Have you experienced a burning sensation that rises from your abdomen and reaches your brim of throat through your chest? This condition is known as heart-burn, or more commonly, acidity.
When the symptom of the acidity becomes frequent and intense ,its diagnosed as GERD or gastro oesphageal reflux disease and this is nothing but a flow back of stomach acids to the tube connecting your mouth and stomach .To make it more simple,Lets see what happens in process of digestion.
Our stomach produces hydrochloric acid and pepsin to digest the food that we eat. Food generally stays in the stomach for about 1-2 hours for this process.
Now ,simultaneously, the stomach lining also secretes mucosa to protect the lining and to neutralise excess acidity, but our stomach needs to maintain an acidic condition for this process to happen effectively . But when the stomach starts to secrete digestive juices in excess, we experience acidity. You would know if you were suffering from stomach acidity if you feel a burning sensation just above the stomach, or right below your breastbone. This is the most cardinal sign of acdity.
This could result in heartburn, dyspepsia, gastric inflammation and even stomach ulcers.
What does ayurveda say about acidity ?
We refer this as ‘amla-pitta’ in Ayurveda and would consider this an aggravation of the pitta dosha (heat energy). Pitta is located in the stomach and is symbolized as a sharp, intense, hot and acidic energy.
Few obvious symptoms include burning in the stomach, indigestion, bloating, constipation. You may experience a sour taste or burning in the in mouth or throat, sour belching, nausea heart burn, restlessness,foul smell in stool or loose stools excessive thirst.When an individual consumes pitta aggravating foods like vinegar, citrus juices, tomatoes, chilies, onions, garlic, alcohol, and fried foods, it leads to heartburn. Consuming caffeine and sodas also aggravates the pitta, leading to increased acid production
Stress, irregular eating patterns, sleep deprivation, a causative factor for imbalance leading to increased acid production and taking painkillers as well as antibiotics also increases production of heat which leads to heartburn.
Cause of Acidity:
‘Hurry’, ‘Worry’, and ‘Curry’ are the three main reasons for the disease.
Food plays a vital role in causing acidity . It can happen because of eating the wrong combinations of foods at the wrong time or eating spicy, fried food.
The other foods like acidic foods
Excess chilly, garlic,citrus etc. in diet
Salty and sour foods like chips
Eating, especially acidic foods, may worsen the symptoms of hyperacidity of stale, fermented foods
Excessive intake of fast food,Oily foods, pickles, tea/coffee.
Lesser intake of water, dry food
Irregular meal times
Repeated food intake
Skipping meals.
Late dinner
Regimens (Vihara)
If not following a good life style regimen ,it would be of no use how healthy your food habits are
Here are some of the lifestyle habits that can lead to hyperacidity.
Working long hours without rest.
Lying down in bed immediately after meals
Inadequate sleep
Suppression of natural urges, considered an imbalance in Ayurveda, can contribute to acid production issues
Excessive exposure to sun and fire
Mental/emotional State
A negative emotional,depressed mental state can upset your stomach and affect digestion. Here are some of the common mental triggers of hyperacidity.
Work stress
Anxiety, fear, worry, jealousy,and anger issues
Stressing too much over unwanted things
The other causes could be
· Pregnancy :They feel heart burn due to pressure of the growing foetus in the womb
· Hiatus hernia
· Infections like H pylori infections
· Numerous medications including those for asthma, high blood pressure, birth control and depression can irritate the stomach lining and lead to hyperacidity.
· Alcohol and tobacco use
Symptoms of Acidity:
Let’s have a look.
Heart &chest ,throat burn
Sour or bitter belching.
Nausea/vomiting
Regurgitation of food or sour substance, often a symptom of excessive acid production
Gaseous distention of abdomen
Heaviness /pain in abdomen and chest
Indigestion.
Aversion towards food.
Headache.
Foul smelling loose motions.
Thirst
Mouth ulcer
Fatigue
Fainting/Giddiness.
Diagnostic methods
Some of the diagnostic tests for acidity are as follows:
Endoscopy: An endoscope of a tube with a light and camera is inserted via the throat to study the esophagus and stomach, their contents and the health of their mucus lining.
Barium x ray : A barium solution is swallowed and its movement is tracked using X-rays.
Let’s find out more about acid reflux treatment in Ayurveda.
Acidity treatment in Ayurveda is focused on pacifying the aggravated Pitta Dosha. This automatically enhances the digestive fire, leading to better digestion.
Cleansing herbs are also administered to eliminate toxins from the body and cleanse the channels.
Home Remedies to Prevent Acidity:
Most of treatments for acidity starts from our kitchen
· Powder of roasted cumin and coriander seeds mixed with sugar. Take half spoon of it 3 times a day to get rid of hyperacidity.
· A powdered mixture of rock candy ,fennel, and green cardamom mixed with a glass of cold milk and drink can relieve acidity
· Drinking tender coconut water twice a day can bring you relief from hyperacidity
· The Infusion of coriander seeds taken with sugar twice a day
· Powder of Amlaki 3-6 gm with water.
· Powder of Saunf with sugar mixed in a glass of water - 20 ml twice daily till the symptom subsides
· Chewing of half a teaspoon of fennel seeds after food
· Taking Watermelon juice help you feel at ease if you are suffering from acidity.
· Chewing a few stalks of clove after your meals can keep stomach acid secretion in check
· Chewing Mint Leaves also support digestion and control bad breath.
· Buttermilk may help neutralise acidity and soothe the burning sensation.
· Eating banana with cold milk may relieve the burning sensation in your digestive tract and suppress the symptoms of acidity.
· Taking 1 tsp of carom seeds with a pinch of salt and lukewarm water can help in acidity
Some of the Diet & Lifestyle Advice
Avoid tea, coffee, and carbonated or alcoholic beverages.
