Hiatal hernia occurs when a part of the stomach protrudes through the muscle of the diaphragm into the chest. It appears to be caused by weakened supporting tissue. Hiatal hernia is very common in Western societies, where by the age of 60, over half the population experiences it. It occurs much more seldom in the developing world. Not only increasing age, but also obesity and smoking are risk factors for hiatal hernia in adults. The herniation itself, in most cases, causes no symptoms, but it is associated with gastric acid reflux, which causes several, the most typical of which is heartburn.

It has been proposed that the reason for this discrepancy is that the Western diet is much lower in fiber than that in developing countries. High fiber in the diet makes for a larger, softer stool. The typically harder, drier Western stool requires straining to pass, which increases intraabdominal pressure, pushing the gastresophogeal junction into the thoracic cavity. This is further compounded by the Western habit of sitting with the feet on the floor when passing stool, whereas in the traditional world, this function is performed in squatting position, which does not require straining and thus does not cause the upward pressure.

The problem of hiatal hernia and the associated acid reflux can usually be managed without medication or surgery. Two of the best preventive measures are to lose weight and stop smoking, as both of these worsen the problem. The good news is that doing these two things will also lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and various other maladies.

The next step is to increase dietary fiber intake. As with the first two preventives, increasing fiber has many additional health benefits, including reducing the risk of colon cancer, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids.

Now we come to a suggestion that many will find more problematic: learning to defecate in a squatting position. This is not easily accomplished using the toilets commonly available in the Western world. It necessitates building up the area surrounding the toilet to create a place on which to place the feet in order to squat. A halfway measure may help: placing a stool in front of the toilet to elevate the feet and leaning forward to defecate.

For those who simply can’t handle the methods suggested to this point, there are still steps that can be taken to avoid acid reflux. You can avoid eating large, heavy meals by eating six smaller meals a day instead of the usual three. You can avoid heavy lifting, which increases the unwanted upward pressure, and can avoid lying down or bending over right after eating. And you can avoid eating for two hours before going to bed and can sleep in a semi-upright position.

Finally, it may help to eliminate certain foods from the diet: alcoholic beverages, coffee, acidic fruit juices, pasta with cheese or sauce, tomatoes, salad dressings, ice cream, fried foods, and chips.

If the hiatal hernia is not causing acid reflux, it is not necessary to do anything, although taking steps to keep it from worsening makes good sense. For more information on Hiatal hernia treatments, be sure to visit Reflux Remedy at refluxremedy.com today!