I learned something very helpful from my recent thermography. After weeks of intense intestinal distress, I now know (at least in part) what the cause was and how to fix it. Turns out my symptoms (bloating, burping, gas, feeling full after eating only a little, abdominal pain, fever spikes, spastic diarrhea, insomnia – feeling weak, toxic and just generally awful) were due in large part to my pyloric and ileocecal valves’ having become sluggish. What a relief to get this information. And the fixes works quickly: I feel better immediately after doing them! We’ll get to these shortly, but first some information on the functions of those valves and what can go wrong if they’re not working properly. For information on thermography, see Inflammation and What You Don’t Know CAN Harm You. PYLORIC VALVE
The pyloric valve is a sphincter-type valve that controls the opening between the bottom end of the stomach and the beginning of the small intestine. It’s located about 2″ above the navel, more or less in the center of the body.
The pyloric valve’s principal function is to control the flow of partially digested material from the stomach into the duodenum, the topmost section of the small intestine, where most of the nutrients get extracted from what we eat. When the valve is working well, it opens slightly a few times a minute to allow a small amount of food to move into the duodenum. Its secondary function is to prevent bile from flowing back from the small intestine into the stomach (bile reflux).
When the pyloric valve is malfunctioning, as it does in many people – even some who aren’t aware they’re having a problem, it creates discomfort and many serious medical problems. Malfunctioning of this valve includes spasms that prevent it from opening or closing completely.
Bloating: Symptom of a Pyloric Valve That Isn’t Opening Properly
When the valve spasms, it becomes inflamed. You can experience pain as food tries passing from your stomach into your small intestine. If the spasms are severe, you may become nauseated and experience violent vomiting as your stomach attempts to clear itself. The usual symptoms of a spastic pyloric valve that isn’t opening properly are bloating and a sharp pain after eating. If the valve isn’t closing properly, bile can flow back into the stomach from the intestines. The Mayo Clinic says, “Bile reflux can be difficult to distinguish from acid reflux…. and the two conditions may occur at the same time.” Bile reflux can lead to some serious issues, including damage to the stomach and esophageal linings, bleeding ulcers, and Barrett’s Esophagus. (Thermal Imaging of the Southwest, 2013) Bile Reflux: Symptom of a Pyloric Valve That Isn’t Closing Properly
“When the (pyloric) sphincter is contracted, it holds food in the stomach, allowing the digestive juices to do their work. This breaks down the food into a substance called “chyme.” Once the food has broken down, the sphincter opens and allows it to enter the duodenum. The time the food spends in the stomach allows the body to absorb more of the nutrients. “As long as the sphincter is healthy, it serves as a one-way door to the intestines, and that keeps your digestive system moving smoothly.” – New Health Guide, 2014 The malfunctioning, constricted pyloric valve shown on this thermogram is visible inside the black oval in the center of the body: Thermogram of a Pyloric Valve in Distress
When the pyloric valve is constricted and inflamed, blood flow increases to that area. When the valve doesn’t close properly, allowing bile to flow back into the stomach and attack the stomach lining, blood flow to this area increases. It is the increased heat in the distressed area, caused by this additional blood flow, that the thermographic infrared camera captures on the image.
“Dr. Gregory Melvin, a board-certified thermography-reading doctor, notes that ‘Most conditions are detectable with infrared imaging. When the pyloric valve is under distress, it creates a specific and unique thermal image, making it fairly obvious.’” (Thermal Imaging of the Southwest, 2013)
ILEOCECAL VALVE
The ileocecal valve is a sphincter-type valve located at the junction of the end of the small intestine and beginning of the large intestine. Its purpose is twofold: 1) To retain the contents of the small intestine long enough for the digestive process to be completed, and 2) As a barrier to prevent bacteria laden material in the large intestine from ‘back flowing’ into the small intestine and contaminating it.
When the ileocecal valve is closed, the partially digested food stays in the small intestine, where the body renders and absorbs nutrients. Once material has been allowed to pass through the ileocecal valve to enter the large intestine, the valve closes again to prevent back flow from the large intestine.
HEALTHY FUNCTIONING OF THE ILEOCECAL VALVE
When the ileocecal valve is functioning normally:
It remains closed most of the time, opening only when food is ready to pass from the small intestine into the large intestine for further processing.
