What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen

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If you're contemplating surgery for your hiatal hernia, or you've already had one and are unhappy with the results, I think you'll find this information very enlightening.

First let's review the size of the normal esophagus and how much the opening expands with a small to medium hiatal hernia. The end of your esophagus is just under 1 inch (0.98). Where the stomach joins with the esophagus the diameter increases 4/10 to 8/10 of an inch. Thus, a small hiatal hernia has widened the opening from just under 1 inch to 1.3 to 1.7 inches. I think it's...

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If you're a mouth breather, you could be creating an environment for acid reflux and hiatal hernia.

Mouth breathing, due to congestion or inflammation can contribute to a weakened diaphragm, altering its mechanics, increasing intra-abdominal pressure, and leading to poor posture.

Nasal breathing, or normal breathing, engages the diaphragm fully and rhythmically, helping to prevent acid reflux and hiatal hernia.

Chronic mouth breathing encourages shallow chest breathing using the upper chest and accessory muscles (the muscles in your neck and shoulders). This then leads to under use...

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Your body has a natural Anti-Reflux Barrier designed to prevent reflux from occurring – it's composed of 3 structures:

1. LES (lower esophageal sphincter)

2. Crural diaphragm – tendons from the lumbar spine that form a “crura” (like another sphincter) which surrounds the opening where the esophagus passes through the diaphragm and prevents reflux – it lies above the LES by just a small distance.

3. Phrenoesophageal ligament – anchors to the esophagus and the diaphragm both, and holds the lower esophagus and the GE (gastro-esophageal) junction in the abdomen. It prevents the GE junction from sliding...

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Are you taking a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) to address the symptoms of your acid reflux?
Please note that acid reflux does not occur due to excess acid, but rather pressure inappropriately placed upon your stomach, forcing the acid up your esophagus and thus the symptoms of reflux.

The decreased acid in your stomach creates problems for your liver, particularly leading to liver inflammation and non-alcoholic fatty liver.

The diminished acid levels allow bacteria to overgrow in your stomach and small intestine. These bacteria produce endotoxins that get...

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If you have acid reflux but still suffer with symptoms despite using medication, you may suffer from bile reflux. You can have both acid reflux and bile reflux, or you can have bile reflux only. Let's delve into it.

Symptoms of bile reflux include many of the same symptoms of acid reflux. They include:
upper abdominal pain or burning
nausea after eating
cough or sore throat if the bile reaches the upper esophagus
vomiting (may be yellow-green if it contains bile)
unresponsive to PPIs - this...

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I'm frequently asked if H2 blockers are safer than PPIs.
Let's take a look.

To review the dangers of PPIs first, they are associated with the following:
Nutrient deficiencies
Gut microbiome disruption
Infections
Depression and Anxiety
Loss of libido
Kidney problems
Osteoporosis
Stroke, heart attack risk
Stomach cancer, and more...

H2 blocks work by this mechanism: They block histamine-induced acid secretion in your stomach. Histamine triggers your stomach cells (parietal cells) to release acid by activating H2 receptors. These...

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Macadamia nuts can help you have a healthier gut which everyone should be interested in, but they also improve mental clarity, stabilize your blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity and may help you lose weight.

Macadamia nuts and nuts in general help act as a prebiotic, feeding particular bacteria in your gut, helping to keep nice diversification of your microbiome.

They help in mental clarity because they are high in omega-3 fatty acids while being low in omega-6s. Eating more monounsaturated fats (like macadamia nuts) is associated less cognitive...

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If you suffer from acid reflux or have a hiatal hernia, you've likely been tested for H. pylori (Helicobacter Pylori), a bacteria found in the stomach which is the number one cause of stomach and duodenal (top part of your small intestine) ulcers.

The most common way to test for it is during an endoscopy, although stool testing can be done as well.

The symptoms of H. pylori are a bit vague and can mimic acid reflux, making it often missed. Unfortunately a chronic infection has a lot of...

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PPI medication is very commonly prescribed for acid reflux but it's important to know its various side effects, of which there are many.

Today I'll review the increased risk of infections, what types and the mechanisms involved.

Your stomach's acid is a key part of your body's natural defense system against pathogens, both bacteria and virus alike.  When the acid level is decreased more pathogens survive and can reach your intestines and respiratory tract.

1. Clostridium difficile (C diff) - this is one of the most well documented i...

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If you have Hiatal Hernia Syndrome you may have been told you have a shortened esophagus. A shortened esophagus can put you at risk for, or worsen, a hiatal hernia.

