Dr. Hemant Gupta

Acidity or acid reflux is a very common condition affecting many Indians. This condition is characterized by heartburn felt around the lower chest area, which is caused by the stomach acid flowing back up into the food pipe. Very few people realize that unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices can cause this condition.

How does acidity occur?

The food we eat passes down the oesophagus into the stomach. The gastric glands in the stomach create acid which is necessary to digest the food and to kill any germs. Acidity occurs when the gastric glands produce a large amount of acid, more than what is needed for the digestion process. This condition is characterized by a burning sensation just above the stomach, or right below the breastbone (the hollow part).This condition is very common in India due to the heavy consumption of oily and spicy foods by Indians.

Who is prone to acidity?

People who are prone to acidity include those who overindulge in alcohol those who are obese those who often consume spicy food those who often consume non-vegetarian food,  those who take Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), women nearing menopause, women who are pregnant, people who suffer from medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcers, connective tissue disorders, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome

What are the causes of acidity?

Acidity can occur due to unhealthy eating habits due to certain foods consumed in excess as a side effect of medicines due to existing medical conditions due to other causes such as stress, lack of sleep etc. 

What are the symptoms of acidity?

• Burning sensation in the stomach
• Burning sensation in the throat and heart 
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Regurgitation
• Restlessness
• Belching & nausea
• Prolonged sour taste in the mouth
• Bad breath
• Indigestion or constipation

How is acidity diagnosed? 

If you suffer from the symptoms of acidity you can consult your family doctor or any general practitioner. Based on your case the doctor may ask you to undergo:

• X-ray of the esophagus and the stomach
• An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy which enables the doctor to see the lining of the esophagus and stomach

What are the possible complications of acidity?

The complications of acidity include

• Severe pain in the chest or abdomen
• Excessive vomiting
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Gastric ulcers
• Cancer

Healthy tips for a healthy stomach:

• Avoid smoking
• Avoid alcohol consumption
• Avoid oily, spices foods, fast foods, junk foods
• Add more natural fruits and vegetables to your daily diet
• Eat smart and moderately i.e. it is better to take a small frequently meal than to take a large meal.
• Go to bed minimum 1 hour after taking dinner.
• Walk around after dinner is better for your health.
• Drink minimum 2 to 3 liters of water daily
• Avoid late night sleep / late night TV watching
• Practice exercise & yoga regularly
• Do meditation regularly to keep yourself stressfree
• Be always positive in attitude that will keep your mind in a healthy state
• Avoid taking pain medicines (NSAID) if not seriously necessary
• Never skip your breakfast
• Eat more fruits and raw vegetables in your breakfast
• Avoid taking more tea and coffee

The scope homeopathy treatment:

The digestive system is at the very core of our well-being. Every part of the body is affected by what we eat and how the digestive system absorbs the nutrients from our foods. Thousands and thousands of hyperacidity patients are taking regularly some sort of acid-blocking drugs or antacids that suppress symptoms but do nothing to treat the underlying causes of diseases. For most this is becoming a lifelong habit with high cost, not only in monetary terms but also through the long list of side effects and gradually declining overall health.

In this regards a proper homeopathy treatment targets to treat the cause of hyperacidity and as well as improves the acidity symptoms very effectively and rapidly than other therapy. The indicated homeopathy medicines can be of great help not only in improving the hyperacidity symptoms but also to cure the disease completely if avoids the trigger factors of hyperacidity with the homeopathy treatment. Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition.

The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/ susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of any chronic conditions. So in severe acidity case homeopathy treatment not only improves the acidity symptoms but also help in proper digestion, absorption, normal bowel motion and overall health improvement. The patients who have the tendency of excessive gas formation and gurgling of bowel sound can be very well cured with a proper homeopathy treatment.

Patients suffering from irregular bowel movement and constipation due to irregular peristaltic movement can be cured completely with proper homeopathy treatment which helps to settle up the normal peristaltic motion. Symptoms of burning chest, belching, sour taste in mouth are the outward reflected symptoms of hyperacidity. With a proper homeopathic treatment those symptoms can be cured. The mental stress, worried, anxiety, depression are the psychological stressors of hyperacidity. Homeopathy treatment is based upon the total symptoms of the person not only from the disease-related part but from the other aspect like mental, physical and spiritual aspects thus helps to treat the cause of the disease whether origin from psychological source or physical source or deep-seated emotional source.  The hyperacidity caused by any psychological stressor can thus be cured by proper homeopathy treatment as it treat the underlying cause of the health problem.

The duration of treatment

The minimum time period of getting any remarkable result can vary from 1 week to 3 weeks but the total duration of treatment depends from person to person as per their chronic nature of the disease and their constitution.