Aa
What Alternative Medicine can help with an extremely painful Hiatal Hernia?
I am looking for Alternative Medicine help for a very serious extremely painful Hiatal Hernia. Surgery is not possible due to blood clots. Any suggestions?
I don't agree with your answer. You wrote, "Not all diagnoses of hyatal hernia are the same severity. With gastrointestinal issues doctors use terms that sound like something but aren't always something, like gastritis and IBS and GERD. All of these are caused by poor digestion, and if you correct the problem you can avoid the horrible things that happened to you. If you let it ride, or take pharmaceuticals which by suppressing acid cause the stomach to rebound and produce even more in order to digest protein, then yes, you can get to a point where it can get serious."
In my case, my problem was caused by the lower (LES) valve and upper valve due to a bowel obstruction I experienced. When one gets a bowel obstruction, there is only one direction that fecal matter can travel, and that is, frankly uphill and has absolutely nothing to do with diet. It's not a pleasant topic nor a pleasant experience. In my case, when I vomited, it was with such force that both the lower and upper valves were destroyed, and the damage acid caused was immediate, severe and dangerous.
That said, I have serious heart and stroke issues, and must take very powerful blood thinners. This presented a challenge to the surgeon, but she found away to deal with it. I was told it was risky surgery, but took the risk as the bowel obstruction would kill me in a few hours. Yes, I bled, but they were prepared. That is what I was trying to explain in my post.
To say that dietary problems are ALWAYS the cause is a simplification of what really can happen.
In my case, my problem was caused by the lower (LES) valve and upper valve due to a bowel obstruction I experienced. When one gets a bowel obstruction, there is only one direction that fecal matter can travel, and that is, frankly uphill and has absolutely nothing to do with diet. It's not a pleasant topic nor a pleasant experience. In my case, when I vomited, it was with such force that both the lower and upper valves were destroyed, and the damage acid caused was immediate, severe and dangerous.
That said, I have serious heart and stroke issues, and must take very powerful blood thinners. This presented a challenge to the surgeon, but she found away to deal with it. I was told it was risky surgery, but took the risk as the bowel obstruction would kill me in a few hours. Yes, I bled, but they were prepared. That is what I was trying to explain in my post.
To say that dietary problems are ALWAYS the cause is a simplification of what really can happen.
Not all diagnoses of hyatal hernia are the same severity. With gastrointestinal issues doctors use terms that sound like something but aren't always something, like gastritis and IBS and GERD. All of these are caused by poor digestion, and if you correct the problem you can avoid the horrible things that happened to you. If you let it ride, or take pharmaceuticals which by suppressing acid cause the stomach to rebound and produce even more in order to digest protein, then yes, you can get to a point where it can get serious. I've been down this road a couple of times, and tried the allopathic route, but it just doesn't work well for these kinds of problems. The natural route can work, though there are never any guarantees, without causing the rebound effect and maybe save someone a lot of trauma down the road, but of course, some people will be too far gone for that kind of help.
I had a serious hiatal hernia issue. I'm sure you have researched what happens when one gets a bad hh, but the LES valve no longer fits which allows acid to enter the esophagus. This causes all sorts of problems, including Barrett's Esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition, and also burned vocal chords and erosion of tooth enamel. I developed all three of those problems. I'm also a heart patient with Congestive Heart Failure and take two blood thinners.
The first thing your mother should do is raise the head of her bed about 6 - 7 inches, easily accomplished with blocks. Pillows don't work, the body will defeat them. The next thing you might do is start talking to surgeons about doing a Nissen Fundoplication. Usually, if someone is a bleeder like I was, there are precautions that can be employed during surgery. I had the surgery and it was completely successful. In my opinion, there aren't 'natural' products that can make the LES valve fit an deformed opening, what is really what a HH is.
Your mother may have age or other issues that make surgery impossible, but usually if surgeons know going forward what is ahead with clotters/bleeders, they take that into consideration. I kept taking my blood thinners and clot reducing drugs and the doctor was ready with packs of plasma. I did bleed but they were ready for it.