I'm going to review why it happens and what you can do about it.

One cause is due to chronic reflux and the acid has damaged your esophagus to such an extent that it goes beyond inflammation of the esophageal tissues and becomes scar tissue (fibrosis). Scar tissue does not have the "elasticity" of healthy tissue and it also...

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Patients often ask how they can tell between "legitimate" digestion issues and anxiety. They want to know if the cause of their symptoms is "just anxiety" or something else.

With Hiatal Hernia Syndrome common symptoms include acid reflux, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and anxiety. But too often, while the reflux can be confirmed, visits to specialists fail to find anything wrong with your heart or lungs, and then when the complaint of anxiety or panic attacks is added to the list of symptoms, you can be labeled a patient with "...

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Many Americans suffer from gastrointestinal complaints including:

Gas, bloating, indigestion, SIBO, gastroparesis, constipation, diarrhea or IBS, to name a few.
These problems go beyond the discomfort associated with them, they are compromising your overall health in a major way. When you think of it, digestion allows you to feed your 10 trillion cells. Therefore when digestion is compromised it impacts your health across the board. It can't be overstated how important it is to optimize your gut function.

We're going to discuss a function of your body called the...

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One of the dangers from taking PPIs for years is an increased risk for dementia.
What is the mechanism associated with this? We are going to look at 4 different mechanisms.

The first is the creation of a magnesium deficiency.
 
Magnesium is essential for producing neurotransmitters. GABA is such an example and with low GABA you can experience cognitive dysfunction along with anxiety and insomnia.

Magnesium is anti-inflammatory. If its low oxidative damage occurs to nerve tissue along with reduced blood flow to nerves. Oxidative damage is a...

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A common question in the area of digestive health has to do with gas and bloating.
Why am I always bloated?
Why do I look pregnant after eating?

Gas and bloating is not only embarrassing but it can be confusing when you're trying to eat well. It's also pretty darn uncomfortable and can be quite painful.

What's important is to appreciate what it means, and that is your gut is not functioning normally, and over time that's going to create a variety of health issues that are...

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I use the term "inflammation" often so let's discuss it more in depth. Inflammation is at the root of all the degenerative diseases we're trying to avoid including heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, cognitive decline, obesity and cancer.

But what is it? Inflammation is ongoing activation of the immune system either acutely (for a short time) or chronically (long term). The acute inflammation is the good protective kind that heals you up quickly after a cut or an infection. It's the chronic inflammation that is creating all the issues. 

C...

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There's a type of reflux which is atypical and "silent" because it doesn't create the typical symptoms of acid reflux. It's LRP - laryngopharyngeal reflux. Your larynx is your voice box, and your pharynx is your throat.

This condition is frequently misdiagnosed as allergies, infections (like chronic sinusitis), vocal strain, or even anxiety-related throat tension, when it's actually a form of acid reflux. And endoscopies are frequently normal so going through that test is no help in identifying this problem unless your concurrently have classic acid reflux.

It can...

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I'm frequently asked if acid reflux can feel like a heart attack. It absolutely can and that occurs due to two main reasons.

Anatomy, or geography, is one reason - the stomach, esophagus and heart lie very close to one another. Therefore the burning of acid up into the esophagus can be felt in the chest and surrounding area, therefore mimicking a heart attack. Even pressure in the chest, which occurs with a heart attack, can happen with reflux.

There is another reason which relates to your nervous system...

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I'm frequently asked "Why has my doctor been unable to diagnose my Hiatal Hernia Syndrome?" "Why have I lived all these years suffering and received no help?"

Let's first review what Hiatal Hernia Syndrome is. It's the coming together of about 20 different symptoms with a common root cause. It frequently starts with acid reflux, bloat, gas, constipation, and then over time other symptoms occur such as heart palpitation, shortness of breath, anxiety, mood swings, light headed, tingling into the arms, regurgitation and more. 

As you can see this involves p...

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If you've been considering Hiatal Hernia surgery, you've likely been told that surgery has a very high success rate and that you can expect to no longer need your PPI (antacid medication), and there are no long term side effects.

Surgery is always a risk, but the outcomes sound pretty good when you consider what you are told in the main.

Study from 2001 published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) entitled "Long-term outcome of medical and surgical therapies for GERD". The objective of the researchers was to...

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This video reviews the story of how we discovered Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, its start, its evolution and where we are now.

