Be Happy – Cure Your Acidity with home based remedies

It is an old proverb that wealth is lost, nothing is lost. If your health is lost, something is lost. Something is very important in your life. If you are not able to maintain your health, you can not achieve your targets, you can not enjoy your life fully and you may repent every day passing by. You need to maintain your body well.

With the advancement of science, we have been enjoying our life more comfortably than our forefathers but our haphazard working style has caused a number of diseases too. Stomach Acidity or hyperacidity is one of them, which is the world wide problem causing uneasiness and trouble in the life of people.

In a regular and natural process, our stomach produces acid to digest the food that we eat. Whenever we eat, cells within the lining of the stomach pump acid known as hydrochloric acid secreted by wall of the stomach to facilitate digestion of food specially proteins and carbohydrates to liquefy your sumptuous dinner, from mash potatoes to a slab of steak. This secretion of hydrochloric acid helps in initiating the secretion of certain necessary enzymes that helps in digestion of food. These enzymes like pepsin etc helps in breaking down of the complex food material in to simple compounds that are easily assimilated in body to provide energy.

Hence the secretion of all these enzymes and acid is very essential but when these secretion get secreted beyond the normal limits it create lots of trouble to our body. These over-secretions erodes the mucous membrane that lines the internal part of the stomach and thus internal organs get burned by the corrosive action of the acid the internal organs and the condition of acidity occurs. In other words, acidity relates to the excess secretions of acid and enzymes by glands present in our stomach or more precisely gastric glands.

Acidity is one of the most common disorders which is being faced by the new generation, specially by people who are high profile professionals. Acid is a natural agent of the body which is used for the digestive process. Whenever we eat something, the cells in the stomach lining excrete acid to digest it but when this acid is excreted in much more quantity than needed, then the problem of occurs. This happens when the stomach is unable to digest food.

You would know if you were suffering from stomach acidity if you feel a burning sensation just above the stomach, or right below (the hollow part) your breastbone. When this happens, you will suffer from stomach acidity. This is the most classic sign of acidity. Other people experience acid regurgitation. This happens when you are lying horizontal on your bed. You may have a sour taste in your mouth, which resembles the taste of an orange puree that had gone stale. Acid regurgitation often times results to heartburn, or that pain near the heart area.

Heartburn is not a heart disease. The condition is called as such because the pain seemed to originate from the heart. Heartburn occurs whenever gastric acid goes up to the esophagus. The acid gives a burning sensation in the lining of the esophagus and its surrounding area (of which include the area near the heart).

Causes of Hyperacidity

Most of the times, acidity is not caused by a serious medical condition. A person experiences attacks of acidity a few times in a year or at times even just once in a year. Sudden onset of acidity is usually triggered by foods that you eat. Fatty and spicy foods are harder to digest than most food; this, in effect, prompts the cells that pump acid to produce more acid than is necessary.

Sudden onset of stomach acidity is also known as acute stomach acidity attack. This can easily be cured by taking antacids to relieve the stomach from pain.

However, there are acidity conditions that persist. This is more known as a chronic acidity condition. Stress and underlying medical conditions are usually the cause of chronic stomach acidity. Acidity is caused by the diets which are very refined and contain less quantity of fibers are culprit in causing acidity. Stress plays as another main factor in causing acidity. Consumption of excess of alcohol also effects the stomach linings that causes acidity. Smoking too causes in damaging of stomach lining that leads to acidity. Consumption of spicy food, over eating and eating hurriedly causes acidity

Some diseases like Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Acidity caused by Helicobacter Pylori, Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, Hypercalcemia, Gallstones may cause hyperacidity.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a chronic disease that inflicts people with stomach acidity. It is called a ‘reflux’ because gastric acid goes from the stomach up to the esophagus whenever a person with stomach acidity lies down to bed. At times, even mere change in position causes the gastric acid to reflux. This disease is more known to many as heartburn. A person with GERD feels a stabbing like pain near his heart area. In this case the excess acid goes up to the esophagus, as soon as the person lies down. At this time he experiences heartburn. A person with GERD feels a stabbing pain in his heart. This is caused because the esophagus causes a burning sensation in the lining of the esophagus.

Acidity caused by Helicobacter Pylori.

There had been a time when smoking, certain foods and stress were regarded as the cause of ulcers, both gastric and duodenal. However, even after these stressors have been removed out of the picture, stomach ulcers persist. It was discovered only recently that the cause for the stomach to release pepsin, or an acidic enzyme that causes ulcers, is a bacteria, the Helicobater Pylori or H. Pylori.

H. Pylori promotes the production of excess stomach acid, which in effect burns the lining of the stomach (for gastric ulcer) or duodenum (for duodenal ulcer) and creates ulcers and even holes (or perforation) when left untreated.

Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

They eat healthy foods, avoid smoking, and don’t have H. Pylori living inside of their stomach; but still, they suffer from stomach acidity These are people who are, unfortunately, born to be hyper acidic and this disease is known as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. With this disease, a person has a large quantity of gastrin in his body, a hormone responsible for the production of gastric juices in the stomach. Gastrin stimulates the cells to pump acid even when it is not needed.

Hypercalcemia

Increase in the level of calcium in the body can lead to stomach acidity. This condition is known as hypercalcemia. There are various medical conditions that can cause hypercalcemia. A patient may have parathyroid problems or metabolic disorders (calcium is not absorbed fully by the body). Also, it may be that a patient has renal failure (the body has difficulty excreting excess calcium out of the body) or malignant tumors.

Gallstones

Gallstones are pebble-like deposits in the gallbladder. Gallbladder contains bile which is responsible for stabilizing gastric acid in the body. However, with gallstones, the gallbladder cannot function well. Bile cannot flow to some important organs in the body, including the duodenum. With this, excess gastric acid stay in the stomach.

There are many medical treatments available today for stomach acidity. Not all, however, were established to be effective. That is why, homeopathic treatment is also available that also considers the psychological balancing of the patient. Usually, using both the conventional and the homeopathic treatment proves to be effective in treating stomach acidity.

Treatments

There are medical treatments available for people who are suffering from stomach acidity. One, and the most popular way, is by taking antacids that can be bought over-the-counter. For those who are suffering from complications brought about by stomach acidity (such as ulcer and GERD), doctors prescribe medicine such as Ranitidine, Lansoprazole or Omeprazole to treat hyperacidity. These medicines are used together with antibiotics to treat H. Pylori in case of ulcers.

It generally is not a very serious illness can be cured with simple home remedies but if it is a regular problem then medical care is needed. Unattended acidity can lead to other serious illnesses.Chronic acidity has to undergo a prescribed treatment but to prevent acidity or to handle it when it suddenly occurs, here are some home remedies –

1. Drink two tall glasses of water in the morning. This helps wash out all the excess acid and other impurities from the system. This also soothes off the burning sensation if any.
2. Drink cold milk or vanilla ice cream. Within minutes, you will notice relief from heartburn and other acidity problems. In take cold milk helps in relieving from burning caused by acid.
3. Chew on a small piece of ginger and coriander. It enhances digestive function.
4. Coconut water is a very good cure. It flushes out the excess acid from your system and also soothes the harsh effects caused by it.
5. Basil leaf prevents formation of excess acid. Take 10 leaves everyday in the morning.
6. After fried or spicy food, drink a glass of luke-warm water. This helps in the digestion for the food and also burns the calories thus, preventing weight gain.
7. Vegetables like drumsticks, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, carrot and spring onions, enhance digestion.
8. 1 tbsp of Chebulic Myroblan or haritaki along with amla, is a quick cure.
9. Fruit juice is good but never consumes it in empty stomach.
10. Sip on a lemon and sugar drink after meals to avoid acid formation. This enhances the digestion power.
11. Clove and cardamom when sucked gives relief from acidity.
12. Intake of purely processed mint is best remedy to relieve acidity.
13. Banana, water melon and cucumber also reduces heart burn.
14. Consumption of fresh apple cider vinegar with honey in a glass of water before meals reduces the chance of acidity.
15. Cumin seed boiled in water and the it is consumed with meals.
16. Unripe food and fruits should completely be avoided as it contain high amount of pectin.
17. Taking a cup of herbal tea that contains spearmint and licorice is quite beneficial.
18. Drinking of water in early morning stored in lead container overnight has been beneficial in reducing acidity.
19. Maintaining healthy lifestyle i.e. early to bed and early to rise reduces risk of secreting excessive acid in stomach.
20. Usage of medicines like asprin, diclofenac sodium and antibiotics should be avoided.
21. Consuming 10grams of jaggery or gud or mishri (refined sugar) helps in curbing the acid reflux.
22. Onions and radish also promotes the secretion of hydrochloric acid hence they should be avoided.
23. Avoid drinking water exactly before and after meals.
24. It is highly advisable to finish dinner at least about 2-3 hours before heading to sleep.
25. In take of curd sweetened by sugar or jaggery is very effective in acidity.
26. As the acid is neutralized by base hence intake of calcium bi carbonate commonly known as sweet soda is a world famous remedy in treating acidity.
27. White vinegar, another base (alakali) has also proven its worth in-acidity.
28. Ginger is also good remedy for heart burns.

Once I too had been affected with acidity, I had personally undertaken some of the above measures but for you, I would advise you to kindly take advise of your personal health care taker and take action according to his/her advice. Since I thought that Acidity should be cured well in time, I put up the above lines for your consideration.

Be Happy – Cure Your Acidity.