Since the surgery, my GERD issues are completely gone after five years. Just my thoughts
The first thing your mother should do is raise the head of her bed about 6 - 7 inches, easily accomplished with blocks. Pillows don't work, the body will defeat them. The next thing you might do is start talking to surgeons about doing a Nissen Fundoplication. Usually, if someone is a bleeder like I was, there are precautions that can be employed during surgery. I had the surgery and it was completely successful. In my opinion, there aren't 'natural' products that can make the LES valve fit an deformed opening, what is really what a HH is.
Your mother may have age or other issues that make surgery impossible, but usually if surgeons know going forward what is ahead with clotters/bleeders, they take that into consideration. I kept taking my blood thinners and clot reducing drugs and the doctor was ready with packs of plasma. I did bleed but they were ready for it.
Since the surgery, my GERD issues are completely gone after five years. Just my thoughts
The standard dose is two to four 380-mg tablets of DGL taken before meals and at bedtime. A typical dose of whole licorice is 5 to 15 g daily. It's not recommend the use of doses this high for more than a few weeks.
Use of whole licorice has not been associated with significant adverse effects in the short term. However, two or more weeks of use may cause high blood pressure, fluid retention, and symptoms related to loss of potassium. Such effects are especially dangerous for people who take the drug digoxin or medications that deplete the body of potassium (such as thiazide and loop diuretics), or who have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or kidney disease.
Evidence indicates that individuals who want to take whole licorice on a long-term basis without any risk of these side effects should not consume more than 0.2 mg of glycyrrhizin per kilogram of body weight daily. For a person who weighs 130 pounds, this works out to 12 mg of glycyrrhizin daily. Based on a typical 4% glycyrrhizin content, this is the equivalent of 0.3 grams of licorice root.
Whole licorice may have other side effects. It appears to reduce testosterone levels in men. Men with impotence, infertility, or decreased libido should avoid it. Licorice may also increase both the positive and negative effects of corticosteroids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone cream. Evidence also suggests that licorice might affect the liver's ability to metabolize other medications as well, but the extent of this has not been determined.
Whole licorice possesses significant estrogenic activity, and some evidence indicates that licorice increases risk of premature birth. It shouldn't be taken by pregnant or nursing women, or women who have had breast cancer.
It is believed, but not proven, that most or all of the major side effects of licorice are due to glycyrrhizin. DGL has been described as entirely safe. safety studies on DGL have not been reported.
Use of whole licorice has not been associated with significant adverse effects in the short term. However, two or more weeks of use may cause high blood pressure, fluid retention, and symptoms related to loss of potassium. Such effects are especially dangerous for people who take the drug digoxin or medications that deplete the body of potassium (such as thiazide and loop diuretics), or who have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or kidney disease.
Evidence indicates that individuals who want to take whole licorice on a long-term basis without any risk of these side effects should not consume more than 0.2 mg of glycyrrhizin per kilogram of body weight daily. For a person who weighs 130 pounds, this works out to 12 mg of glycyrrhizin daily. Based on a typical 4% glycyrrhizin content, this is the equivalent of 0.3 grams of licorice root.
Whole licorice may have other side effects. It appears to reduce testosterone levels in men. Men with impotence, infertility, or decreased libido should avoid it. Licorice may also increase both the positive and negative effects of corticosteroids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone cream. Evidence also suggests that licorice might affect the liver's ability to metabolize other medications as well, but the extent of this has not been determined.
Whole licorice possesses significant estrogenic activity, and some evidence indicates that licorice increases risk of premature birth. It shouldn't be taken by pregnant or nursing women, or women who have had breast cancer.
It is believed, but not proven, that most or all of the major side effects of licorice are due to glycyrrhizin. DGL has been described as entirely safe. safety studies on DGL have not been reported.
Dr. Weill is a doctor who has moved into some natural treatments, some allopathic. Whatever brand he recommends I'm sure is two tablets, because he's probably recommending only Enzymatic Therapy because that's the only brand of DGL he probably knows. It recommends two tablets because the very old now German Commission E recommended two tablets, but Planetary Formulas, owned by a very experienced herbalist, naturopath and Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Michael Tierra recommends one tablet. I researched it on different sites and the recommendations vary, as they should, since natural medicine has no certain dosages but traditional dosing is by number of times per day, not mg., and different people will be dosed differently as to how they react. When you get your research by searching out stuff on the internet such as Dr. Weill's site, remember, you're only getting one man's opinion, not gospel. This is also true with medication -- different people don't tolerate the same dosages, some need more, some less. Which is why I keep responding to boilerplate internet recommendations with the urge for people to either do their own research, or see an expert if they don't know natural medicine.
