A tissue metabolic acidosis, i.e., a reduction of pH of connective tissue, is an alteration common both to all types of hiatal hernia and to acid reflux. This alteration causes the destruction of collagen fibers and elastin, and contributes to the loss of the holding capacity of the diaphragm and its crura. Metabolic acidosis occurs when excess acid waste deposits on connective tissue, which fails to dispose of it.
The cause of the overproduction of acid waste is physical, emotional and dietary stress.
Moreover, latest researches have shown how individual emotional-cognitive patterns affect posture and how compensating posture results in a chronic contraction of some muscular regions. In turn, this chronic contraction calls for a compensative contraction that causes a massive release of Ca++ ions into sarcoplasm, thus activating the cascade of eicosanoids that generates a chronic inflammation and the following loss of muscle’s contractile capacity. As a result, the capacity of containment of the diaphragm and its crura weakens and, consequently, reflux and/or hiatal hernia can arise, inasmuch as the diaphragm is one of the main actors in the anti-reflux barrier that mechanically prevents the backing up of gastric acid into esophagus.
In order to really recover in a natural way from acid reflux, hiatal hernia or reflux-induced tachycardia, it is beneficial a reprogramming of the gastrointestinal tract in addition to specific physiotherapeutic exercises for muscular -and consequently postural- reprogramming. What does reprogramming the intestine mean? In plain words it means to remove harmful components and facilitate the growth of good bacterial flora, i.e., those bacteria that are useful for our health. In case of a chronic inflammation caused by a chronic muscular contraction, reprogramming the intestine means removing this “silent inflammation” that we are not even aware of and that affects intestinal mucosa and wall, thus causing several disorders: first of all Irritable bowel diseases, meteorism, food intolerance and also serious illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. And probably even autoimmune diseases, such as Rheumatoid arthritis.
By restoring a proper intestinal flora we help to rebalance stomach flora too and this will reduce the amount of acid secretion that can back up into the esophagus and that sometimes can even reach the throat.
Another type of reflux is bile reflux, which can be as much detrimental for the esophagus as gastric acid.
Moreover, bile is particularly harmful when it has an altered composition, for instance in people who have or have had gallstones in the liver. Through intestine reprogramming, the composition and the amount of bile are brought back to normal and the possibility of bile reflux from stomach to esophagus is reduced. Finally, reprogramming the intestine also means regularizing its movements and removing meteorism. In fact, an irregular peristalsis and the presence of gas in the stomach or intestine are other conditions that can facilitate reflux.
