Digestive issues have become so rampant in our society today that you are an oddball if you don’t have some kind of digestive problem.

Current estimates show that 75 percent of Americans suffer from some form of digestive distress occasionally or every single day!

Although the most common problems include acid reflux, heartburn, constipation, gas, bloating and IBS, there’s another condition that can silently sneak up on you and chances are good that you don’t even know you have it.

That is, until you start getting heartburn on a regular basis, no matter what you eat.

You also might suffer from nausea, gum irritation, bloating, a bitter taste in your mouth, coughing or choking, difficulty swallowing, belching after meals and severe hiccups.   

This silent but violent condition is known as hiatal hernia.

Here’s the scoop on this ominous condition that is much more common than people realize.

Hiatal hernia—your stomach’s moving north

Your body was designed to keep your swallowed food in your stomach, where it can go through the initial breakdown with stomach acid, then pass to the intestinal tract where digestion can be completed.

In order to help facilitate this, you have a wall of muscle in your abdomen (your diaphragm) that looks like an open umbrella hovering above your stomach.

The diaphragm has a hole in it and that's where your esophagus connects to your stomach at a junction known as your lower esophageal sphincter (LES).  Your LES acts like a valve—allowing the food coming down through your esophagus into the stomach, then “shutting the door” so it won’t come back up again.

However, when you have hiatal hernia, the top part of your stomach pushes up through that little hole in your diaphragm and bulges out like this:

Note there are different types of hiatal hernia- a sliding hiatal hernia (Type 1, which goes straight up) and a paraesophageal hiatal hernia (Type 2), which forms on the side of your esophagus as shown in the diagram above.

You may also have Type 3 (a combination of Types 1 and 2), or Type 4, which involves other organs such as the spleen, colon or pancreas.

Unfortunately for you, when your stomach’s bulging north and east where it shouldn't be, that weakens your LES, making it more like a swinging door, and freely allowing your stomach contents to “slide on up” into your esophagus.

That’s precisely the moment you become a fire-breathing dragon.  You can also have regurgitation of undigested food and acid, as well as chest pain (many hiatal hernia sufferers initially think they are having a heart attack).

Over time this can also lead to the development of Barrett’s Esophagus, which can be a precursor to esophageal cancer.

So, who can get it?

Researchers estimate that by age 60, up to 60 percent of people have hiatal hernia to some degree because their muscle tone in the diaphragm has weakened.

Hiatal hernia can also be caused by hard coughing, pregnancy, frequent vomiting, lifting heavy objects, straining with bowel movements, overeating and being overweight.

Ways to help

Unfortunately, with hiatal hernia, the mainstream medical options are pretty limited—acid reducers or surgery.

But acid reducers come with a laundry list of potentially deadly side effects, and hiatal hernia can recur after surgery!

However, there are several safer ways to get relief and help keep hiatal hernia under control!

Here are some of the best:

Help encourage sound digestion

When your digestion is smooth and efficient, there is less chance of poorly digested stomach contents blasting up into your esophagus and setting your chest on fire!

The most effective ways to support efficient digestion are to make your meals easier for your system to break down, and give your body some digestive enzyme help.   

My Great Taste No Pain system will show you how to create luscious meals that are MUCH easier for your system to tackle.  It’s all a matter of what foods you pair together, and I will explain what you should eat with what for tip-top digestion and no more heartburn (or gas, constipation, etc.)!

Also, many people face the issue of low enzyme output—this is especially true of the elderly, people who use acid reducers, people who eat a lot of processed foods and those who have had gastric or gallbladder surgery.

If you feel enzymes are an issue in your digestion, then a top-quality, complete digestive enzyme formula like Digestizol Max can be a Godsend for you.  Enzymes are crucial to the digestive process, and many of our clients are amazed at how great they feel with the enzyme boost they needed!

And Digestizol Max is as good as it gets!  Its carefully designed formula of 15 plant-based enzymes helps your body break down all kinds of foods, plus its special herbal blend can help ease inflammation in the digestive tract!

Chiropractic adjustment

Many times, chiropractic adjustments can help ease the stomach toward a more “normal” position and provide tremendous relief from hiatal hernia.

Yoga

Yoga helps strengthen your core, which is exactly where your diaphragm and LES are located.  The more toned the musculature is in that area, the less likely you will develop hiatal hernia. 

Stop smoking

The health wrecking effects of smoking also include ruining your digestion.  If you have hiatal hernia, this is yet another great reason to give up that lethal habit.

Regular exercise

Exercise helps improve your gut function and peristalsis in your GI tract (which is the muscle contractions that help move your food along).

Plus, exercise will help you take off excess weight, which is another contributing factor to hiatal hernia!

Get your doctor’s nod of approval and get moving. 

A natural digestive anti-inflammatory

Our Gastro BeCalm Blend combines four very effective, well-proven and potent herbs that soothe occasional stomach inflammation and support more comfortable digestion, as well as ease heartburn and digestive discomfort.

The herbs in Gastro BeCalm have a LONG history of soothing digestive distress and include:

Mastic Gum: Mastic gum has been used since the days of our caveman ancestors to improve digestion!  Studies have shown that it effectively kills H. pylori bacteria, which causes most stomach ulcers.

Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root:  Research has shown that licorice root is very effective against heartburn, as well as a natural remedy for nausea, indigestion and stomach pain. 

Ginger Root: Ginger has long been used to treat digestive issues such as gas and indigestion. 

Marshmallow Root: Marshmallow root can ease or prevent heartburn, diarrhea and constipation.

Get on the road to feeling better now…naturally!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia