Home Remedies for Hernia

Home measures can ease symptoms and lower the chance of a hernia getting worse, but they cannot repair it. A hernia needs a doctor's review.

What may help

• Avoid heavy lifting and straining. Use proper technique, bend your knees and ask for help.
• Prevent constipation: eat plenty of fibre, drink enough water and do not strain on the toilet.
• Treat a persistent cough and quit smoking.
• Keep a healthy weight.
• Support when needed: a doctor may suggest a supportive belt or truss for short-term comfort, for example while awaiting surgery. It does not cure the hernia.
• Press a cough gently: hold the area with your hand when coughing or sneezing for comfort.
• For hiatal hernia and reflux: eat smaller meals, avoid lying down for 2 to 3 hours after eating, raise the head of the bed and avoid late-night meals, spicy food, alcohol and smoking.

What not to do

• Do not try to force a hernia back in if it is painful, firm or discoloured
• Do not massage or heat a painful hernia
• Do not delay care for a hernia that suddenly becomes painful

For children

Do not tape or bind a baby's belly or apply a coin or home remedy over an umbilical hernia. See a paediatrician. An infant with a hard, tender bulge, vomiting or crying inconsolably needs urgent care.