Replied by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 11/01/2013

I had/have an umbilical cord hernia myself. Many years ago it was causing pain and discomfort. When I was about to have abdominal surgery for a ruptured tubal pregnancy, I asked the OB to fix it while she was in there. She said if I was going to have more children, there was no point in fixing it at that time. (I think because pregnancy would perhaps have messed up the repair.)

Anyway, it has either healed itself or isn't painful to me anymore. Perhaps it was mild. As far as I know, the only solution is surgery. But then again, there are lots of things we are told that surgery or drugs are the only option for, and that is not true. For the record, I have had several pregnancies since then and they haven't made it worse.

Comfrey is a cell regenerating herb. It works on even old scars and wounds. If you are looking for something natural and non-invasive to try, that is what I would try. You could make poultices out of dried comfrey leaves. (Put 2 Tablespoons of dried comfrey leaves in a mug and cover with some just boiled water, enough to rehydrate the leaves. Let it sit until the leaves are cooled enough to handle. Put in a paper towel or cloth and fold over. Place this over the pained area. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and an ace bandage. You could leave it on for an hour or two. It could take several weeks of doing this daily to see any improvement.) But it would be lots easier and cheaper than surgery. I wouldn't be surprised to castor oil packs over the area help it also.

I hope you find relief soon!

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Niketic (Sarajevo) on 01/18/2014

Replied by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 01/19/2014

Yes, I think that comfrey could be a help in this for you, but it would likely only be a part of healing. You are right--the hernia could not heal with the stomach in the way.

Below is a link to an interesting article about hiatal hernia that recommends some ways to self-adjust it. She also has some exercises that could be done. She makes some dietary and herb suggestions for helping deal with symptoms and heal the problem. She mentions comfrey as something that can be used to relieve symptoms in the stomach and also as something to heal the hernia after get the stomach adjusted.

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/dig11.php

This healing could take some time, but in the end would be worth it if you could be healed of this!

Earth Clinic is a great source for lots of ideas that may help with related issues you may have that contribute to the hiatal hernia. If you need to lose weight, quit smoking, or heal bloating/digestive issues, you will learn a lot reading around here. These things would all be a part of healing for you.

You probably know that if you ever have severe pain with this, that you should get it checked out, as with a herina there is the risk of strangulation, which is very dangerous.

Keep us posted on how you are doing!

~Mama to Many~