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Hiatal hernia is a common cause of acid reflux. It is a medical condition typically diagnosed by a doctor.
Development
The lower esophageal sphincter (aka LES, also called the cardiac valve) is a one way valve that lets food into the stomach.
Under the conditions or hernia, it may not function properly, allowing acid from the stomach to escape upwards into the esophagus, causing painful heartburn and acid reflux.
The diaphragm is a big dome-shaped muscle above the stomach that separates the lungs and heart from the stomach , liver, and digestive viscera.
A hernia is a protrusion of an organ through an opening. In this case, a hiatal hernia is a protrusion of the stomach through the diaphragm.
Each time you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and pushes down on digestive organs. Each time you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes. Since you breathe roughly 26,000 times a day - the diaphragm pushes on the digestive organs very often.
The esophagus passes through the diaphragm and into the stomach. So there is a lot of interaction between the esophagus, top of the stomach, and diaphragm.
For various reasons the upper stomach may become adhered to the diaphragm, or protrude through.
One of these reasons is shallow breath. Shallow or difficult breathing due to pain may also be a sign of hiatal hernia.
Other causes include anything that creates undue pressure on abdominal organs, including pregnancy, obesity, gas & bloating, physical exertion and strain including persistent coughing.
Finally, poor or lax muscle tone can cause malfunction of the valve.
Types
There are two types of hiatal hernia, sliding and rolling. A sliding hernia is the most common, when the upper part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm. A sliding hernia is often small, and produces no symptoms, or intermittent symptoms. It often slips in and out of its correct position.
A rolling hernia is rare but more dangerous. It can trap the stomach above the diaphragm, cutting off the blood supply and causing necrosis or tissue death, a serious condition.
Upon palpation with firm pressure, you may notice some discomfort in the upper left quadrant on the abdomen.
Diagnosis
A barium X-ray may be used to diagnose hiatal hernia.
Treatment
Surgery is often used to correct this condition, but it is not statistically successful.
Chiropractors can sometimes reset the diaphragm into the proper position.
You can also try a home technique while lying on your back with your knees bent or close to your chest. On the exhale push your finger under your left rib cage and pull the stomach down.
When you sit, the belly compresses which increases pressure in the abdomen. Instead, move the belly button forward to create more space in the lower abdomen. Lift the sternum to create even more space.
Easy to digest foods so that food doesn't stagnate in the upper GI. This can reduce the chances of acid reflux.
Avoid carbonated beverages and food that causes gas or bloating.
Avoid muscle relaxants like smoking. Aromatic herbs like peppermint should be avoided as these will also relax the LES causing malfunction.
Food is medicine, and well-designed recipes function as gentle herbal formulas.
The recipes below highlight biocharacteristics and ingredients that may support Hiatal Hernia
from a Classical Metabolic Theory perspective*.
Because every person is unique, certain recipes may support your body more effectively than others.
Choose according to your constitution.
Suggestions are not strict, reflecting the real world need for variety and balance in diet.
As always, please consult your medical doctor before making any changes to your diet or wellness plan.
Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Hiatal Hernia'.
Individual results vary depending on the cause of your imbalance and by constitution.
Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
The term "bland taste" refers, in Chinese medicine, to food containing few macronutrients, such as cabbage, radish or bok choy. These may be compared to negative calorie foods.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body.
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care.
Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.
Balance Your Body with Diet, Herbs, & Lifestyles Having These Virtues (Biocharacteristics)
Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda & Greek Medicine)
categorize in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics.
Biocharacteristics are vital qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the metabolic effect a food or herb has on your body.
Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism.
Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism.
For 'Hiatal Hernia', consider foods with the following biocharacteristics.
Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.
BIOCHARACTERISTIC
FOODS TO FAVOR
MATCH WITH YOUR WELLNESS PROFILE
EASY
ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC
Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly.
HIATAL HERNIA IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE #4 - TISSUE DISEASE
If you have symptoms in this category it means your imbalances have overwhelmed your body's resistance causing a full-fledged disease.
Once imbalance reaches this stage it is more likely to cause acute or chronic conditions.
