Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be an annoying condition to deal with. It’s uncomfortable, painful, and just miserable sometimes. People who have reached their breaking point with this condition often seek medical treatment with pharmaceuticals and over the counter medications. As with anything we put in our body, there is a trade-off of positive and negative effects. In this article, we will discuss the correlations of myofascial disturbances as well as dysfunction of the stomach as it relates to heartburn.
I find that a condition called a hiatal hernia, where the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm into the esophagus, is often the cause of heartburn. In the case of my practice and techniques that I use, there are indicators that we use to identify this. It is often not a true, medical diagnosis-worthy hiatal hernia, but rather a visceral irritation where the stomach begins to be pushed upward due to some sort of underlying disturbance. Stick around to learn how we test for this condition and treat it via myofascial techniques as well as supplementation to promote stomach health. Learn how hiatal hernia can cause heartburn.
What We Should Try to Avoid
The medications used to treat GERD, specifically proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), function to decrease the production of stomach acid. In my clinical practice, I often see that patients have low stomach acid without ever taking any medications to reduce it. I’d be surprised to find that somebody actually produced too much acid. The problem with low acid is the necessity for sufficient acid to properly digest food and obtain the proper nutrients from it through the digestion process.
So, how can reducing acid be beneficial? From a symptom standpoint, these medications can eliminate the discomfort from heartburn, but what about the lack of nutrients that will be absorbed as a result? According to Cheng, Z., et. al (2022), there is a statistically significant decrease in bone mineral density following administration of PPIs for as little as 6 months in mice. This makes sense due to the necessity of stomach acid for calcium absorption in the body. Without the properly acidic stomach environment, calcium absorption is inhibited. If there is a significant decrease in bone mineral density after only 6 months in mice, imagine what a lifetime of treatment with these medications would do!
Dialing in on Causes of Heartburn
I understand the want and feelings of necessity when it comes to treatment with mediations for conditions that you just can’t seem to find relief from. My job is to provide excellent care to my patients so that they don’t need to resort to taking them. When my patients come in complaining of heartburn, I immediately begin to think of potential causes. The timing plays a huge role in determining cause as well as if there are any foods or drinks that trigger symptoms. One instance that we will focus heavily on from here on out is patients who have some sort of chemical disturbance to the stomach, or those who have recently overworked their upper body musculature.
Identifying Dysfunction
The stomach can become dysfunction for many reasons. Some of the reasons that I see involve various infections, food allergies, different stressors, consumption of NSAIDS, and hiatal hernia. We can treat the first four of the five causes that I just listed through supplementation with antimicrobial herbs, vitamins, or minerals, but the last cause is a little different.
We identify the hiatal hernia with a muscle test and what we call a challenge. The challenge occurs when I gently push the stomach further up toward the esophagus and then test a normally functional muscle. If this muscle then becomes inhibited, then it is an indication for the applied kinesiology definition of a hiatal hernia. Utilizing this weakness, I utilize various reflexes to determine the underlying cause of the hiatal hernia. Interestingly enough, I find that myofascial injuries in the muscles that correlate to the stomach lead to this and cause heartburn. The muscles that correlate with the stomach and will demonstrate weaknesses during stomach dysfunction are the pectoralis major sternal division, the biceps brachii, the triceps brachii, the brachioradialis, as well as some a few other muscles in the forearms.
Treatment
Often, in treating these muscles that correlate to the stomach, the indicator for the hiatal hernia will clear and the patient will see relief from heartburn soon following treatment. This is not a steadfast rule. Myofascial injuries can happen anywhere in the body and can cause many different issues, but in the case of the hiatal hernia, there tends to be a correlation to the muscles that correlate to the stomach. If you struggle with heartburn and find yourself wondering what might be causing it, poke around in your chest, arms, and forearm muscles, specifically where they attach. If you are finding a lot of trigger points that are tender to the touch, massage them out and you might just see some relief.
Talk to Your Doctor
If you struggle with heartburn, don’t just take my article as the answer to all of your problems. Thorough examination by a professional is necessary in order to know exactly what is going on with your health. In this case, I would recommend an applied kinesiologist who won’t miss a hiatal hernia presentation. This only scratches the surface of what might be causing your issues. If you’d like to talk about your symptoms, book a free consultation with me here. If you’d like to read more digestion articles, click here.
References
Cheng, Z., Liu, Y., Ma, M., Sun, S., Ma, Z., Wang, Y., Yu, L., Qian, X., Sun, L., Zhang, X., Liu, Y., & Wang, Y. (2022). Lansoprazole-induced osteoporosis via the IP3R- and SOCE-mediated calcium signaling pathways. Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.), 28(1), 21. https://doi-org.logan.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s10020-022-00448-x
