake City here in Utah. It was late at night and I was traveling in a friend's car. Right after leaving Heber City, my solar plexus knotted up. I knew this meant that something was wrong, but I didn't know what.

I started asking questions mentally, “Is it this? Is it that?” The knot in my stomach just kept getting tighter and tighter, and I was getting more and more concerned. What was wrong? After about five minutes of trying to figure it out, I suddenly saw the ‘real' gas gauge. What I thought was the gas gauge was actually the temperature gauge. The gas gauge was on empty.

As soon as I realized I was nearly out of gas, the knot in my stomach relaxed and I breathed a “sigh” of relief. (That's how your solar plexus lets you know you've got it right.) I turned the car around and went back to Heber City to fill up the tank.

It's about 80 miles from Heber City to Roosevelt, and there is only one gas station on that entire stretch of road—and it isn't open at night. I would have run out of gas on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere late at night if my solar plexus hadn't alerted me to the fact that something was wrong.

Since that experience, I've learned to “pay attention” to my solar plexus more and it has helped me out in many situations. I believe the solar plexus is the body's way of “talking” to you. As with muscle testing, the body is sensing the vibrations of influences around you and picking up information through the various senses. When the body senses vibrations or inputs that are dangerous, it responds through the solar nerve plexus and we “feel” something in our abdomen.

Besides listening to the solar plexus, where the body talks to us, we should listen to the heart, where our emotions talk to us.

The heart also produces hormones and neurotransmitters and thus, “thinks.” My heart has told me things many times that my head couldn't understand, but things have always turned out better when I've listened to my heart and not allowed my head to override it.

Both the heart and the body are able to sense things that the physical brain doesn't know how to process into words. Words are secondary to experience, simply being a representation of experience. We should trust experience over words and the subjective experience of our own heart and gut instincts over the word-based knowledge that we were programmed with since childhood.

 

Every time we go to do something that is harmful to our body (and thus to our health) the solar plexus is going to tense up. This pulls the stomach upward and tenses it against the diaphragm. If we were listening, we would look around and try to figure out where the harmful influence was. As soon as we identified the source of harm or danger, the solar plexus would relax again.

However, we don't listen. We just ignore the message. Thus, day after day we are doing things that cause our solar plexus to tense up. Over time, this builds into a chronic tension that interferes with breathing and digestion. At the least, we develop chronic tension in the solar plexus. At worst, we develop a hiatus hernia and its attending problems. The constant harm we do to the body also leads to chronic illness.

If we were paying attention to what the body is trying to tell us, we would be able to avoid most harmful influences. However, we have been taught to override the wisdom of the body and replace it with the “learning” of the brain. Few people, even in the natural health movement, actually try to listen to their body. It's all about “head” knowledge.

It takes courage to follow your instincts. It takes real courage to choose to not do something that everyone else says is “perfectly safe” when your instinct tells you it's not. It takes courage to not fall in with the group—family, friends, religion, societyand make choices that are different because of what your instincts and heart are telling you. This is especially true when you can't logically justify why you are making those choices, when it's just a “feeling” you have.

That's why they call it “guts.” Courage takes “guts.” Do you have the “guts” to listen to the wisdom of your body and heart? Do you have the courage to make a choice that you can't logically justify because something simply “feels” right or wrong? That's really having guts. I encourage you to stop ignoring the tension in your solar plexus and start doing the things that allow it to relax. I guarantee that both your digestion and your health will improve.

 

Start by checking your breathing. Accessing your pattern of breathing is the first step in correcting of a hiatus hernia. Put your hand on your abdomen as you breathe. If your abdomen moves in and out more than your chest, you are probably handling your stress well, or at least, you aren't letting stress control you. You probably don't have a hiatal hernia, either.

If you are breathing from the top of your lungs, just sit back and relax to allow your breathing apparatus to revert to normal abdominal breathing. If it doesn't, then you need to relax the diaphragm and help your stomach move downward. To do this, take lobelia essence or blue vervain in liquid form. Then, practice breathing from the abdomen again. You can also practice abdominal breathing while relaxing in a bath with lavender oil. It is also helpful to massage your abdomen, especially in the area under the rib cage while concentrating on breathing deeply.