It opens briefly to allow the contents of the small intestine to exit into the large intestine.
After food has moved through it, it closes again quickly to prevent contents of the large intestine from leaking back into the small intestine.
WHEN THE ILEOCECAL VALVE MALFUNCTIONS – REMAINING OPEN OR CLOSED An ileocecal valve sticking in the open position allows a backwash of watery waste material from the large intestine to get absorbed back into the small intestine. This is serious because the small intestine is where the process of creating blood to fuel the body begins. A valve stuck in the open position can cause frequent diarrhea leading to dehydration and lack of energy A valve sticking in the closed position can cause tightness in the bowel movements or constipation. Both conditions create a toxic condition and cause imbalances anywhere in the body where there is blood. (Minckler, undated) (Pollard, undated) Dysfunction of the ileocecal valve, remaining either open or closed, causes organs and/or muscles to become more susceptible to developing problems. A person with an open valve will feel better when stationary and worse when moving around. Someone with a closed valve will feel worse upon rising or being inactive and better when moving around. (NeuroHealth Chiropractic, 2013) FACTORS AFFECTING ILEOCECAL VALVE FUNCTIONING These include:
Consuming insufficient nutrients
An improper nerve supply
Misalignment of the joints
Not chewing food well enough
Emotional stress
Travel
Diet
– Pollard, undated DIETARY TIPS TO KEEP YOUR ILEOCECAL VALVE WORKING WELL Some foods to avoid:
Bread and other dense foods to help keep it from sticking
Caffeine
Spicy and sugary foods
Supplements that support the functioning of the whole digestive system include:
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
AFA blue green algae
– Earthclinic, 2015
“This very important anatomical structure does an unheralded job. The Ileocecal Valve is such a major cause of digestive symptoms for people that the problem has reached epidemic proportions; yet, outside the chiropractic profession, its function and importance are practically unknown.
“Problems with an open ileocecal valve (Ileocecal Valve Syndrome) are extremely common in today’s society yet its symptoms are often misdiagnosed. Very few health practitioners understand the significance of the ICV in digestive problems.” (Pollard, undated)
Image of a Healthy Ileocecal Valve
LOCATING YOUR ILEOCECAL VALVE
This is where your ileocecal valve is found – on the RIGHT side of your body, about 4 fingers (c. 2″) below your navel and 4 fingers to your right side, just inside your pelvic bone:
An image of a malfunctioning ileocecal valve is visible in the thermogram below, on the right of the body, just inside the hip bone.
Thermogram Showing a Blocked Ileocecal Valve
ALCOHOL AND ILEOCECAL MALFUNCTION Consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol will stress the ileocecal valve, causing it to stick in the open position. This result is one of the main causes of hangovers. (Minckler, undated) ILEOCECAL VALVE SYNDROME
Click here to see a larger version of this chart if you’re unable to read the small print in the one above. Problems with the ileocecal valve (sticking in the open or closed position) cause such a variety of symptoms, the valve has been called the “great mimicker” by the chiropractic profession. Its symptoms can manifest far from the valve itself. Interestingly, symptoms of an open or closed ileocecal valve are very similar. They include (Pollard, undated) (True Vitality, 2015):
Diarrhea or constipation
Heart palpitations and feeling of the heart fluttering
Chest pain during activity
Edema
Right shoulder pain simulating bursitis
Neck stiffness
Mid-afternoon dizziness
Tinnitus
Nausea
Faintness
Sudden thirst
General achiness
Joint pain
Circulation problems
Pinched nerves
Whole body arthritis
Sudden, stabbing, sharp low back or leg pain that feels just like a disc pain, especially when sitting or driving, with no mechanical cause
Sharp, pinpoint headaches, especially on the left side, at the base of the skull
Dull headaches, which often linger for hours in the frontal area
Migraine headaches – often as a system-wide response to the toxicity of the ileocecal valve
Chronic sinus infection, dripping sinuses, especially when not during allergy season
Allergies – the type often wrongly attributed to dust, cat hair, and mites
Dark circles under the eyes, puffy cheeks
Any of the “colon syndromes” such as Crohn’s disease, spastic colon, irritable bowel, celiac disease
Burning leg pain (that feels like a nerve) into the front of the left thigh
Asthma-like symptoms
General non-specific lower GI discomfort or symptoms often attributed to a psychological cause by practitioners unfamiliar with the ileocecal valve
