What's the Root Cause? by Dr Vikki Petersen

Root Cause Medical Clinic
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Semimonthly

"What's the Root Cause?" is brought to you by Root Cause Medical Clinic, featuring Dr. Vikki Petersen—renowned doctor, functional medicine expert, author of "Hiatal Hernia Syndrome" and host of a highly popular YouTube channel. Dr. Vikki Petersen and her team of clinicians provide cutting-edge solutions in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, nutrition, food, hormones, genetics, lifestyle, and more. You don’t have to accept feeling unwell or struggling with chronic health issues. Your body has the power to heal, and with the right approach, reversing many health conditions is possible. We're here to help you do just that. Have questions about your health? Contact us today at 727-335-0400 or visit RootCauseMedicalClinics.com.

  1. 2d ago

    5 Things Making Your Hiatal Hernia Worse

    If you have a hiatal hernia and you're still suffering despite medication and diet changes, something you're doing every single day may be making it worse. Book a Consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ These aren't unusual triggers. They're completely ordinary habits that nobody has told you are a problem - because most doctors aren't looking at this mechanically. In this video I'm walking you through 5 everyday habits that are directly aggravating your hiatal hernia - and what to do instead.  Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Telemedicine available nationwide | https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔍  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → Why grazing and snacking disrupts your gut's natural cleaning cycle (MMC) → What happens to your hiatal hernia every time you strain on the toilet → Why sparkling water may be causing more damage than you think → How tight clothing and sucking in your stomach restricts your diaphragm → How to tell if chronic stress is mechanically aggravating your hernia daily ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Root Cause Medical Clinic sees patients nationwide via telemedicine. → Schedule a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📺  RELATED VIDEOS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → 5 Signs Your Hiatal Hernia Is Getting Worse: https://youtu.be/wER9WM9jToY → Hiatal Hernia ATTACK Feels Like This: https://youtu.be/zVzSVNyDLkY → GERD, Silent Reflux, or Hiatal Hernia - What's Actually Causing Your Symptoms?: https://youtu.be/MNA8lNkJuEI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👩‍⚕️  ABOUT DR. VIKKI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Dr. Vikki is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with 40 years in practice. She specializes in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, hormones, and GERD — finding and fixing root causes, not managing symptoms. ⚠️  This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for your individual situation.

    14 min

  2. 2d ago

    Acid Reflux: Why it's Worse at Night

    If your acid reflux is worst at night - waking up with acid coming up, chest pressure, throat burning, or palpitations - you are not imagining it. ➡️ Book a Consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available Nighttime is mechanically the hardest time for a sliding hiatal hernia, and most patients have never had anyone explain why In this video I'm walking you through exactly why your hiatal hernia behaves differently at night - and for each reason, a practical tip you can start using tonight. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔍  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → Why lying flat eliminates the mechanical advantage you have during the day - and how to get it back → How eating close to bedtime compounds overnight instability → Which side you sleep on and why it matters more than you think → Why you wake up at 2–3 AM even when you were careful about dinner → Why the morning cortisol surge causes your worst symptoms before you've eaten anything ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🩺  WORK WITH DR. VIKKI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Root Cause Medical Clinic sees patients nationwide via telemedicine. → Schedule a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📺  RELATED VIDEOS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → 5 Signs Your Hiatal Hernia Is Getting Worse → Why Your Hiatal Hernia Is Causing Your Anxiety → 5 Everyday Habits That Make Your Hiatal Hernia Worse ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👩‍⚕️  ABOUT DR. VIKKI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Dr. Vikki Petersen is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with 40 years of clinical experience specializing in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, GERD, and the root causes of digestive symptoms. She is the founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic, offering telemedicine consultations nationwide. 🌐 Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available Nationwide ⚕️Medical Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider with any questions about your health. Views expressed are based on Dr. Petersen's clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the publication date. Individual results may vary.

