Beyond exercise and surgery, what options do you have to treat diastasis recti? Having the condition myself, I have heard more than my fair share of fads and miracle cures. Some sound desperate, others have merit. Let’s break down the good and the bad of these claims.

Alignment and Ergonomics

Diastasis recti is an anatomic problem so could it have an anatomic solution? Absolutely.

Your posture affects how your insides settle inside your body. Someone who sits upright has less pressure applied against her abdominal wall than someone who is hunched over. The organs are pushed forward in the latter scenario and are more likely to press against your diastasis gap. This makes the belly bulge more prominent. In fact, the bulge could get even worse if too much pressure is applied.

Training yourself to walk with proper alignment (time to toss those high heels, ladies!) and to use ergonomics with your daily activities can go a long way to recovery. Though you cannot rely on alignment alone to heal your diastasis recti, it should definitely be part of your rehabilitation program. You may even consider physical therapy.

Bone Broth and Collagen

Drinking bone broth is the latest fad to treat diastasis recti. Go on Pinterest and you will find slews of recipes. The idea is that by feeding your body extra collagen from the bone broth, you can strengthen the weakened fascia that is causing your diastasis.

The problem is that animal collagen and human collage are different. Humans cannot simply incorporate animal collagen into their own tissue. At best, bone broth supplies some of the building blocks but our bodies still need to build that collagen itself. There have been no clinical studies to suggest that supplementing with bone broth or collagen has improved musculoskeletal conditions.

While there is unlikely to be harm from drinking bone broth, there is also unlikely to be much benefit. There will always be people who claim this works for them. I wish them the best. Unfortunately, there’s not much scientific evidence to support it. I cannot help but wonder how much of the effect is from placebo.

Diet and Added Sugar

Anyone who wants to get a flat tummy knows that diet is half the battle. Eat poorly and, diastasis recti or not, the belly pooch will stick around. What you put into your body matters.

Sugar triggers insulin to be released in the body. When too much insulin is released, it turns calories into fat. Too much fat and you have extra weight pulling down on your diastasis.

Not all sugars are bad. Natural sugars found in foods such as fruit are fine. This is because they are accompanied by fiber. The presence of that fiber decreases the amount of insulin produced.

Added sugar, however, does not come with a proportionate amount of fiber if it comes with fiber at all. High fructose corn syrups and other added sugars are usually added for taste alone, not nutritional content. Levels of insulin soar when they are ingested and before long, waistlines get larger.

Will changing your diet treat diastasis? It won’t cure it, but changing your diet will go a long way in getting you toward the results you want. A healthy diet, low in added sugar, ought to be part of your recovery program.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are popular but not everything that is natural is good for you. There is minimal to no scientific data to back up the streams of websites that claim these concentrated oils are the cure-all for what ails you.

Lemongrass oil tightens the connective tissue, so they say. When applied to the abdominal area, could it tighten up the fascia and help close your diastasis? I have spoken with many women who have tried regimens with lemongrass essential oil and they all denied improvements in their diastasis recti. Other essential oils are favored because they may be associated with weight loss. Bergamot, cinnamon bark, grapefruit oil, lemon, peppermint, and sandalwood essential oils are examples of oils used for this purpose.

Again, I am unable to find objective proof that these oils do what they say they do. Essentials oils do, however, come with their side effects. Not all oils can be ingested and many, like lemongrass, can be irritating to the skin. Be careful when going the path of an essential oil. Understand the risks and weigh them against the potential benefits before using.