Dr. Valerie Girard 
Santa Barbara Family Chiropractic Care for over 40 years  

Treatment for Acid Reflux GERD in Santa Barbara for over 30 years.

 

Santa Barbara chiropractor Dr. Valerie Girard has been successfully treating the cause of hiatal hernias and acid reflux for over 35 years. In that time, she has discovered related factors that lead to digestive issues, acid reflux, silent reflux, chronic cough, sour stomach and sinus issues and has developed significant strategies to treat GERD, acid reflux, nausea and other related issues. 

 

Through reflex adjusting, Dr. Girard has had great success in treating this when many MD's could not because the remedy often is mechanical. Therefore, a physical chiropractic adjustment can manipulate the stomach back into its perfect position. Usually, in two to three visits, the condition is alleviated. In addition, there are twelve other digestive issues that can lead to GI disturbances that are readily corrected in one to two visits.

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What is Acid Reflux or Hiatal Hernia?

 

Hiatal Hernia is a condition, whereas Acid Reflux is the symptom often caused by a hiatal hernia.

 

Many people believe that acid reflux problems are caused by too much acid in the stomach. While stress and worry will cause the stomach to overproduce acid and cause ulceration of the stomach lining and subsequent pain, this acid will not reflux into the esophagus or the oral cavity unless the stomach has protruded above the diaphragm. This protrusion is called a hiatal hernia. The protrusion is allowed to happen by a lax cardiac sphincter, which is located in the diaphragm and acts to allow food to proceed down the esophageal tract while preventing stomach acid or food to reflux back up the tract. Sometimes the cardiac sphincter is not operating correctly and must be re-activated to function properly.

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What is GERD? 

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90% of the time, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is caused by both a lax cardiac sphincter and a resulting hiatal hernia.  GERD diagnosis will occur when stomach acid has been allowed to flow backwards and up intoaffected the esophagus for a long period of time and affects the patient on a consistent basis.

 

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What is the difference between GERD and Acid Reflux?

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Acid reflux is a symptom of GERD or hiatal hernia. It is not a condition, merely a symptom.

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Hiatal hernias can be diagnosed though x-ray. 35 years ago the medical profession’s treatment was to perform surgery to pull the stomach back in place. This was often a painful surgery, with poor results. Now, they prescribe medication that act as acid blockers, which, if taken for a long period of time, damage the digestive tract.

Chiropractors and osteopaths have long been able to diagnose this condition without the expense and radiation exposure of an x-ray. In addition, they have developed effective treatments for correcting hiatal hernias and the other related issues causing acid or silent reflux.

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Contact me if you feel that you have the symptoms. I have successfully treated many patients with these issues.

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