Acidity - How Ayurveda Can Help To Treat It?

Unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle combined with bad eating habits are majorly responsible for acidity in people today. It is experienced not only by the people of upper age groups, but also by children as they eat a lot of junk food outside.

Acidity happens due to excess secretion of acid by the gastric glands of the stomach. If you have upper abdominal discomfort or pain, stomach fullness, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, belching, water brash or irregular bowel movement, then you must be suffering from acidity or gastritis.

According to Ayurveda, the main cause of this condition is the worsening of the Pitta Dosha (the fire element) in your body. The reasons that worsen this dosha are:

1. Having foods that don't match your constitution or which aren't supposed to be taken together like milk and salt or milk and fish.
2. Smoking, excessive intake of coffee, tea and alcohol.
3. Intake of extremely spicy and sour beverages and foods.
4. Consuming white flour products, especially products made from white sugar.
5. Having food even though you may be suffering from indigestion
6. Controlling the urge to urinate or pass stool
7. Prolonged exposure to heat and the sun

What does worsening Pitta Dosha do to your digestive power?
The exacerbated Pitta worsens your digestive fire, causing your food to be not properly digested as well as influence the production of ama (toxins). When ama builds up in your digestive channels, it brings about the problem of hyperacidity. The treatment focuses on calming down the irritated Pitta Dosha. For this, certain herbs are used to get rid of the toxins that block these channels. This automatically improves your digestive fire, inducing better digestion.

What changes you're required to make?

To keep this problem at bay, there are certain lifestyle changes that you may have to make such as: Practice yoga and Pranayam like Bhujangasana, Vajrasana, Shitkari Pranayam and so on. Avoid fermented as well as processed foods. Avoid coffee, tea, alcoholic or carbonated beverages. Curb the consumption of acidic foods like garlic, onions, ginger, vinegar, and tomatoes. Also, avoid having curd / yogurt at night. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ayurveda.