You might be tempted to focus your attention on fighting symptoms in this category, but dismiss earlier warning signs of imbalance - i.e. symptoms in the stage 1 category.
It is ideal to find and address the root causes weakening your system and remove them first.
This ensures you are not adding fuel to the fire of disease.
Once the root causes are removed, you can work on addressing the disease head on along with strengthening your body.
This typically yields a quicker recovery and prevents recurrence.
Ayurveda's preventative approach suggests you pay careful attention to every stage of disease development.
(See all disease stages on JB)
AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE BIOCHARACTERISTICS
According to Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda and Greek medicine), aggravation of any of these
body types
and biocharacteristics may lead to 'Hiatal Hernia'.
Reduce the foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate these qualities (when dystempered).
Click on the biocharacteristic to learn what foods and
lifestyle habits should be reduced.
Symptoms Tell A Story
The first step to healing is learning patterns from your symptoms.
Symptoms are clues that reveal underlying imbalances.
Symptoms show you where your body is weakened.
Ultimately, all disease has a root in tissues too weak to defend itself.
Ayurveda describes these patterns of weakness using doshas & biocharacteristics.
If you notice a biocharacteristic or dosha appears next to many of your symptoms,
it helps you establish a pattern that may be systemic.
The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Hiatal Hernia'.
See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type.
Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.
Risk Factor: 80% more often Complication: +2.2 times as often
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Hiatal Hernia and Exercise aggravates symptoms.
Biocharacteristics of 1,911 People Reporting Hiatal Hernia
On average the biocharacteristics
of people reporting Hiatal Hernia were more aggravated than 61% of other symptoms.
From the 1,911 people who reported Hiatal Hernia
average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Hiatal Hernia and Sour.
4.1% avg client level
17.0% (324) of cases
7,528 have Sour constitution
Risk Factors of Hiatal Hernia
Below you will see general risk factors as well as the greatest risk factors, i.e. those who were also more likely to report Hiatal Hernia.
Overall, 5.05% of people surveyed reported Hiatal Hernia.
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Hiatal Hernia and Endometriosis.
234 cases with both
+1.7 times more likely
12% of cases
7.26% (2,421 cases)
DISCOVER YOUR BODY WITH YOUR FREE INDIVIDUALIZED BODY MAP
Find ideal foods, herbs and lifestyle tips.
See your imbalances, and locate intervention points.
Your body map contains a complete analysis of your Ayurvedic imbalances, organ by organ.
Give your chart to your functional medical doctor or any alternative health practitioner.
Ayurveda strengthens the body while opposing disorders. It takes a holistic,
systemic approach that looks at the whole body. Ayurveda
shows how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them
using diet, lifestyle adjustments, and herbs. It shows a person how to optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't
take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you.
Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing.
HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?
Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type,
which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths).
It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders.
Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder.
It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of biocharacteristics (gunas).
For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc.
This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.
On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalanced biocharacteristics.
By eating an optimal diet that balances your biocharacteristics, your whole body is strengthened
and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease
are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies -
such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance
your healing.
GET STARTED
To get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body
type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so
by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.
5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you?
This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda.
It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly & Magnolia Hill College, offers
professional clinical training
in personalized diet, lifestyle and herbs through Classical Metabolic Theory (Ayurveda & Greek Medicine).
His approach is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders,
classical Christian philosophy for mental wellness, languages (French, Arabic, Bengali), cooking & botany.
He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John, his wife Natalie, and their 8 kids live in Asheville, NC.
Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’
Comments & Questions
How does 'hiatal hernia' affect your quality of life?
What aggravates it? What has helped you? Is there something else you'd like to know about 'hiatal hernia'?
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
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Ayurvedic Perspective on Hiatal Hernia
Related Symptoms
Stage of Imbalance (Samprapti)
Live Report: Biocharacteristics
Diet Remedies by Dosha, Biocharacteristics, Action, etc.
Live Report: Risk Factors
Herb Remedies by Dosha, Guna, Action, etc.
Live Report: Complications
Biocharacteristics & Herb Actions to Favor
Comments and reviews
Biocharacteristics to Avoid
Example 1: 