Pollard offers this useful analogy of what happens when your ileocecal valve doesn’t work properly: “Let’s say you have just finished preparing a wonderful meal and are about to sit down to enjoy it. Just before you do, you place the meal on the counter next to the sink. You take the remnants of the preparation process–carrot tops, meat gristle, pineapple thorns, and whatever else–and put them in the garbage disposal to be whisked away. “For our example, let’s say you forget to put the cover on the garbage disposal. What happens when you flick the switch? As you might imagine, the contents of the garbage meant for disposal could fly all around the kitchen area mixing with your newly prepared meal. If this happened, you wouldn’t want to eat your meal. “It goes without saying that you don’t want the contents of the garbage area of your intestines mixing with the contents of the kitchen area. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens in the body’s most important “kitchen area,” the small intestine. “The ileocecal valve serves the same function as the cover or cap on the garbage disposal. If the ileocecal valve becomes open and remains open, the contents of the large intestine can and do leak back into the small intestine. This is not good for many reasons. “One reason is the contents of the two different sections of the tube have different pH chemistry. If the two juices mix, this immediately causes gas. Another is that the contents of the small intestine are to be absorbed; whereas the contents of the large intestine are to be eliminated. “The whole purpose of the ileocecal valve is to prevent the contents of these two distinctly different parts of the digestive tube from coming in contact. Probably very few people have not had some discomfort from their ileocecal valve at some point in their lives.” (Pollard, undated) IMPORTANCE OF CHEWING OUR FOOD WELL BEFORE SWALLOWING IT
If we’re swallowing our food before it has been properly chewed, we’re putting great stress on the various parts of our digestive system as they try doing their specific jobs of breaking it down to extract nutrients from it and move it along. Digestion begins in the mouth with mastication (the chewing process). If we’re not doing it well or long enough, we’re inviting some serious health problems. Our whole digestive system below the mouth is designed to process increasingly smaller particles passing through its various parts. Chewing breaks down the large chunks we put in our mouths into smaller particles, making it easier for the digestive juices in our stomachs to turn the masticated food it receives into chyme (partially digested food), our intestines to absorb nutrients and energy, and preventing improperly digested (too large) food particles from getting through the mucosal lining of our small intestine and into our blood stream, where their presence causes autoimmune reactions. {See INCREASED GUT PERMEABILITY – CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES for a description of how our digestion works, from mouth to anus, and some of the many health problems caused by increased gut permeability (leaky gut).} The longer we chew our food, the more opportunity we’re giving the enzyme-containing saliva in our mouths to begin breaking it down. Our saliva also helps lubricate our food, easing its passage down the esophagus on its way to the stomach. Here are some tips for how to prepare our food before it begins its journey down our gullets, into our stomachs and beyond (Mercola, 2013):
Take smaller bites of food. You won’t have to work as hard to reduce them to smaller particles.
Chew slowly and steadily.
Chew until your mouthful of food is liquefied or has lost its texture.
Chew and swallow completely before taking another bite of food.
Wait to drink fluids until after you’ve swallowed.
It’s especially important to chew these difficult foods carefully and completely so they don’t clog your ileocecal valve: Raw salads, popcorn, and raw nuts. (Pollard, undated) EMOTIONAL STRESS AND DIGESTION
We’re all aware that physical and emotional stress impact all the systems in our bodies – including our digestion. Our bodies are hard wired to scan the environment for imminent attacks or threats to our existence – very big sources of stress. When our autonomic nervous system (ANS) perceives such a threat, it sets off a series of reactions to maximize our chances of successfully fighting off the threat or running away from it.
These are the body’s automatic Fight or Flight responses:
These responses made a great deal of sense for our survival when we were in frequent danger of being eaten or maimed by wild animals – we either stayed to fight them or ran away. The act of either physically fighting or fleeing resets the entire Fight or Flight system, using up the extra adrenaline our ANS has released to increase our chance of successfully fighting or fleeing. This reset allows the body to return to its natural state of balance (homeostasis).