Avoid processed , overcooked, stale and contaminated food. and fermented foods.
Avoid using garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and vinegar in cooking.
Also avoid rich gravies, sour, salty, and spicy foods.
Curd should be strictly avoided at night.
Take meals in a relaxed atmosphere at regular intervals.
Avoid heavy and untimely food
Avoid smoking,tea caffeine,asirin drugs and alcohol intake, a known cause for imbalance and excess acid production
Food should consist mainly of bitters like bitter gourd, matured ash gourd, white pumpkin,
Include barley, wheat, old rice and green gram in diet.
Follow the meal times to help reduce acidity
Wheat, old rice, barley, green gram, sugar candy, cucumber,Fruits like gooseberry, dry grapes, black grapes, sweet lime, pomegranate, fig, dry fig,
Medicated water with ushira or coriander seeds
A cup of lukewarm milk after every two or three hours.
One teaspoonful of ghee with warm milk
Practice Yoga, Pranayam, Vajrasana, Bhujangasana, Salabhasana, Bhastrika Pranayama,Shitali Pranayama and Shitkari Pranayama ,meditation & exercise regularly
Avoid lying down immediately after food and in supine position. The best recommended position for reducing acidity is left lateral
Sleeping on the left side is recommended because of
Keep your head and chest slightly raised to reduce the risk of acid reflux.
Spread your daily food intake over six smaller meals.
Engage in moderate exercises.
Have your supper at least 2 hours before bedtime.
Being overweight is one of the leading causes of acidity. Losing a few healthy kilos may make your acidity issues disappear gradually.
Amla juice or in powder form is one of the best herbal remedies for acidity, aligning with ayurvedic treatment principles
Psyllium husks are not only great for constipation but can also be a great relief for acidity too.
20 ml of diluted aloe vera juice with same amount of warm water is another excellent option increased acidity.
Pomegranate seeds or juice is a great option for controlling stomach acidity as well as helping in situations of ulcerations
Line of treatment
Avoid causative factors, including intake of acidic foods, to treat acidity
Palliative treatment - As the disease is of Pitta origin, all measures are undertaken to pacify pitta.
Panchakarma treatment -‘Panchakarma procedures’ like Vamana (emesis) or virechana (purgation) whichever is needed should be administered
Virechana (Therapeutic purgation )
Virechana treatment is one of the Panchakarma treatments where a patient is made to undergo controlled therapeutic purgation for a specified amount of time. “According to Ayurveda, Virechana treatment is targeted to expel the increased or vitiated pitta dosha from the body.”
Vamana (Therapeutic emesis )
Procedure where in the person is made to drink medicated Kashayams, milk, etc, along with Vamanopaga Dravyas or emetic drugs with thorough monitoring to induce vomiting and expel the doshas and toxins from the system.
Some important single drugs useful in Amlapitta
Shatavari, Yashtimadhu , Amalak, tulsi , methika, turmeric, ginger, jeeraka, dadima .
Best Ayurvedic medicines for hyperacidity
Triphala: Triphala is a combination of three fruits (Amalaki, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki) that can help to improve digestion and reduce acid reflux symptoms.
Shankh bhasma: Shankh bhasma is a powder made from conch shells that can help to neutralize stomach acid and reduce acid reflux symptoms
Avipattikara Churna: Avipattikar Churna is a powder that contains licorice root and other herbs that can help to soothe the stomach and reduce acid reflux symptoms.
Drakshadi Kashaya :Drakshadi kashaya is a liquid Ayurvedic medicine that contains raisins and other herbs that can help to improve digestion and reduce acid reflux symptoms.
Guduchi churna: Guduchi churna is a powder that contains the herb Guduchi, which can help to reduce inflammation and improve digestion.
Dadimadi ghritham A medicated ghee formulation, an ayurvedic treatment effective against acidity
Yasti choornam :A powder formulation of licorice which helps to relieve acidity
Which is the best Ayurvedic antacid?
It depends on the root cause of the disease.Everyones constitution doesn’t fit to one.So you need to rule out the cause of acidity and treat accordingly
But generally herbs like yasti,amla ,fenugreek helps to relieve acidity.
How to cure GERD permanently by Ayurveda?
If you follw a strict diet rule in your routine ,you can permenantly cure GERD.
How Ayurveda Improve Digestive Power?
Try to incorporate many digestives and spicies in your food and follow a specific food timings.
How long does acid reflux attack last?
It can last from few minutes to few hours .If neglected ,it can last for months together.
How to treat hyperacidity with lifestyle change?
Avoid lying down for at least two hours after a meal
Eat smaller and more frequent meals each day
Quit smoking.
Manage your weight
Follow a diet regime
What are the side- effects of medications for acidity?
They may lead to flatulence ,dull digestion,diarrhea,constipation ,fatigue etc.
What foods can choose to I eat to reduce my acidity?
Eating foods that contain a lot of water can dilute and weaken stomach acid. so go for watery veggies
What foods can increase my acidity?
Coffee and tea
Carbonated beverages, an acidic trigger, should be avoided in ayurvedic treatment for hyperacidity
Chocolate, categorized under acidic foods, can aggravate symptoms of hyperacidity
Peppermint
Grapefruit and orange .
Tomatoes
Alcohol
Fried foods
Late-night snacks
What is the best way to avoid acidity?
You can eat watery vegetables such as spinach,ashguord,bitter guord,ridge guord , cucumber,pumpkin and fruits, especially bananas, apples, watermelon, pomegranate , nuts and seeds, such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, to avoid acid reflux.
Will it cure my Bloating and indigestion issues?
To avoid excess bloating and indigestion issues ,you ned to incorporate spices like ginger ,pepper ,coriander ,cinnamom and cardomum to your diet