"This is getting repetitive" "The above keeps posting to chew two tablets"
Pax, Complain to Dr. Weil, It's his advise!
Pax, Complain to Dr. Weil, It's his advise!
This is getting repetitive, but if you use DGL, a fine product, read the label and check for dosing instructions. The above keeps posting to chew two tablets, but different brands have different instructions, different dosages, and if you research more than one source you'll find conflicting dosage recommendations and even different times to take it. So definitely consider taking it, but base your dosage on the label of the brand you choose to buy and on research. Another herb that can help soothe and coat both the throat and the digestive tract is slippery elm. Aloe very juice and be very helpful, and you can hold it in your throat for a few seconds before swallowing it to make sure it coats all the way down. If you have intense acid problems, taking charcoal with dinner can help, but don't take it too often as it leaches out useful nutrients. Enteric coated peppermint capsules can be helpful between meals. Chamomile can help with stomach inflammation and slow down digestion. Mastic gum can help with any bacterial problems you have, including h.pylori. There's just a lot of stuff out there. The book Prescription for Nutritional Healing can give a good overview, and if you feel you need a guide you can see a naturopath. Good luck.
deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), which can soothe the lining of the esophagus and stomach. Chew two tablets slowly before each meal or between meals, or take one-half teaspoon of the powder before meals. Let it slowly trickle down your throat. You can continue to use DGL as long as you have symptoms. Here are some other lifestyle changes that can help:
Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. If you do take an occasional drink, be sure to eat something first.
If you smoke, stop - tobacco can irritate the digestive system.
Avoid coffee and decaffeinated coffee. Caffeine can aggravate symptoms. Substitute chamomile tea, which is soothing.
Experiment with foods to see which ones trigger your symptoms and avoid any that do.
Don't eat within two to three hours of bedtime, and don't lie down after meals.
Eat frequent small meals rather than three large ones.
Elevate the head of your bed by six to eight inches (to prevent stomach acid from refluxing while you're lying down).
You should also try to avoid drugs that can make reflux worse by decreasing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter. These drugs include calcium channel blockers, nitrates, sedatives, and theophylline. Peppermint can have the same undesirable effect.
Conventional doctors probably will prescribe acid-suppressive drugs. I recommend using them only short-term or not at all, as they have significant side effects, are not intended for long-term use, treat the problem superficially, and cause rebound increase in acid production when you stop taking them.
Source: Andrew Weil, M.D.
Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. If you do take an occasional drink, be sure to eat something first.
If you smoke, stop - tobacco can irritate the digestive system.
Avoid coffee and decaffeinated coffee. Caffeine can aggravate symptoms. Substitute chamomile tea, which is soothing.
Experiment with foods to see which ones trigger your symptoms and avoid any that do.
Don't eat within two to three hours of bedtime, and don't lie down after meals.
Eat frequent small meals rather than three large ones.
Elevate the head of your bed by six to eight inches (to prevent stomach acid from refluxing while you're lying down).
You should also try to avoid drugs that can make reflux worse by decreasing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter. These drugs include calcium channel blockers, nitrates, sedatives, and theophylline. Peppermint can have the same undesirable effect.
Conventional doctors probably will prescribe acid-suppressive drugs. I recommend using them only short-term or not at all, as they have significant side effects, are not intended for long-term use, treat the problem superficially, and cause rebound increase in acid production when you stop taking them.
Source: Andrew Weil, M.D.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Alternative Therapies Community
Many couples are turning to acupuncture to treat infertility. But does it work? We take a closer look.
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Healing home remedies for common ailments
Learn ow this ancient healing Indian medicine can work for you
Before your drop a dime at the pharmacy, find out if these popular cold and flu home remedies are a wonder or a waste
