My dear friend has a hiatal hernia and she is interested in going raw to help treat it...she is only 22 and is seeing multiple doctors constantly, and she is beginning to feel hopeless and depressed..

does anyone know of any info that could help her? Foods to incorporate or avoid? Or any alternative medicine sites that might be helpful?

I want to do anything I can for her..any advice would be VERY appreciated.

Raw foods don't cure anything. Its the body that heals itself. For your friend, if she were to provide the conditions for health, in terms of diet and lifestyle, her body would become healthy.

What does your friend's diet look like? Also, it your friend under a lot of stress?

She is a SAD eater but does incorporate fruits and vegetables into her diet. She eats relatively small amounts of food at a time. I will have to check with her and ask her how she feels about her stress level.

SOmeone in my family was helped by doing the following two things:

1 - don't eat within 3 hours of lying down.

2 - put a brick or two under the pillow side of the bed. That way gravity helps matters.


Best wishes!

Orange:

I agree with Bryan.

My understanding is that this condition is a 'weakening' of the hiatus/diaphragm. Whatever the cause, there are some things that your friend can do. Smoking, being overweight, and poor diet would certainly play a role....and there is plenty that most folks CAN do to steadily improve this. A variety of light exercise and core strengthening exercises would probably also assist. Don't you think?

My opinion would be to FIRST engage in a regular program of diet improvement and exercise to bring the weight to the 'lower' side of healthy. If the 'normal' weight for their height is 100-140, then they should try to get down to about 110-120. For many, just losing 20 lbs and becoming more fit through exercise can make a world of difference in health problems. I would try this first.

-A diet heavy in greens and eschewing processed fats/carbs and sugars will also be helpful.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com