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 rare reflux which occurs from overeating or eating a large meal and lying down, as an example. If this is something you feel a few times per year, the odds are you would not have a Hiatal Hernia

But you can have chronic reflux and be "living" on TUMs or some other antacid. Now you are at risk. The chronicity or frequency of your acid reflux means that your stomach is frequently under pressure and that pressure is forcing acid to move up your esophagus.

That pressure is, by definition, what causes a Hiatal Hernia over time. The upward pressure, over time, causes a widening of the opening where the esophagus passes through normally. The stomach, which has a larger diameter at its top than your esophagus, is slowly widening the opening, creating a textbook Hiatal Hernia.

Therefore, if you have a Hiatal Hernia you DO have GERD. But, despite what conventional medicine says, when you have GERD, chronically, I have found that you are moving toward, or already have, a Hiatal Hernia, for the reasons I've just explained. 

As a note: 50% of GERD is "silent", meaning you can't feel it. So it can be happening due to a Hiatal Hernia, or better said, Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, and you won't know it. The symptoms associated with silent reflux are higher up in the esophagus and include: hoarseness, a cough, trouble swallowing, regurgitation, and more.

Because Hiatal Hernia Syndrome has so many symptoms associated with it, I do recommend that you get to the source of your GERD as soon as possible.  This will avoid things like bloating, gas, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, anxiety and panic attacks.

In summary, it's not difficult to get to the root cause of GERD or treat Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, if you already have it. 

We are here to help so consider contacting us for a consultation: call 727-335-0400.