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

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Assuming I have tested for many other imbalances first, I then re-check them. It is indeed amazing (usually but not always), to see blood sugar imbalance, thyroid, adrenal, small and/ or large intestine, gall bladder, brain integration, pitch/roll/yaw (spatial imbalance), TMJ and many other circuits re-test as intrinsically fixed by the HHS correction. (Of course, none of this is a substitute for proper medical testing, and treatment, for any of these problems. This refers to energy states only.) Then comes the perennial question, "how long will it last?" I have already stated how difficult it may be to keep the stomach down due to so many factors already described. So, as with much of chronic illness, it is up to the sufferer to learn to master these factors, and these diet and lifestyle changes can be mastered by all. It is advisable for everyone to learn how to pull their own stomach down. Dr. Baroody had a wooden "hiatal hernia egg" created to facilitate self-correction.

Kinesiological corrections for the diaphragm (10) are often an additional benefit, as is advanced bodywork on this muscle itself. Reflexology for the solar plexus, diaphragm, pyloric valve and brain also help. It is fascinating that the stomach is often OK while the diaphragm, solar plexus, and brain often need treatment. An acupuncture/ acupressure point for the vagus nerve is PC6. The new FDA-approved motion sickness Relief Band[R] is a watch-like device, which discharges electricity over the PC6 point. Walt Stoll, MD recommends meditation, and ginger for GERD/HHS. (11) Learning and practicing proper breathing methods can be a big help. Baroody recommends many herbs and nutrients for the HHS. These include comfrey, pepsin, aloe vera, and Swedish bitters. Useful homeopathic remedies include lycopodium, nux vomica, nux moschata and others. I trust the reader will realize that no neutraceutical is a substitute for pulling the stomach down and for making the diet and lifestyle changes needed.

To summarize, the Hiatal Hernia may be a frequent, undetected occurrence often from the trauma of birth, or from some stress or trauma shortly thereafter. The Vagus Nerve is then immediately imbalanced. Through the mechanisms outlined in this article, virtually any organ can then be adversely affected. Thus this VNI/HHS may be a primary cause of much chronic, degenerative physical and "mental" illness. The VNI/ HHS may also be a primary cause in food, chemical and electromagnetic allergies. Finally, I suggest that the Hiatal Hernia may be a predictor of life expectancy.

A recent advance in cardiology is the sub-field of Heart Rate Variability (HRV). HRV refers to statistical analyses of five-minute, (or longer), electrocardiograms. HRV analyses and subject follow-up for "all-cause mortality" yielded the conclusion that Heart Rate Variability is perhaps the best predictor of life expectancy. (12) But Heart Rate Variability--and even stress, "stress vulnerability" and "reactivity to stress"--have been demonstrated to be highly dependent on the state of the Vagus Nerve. (13) Thus we have come full circle and verified Carey Reams' quote cited at the outset of this article. Reams stated that illness began with problems with the Vagus Nerve. HRV studies have now found that our life expectancies may depend on an optimum or balanced Vagus Nerve; and Dr. Baroody has found that the Vagus Nerve cannot be in balance unless the stomach is down and stays down. The logical conclusion I propose here is that the Hiatal Hernia--overlooked in its totality, by nearly all of mainstream and alternative medicine may indirectly be ... a great predictor of life expectancy/ Though this may be the first time this Hiatal Hernia/Longevity hypothesis has been explicitly stated, it should not come as a surprise. Since this problem--the Hiatal Hernia Syndrome--often arises from the trauma of birth, or other stress or trauma shortly before or after birth; it may be ... the longest standing, undetected, misunderstood, yet dangerous, condition the person has experienced.