Hiatal Hernia Treatment

When suffering from hiatal hernia there is a variety of different options for treatment.  Most will recommend to try changes in many aspects of your lifestyle before moving onto medicine and or surgery.

First thing to do is change some of your activities.  When suffering from hiatal hernia heavy lifting and strenuous activates such as continually bending over can aggravate your hiatal hernia so avoid these activities.  Next watch how you are sitting and make sure you are not slouching when sitting or walking around.  Also when going to sleep it is better to sleep on an incline, this is easily done by placing blocks under the top the bed where your head is.  You just need to lift the bed up 4-6 inches.  Also after eating it is advisable for you to go for a walk or any activity to keep yourself standing while your food processes.  Also losing weight with more exercise will also stave off hiatal hernia symptoms.

Your next option is to improve your diet.  Unfortunately you might be avoiding all of your favorite foods.  Try taking caffeine, chocolate, fried foods, fatty foods, peppermint and alcohol out of your diet.  Also you need to eat smaller meals and stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed.

If these hiatal hernia treatments don't clear up your symptoms there a variety of over the counter drugs that can be used.  When suffering from acute symptoms reach for antacids like Tums and Mylanta.  When being proactive look for antacids such as Zantac.

If none of the above treatments work you can go to your doctor for prescription drugs.  You will receive prescription antacids such as Prevacid and Prilosec to try and ease the pain.

The next step down the line is surgery especially in cases of a strangulated hiatal hernia (complication of a hiatal hernia when part of the stomach that is herniated becomes twisted or pinched by the diaphragm). Hiatal Hernia Surgery is performed by tightening the opening in the diaphragm using either open or laparoscopic surgery methods. Laparoscopic surgery became very popular recently due to reduced risk of infection and minimal post-surgery hospital stay.

Hiatal Hernia Overview

Hernia generally involves penetration of the internal organs through the protective muscle walls that surround them. Depending on the organs involved in causing the disorder, there can be many different types of hernia. Hiatal hernia is a common type of hernia that occurs when the stomach wall presses against the esophageal hiatus, an opening in the diaphragm. The hiatus acts just like a valve, preventing the content of the stomach from reaching inside the esophagus. When the hiatus is weakened, the content of the stomach can be pushed upwards inside the esophagus, causing hiatal hernia. When the disorder occurs in the area above the diaphragm, it is referred to as sliding hiatal hernia. When the disorder occurs in the area below the diaphragm, it is referred to as paraesophageal hiatal hernia.

Hiatal hernia affects both sexes equally. Although it can occur at any age, the disorder has the highest incidence in elderly people. Hiatal hernia is also common in overweight people and in people who frequently sustain intense physical effort (weight lifting).

Some people who suffer from hiatal hernia usually don’t have any symptoms at all. However, hiatal hernia can generate symptoms such as heartburn, abdominal pain and discomfort and nausea. Most people affected by hiatal hernia suffer from heartburn, which usually intensifies after meals. This common symptom of hiatal hernia occurs due to reflux of the stomach content inside the esophagus. When doctors suspect the presence of hiatal hernia in patients, they usually perform additional tests in order to confirm the clinical diagnose. Hiatal hernia can be revealed by X-ray scans, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and computerized tomography. Nowadays, the disorder can be quickly diagnosed with the means of a laparoscope.

Unlike other forms of the disorder, hiatal hernia rarely requires surgery. In fact, in many cases hiatal hernia doesn’t require any medical treatment at all. When patients diagnosed with hiatal hernia complain about heartburn, doctors usually prescribe antacids or other similar medications. Corrective surgery is only required for patients with more serious, complicated forms of hiatal hernia. The surgical intervention is safe and quick, allowing patients to recover completely within a few days after the operation.

Uncomplicated hiatal hernia can be effectively cured by making lifestyle improvements. An appropriate diet and a healthy eating schedule have proved to be very effective ways of correcting hiatal hernia. Also, people who suffer from hiatal hernia are recommended to avoid weight lifting and straining in order to prevent complications.

Although it is very common, hiatal hernia is one of the least threatening forms of hernia and in many cases the disorder disappears on itself. However, if the symptoms generated by the disorder are ongoing or very intense, it is best to inform your physician about this.

