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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 tightens and pulls. Therefore, this chronic situation can result in a shortened esophagus that is difficult to repair.

However, and here's the good news, there is another contributor to tightening and shortening that is reversible. We look to your vagus nerve that has several different functions that can all affect your esophageal length.

The vagus nerve is responsible for the smooth muscle of your esophagus to engage in peristalsis which is a wave-like motion that moves food and liquid down your esophagus.

The vagus nerve is also responsible for the tone of your LES (lower esophageal sphincter), which is basically a valve that resides below your diaphragm level near the base of the esophagus which allows food and liquid to pass through into the stomach, but it also closes to prevent anything from refluxing in the wrong direction.

LES tone is thought to be compromised in Hiatal Hernia and now you know a cause that you can do something about. Tips are coming!

Further there are longitudinal muscles that run vertically in your esophagus that temporarily shorten it through contractions when you're swallowing. This is of course transient, but it can become more chronic and result in excessive contraction, and thereby shortening, with dysfunctional vagal tone.

You can see there are several routes by which abnormal vagal tone can affect the length of your esophagus and put you at risk for developing or worsening a hiatal hernia.

Tips to normalize vagus nerve tone: (These are explained in depth in the video)
1. cold exposure
2. gargling, humming, singing
3. laughing
4. moderate intensity exercise
5. eye gazing

Lastly I mentioned a vagal nerve stimulator and a discount code we offer to patients. It's called Truvaga and if you're interested I can send you the link for the discount.

If you have chronic GERD and want to prevent irreversible shortening of your esophagus we'd be happy to help The best next step is to reach out for a consultation and we can then determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call us at 727-335-0400.

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#GERD #hiatalhernia #rootcausemedicine