    13 min

  3. Jun 8

    Hiatal Hernia & Anxiety: It's Not In Your Head

    If you have a hiatal hernia and you also struggle with anxiety, unexplained unease, or panic that seems to come out of nowhere - this video is for you. ➡️ Click HERE to Book a Consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ Call us directly: 727-335-0400 It is not in your head. It is not a separate problem. Your gut and your brain are in constant communication through the vagus nerve, and when your hiatal hernia is disrupting that communication, anxiety is a direct neurological result. In this video I'm walking you through exactly how your hiatal hernia is producing anxiety - the specific mechanisms - and why addressing the gut is the missing piece nobody has offered you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔍 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → How vagus nerve irritation from your hernia keeps you in fight-or-flight → Why chronic bloating and distension produce a direct anxiety response in the brain → The evolutionary reason your brain treats gut distension as a threat → How dysbiosis disrupts serotonin and GABA production - the chemistry of gut-caused anxiety → Why the anxiety-gut loop doesn't stop on its own without addressing the root cause ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🩺 WORK WITH DR. VIKKI'S TEAM ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Root Cause Medical Clinic sees patients nationwide via telemedicine. → Schedule a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📺 RELATED VIDEOS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → 5 Signs Your Hiatal Hernia Is Getting Worse: https://youtu.be/wER9WM9jToY → Why Bloating Triggers Heart Palpitations: https://youtu.be/PZvcShFPy3k → GERD vs. Hiatal Hernia vs. Silent Reflux: https://youtu.be/MNA8lNkJuEI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👩‍⚕️ ABOUT DR. VIKKI ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Dr. Vikki is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with 40 years in practice. She specializes in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, hormones, and GERD — finding and fixing root causes, not managing symptoms. Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Telemedicine available nationwide ⚠️ Medical Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider with any questions about your health. Views expressed are based on Dr. Petersen's clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the publication date. Individual results may vary.

    13 min

  4. May 18

    5 Signs Your Hiatal Hernia is Getting Worse

    Most people with a hiatal hernia are told to manage symptoms. But a hiatal hernia can get worse - and it doesn't have to be getting larger.  Functional worsening can happen even when your scan looks the same. ➡️ Book a Consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available In this video, I'm walking you through 5 specific signs that your sliding hiatal hernia is progressing functionally, not just flaring. If you recognize three or more of these, it's time to address the root cause. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔍 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → Why symptoms moving to your throat or voice is a warning sign → What difficulty swallowing actually means at the tissue level → Why position-dependent symptoms signal functional instability → Why your medication working less is a structural signal, not a dosing problem → What it means when symptoms happen without eating at all ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📺 RELATED VIDEOS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ▶️ Hiatal Hernia Attack Feels Like This: https://youtu.be/zVzSVNyDLkY ▶️ Why Bloating Triggers Heart Palpitations: https://youtu.be/PZvcShFPy3k ▶️ GERD, Silent Reflux, or Hiatal Hernia - What's Actually Causing Your Symptoms?: https://youtu.be/MNA8lNkJuEI 👩‍⚕️ About Dr. Vikki Petersen: Dr. Vikki Petersen is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with 40 years of clinical experience specializing in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, GERD, and the root causes of digestive symptoms. She is the founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic, offering telemedicine consultations nationwide. 🌐 Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available Nationwide ⚕️Medical Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider with any questions about your health. Views expressed are based on Dr. Petersen's clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the publication date. Individual results may vary. #hiatalhernia #gerd #acidreflux #functionalmedicine

