A missing link to chronic illness, allergies and longevity? Vagus Nerve Imbalance/Hiatal Hernia Syndrome

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, August-Sept, 2003 by Steve Rochlitz

Could there be a factor either unknown, or not fully understood, by both mainstream and alternative medicine, that can initiate much chronic illness including allergies? Could there be a very dangerous condition in the body that can cause virtually every other organ of the body to malfunction? Could 85% of the population have this undetected condition? The answer is decidedly yes to each of these questions. At the end of this article, surprising, new evidence will be revealed that this factor may even be a predictor of life expectancy.

The biochemist Carey Reams, PhD, said, "Illness begins with the Vagus Nerve." The Hiatal Hernia Syndrome (HHS)--by pinching the Vagus Nerve--causes Vagus Nerve Imbalance (VNI). This imbalance is usually a hyperexcitability, but a decreased energy state is also possible at some point in time. In a Hiatus Hernia, or Hiatal Hernia, the upper portion of the stomach protrudes through the opening (hiatus) in the diaphragm muscle. I urge the reader to go beyond any preconceived notions that this condition only causes GERD (acid reflux) and minor discomfort, and to read this article in its entirety before judging this work. My own recent research will be described for the first time, after reviewing one pioneering clinician's findings.

This article will reveal how this condition, Vagus Nerve Imbalance/ Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, which I will abbreviate as VNI/HHS, can cause so many other maladies and symptoms, and how it can cause many other organs to malfunction. Then I will describe testing to uncover the VNI/HHS, and finally, how to treat this insidious malady with various modalities. These methods include manipulations to rapidly correct (bring down) the stomach, as well as nutrition, diet and lifestyle changes. Health practitioners and/or patients can learn the crucial manipulations.

The pioneering physician, Theodore Baroody, DC, ND, PhD, after treating thousands of patients for many other illnesses, calls the Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, "the mother of all illness." (1) He states that nearly "every [non-infectious] condition (except trauma) is the direct result of some digestive dysfunction." (2) He writes that the Hiatal Hernia Syndrome is "dangerous ... and brings about ... constant imbalances ... that lead to all maladies known to mankind." (3) He has found that over 85% of all of his patients--when tested--have a Hiatal Hernia! He further postulates that about "85% of the overall populace" has the HHS! My own clientele, mostly sufferers of severe fatigue/fibromyalgia and extreme food, chemical, and electromagnetic sensitivities have the Hiatal Hernia Syndrome over 90% of the time. It's no coincidence. Baroody's findings are described in his brilliant opus, Hiatal Hernia Syndrome: Insidious Link to Major Illness. Simply put, if one considers finding the initiating cause of chronic, degenerative illness a key factor in medicine, this is one of the great works in the medical literature. I cannot blame the reader for any initial disbelief, as both Baroody and myself are often "mindboggled" to see again and again how seemingly unrelated illnesses or symptoms are often immediately relieved when "the stomach is brought down." The difficulty in seeing all this clearly often arises because many factors can prevent the stomach from "staying down." But Baroody's, and my own, techniques can help make this change last, and thus the improvement in these many, seemingly unrelated conditions will be clear. Also, I might not have believed this myself if I hadn't, (unfortunately), lived through it; and, as a physicist, insisted on uncovering the most primary causes of my own problems.

As stated above, Hiatal Hernia refers to the stomach's protrusion through the opening, (hiatus), in the diaphragm muscle. Wellness can ultimately only return when the diaphragm's hole (hiatus), has been repaired and the stomach can no longer jump up. This can take months of continuously doing everything just right. The key to an enlightened understanding of the VNI/ HHS is that the amount of stomach protrusion is often irrelevant. In many people, serious illness begins unfolding even if the amount of protrusion, (the Hiatal Hernia), is "small," as found, for example by X-ray. In many sufferers, any such protrusion causes major hyperexcitability of the Vagus Nerve. The extensive Vagus Nerve is so diverse and so interconnected to so many organs that it has been nicknamed the "wanderer." The slightest upward displacement of the stomach through the diaphragm disorders the Vagus Nerve. Immediately, the stomach no longer is able to produce the proper amount of hydrochloric acid. The entire digestive process is then adversely affected. The final result is often that the entire body will become too acid.

From an imbalanced Vagus Nerve, any other organ can begin to malfunction depending on genetic weakness and various other factors. Of course, the diaphragm itself will be directly affected and breathing normally no longer occurs. Other openings in the diaphragm--now stretched or torn--allow the major blood vessels to and from the heart to pass through it. Thus spasms in the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava can occur in rare cases. Indeed, Baroody's 6th edition of his book, reveals kinesiological (muscle) tests for two separate "stuck diaphragm" conditions related to abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava imbalances. (4) The heart itself can be crowded, and pressed on by the stomach, being "where it doesn't belong." These last factors and the direct hyperexcitability of the Vagus Nerve's connection to the heart, leads to many Emergency Room visits and "pseudoheart attack" symptoms of chest pain, difficulty breathing and left arm numbness. The reader, if experiencing these complaints, should seek emergency medical care, and not assume they are arising from the HHS. There is a remarkable similarity between Hiatal Hernia Syndrome and angina. Both can cause similar symptoms and both can occur after similar events such as overeating, exercise, and heavy lifting. My own hypothesis is that the Hiatal Hernia Syndrome, if uncorrected, may sometimes eventually become true angina. Other factors that might make this more likely include smoking, dehydration and other nutritional deficiencies.