Acid Reflux - Hiatal Hernia The Hiatal Hernia - Acid Reflux has been called the "great mimic", because it mimics many disorders. A person with this condition 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. This is just a sampling of the symptoms that may occur from this disorder. We always recommend that you see a medical professional to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong. What is a Hiatal Hernia? When you swallow, your food passes down a long tube known as the esophagus into the stomach. This tube must pass through a muscle known as the diaphragm, which is located near the bottom of your rib cage. This opening in the diaphragm, which permits the esophagus to pass through, is regulated by a sphincter muscle (or "valve"), which relaxes and opens, when we swallow, to permit the food to pass through the diaphragm and into the stomach. This sphincter or valve closes to prevent stomach acid from coming back up into the throat. A hiatal hernia-acid reflux occurs when the top of the stomach rolls or slides up into this opening and becomes stuck there. Naturally, when part of the stomach is forced up into the diaphragm the sphincter muscle cannot close properly. Thus, stomach acid may travel back up into the esophagus causing burning sensations (heartburn), esophageal spasms, inflammations and ulcers. (known as the Acid Reflux) Your diaphragm is a muscle. The diaphragm has three large openings for passage of the aorta, esophagus, and vena cana. When you don't use your diaphragm to breathe, it weakens, and becomes flaccid. This allows your stomach to be pushed through your diaphragm by gas pressure in your digestive tract in what is known as a hiatal hernia. The resulting pain is often confused for the onset of a heart attack. A flaccid diaphragm most often results from chest breathing or shallow breathing. The digestive tract has a series of one way valves to keep food material moving in the correct direction: the esophageal valve in the esophagus, a sphincter muscle valve between the esophagus and the stomach. The pyloric valve between the stomach and the small intestine, the ileocecal valve between the small intestine and the large intestine, and the Houston valve in the descending colon. When one or more of these valves malfunctions, pressure from gas in the intestines may force food material to back up, pushing stomach acid into the esophagus. The interesting discovery that we made with our studies in kinesiology was the relationship between these valves and the diaphragm muscle. The valves generally do not malfunction as long as the diaphragm muscle remains strong and in balance. Once the diaphragm muscle weakens one or more of these valves may malfunction leading to a hiatal hernia and/or acid reflux. Once the causes of mock heart attack (hiatal hernia) and acid reflux are properly identified, the preferred treatment becomes apparent. Both conditions can be corrected by doing diaphragmatic breathing exercises that both strengthen the diaphragm muscle and force the stomach down and out of the diaphragm.
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