Natural Hiatal Hernia Cure - Home Remedies For Heartburn

Hiatus hernia also known as diaphragmatic hernia is an annoying and serious health problems that should be treated immediately. Natural hiatus hernia cure is a more preferable approach rather than medical approach as natural approach can address the problem right to the root and leave no side effect.

1. The Symptoms:
Hiatal hernia occurs very often in overweight people, intense weight lifter, and older people. What can be so annoying are the symptoms that include heartburn, abdominal pain and nausea. Tea has worked for some people to ease the symptom, something you might want to try.

2. Making a Change in Your Lifestyle:
Lifestyle has been attributed as one of the common causes for various health problems. Avoid alcohol totally as this can worsen your hiatus hernia, as alcohol can increase stomach acid.

Overweight is another common cause. You want to lose some weight if you are overweight. Drinking a lot of water can help as well. It is quite surprising to see many people drinking coke, coffee, tea, alcohol except water. Smoking also can worsen your condition, stop smoking right now.

3. Honey:
Honey is a simple natural remedy for many health problems. Honey has been known as an effective cure for blocking infection, wipe out bacteria, reducing pain, ease inflammation, and improve blood circulation. Taking a teaspoon of honey or drink it with water can help a lot to cure your hiatus hernia.

4. Red Apple:
The red apple is an amazingly simple natural hiatus hernia cure. Eating red apple directly in the morning after breakfast, and you will be surprised with the progress you make in a course of a month, some people have been reported to have been permanently cured.

Natural approach has become more a preferable approach in treating this condition rather than medical approach, some of the examples are honey and red apple.

Be Rid of Heartburn Forever

Heartburn can be very distressing and it happens when the normal function of food digestion malfunctions. This occurs when the digestive acid that comes back into the esophagus damages the lining of the esophagus. The body reacts by sending a message. Pain is nature’s way of saying that something is wrong. Left unattended the lining of the esophagus can be damaged or may form an ulcer. An ulcer is a break in the lining of the esophagus wall. that may be lead to bleeding. This is more than simple heartburn.

Knowing the cause of heartburn can helpful. Common causes of heartburn include eating too much and eating the wrong kinds of foods. These can include alcohol, chocolate, citrus fruits and drinks as well as colas, tomato products and fatty foods. Other reasons for heartburn can include hiatal hernia, stress, allergies, enzyme deficiencies and heartburn ulcers. Identifying the cause is important in finding the cure. For a complete picture you should see your doctor - having a complete picture can be very helpful for heartburn prevention.

When was the last time you had heartburn? You probably remember what caused it. A wonderful meal can be spoiled by that unpleasant feeling in the chest. Millions of folks are heartburn sufferers and many for the same reasons. We love to eat but oh, the after effects. If you are looking for answers, the first place to start is a diary that can help you track what you eat and how much. Accurate record keeping can identify which are major problem foods and should be completely eliminated or reduced.

A great meal can loose some of it’s charm if heartburn is an uninvited guest. For those with only minor symptoms heartburn symptoms will probably be recognized as mainly a pain in the breastbone, regurgitation, and nausea. It is important, however, to find the causes of the heartburn and eliminate the symptoms as they can often mask the more serious symptoms of a gastrointestinal problem. Use common sense - shape, reoccurring pain is nature’s way way of sending a message.

The most common sense prescription for heartburn is to eat sensibly. Smaller, more frequent, meals not only allows the stomach to generate less acid but also encourages the stomach to shrink and digest food more efficiently. Eat regularly, and don’t eat just before bedtime, lying down may cause the acid in your stomach to rise. As an obvious one, don’t do heavy exercise for 2-3 hours after a meal. however, light exercise like a casual walk can be beneficial.

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What Really Causes Acid Reflux

Acid reflux occurs because the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus fails to close properly. This muscle should work like a one-way valve, allowing food to enter the stomach, and stopping stomach acid from backing up.

Several factors will influence the way this muscle works. In infants and babies, the muscle may not close tight enough to keep the stomach acid in the tummy. This is commonly called colic. Colic can be miserable for both the baby and the family, but it generally disappears by about six to eight months of age, as the child's muscles develop and strengthen. Another common reason people suffer from heartburn is pregnancy, or being overweight. Both of these conditions cause extra pressure to build up along the diaphragm, and push on the lower esophagus. This can weaken the muscle, and promote acid reflux.