In our current world, our bodies still automatically put us into Fight or Flight when we feel in danger but the threats to us now are mostly ones not amenable to physical fights or speedy escapes. They’re mostly from the frightened chatter going on in our heads (eg, financial worries, worry about the future, what to do about stresses at home or at work) so our bodies aren’t easily able to reset and return us to homeostasis. (Benn, 2015) Unresolved vs Resolved Fight or Flight Response
Our digestive systems shut down or greatly slow down when we feel threatened and go into Fight or Flight. The energy required for digestion gets diverted elsewhere where it’s immediately needed for life-saving activities. Here’s a description of the profound changes that take place in the body whenever our ANS initiates Flight or Flight: “When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes. Our respiratory rate increases. Blood is shunted away from our digestive tract and directed into our muscles and limbs, which require extra energy and fuel for running and fighting. Our pupils dilate. Our awareness intensifies. Our sight sharpens. Our impulses quicken. Our perception of pain diminishes. Our immune system mobilizes with increased activation. We become prepared—physically and psychologically—for fight or flight. We scan and search our environment, “looking for the enemy.” “When our fight or flight system is activated, we tend to perceive everything in our environment as a possible threat to our survival. By its very nature, the fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind—where our more well thought out beliefs exist—and moves us into “attack” mode. This state of alert causes us to perceive almost everything in our world as a possible threat to our survival. As such, we tend to see everyone and everything as a possible enemy. Like airport security during a terrorist threat, we are on the look out for every possible danger. We may overreact to the slightest comment. Our fear is exaggerated. Our thinking is distorted. We see everything through the filter of possible danger. We narrow our focus to those things that can harm us. Fear becomes the lens through which we see the world.” (Neimark, undated)
When we remain in a chronic state of Fight or Flight – whether from internal worry or external circumstances, we remain in a highly aroused state of chronic stress. The fact that perceived threat as well as actual threat sets off Fight or Flight is important to understanding why so many of us live locked in a state of Fight or Flight.
Since what’s going on in the mind directly affect the health of the body, chronic stress, trauma and strong emotion we’re unwilling to deal with, and exhaustion take a toll on the body – including our ileocecal valves.
Chiropractor Melinda Benn says this about the emotional aspects of ongoing stress from chronic Fight or Flight:
“The body has a record of every physical and/or emotional trauma that it has ever encountered. These traumas can cause the body to be locked in the fight-flight pattern discussed above. Oftentimes illness occurs because of trauma that is locked into the cells.
The root cause of the health problem must be addressed for the symptoms to resolve. “For example, many lung problems stem from grief. The lungs are the organ of grief and prolonged grieving, even on a subconscious level, can and will often cause chronic lung problems such as bronchitis, continuous colds, or even recurrent pneumonia. These problems often do not respond well to traditional medical care such as antibiotics, because the problem is not rooted in a bacterial or viral infection but is instead rooted in the cell memory of the person’s grief. By discharging the cell memory the body is able to heal itself and continue functioning without the constant health problems that the memories created. This work will not remove a persons memories, only the negative effects the cell memory may be having on the body.” (Benn, 2015)
VIDEOS OF HOW TO DO MANUAL PYLORIC & ILEOCECAL RELEASES
The video below, made by Tammy Kohlschmidt of Thermography For Health, demonstrates how to release both your pyloric and ileocecal valves. Tammy has graciously given permission to include her video here.
Use this password to open and view it: videosetpv
Here’s a second instructional video, made by Thermal Imaging of the Southwest, on how to flush the stomach contents for problems like bloating, constipation and blockage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAviPBEXP70
This third video, Your Ileo Cecal Valve and how to close it when it’s stuck open, demonstrates how to close the valve manually from a standing position. It explains what the ileocecal valve is, its location, and how to close it yourself it it’s stuck open. The video details the type of sensation you’ll have when the valve is stuck in its open position.
WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR MANUAL PYLORIC & ILEOCECAL VALVE RELEASES
To help me remember how to do these manual valve releases, I wrote out the steps from Tammy Kohlschmidt’s video:
PYLORIC & ILEOCECAL VALVE RELEASES
Lie down flat with a half roll (or small rolled up blanket) under your lumbar area so your abdomen is raised a bit. You may also want to put a small pillow or yoga block under your head.