Patient 1 was over 30 years ago - a young woman who awoke in the middle of the night with heart palpitations, trouble breathing and panic. As so many of you have experienced the diagnosis was a panic attack.

She did have chronic bloating and constipation but she never suffered with anxiety. We treated her digestive issues and she resolved beautifully and she never had another panic attack. Meeting her...

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Do you take PPI medication? If you or someone you know does, please give a listen. There are some significant dangers associated with this drug that you must know about.

It's a very commonly prescribed medication for acid reflux - over 110 million prescriptions annually in the U.S.

A 2014 study published in the International Journal of Cardiology wanted to determine the risk of heart attack with those individuals taking the drug as compared to those who did not. The individuals studied had no prior history of having a heart...

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90% of Americans are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3s make up your cell membranes, your nervous and brain tissue. They are cardioprotective and are highly anti-inflammatory.

There's an omega 3 index test where a high index is 8% or more, and those with a high index have a higher life expectancy by 5 years over the average American. In Japan, where they have a very high index of 10% due to all the fish they eat, they enjoy a long life expectancy. 

They also found that mother's eating so much fish w...

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Silent reflux is vastly different from heartburn, reflux or GERD, but its root cause is the same, which is important to realize.

Silent reflux is also known as LPR, laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), which basically means that acid is flowing up from your stomach to your larynx or voice box.

It can caause the following symptoms:
- difficulty swallowing
- bad taste in your mouth, especially in the morning
- irritation to your vocal cords, affecting your speaking or singing voice
- trouble swallowing
...

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Burping is normal until it becomes excessive.
Normally the air we swallow dissolves a little in your stomach acid, but mostly it dissolves in the water contained in your stomach.

In Hiatal Hernia Syndrome the stomach gets compressed and it's pushed up into the diaphragm and air that you've swallowed can get trapped and you'll burp.

GERD (acid reflux) has burping as an associated symptom. When the acid comes up your esophagus you tend to swallow more and that results in more burping.

H. pylori is...

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Are you frustrated with doctors who don't really listen to you, are quick to give you a new drug or insinuate your problem is all due to stress?
Are you tired of hearing that nothing significant is wrong with you despite suffering with heart palpitations, shortness of breath, anxiety and more?

Of course you're happy that your doctor is unable to find a disease, but the frustration comes from their inability or lack of desire to go the next step...

WHY?

Isn't that what you want...

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An interesting study evaluated quantity of sleep and bedtime and found interesting risk associations with not only type 2 diabetes but also cardiovascular disease.

Specifically sleep deprivation (less than 7 to 9 hours per night) caused the beta cells of your pancreas (the cells that produce insulin) to become less responsive. The results in blood sugar levels remaining elevated after a meal which then leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Another aspect of insufficient sleep was the alteration of your hunger hormones: more ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and less leptin (the...

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Both Hiatal Hernia Syndrome and Brain Fog have common underlying root causes and one can cause the other.
Regardless of whether you have one or both, let's delve into what symptoms are associated with brain fog, causes and what you can do to correct it.

Brain fog affects about 28% of the population, more women than men.
Common symptoms include: fatigue, confusion, forgetfulness, trouble focusing, issues with finding words and remembering things.

The causes include: poor sleep (quality and quantity), unhealthy diets (high sugar, ultra-processed foods, fast food...

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Why should you prioritize sleep in your life?
I have a strong interest in everything and anything that affects gut health and inflammation of the gut as that can be the leading source of Hiatal Hernia Syndrome.

Your microbiome affects you brain, immune system and hormonal imbalance, to name a few.

A 2019 study out of Stanford that irregular sleep patterns can lead to changes in the types and abundance of gut bacteria. Specifically more bad bacteria propagate leading to gut inflammation and a lower diversity of organisms. Diversity...

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Maybe you've heard that a hiatal hernia can't be corrected without surgery.
We do feel that we "heal" hiatal hernia and I'll tell you why.

Attend the free live webinar by signing up here: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/20/zmk0vt6

The body can heal itself if you correct the burden that has been causing the problem. 
Hiatal hernias do worsen over time and they won't go away on their own. This is true. Of course you have to DO something.

But surgery doesn't work l...

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Is your doctor prescribing drugs that you don't actually need? Is this a surprising concept or have you already experienced this?

Over 25 percent of doctors admit to prescribing medications that likely won't have therapeutic benefits for their patient.

Over 1 million ER visits and 350,000 hospitalizations take place every year in the U.S. caused by adverse drug events.