Almost fifty percent of heartburn sufferers have stomach muscles that work very slowly, this can result in delayed emptying of the stomach. When this occurs, food remains in the stomach longer than normal, increasing the chances that the stomach acid could splash up on the sensitive tissues of the esophagus.

Hiatal hernias can also cause the symptoms of acid reflux. The hiatus is a passageway in the diaphragm that permits food from the esophagus to pass into the stomach. A hiatal hernia is when a small part of the stomach actually protrudes up through the hole. This prevents the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus from working properly, and can lead to acid reflux.

Several common medications may also cause you to suffer the effects of acid reflux. Medications that irritate the stomach lining can aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux. The most common medications that do this are Motrin, Nuprin, and Advil. These medications are commonly used as pain relievers, and many sufferers report relief if the take these medications with food.

Different types of foods can also cause heartburn. If you suffer from this disease, keeping a food diary can help you discover the cause and prevent future suffering. Many people get into the habit of taking antacids several times each day. This only masks the symptoms of acid reflux, and provides short-term relief. If you find yourself using antacids more than three times each week, then it is time to visit the doctor. Several effective treatments will stop acid reflux, and prevent complications from starting.

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Acid Disorder Reflux Explained In Simple Terms

Heartburn is a common problem in today's world. Acid reflux, gastric reflux, GERD, (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) are the many names heartburn has been given. Even though they all share many of the same traits, there are specific medical conditions that can be found in each. Acid reflux or acid disorder reflux is a disorder of the digestive tract.

Acid disorder reflux gives the unfortunate sufferer a burning sensation in their chest and stomach. This painful inflammation is the result of hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is used by the stomach to digest food. When the stomach and the esophagus canal is not separated by a mechanism known as the Lower Esophageal Sphincter, then the stomach acids backup into the esophagus. This refluxing motion causes an irritation to the sensitive tissues in the lower esophagus area.

Generally the esophageal sphincter muscle functions normally. It contracts and closes the esophagus area after you have had a meal. This closure prevents the stomach acid from rising up into the esophagus during the digestion process. However there are times when the Lower Esophageal Sphincter does not operate properly, then acid from the stomach reflux into the esophagus. This results in the condition that is medically known as gastroesophageal reflux disorder or acid disorder reflux.

The reasons for acid disorder reflux are varied. However they often occur with other health issues like allergies, enzyme deficiencies, gallbladder problems, hiatal hernia, stress and heartburn ulcers.

Food and beverage consumption is another possible cause. It is recommended that you avoid consumption of alcohol, chocolate, citrus fruits and drinks as these are known to relax the Lower Esophageal Sphincter or LES as it is called. Coffee, Tea and colas which contain caffeine must be eliminated from your diet as well. These beverages contain a substance called theobromine.

Fried and fatty foods have a tendency to slow down the digestion process. Eating large amounts of food at any time of the day can put a lot of pressure on your stomach muscles. When the food is kept in your stomach for a long period, there is increased pressure to the stomach muscles. This pressure build-up can weaken the LES.

As this is the valve that protects your esophagus from the stomach you need to take care that this weakened conditioned does not allow the digested food acids to pass into your esophagus. Therefore you should eat small meals throughout the day. By consuming large amounts of food, you cause the LES to relax and reflux food into the esophagus leading to acid disorder reflux.

Tomatoes and tomato-based products like sauces and tomato juice will also cause the LES to relax. These tomato-based products lead to an increase in the production of stomach acid. When they reflux into the esophagus, the acidity levels cause acid disorder reflux.

By watching what you eat and taking care of your health, you stand a better chance of avoiding acid disorder reflux from entering your life and causing you pain, and its' always better in the long to eat healthy anyway.

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Current Treatment Of Abdominal Hernias

Hernias tend to enlarge in time and a quick medical consult could in some cases exempt the patients from surgery. But many persons with typical symptoms of hernia choose to wear a truss bandage instead of seeking professional help. The truss assembles a belt and supports the abdominal wall keeping the hernia from protruding. Hernias are caused by heavy lifting and high physical stress on the abdomen so all patients refusing surgery must consider avoiding strenuous activities.