Have a 3 pound or larger hand weight nearby. You can use a glass bottle filled with liquid if you don’t have a hand weight. The weight is easier to hold and works better at getting into the valves.
PYLORIC VALVE RELEASE (do for 1-2 minutes)
Your pyloric valve connects your stomach to your small intestine. It’s located about 4 fingers (c. 2″) up from your navel, more or less in the center of your body.
Use the end of the hand weight to knead on top of your pyloric valve, rocking from its L side (the stomach end of the valve) toward its R side (where the pyloric valve connects to the small intestine).
Then use the end of the weight to push all the way from your L (on the stomach) to the pyloric valve to move any partially digested food in your stomach through your valve into your small intestine.
Repeat several times.
ILEOCECAL VALVE RELEASE (do for 1-2 minutes)
Your ileocecal valve connects your small intestine to your large intestine. It’s located about 4 fingers down from your navel (c. 2″) + 4 fingers to your R. This valve opens diagonally toward your L shoulder.
Use the end of a 3 pound weight to push into the valve, up and diagonally in the direction of your L shoulder.
FLUSH
Use the end of the weight to push all the way from the L side of your body on a horizontal line, along the small intestine, all the way over to your ileocecal valve on your R.
FOOT REFLEXOLOGY FOR THE ILEOCECAL VALVE Reflexology is a therapeutic massage technique employing the application of specific types of pressure of hand, thumb and fingers to points on the extremities corresponding to a map of the human body’s reflex points. This diagram shows where the reflexology point for the ileocecal valve is located – near the little toe side edge of the RIGHT foot, just above the heel:
Here’s a photo of reflexology pressure being applied to the ileocecal point on the sole of a person’s right foot:
ILEOCECAL VALVE REFLEXOLOGY POINT
If you’ve ever had foot reflexology, you know that spots corresponding to organs and other parts of your body where you’re having difficulties may be tender and pressure applied to them can hurt – a bit or a lot.
The helpful aspect of this is that, you know when you’ve found the right spot when you’re doing reflexology on yourself.
My ileocecal valve has been malfunctioning so I decided to do some reflexology on myself. When I applied firm pressure on the ileocecal point, it felt quite tender – and the tenderness continued for a few minutes after I stopped. Just for comparison, I applied equal pressure on the same spot on my left sole. That felt good but not at all tender.
For people who doubt its efficacy, here’s the story of my first encounter with foot reflexology:
While on vacation with my family in Colorado, I had stomach flu or some other kind of digestive problem that caused great distress whenever I tried eating anything. I’d heard of reflexology and saw that the spa at our hotel offered it. It turned out their reflexologist was out of town that day but another experienced masseur, who could see how ill I felt, said he had a reflexology chart and would try if I was willing.
As he worked on my feet, most of the points he touched felt good – until he got to the digestive areas. (At that time, I had no idea where the various reflex points were located.) When he pressed there, they hurt so much tears came to my eyes. He said he knew those spots would be tender and was purposely using only a very light touch there, which he demonstrated on my arm, where I could barely feel it. So I let him continue, doing Lamaze breathing for the pain, eyes streaming the whole time.
When he was done, I found I was too weak to stand without assistance. So he helped me to a couch in the waiting room, gave me a cup of hot ginger tea, and let me sleep there until I woke up about an hour later – and discovered my digestive problem was totally gone!
I’ve been a big fan of foot reflexology ever since.
TIP:
If you’re doing foot reflexology on yourself, a Thai Foot Massage Stick is useful. It lets you apply more pressure directly on a point than your fingers probably will.
