Customer Reviews

Hiatal Hernia Syndrome: Insidious Link to Major Illness Guide to Healing

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Chronic digestive disorders are common complaints today, but Hiatal Hernia Syndrome (HSS) is one of the least suspected underlying reasons. Even when the condition is actually diagnosed, orthodox medicine has little to offer the HHS sufferer, except for symptom-suppressive drugs and dangerous surgery in extreme cases. The problem is often treated as a nuisance which the patient must "learn to live with." Theodore Baroody, the author of the featured book, offers a more encouraging viewpoint. A chiropractor and naturopath, who also holds a doctorate in nutrition, Dr. Baroody has identified an astoundingly wide range of symptoms that can be traced to the HHS, a condition which he estimates is undermining the health of 85% of the population. Having successfully treated numerous HHS patients, he is convinced that persistent application of the corrective measures detailed in the book can bring lasting relief to even the most difficult cases.

When the HHS is present, the stomach is forced upward through a weakened, stretched diaphragm, for minutes or hours at a time, seriously impairing the individual's ability to properly digest and assimilate food. Symptoms typical of the HHS are belching, nausea, and regurgitation. With other seemingly unrelated complaints, such as breathing difficulties, allergies, irregular heartbeat, anxiety attacks, and colic or hyperactivity in children, involvement of the HHS is seldom suspected. Drawing on his profound understanding of physiology and nutritional symptomatology, Dr. Baroody offers the reader clear and insightful explanations of why these and numerous other conditions may be linked to the HHS.

What causes a hiatal hernia, and why does it affect such a large number of individuals? Although sometimes the condition may have been induced by a mechanical injury, Dr. Baroody believes that the majority of cases are directly traceable to stress, more specifically our inappropriate reaction to stress. Emotions such as anxiety, anger, and frustration are always accompanied by tension in the stomach and the solar plexus, which has the second largest number of nerve interconnections in the body. The resultant contraction of the stomach and spasm in the disphragm ultimately produce the hiatal hernia.

The most significant ensuing pathological change is pinching of the vagus nerve, which extends throughout the entire body, and is largely responsible for controlling the production of hydrochloric acid (HCL). When the vagus nerve is pinched, HCL secretion is curtailed, resulting in incomplete digestion of foods, thus catapulting the body into a state of malnutrition. The book's clear and precise explanations of the many aspects involved in this rather complicated process lay the necessary groundwork for understanding the self-help recommendations that follow.

Dr. Baroody's nutritional recommendations for HHS sufferers emphasize a correct ratio of alkaline- and acid-forming foods (80/20 per cent); avoidance of refined foods; proper food combining; and quality supplements to aid in digestion and counteract deficiencies. In addition, there is a specific nutritional program for each HHS-linked health condition listed. Other points of interest include an illustrated explanation of how to check the abdominal area to determine if the HHS is present, and 'hands-on' instructions on how to manually correct the HHS in oneself or others, both for the relief of acute discomfort and the long-term prevention of a recurrence.

A special chapter for health professionals lists the most frequently noted spinal misalignments accompanying the HHS, as well as other techniques which Dr. Baroody has found helpful in his own practice.

This is an invaluable source book for both the HHS patient and the practitioner seeking to help those afflicted with the condition. Along with his well-researched and logically-presented professional advice, Dr. Baroody provides a generous dose of encouragement. Drawing on his extensive experience, he claims that "if the stomach can be kept in place for four to six months and proper measures taken to maintain correction by continued diet and one or more of the exercises given in the book, there is definite hope for long-term repair of the damaged disphragmatic muscle." For the millions of people who daily experience the considerable discomforts associated with a hiatal hernia, this is an infinitely better prospect than having to 'learn to live with' their problem!