In time, worse symptoms like nausea, vomiting and continuous pain appear and the hernial bag cannot be pushed back into the abdomen anymore. The patient is now forced to seek medical help and requires emergency operation.

The intra operator procedure in case of hernias is pushing the content back into the abdominal cavity, sewing the adjacent muscle and sometimes adding a nylon support material over the abdominal lining. Such supplementary materials are needed when the hernia is old, the abdominal wall is weakened or in case of elderly persons.

If patients with severe hernia symptoms do not seek immediate medical help, severe even life threatening complications may occur. In cases when the hernial content is an intestinal strain, the intervention becomes an emergency due to the existing danger. The trapped bowel fragment will cause an intestinal obstruction with potentially lethal damages to the entire body. A prompt surgery is most important as to prevent the stopping in the blood supply of the intestines. The involved bowel fragment could actually die.

In case of hiatus hernias, surgical operations are only performed in very severe situations. The common treatment is changing the eating, drinking and life schedule: patients should avoid lying down after meals, eat small and frequent meals, avoid alcohol and spicy foods, stop smoking and enhance many fibers in their diet.

Hiatus hernia’s symptoms can also be relieved by medication. Antacids neutralize the gastric acid and lower heartburns. Other assembling products decrease the acid production or some medicines even increase the efficiency of the esophageal muscles. When the stomach is rapidly emptied, the risk of heartburn is reduced.

Homeopathic medicine recommends products like Deglycyrrhizinated licorice for its action of reducing the effect of gastric acids.

Alternative medicine shows the benefits of visceral manipulation meaning restoring the stomach on its normal position.

About 85% of the hiatus hernias are successfully controlled with diet changes and medication. All abdominal hernias have a 10% rate of reoccurrence.

To avoid developing an abdominal hernia, do not lift heavy objects, keep your body weight under control and take moderate physical exercises.

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Hiatal Hernia - A More Dangerous and Hard to Detect Form of the Common Illness

Hiatal hernia is not as widespread as inguinal hernia which is the most encountered form but it is the second most common type of hernia so you should know what it is and how it manifests in order to know if you are suffering from it and what to do in this case.

Most hernias occur in the abdominal area. Hiatal hernia appears in the upper parts of the abdomen, at the diaphragm. A simple definition of hernia is that it is a disease that appears when a certain part of the body loses its resistance, because it gets old in most cases, and another part of the body that is in contact with the first one slips through a small hole that appears in the first part. Depending on the body parts involved in this hernia can be divided into more types.

Hiatal hernia involves the diaphragm, which is the first 'organ' from the situation above, the one that gets weakened, and the stomach, its upper side in most cases is the second one. The stomach is supposed to stay under the diaphragm (the muscular membrane that separates the abdomen from the lungs), but the diaphragm has a small hole in it through which the esophagus passes. The area around the hole weakens and a part of the stomach passes through it and slides inside the chest cavity. There are two forms of hiatal hernia, sliding hiatal hernia, when the stomach slides through the opening in the diaphragm between the stomach and esophagus as mentioned above, which is the most common form, and rolling hiatal hernia, less encountered, when the stomach slides along the esophagus not between it and the stomach.

Unlike other forms of hernia you can't feel the bulge that appears because the stomach slides inside the body, so in order to detect it you need to pay close attention if any of its symptoms show up, which is not that easy because in most cases it shows no easy-to-see symptoms! It usually causes heartburn, a warm feeling in the chest, because of the acid in the stomach that re-fluxes backwards in the esophagus. Most people feel symptoms after eating and lying down, they start feeling bad, especially if they eat hot spicy foods.

If you experience any of the mentioned above try paying a visit to your doctor and ask for a control. These symptoms also appear because of indigestion so don't get alarmed until you receive diagnostic. It's important to detect hiatal hernia early because if it's left untreated it may lead to severe complications that include heart-attack! So periodically visit your doc and pay attention to the symptoms to avoid complications, but don't panic as soon as you get a little heartburn because there's a long way from that to a heart-attack.

If you want to find great information on different hernia subjects check out this links. You can find great content regarding hiatal hernia, inguinal hernia and many more at http://www.hernia-guide.com

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