DONNA EDEN’S METHOD FOR NORMALIZING THE ILEOCECAL VALVE
The wonderful Donna Eden, author of several books on Energy Medicine, has another method for returning the ileocecal valve to its normal rhythm. I highly recommend watching this short video showing her teaching it at a workshop. Donna may be the most joyful person on the planet and is an excellent teacher. WHAT I DO NOW TO RELEASE MY PYLORIC AND ILEOCECAL VALVES When the severe bloating began, I consulted Dr David Miller, who explained that food was fermenting in my GI tract instead of digesting, causing the bloating. That made sense to me but I didn’t know how to stop the fermenting yet. I tried a variety of digestive enzymes that helped some but the problem continued. I’m concentrating now on chewing my food thoroughly before swallowing, practicing ways to keep my gut from clenching – or relaxing it when I notice it has already clenched, and figuring out when and how often I need to do the release exercises. Sometimes I use a 3 pound weight to release those valves as shown in the videos. I also sometimes lie face down on a 4″ hollow, squishy, spiky ball and use the weight of my body instead of pushing with the weight. First, I place the ball under my pyloric valve and move my body on it from left to right to release the valve. Then I move the ball to under my ileocecal valve and roll that part of my body over it in a valve-toward-left shoulder direction to release the valve. Here’s a picture of the ball I use, somewhat on the under-inflated side so it gives a bit as I lie on it:
They’re called EduShape Sensory Balls, available from Amazon. The 4″ balls are the ones at the top in the box:
If I’m out and about and can’t do the more thorough releases with either the weight or squishy ball, I use my hands:
Pyloric Valve
I make a fist of my right hand and press into my pyloric valve with the knuckles, rocking them from left to right until I feel the valve release.
Ileocecal Valve
Using my right hand in a fist, I press the knuckles into my ileocecal valve and rock upward on a diagonal toward my left shoulder until I feel the valve release.
I’m also going to start using Donna Eden’s method and/or reflexology on the ileocecal valve point – especially when I’m traveling.
Ever feel like this?
My profound thanks to Tammy Kohlschmidt of Thermography for Health for identifying my pyloric and ileocecal valve problems via thermography and then setting me on the path to knowing how to fix them. Could you please leave a comment if you found this post interesting? It would be much appreciated & would help spread the word.
The COMMENT box is at the bottom of the page, below the REFERENCES. REFERENCES
Benn, M.S. (2015). Fight-Flight Response. See: http://www.aflintchiropractor.com/index.php?p=155309 EarthClinic. (2015). Ileocecal Valve Problems and Natural Treatments. See: http://www.earthclinic.com/cures/ileocecal-valve.html
Hardin, J.R. (2013). INFLAMMATION. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/gut-symbiosis-versus-dysbiosis
Hardin, J.R. (2015). INCREASED GUT PERMEABILITY – CAUSES & CONSEQUENCES. See: https://www.allergiesandyourgut.com/post/increased-gut-permeability-causes-consequences
Kohlschmidt, T. (2015). What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You. See: http://www.dentistryforhealthny.com/breastthermographyny.html
Mercola, R. (2013). 7 Important Reasons to Properly Chew Your Food. See: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/31/chewing-foods.aspx
Minckler, J. (undated). Ileo-cecal Valve. See: http://www.energybalancing.com/selfeval/ileocecal.html
Neimark, N.F. (undated). What is the “fight or flight response?” See: http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com/EducationCenter/fight.html
NeuroHealth Chiropractic. (2013). Dangers of overindulging – Ileocecal Valve Syndrome. See: http://www.neurohealthchiro.com.au/dangers-of-overindulging-ileocecal-valve-syndrome-1835
New Health Guide. (2014). Pyloric Sphincter Function. See: http://www.newhealthguide.org/Pyloric-Sphincter-Function.html
Pollard, J.K. (undated). Ileocecal Valve: Preventing Backflow. DigestiveAwareness. See: http://digestiveawareness.drupalgardens.com/content/ileocecal-valve-preventing-backflow
Thermal Imaging of the Southwest. (2013). The Painful Passage of Food Identifying and Treating Pyloric Valve Problems Can Restore Pleasure in Eating, See: http://www.tiofsw.com/pyloric-valve/
True Vitality. (2015). Ileocecal Valve Syndrome. See: https://www.truevitality.com.au/articles/ileocecal-valve-syndrome-2/ © Copyright 2015 Joan Rothchild Hardin. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site or blog is intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Comments submitted prior to 8/25/2021
Hi,
Do you have any information on how to resolve a pyloric valve that stays open. I am currently suffering with bile gastritis and a gastroscopy has shown that my valve is open causing bile to reflux into my stomach.