We see this a lot with patients suffering with Hiatal Hernia Syndrome. The common symptoms of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and anxiety are frequently prescribed medications despite the patient's...

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There have been several studies emerging showing a strong correlation between microbiome diversity (the health and number of good bacteria in your colon) and the strength of your immune system.

The virus that kept us in our homes for 2 years has now been studied extensively, especially in those who got severely ill or have continued to suffer with symptoms years later.

Two "good" bacteria, bifidobacteria and faecalbacteria have been seen to be highly deficient in those patients, while bacteroides (a "bad" guy) are abundant.

Basically there was...

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I spoke earlier about the Afib link to Hiatal Hernia your Cardiologist may not know about.

In this video I discuss another link to Afib for men, who are more affected with this ailment than women.

Testosterone converts to DHT, the most potent type of testosterone. About 10% converts and this happens in the prostate and liver.

Both elevated and very insufficient levels of DHT have been linked to Afib. So there is a nice normal range we are shooting for in your blood work.

The...

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Afib, short for atrial fibrillation, is a common irregular heart rhythm affecting millions of Americans.

It is typically associated with the following comorbidities: high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, thyroid disease (hyper thyroid), and heart disease.
A fib puts you at risk for stroke or sudden death.

Why I want to discuss it is that here at Root Cause we see Afib resolving on a Hiatal Hernia Program.

The key datum is that there is more than one type of Afib...

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I wanted to share a case study of a 42 year old female who came to us with unrelenting pain and cramping in her intestinal tract. The pain was so terrible she was doubled over from it, and needless to say, was completely miserable.

She also suffered from bloating, constipation (which was chronic throughout her life) and was 30 lb overweight. She awakened 3x/night, and had a very stressful job. 

Her husband had been a patient and he frequently mentioned the need to bring in his wife, so I was v...

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If you've stopped consuming any honey because it's a carb and a sugar, I ask that you give me a few minutes to share 6 amazing information about honey. You'll be glad you learned this!

There is an abundance of research on both rodents and humans to be found in journals such as:
Letters in Drug Design & Discover, Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Frontiers in Nutrition, Journal of Medicinal Food, Food Research, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, and Biochemistry Research International.

Honey decreases the size...

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In this video I explain in great detail why autoimmune disease develops, there are several reasons and the great news is, something can be done about it.

The causes of autoimmune disease which have created stress on your immune system to the degree that it mistakes self tissue (you) from a bad guy, are as follows:
1. Leaky gut or inflammation
2. Gluten sensitivity
3 Toxins
4. Infections
5. Stress

Autoimmune disease is increasing dramatically in our society, but that trajectory doesn't have to continue. There are workable solutions...

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Why do you feel dizzy or nauseous when you poop and is it normal?
It's not normal and it's called a vasovagal response.

Your vagus nerve gets irritated when you bear down and in response your heart rate goes down, your blood pressure goes down and you can feel nauseous or faint.

The reason why is constipation, even though you perhaps you haven't realized it. Many Americans are constipated and don't know it because their doctor has told them that skipping days is probably "normal" for them.
<...

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Regarding your healthcare, are you a lion or a lamb?
A lamb goes docilely along taking whatever drugs your doctor gives you, never questioning if there's a better way, or more importantly, WHY you got this way and what can be done to resolve it.

A lion is more aggressive, asks questions, doesn't take advice on face value.
Our healthcare model is pharmaceutically drives, very siloed, meaning every symptom is treated individually with individual drugs.

No one is looking at the root cause of why your various...

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Hiatal Hernias are common, but certainly not normal and not innocuous.
They typically begin with acid reflux and when that continues, the ongoing pressure on your stomach causes the stomach to elevate and push upwards on your diaphragm until the opening where your esophagus passes through widens, thus allowing your stomach to move upwards - the definition of Hiatal Hernia.

Treatment for reflux is antacids of various types, perhaps starting out with over-the-counter and then moving towards stronger PPI medications which are prescribed.

While antacids can diminish the...

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Are GERD and Hiatal Hernia the same thing? Does on cause the other? Let's discuss.

First let's define our terms: A Hiatal Hernia is when part of your stomach moves upwards above your diaphragm. 

GERD, or gastro-esophageal reflux disease, is when your stomach moves its contents, acid, up your esophagus.

When the stomach moves acid up into your esophagus you'll often feel burning, the classic acid reflux or heartburn. Can you have reflux without a Hiatal Hernia - yes and no.

You can have very r...