Acid Reflux Disease is an all too common problem in our society and they sell an awful lot of pharmaceuticals to try and cover it up. T.V. ads show volcanic lava flows to illustrate the negative effects of stomach acid on the walls of the esophagus. The cause is really quite simple but treating the symptoms is a more profitable solution, which just perpetuates the use of chemicals indefinitely to inhibit the production of, or neutralize, acid in the stomach. This, however, causes more problems in the digestive tract because the acid is what breaks down our food so that the nutrition can be readily absorbed. When you inhibit this process, whole food travels through the digestive tract and instead of being digested it putrefies and irritates the entire digestive tract. We take a different approach by addressing the cause of the problem- and therefore remove the symptoms. The most common cause of acid reflux is a hiatal hernia.
A hiatal hernia occurs when a part of the stomach slides above the diaphragm the thin muscle separating the stomach from the chest. This is a common problem and most people experience acid reflux or “heart burn”. Your hernia may allow stomach acid to flow back into your esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. With time, the stomach acid may irritate your esophagus and cause problems. You are 5 times more likely to develop ulcers and 100 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer.
You can be born with a hiatal hernia or develop one when you are older. A trauma or surgery can cause the problem too. Hiatal hernias are common, occurring in about one-quarter of people older than 50. They’re especially likely to occur in women and in people who are overweight. The most common symptom is burning in your chest (heartburn), especially at night when you are lying down. Other possible signs include burping and trouble swallowing. Hiatal hernias — also known as diaphragmatic hernias — form at the opening (hiatus) in your diaphragm where your food pipe (esophagus) joins your stomach. When the muscle tissue around the hiatus becomes weak due to a lack of tone, the upper part of your stomach may bulge through the diaphragm into your chest cavity. By gently working the stomach down out from the diaphragm and restoring the nerve flow to the area by adjusting the spine we can greatly reduce or eliminate the effects of the hiatal hernia. Some cases will last indefinitely, although severe hiatal hernias sometimes need surgical repair.
Chiropractic has long been recognized for helping back pain. When people finally come to chiropractors with back pain they are often surprised to get relief from other painful conditions in the process, like headaches, neck or shoulder pain, and even leg pain. If you or someone you know is in pain, give our office a call today at (803) 831-6500 for a consultation with our knowledgeable doctors who are specialists in the use of chiropractic and other non-intrusive, non-surgical methods for the relief of low back pain. We want to help.