Dawn Williams
In reply to Dawn Williams
Dawn,
As I understand it, the fix for a pyloric valve that stays open is the one I described in my post.
Joan Hardin
Hi, Thank you for a very informative article. I was wondering if the treatment is the same for an open and a closed ileocecal valve. (I think mine is closed). Also I would love to know how you are feeling now.
Sandra
In reply to Sandra
Sandra,
As I understand it, the treatment is the same whether the ileocecal valve is stuck open or closed. In answer to your question about how I’m doing now: my gut is finally in good shape again & I’m working to keep it that way. When I’ve got the time, I’m going to write a post on
how to calm the vagus nerve – something I’ve been doing lately that has helped my digestion a whole lot.
Joan Hardin
In reply to Joan Rothchild Hardin
Hi! So, if I understand correctly, the method what helps to open the pyloric valve if it’s closed it can help to close it when it stays open, right? How many times do I have to apply this method to fix the pyloric valve to close properly? When do I have to do this? Before meals, or after? Can you help me? I’m suffering because of bile gastritis since june 2014.
Thank you in advance!
Gabor Szekeres
In reply to Gabor Szekeres
Gabor,
As I understand it, the method helps the pyloric valve whether it’s stuck open or closed. I suggest you make an appointment with someone in your area who does manual work on both the pyloric & ileocecal valves. This might be a chiropractor, naturopath, or knowledgeable body worker. That way, you can find out what to do for your specific symptoms. You could Google something like ‘chiropractor pyloric valve (the name of your town)’.
Joan Hardin
hello,
I got alot of air/gas stuck in my small intestine(i think due to IBS, just started fodmap diet) sometimes it burps up into my stomach and leaves through my mouth, but sometimes its pretty much stuck in there would it be a good idea to try opening the pyloric with one of the
methods above so the air can leave and doenst come out the back end a few hours later?
any other ideas to get it out are welcome too.
archibaldwin
In reply to archibaldwin
Archibaldwin,
Sounds unpleasant! Things I’ve found helpful: * Doing both the pyloric & ileocecal valve maneuvers – pyloric release first followed by ileocecal release * Figuring out which foods make it worse & then experimenting with avoiding them to see if that helps. Sounds like you’re doing that. * Taking IntestiNEW to strengthen your gut’s mucosal lining, where your gut’s probiotics live – ie, to address the IBS * Breath work to calm the vagus nerve
Joan Hardin
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site is intended as medical advice.
In reply to Joan Rothchild Hardin
Hi Joan, Can you recommend a chiropractor in NYC or in the vicinity that works with pyloric issues? I have a pylorus that stays open causing problems with bile that triggers severe reflux and causes many digestion issues. My diet is severely restricted; I sit upright at night to sleep and have many lifestyle restrictions. Many tests were run only to find a “patulous pylorus.” Taking the bile sequestrant cholestyramine helps a bit, especially with bouts of bile, but my problem has become chronic. My local chiropractors here in PA were helpful to some degree but are not familiar with my problem. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Bethany Aymes
In reply to Bethany Aymes
Bethany,
I don’t know of a chiropractor in NYC who does this work but here are a few suggestions:
* Check Donna Eden’s website to see if there’s an Energy Medicine practitioner trained by her near your town. There’s a link to Donna’s video in my post. I took a workshop with her and was very impressed.
http://innersource.net/em/about/donna-eden.html * Come into NYC to speak with Dr David Miller, the supplements guru at LifeThyme Market on 6th Ave in Greenwich Village. He’s very
knowledgeable. Be sure to call LifeThyme first to be sure he’s there. He’ll want to see your lab results too so bring them with you. I expect he’ll have some useful ideas for how to address your problem. LifeThyme Market
410 6th Avenue (between 8th & 9th Sts)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 420-1600
* Contact Tammy Kohlschmidt (the thermographer who identified my pyloric & ileocecal valve problems) and ask her to teach you how to close your pylorus. Tammy’s video is in my post.
* Make an appointment with Tammy to get a thermogram of your GI area so you can see what’s going on in your pyloris & elsewhere in your digestive system. It will give you images of exactly where & to what extent your body is inflamed.
Joan Hardin