Thursday, September 28, 2006

what is hernia symptoms

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Hiatal hernia can be caused by a number of things, often unique to each sufferer. One common cause, however, can be described as "mechanical": that is, caused by lifting improperly, heavy bouts of coughing, attacks to the abdomen, tight clothes, or poor posture. Lifting a heavy item whilst holding your breath (which happens often amongst people not trained in proper lifting techniques) can force the stomach into the esophagus and cause a hiatal hernia.

Another common cause of hiatal hernia is to do with the ileocecal valve. This is situated between the small and large intestines. Its function is to allow material to pass from the large intestine into the colon, but not vice versa. The ileocecal valve can become swollen and irritated; this causes it not to close properly, and permit material to travel back into the small intestine from the colon.
Although it cannot be determined whether a faulty ileocecal valve or hiatal hernia occurred first, a problem with this valve is known to further aggravate a hiatal hernia. Diet is a major factor in this: overeating, eating when upset, and poor combination of food can lead to this condition.

Interestingly, as well as "eating when upset" as being a contributory factor, emotional stress in itself has been raised as a possible cause of hiatal hernia – particularly the emotion of anger. One theory states that when some people get angry, they breathe and suck air upward, and then fail to release it properly. This results in the stomach remaining up, and repeated instances causing a hiatal hernia.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to hernia symptoms than you may have first thought.

The condition can also cause stress to the vagus nerve. Its function is to control the release of hydrochloric acid. As it may not work properly, this can cause either too much or too little acid to be secreted.
The diaphragm muscle's movement is impeded. Its function is to pull downward to cause the chest capacity to expand and fill the lungs with air. A hiatal hernia sufferer may find that their diaphragm muscle is affected to the degree that they experience shallow breathing unless they help the process consciously using their chest shoulders and take a deep breath.

The esophagus has been known to form a kink. This would then cause difficulty in swallowing. Sufferers may get the sensation that material is often stuck in their throat.
Through the vagus nerve, which has significant links to a number of other organs in the body, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and even the external genitalia, imbalances can be spread throughout the patient's body and other important systems.

Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in hernia symptoms. When people start looking for more information about hernia symptoms, you'll be in a position to meet their needs.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

signs and symptoms of a hernia

So what is hernia symptoms really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about hernia symptoms--info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you. The signs and symptoms of a hernia can range from noticing a painless lump to the painful, tender, swollen protrusion of tissue that you are unable to push back into the abdomen—possibly a strangulated hernia.

Asymptomatic reducible hernia.
New lump in the groin or other abdominal wall area
May ache but is not tender when touched.
Now that we've covered those aspects of hernia symptoms, let's turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Sometimes pain precedes the discovery of the lump.
Lump increases in size when standing or when abdominal pressure is increased (such as coughing)
May be reduced (pushed back into the abdomen) unless very large.
You can't predict when knowing something extra about hernia symptoms will come in handy. If you learned anything new about &keyword% in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.

Monday, September 11, 2006

majority of all hernias happen in men

Do you really know that majority of all hernias happen in men?

Let's see the Fact References from the press and magazines:

Ninety percent of all abdominal hernias occur in men. (The British Hernia Centre. Robbins and Rutkow, Surg. Clin. North America, 1993; 73: 501-511.)

Only a fraction of the estimated 5 million people in the United States with hernias seek medical attention. (ETHICON INC., Hernias andwhat you can do about them. Somerville, NJ: ETHICON INC. 2000. Robbins and Rutkow, Surg. Clin. North America, 1993; 73: 501-511.)

Hernia repair is the most common surgery done in men. (ETHICON INC., Hernias and what you can do about them. Somerville, NJ: ETHICON INC. 2000.)

Heavy smokers tend to develop abdominal wall hernias at a higher rate than non-smokers. That's because exposure to nicotine can weaken the abdominal wall. (Medscape radio show transcript: Dr. Arthur Gilbert MD, Baptist Health System, South Miami Hospital.)

Also, One out of every 200 adults in the United States will see their doctor for a hernia.

So, please visit to your doctor when you suspect that you are suffering the early stage of hernia because virtually all hernias can be repaired, 750,000 groin hernia repairs are performed in the United States each year. (Medscape radio show transcript: Dr. Arthur Gilbert MD, Baptist Health System, South Miami Hospital. Robbins and Rutkow, Surg. Clin. North America, 1993; 73: 501-511.)