When you are practicing breathing deeply, practice exhaling completely. Force as much air out of your lungs as you possibly can before inhaling again. This both exercises and relaxes the diaphragm and will help bring down the stomach.

Find healthy ways to vent your repressed anger and frustration. This releases tension from the diaphragm and will help defuse much of the tension maintaining the hiatus hernia problem. For example, try taking a long, slow deep breath and feel the tension build up in your diaphragm (like you are starting to get angry). Make your hands into fists and raise them up in front of you as if you want to punch somebody. Exhale forcefully with an angry “huh!” sound while shaking your fists downward like you are hitting something. Do this several times, safely discharging your inner tension and frustrations.

You can also throw a mini-temper tantrum. Again breathe in deeply, clench your fists like you are angry and then as you exhale, yell, scream or just use a sound like "arrr" while shaking your fists and stomping your feet like a little child throwing a tantrum. This may sound really stupid, and may be very hard for you to do, but I've seen the stomach come down and the diaphragm noticeably relax after someone has done this.

Other methods of dealing with stress include changing your environment, finding new ways to resolve problems and communicating your thoughts and feelings honestly with others.

It is also possible to bring down a hiatus hernia using manual manipulation. Find a chiropractoror a massage therapist who knows how to manually manipulate a hiatus hernia. You can also massage your own abdomen daily for about 5-15 minutes paying special attention to massaging the area under your ribs.

As an alternative, the following technique can be used as a self-help form of manual manipulation.

Drink a pint of warm water first thing in the morning. Next, stand on your toes and drop suddenly to your heels several times. The force of this little jump and the weight of the water help pull the stomach down in place while the warm temperature of the water relaxes the stomach area. Taking a dropper full of lobelia essence with the water will relax the stomach and make the treatment more effective.

If you're adventurous, jump off a chair or down a short flight of stairs to get the same effect. The idea behind this technique is to get your stomach to “drop” as if you were in an elevator that suddenly started going down. If this doesn't solve the problem, place both hands under your breastbone in the center of your rib cage. Take a deep breath and press your fingers firmly into the solar plexus area (just under the breastbone). As you forcefully exhale, push your fingers downward and bend forward slightly. Be careful not to push your fingers up under the rib cage. Repeat this action several times. Do this before meals on an empty stomach.

It is usually important to work on the ileocecal valve when correcting the hiatus hernia. This valve is located on the right side of the abdomen midway between the belly button and the right hip bone. Just start massaging in that area and if there is any pain or discomfort in that region gently massage the area while breathing deeply until the pain goes away. Do this at least once a day.

Although nutritional supplements won't correct a hiatus hernia, they will help it heal as you mechanically get the stomach to move downward. Supplements can also help the ileocecal valve, which will help the hiatus hernia to heal, too:

1. Red raspberry is a very good herb for toning abdominal muscles and is useful to take in capsules or teas when correcting a hiatus hernia.
2. Both ConcenTrace and Citrilite are promoting healing of a hiatus hernia.
3. Slippery elm is useful to correct the ileocecal valve problem and improve the hiatus hernia problem at the same time.
4. Taking digestive enzymes benefits people with a hiatus hernia.

To treat hiatus hernia syndrome that is accompanied by heartburn, use slippery elm powder mixed with a little juice or water or whole leaf aloe vera juice. If you continue to get acid in your throat, sleep with your head and chest slightly elevated. Elevate your pillow to raise your head and chest.

Dandelion flower essence is very helpful.It is for people who are too "uptight." They over form and over plan their lives and don't know how to relax and "go with the flow." Dandelion flower essence alone noticeably relaxes the diaphragm after just one dose.

Chamomile and St. John's wort are two other herbs that regulate the solar plexus and both can be helpful as flower essences for correcting a hiatus hernia. Chamomile is helpful for promoting a more relaxed, even and "sunny" disposition while St. John's wort helps people get in touch with their "gut instincts." Both are helpful as herbs, too.

Thyroid type (hourglass) people usually have the most problems with a hiatus hernia. They also tend to have adrenal weakness and the two problems (adrenal weakness and a hiatus hernia) seem to go hand in hand. Building the adrenals helps one manage stress better.

DGL, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha (not for A and AB blood group), Re)cover, 1body and Magnol-Rx are excellent adrenal builders.