Hyperacidity And Ayurveda!

Hyper acidity (Amlapitta) is also called Acid Dyspepsia, which is one of the most common problem. Hyperacidity is a condition in which stomach secretes excess amount of acid.

Hyperacidity is very closely associated to Amlapitta in Ayurveda which is caused by the imbalance of agni or the digestive fire leading to the vitiation of pitta dosha.

Causes of Hyperacidity:

Hurry’, ‘Worry’, and ‘Curry’ are the three main reasons for the disease.

Diet (Ahara)

• Spicy fried junk food

• Carbonated drinks

• Excessive use of chilly, mustard, garam masala powder (spice mixture), garlic etc. in diet

• Salty and sour foods like chips

• Eating of stale, fermented foods (dosa, uttappa, idli, dhokla etc. bakery food items).

• Excessive intake of fast food

• Excessive intake of Oily foods, pickles

• Excessive intake of tea/coffee.

• Lesser intake of water

• Irregular meal times

• Skipping meals

• Repeated food intake (before the digestion of the previously taken food)

• Incompatible food like taking non-veg with milk, sour fruits with milk, pizza followed by milkshake

• Eating too late at night

Regimens (Vihara)

• Lack of rest

• Fast moving lifestyle.

• Insufficient sleep at night.

• Sleeping immediately after meals.

• Sleeping in daytime

Mental factors

• Stressful lifestyle

• Excessive anxiety

• Anger

Other causes of acidity include:

• Medications: Some anti-inflammatory drugs, when taken for a long period of time can develop chances of hyperacidity.

• Drinking alcohol

• Smoking

• Pregnancy

• Obesity

• Fasting

All the above factors result in an excessive increase of ‘Pitta dosha’ in the body and exhibits symptoms of amlapitta.

The condition of Amlapitta is explained with a simile just as milk is poured into curd pot immediately attains sourness and gets into an inspissated form. In the same way, repeatedly eaten food gets improperly burnt and causes acidity.

Signs and symptoms

• Vomiting

• Loss of proper taste of food

• Loss of interest of food

• Headache

• Heart &chest burn (retrosternal burning)

• Sour or bitter test in mouth and belching.

• Nausea

• Throat burn

• Regurgitation of food or sour substance

• Gaseous distention/ bloating of abdomen

• Pain in abdomen

• Chest pain

• Foul smelling loose motions.

• Burning sensation over feet, hands

• Mouth ulcers

• Fatigue (especially in legs)

• Tiredness

• Fainting

Ayurveda has explained 2 main types of amlapitta:

• Urdhvag Amlapitta: Mainly characterized by vomiting due to upward movement of pitta 

• Adhoga Amlapitta: Mainly characterized by loose motions due to downward movement of pitta.

Investigations

If there is chronic hyperacidity, following investigations are useful:

• Gastroscopy (Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)

• Barium Meal x-ray

• Gastrin levels in blood

• Serology + histology for H. Pylori

• Stool routine examination

Complications 

If not treated at the proper time or if faulty diet, regimen and habits continued, it can complicate as

• Gastric Ulcer
• Chronic Gastritis
• Duodenitis

Prevention

“Prevention is better than cure” it is better to avoid all the causative factors of acid-peptic disorders (amlapitta).

• Avoid excessive salty, oily, sour and spicy foods

• Avoid heavy and untimely food

• Avoid smoking and alcohol intake

• Avoid overcooked, stale and contaminated food

• Avoid fried and junk food items

• Do not skip meals

• Avoid fast

• Do not overeat

• Avoid untimely and irregular food habit

• Avoid foods containing excess amount of garlic, salt, oil, chilies etc. very often.

• Avoid toor dal, horse gram, fenugreek

• Avoid lying down immediately after food

• Avoid, smoking, alcohol, tea, coffee and aspirin type drugs

• Follow the meal times

• Take Light food, Coconut water, articles having cooling properties

• Take vegetables like white pumpkin, cucumber, leafy vegetables except Methi

• Take Wheat, old rice, green gram

• Fruits like gooseberry, dry grapes (black resins), black grapes, pomegranate, fig, dry fig, custard apple.

• Take adequate amount of fluids like pomegranate juice, amla juice, kokam syrup.

• Medicated water with ushir (wala) or coriander-cumin seeds or tulsi seeds (sabja) or laja (puffed rice). 

• Take Warm water.

• Take Moravla (jam made from amla), gulkand (jam made from rose petals) 

• Take One teaspoonful of ghee with warm milk

• Take adequate sleep

• Exercise regularly

• Avoid stress

• Follow mental relaxation techniques like meditation, Yoga and Pranayama

Medical management

As the disease is of Pitta origin, all measures are undertaken to pacify pitta.

Some important drugs useful in Amlapitta

Shatavari, Yashtimadhu, Amalaki, Sunthi, Guduchi, Ushir, chandan shankhabhasma, suvarnamakshik bhasma, pravalpishti, sariva, bhunimb etc

Some important Ayurvedic Medicinal Preparations are helpful when taken under proper guidance

• Kamdudha Rasa 

• Sutashekhar Rasa 

• Prawal Panchamrit 

• Shankh vati

• Bhoonimbadi kwath

• Avipattikar Churna

• Shatavarighrit etc

'Panchakarma procedures' like Vamana (induced vomiting) or Virechana (induced loose motions) whichever is needed as per the symptoms should be administered. In chronic cases, Asthapana basti (medicated enema) is indicated.