    11 min

  5. May 9

    5 Myths of Hiatal Hernia

    Struggling with hiatal hernia and not getting real answers? Book a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available If you've been told surgery is your only option — or that you'll be on PPIs forever — there are some things you need to know first. In this video, Dr. Vikki Petersen breaks down 5 of the most common hiatal hernia myths and sets the record straight with research-backed facts. THE 5 HIATAL HERNIA MYTHS: ❌ MYTH #1: Surgery is a permanent fix Nearly 1 in 4 patients require PPI medication again within a few years. Up to 50% experience complications including difficulty swallowing, bloating, and inability to burp or vomit. ❌ MYTH #2: PPIs are safe to take long-term PPIs are only approved for 2 weeks at a time. Long-term use is linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, dementia, stomach cancer, and a weakened microbiome. ❌ MYTH #3: Acid reflux always causes heartburn 50% of reflux is completely silent. It may show up as chronic cough, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing — and some reflux is caused by too little acid or bile, making PPIs completely ineffective. ❌ MYTH #4: Endoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis Endoscopy misses the most common type of hiatal hernia nearly 48% of the time. Manometry and impedance pH monitoring are far more accurate — but rarely used. ❌ MYTH #5: You have to be overweight to have hiatal hernia Weight alone isn't the issue — visceral fat is. A person can be a normal weight and still have dangerous levels of visceral fat driving abdominal pressure and symptoms. ABOUT DR. VIKKI: Dr. Vikki Petersen is a functional medicine doctor and founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic. She specializes in gut health, digestive disorders, and identifying the root cause of chronic symptoms rather than managing them indefinitely with medication. ───────────────────────────────────────── Disclaimer: Educational content reviewed by licensed medical staff. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or heard here. The information shared reflects clinical experience and current scientific research at the time of publication. Individual results may vary, and no guarantees of specific outcomes are made. This content does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. #HiatalHernia #HiatalHerniaMyths #PPIRisks #AcidReflux #FunctionalMedicine #RootCauseMedical #DrVikkiPetersen #GutHealth #RefluxRelief #DigestiveHealth #HiatalHerniaSyndrome #SilentReflux

    21 min

  6. May 6

    Hiatal Hernia: 4 Hidden Symptoms

    Struggling with acid reflux, bloating, or unexplained symptoms?  Book a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/ Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available If you’re dealing with multiple symptoms like heartburn, shortness of breath, or palpitations and not getting clear answers, you’re not alone. These issues are often treated separately—but may actually share the same root cause. In this episode, Dr. Vikki Petersen explains the 4 major symptoms of hiatal hernia syndrome and why they occur. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: - The 4 key symptoms of hiatal hernia and how they’re connected - How mechanical changes in the diaphragm and stomach lead to reflux and bloating - The role of the vagus nerve in symptoms like palpitations and shortness of breath - How inflammation and gut imbalances contribute to worsening symptoms - Practical ways to begin addressing the root cause through diet, lifestyle, and testing ABOUT DR. VIKKI: Dr. Vikki Petersen is a functional medicine doctor and founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic. She specializes in gut health, autoimmune conditions, and identifying the root cause of chronic symptoms. Disclaimer: Educational content reviewed by licensed medical staff. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or heard here. The information shared reflects clinical experience and current scientific research at the time of publication. Individual results may vary, and no guarantees of specific outcomes are made. This content does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. #FunctionalMedicine #RootCauseMedical #DrVikkiPetersen #GutHealth #HiatalHernia #AcidReflux #Bloating

    28 min

  7. May 4

    What You're Not Eating is Keeping You Sick

    What is the most important step you can take for gut health and preventing disease? It costs you nothing additional to fill this gap in your diet. In the episode, Dr Vikki Petersen explains a critical missing element in the American diet which is setting us up for weight gain, diabetes, cancer risk and depression. We're talking about short chain fatty acids (SCFA) - a type of fat produced in your colon from microbes. They are named: butyrate, propionate and acetate. Benefits?  Stabilizes blood sugar  Supports your metabolism  Strengthens your immune system  Balances brain health Practical examples:  Study of young men with diabetes - improved the microbes (bacteria) in their gut and they instantly had better blood sugar control.  People with cancer who “failed” immunotherapy - a treatment that requires your immune system to be strong enough to arm a defense against the cancer cells. Once their microbes were restored to a healthy level they successfully responded to the immunotherapy. Interesting melanoma research in the references below.  Did you know - people born in 1990s are 4x more likely to develop rectal cancer and 2x more likely to develop colon cancer in their lifetime as compared to their parents who were born in the 1950s?  People with depression - “gave” their microbes (via fecal transplant) to mice and the mice got depressed. Those humans with anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer’s - do NOT have healthy microbiomes. How it works:  Your gut is “outside” your body - mouth to your anus is closed system.  On the other side of the gut lining is 70% of your immune system  The microbes IN your gut maintain the gut lining.  When you eat fiber it's untouched until it reaches your colon  Why? We don’t have the enzymes to break it down - only microbes do. What are we talking about?  Soluble fiber - remains intact until it gets into the colon and then a feeding frenzy ensues by your microbes because soluble fiber is their preferred fuel.  NOW the magic happens! The microbes eat the fiber and they release a fat called SCFA.   SCFAs then enter your bloodstream and within seconds are circulating everywhere with healing effects to your metabolism, insulin levels, decreasing inflammation and protecting your brain  SCFAs have multiple mechanisms by which they can destroy tumor cells - they do this by empowering your immune system. Now the problem:  These amazing SCFAs are produced by eating fiber and most Americans (95%) don’t get even the bare minimum. 38gm in men, 25 gm in women.  Soluble fiber found in ALL plants - fruit, vegetable, nut, seed and bean. How to get the healthiest microbiome?  Fiber? YES  Diversity is key - different plants' fiber feed different microbes.  Eat 30 plants per week = healthiest guts. Note on Carnivore: they say you don’t need fiber but there are no human studies to support robust SFFA production and microbial diversity without fiber. Disclaimer: The information provided in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health, medical condition, or treatment options. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it. The views expressed are based on my clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the date of publication. Individual results may vary. Our licensed medical team at Root Cause Medical Clinic can help you identify the root cause.  ➡ Learn more or book a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/locations/telemedicine/ 📞 Call us: (727) 335-0400

