Telephone: (617) 983-6712. Fax: (617) 983-6770. www.mass.gov/dph/fpp. The Massachusetts Food Protection Program, within Bureau of Environmental Health in the Department of Public Health, strives to ensure a safe and wholesome food supply in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
A hiatal hernia is a condition in which the upper part of the stomach bulges through an opening in the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the muscle wall that separates the stomach from the chest. The diaphragm helps keep acid from coming up into the esophagus. When you have a hiatal hernia, it's easier for the acid to come up. The leaking of acid from the stomach into the esophagus is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Hiatus hernia. A hiatus hernia or hiatal hernia is a type of hernia in which the upper part of the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity through the esophageal hiatus in the thoracic diaphragm due to a tear or weakness in the diaphragm. The most common cause is obesity.