Most opinions seem to either criticize or laud the holistic approach of this book. I believe there's a balance between the two - while I am presently taking a prescription medication for GERD (that only seems to work moderately), I have had unbelievable relief from a chiropractor that used the methods in Chap. 34. I've been able to control a crisis with the instructions for helping yourself in that chapter. The exercise and diet recommended are working for me as well as the stress reduction techniques. If there's a way to HEAL my problem and not just cover it over with medication for years and years, I can't understand why anyone wouldn't at least try it.

My teenage daughter and I both had digestive problems that were diagnosed as Hiatal Hernia Syndrome. We didn't want to take medicine or consider surgery, so we consulted a Holographic Health chiropractor who recommended techniques in this book. We both greatly improved, so we got the book and now know what to do for ourselves whenever symptoms arise. The main technique is a simple manuever to move the diaphragm downward (we wondered why our doctor didn't know that).

This book is paperback and still in print, and is available new from Holographic Health for $11.95. I don't know why it would be more.

Hiatal Hernia was found when I had a CT scan for something else. So I found Dr Baroody's book very informative and helpful, to say the least. He takes the trouble to explain everything well and gives you ways to relieve and help this dreadful condition. I give this book a 5 star but can't for the life of me understand why they are charging so much here for it. One only needs to contact Holographic Health Inc, 800-566-1522 or [...] and 11.95 for the book. Its a real shame some take advantage of others pain. The book is great but not for what they charge here.

I have not read this book but after seeing the above reviews I wanted to say that I have just been to a Chiropractor today and he pushed down my severe hiatus hernia and the reason I come up with for having it is severe stress and bad diet. This guy seems to know what he is talking about. Doctors just give you pills and twist stomachs. I will be getting this book

I read the 1998 version of this book recently, having been diagnosed with a moderate HH and having done a lot of research. The author has a hard time establishing credibility with the reader. First, he flies in the face of modern research by writing a foreward that describes HHS in the most egregiously hyperbolic terms as essentially a modern black plague that will adversely affect 85% of the population, when most doctors describe it as a relatively inoccuous condition affecting a minority -- in other words, he comes off like he's trying to sell something. Second, he has the writing skills of a third-grader (hopefully because he is not a native english speaker) and did not bother to hire a translator, use a spell-checker or even a dictionary. Third, though the book is clearly intended for the layperson, he launches in medical jargon so thick and opaque that one gets the impression he is trying to buy the reader's respect for him as a doctor through the sheer volume of latin words.

Most alarmingly, he rarely backs up any of his arguments, and when he does, the reasoning is specious. For example, he draws conclusions about the effect of stimulation of the vagus nerve on human digestion by referring to an inconclusive study of the sciatic nerve in rats, an unrelated subject, but one the layperson is unlikely to be able to question. There is no hard scientific evidence to back him up, and it is unsettling that a doctor will give advice in the absence of such evidence.

To be sure, the anecdotal evidence he's gathered over many years as a practicing physician has merit, and you come away from the book thinking that HHS may be more complicated than your doctor tells you. Unfortunately, you come away no better informed, since much of what he's saying is obviously garbage, but you don't know which parts. Stick to medical journals & Medscape for information, not witch doctors with something to sell.

I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in Jan 2003. I ordered this book with the hope of finding and alternative treatment for healing. I was very disappointed to say the least.

This book mainly consists of theories that hiatal hernia CAUSES other conditions, from arthritis to ear infections, with little to no scientific evidence to back it up.

The "treatment" section describes ways to "push down" the stomach, as well as a yoga move (which is a good exercise...but you don't need this book for that). In one chapter he recommends using a wooden egg on yourself to force the stomach down into position. He assumes throughout this book that a hiatal hernia "pinches" the vagus nerve (a nerve that runs through the body) that it must cause every other condition known to man. It's almost enough to make me a hypochondriac.

Instead of this book, I recommend the "Positive Options" book since it provides clear, concise explanation of what Hiatal Hernia is, how it is treated, and what options exist for surgery.

Do not buy into this witch doctor's theories.