    15 min

  8. Apr 30

    Why Bloating Triggers Heart Palpitations

    Struggling with bloating and heart palpitations? ➡️ Book a consultation: https://rootcausemedicalclinics.com/hiatal-hernia-natural-treatment/  Root Cause Medical Clinic | Clearwater, FL | Functional Medicine | Telehealth Available If you've been told your heart is fine but you're still dealing with palpitations, irregular rhythm, or chest tightness after meals — your heart may not be the problem. Bloating and hiatal hernia can trigger real cardiac symptoms through a connection most doctors never check. In this video, Dr. Vikki Petersen explains why bloating triggers heart palpitations, the role of the gastrocardiac reflex, and how hiatal hernia creates mechanical pressure on the heart through the diaphragm. - Why a bloated or distended stomach can directly trigger heart palpitations and irregular rhythm — including AFib - The gastrocardiac reflex: how your gut and your heart communicate through the vagus nerve - The anatomical reason even a small hiatal hernia can irritate the heart's outer layer (without anything being structurally wrong with your heart) - Why treating the gut alone — or the vagus nerve alone — is rarely enough for lasting relief - How shallow breathing caused by bloating creates a cycle that worsens both digestion and cardiac symptoms - The root cause approach to resolving these symptoms rather than managing them indefinitely Watch my vagal AFib and hiatal hernia video here: https://youtu.be/vx2x00uCcf8 Watch my Gas and Bloating are NOT Normal video here: https://youtu.be/uhz0rVli53Y Dr. Vikki Petersen is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with 40 years of clinical experience specializing in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, and the root causes of digestive and cardiac symptoms. She is the founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic, offering telemedicine consultations nationwide. This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider with questions about your health or treatment options. Views expressed are based on Dr. Petersen's clinical experience and current scientific understanding as of the publication date. Individual results may vary. #FunctionalMedicine #RootCauseMedical #DrVikkiPetersen #GutHealth #HiatalHernia #HeartPalpitations #GastrocardiacReflex #VagusNerve #Bloating #AFib

    14 min
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About

"What's the Root Cause?" is brought to you by Root Cause Medical Clinic, featuring Dr. Vikki Petersen—renowned doctor, functional medicine expert, author of "Hiatal Hernia Syndrome" and host of a highly popular YouTube channel. Dr. Vikki Petersen and her team of clinicians provide cutting-edge solutions in gut health, hiatal hernia syndrome, nutrition, food, hormones, genetics, lifestyle, and more. You don’t have to accept feeling unwell or struggling with chronic health issues. Your body has the power to heal, and with the right approach, reversing many health conditions is possible. We're here to help you do just that. Have questions about your health? Contact us today at 727-335-0400 or visit RootCauseMedicalClinics.com.

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