How Acidity Affects Our Everyday Life
The last-minute cancellation of party plans, postponing trips, and not feeling like doing something that you were always excited about, is just a way for your stomach to tell you that it is not feeling all right. There’s a good chance that what is happening to you is called acidity. While many of us consider acidity to be a regular ailment, it might have adverse repercussions on our health that we are usually not aware of.
What is Acidity?
We are very well aware that the gastric glands are responsible for producing acid in order to digest the food we eat. The excess production of this acid can lead to a burning sensation in the stomach, commonly known as acidity. One’s lower chest area can be exposed to acidity by various factors, the most common being not able to properly digest the intake of excessive food. It can later even lead to the oesophagus being damaged, decay or cavity in a tooth or even cancer being built in the oesophagus. Although extreme, it might even be dangerous for one’s health.
The root causes of acidity are many. Ranging from unhealthy eating habits to side effects of medication or even lack of sleep and excessive stress can be major drivers of acidity. According to Ayurvedic texts, the foremost reason for Acidity in an individual is caused due to the Pitta Dosh (or the fire element).
Ayurveda’s take on chronic acidity
While it all begins when your intake of food is overdone or doesn’t match your constitution. It can be extremely spicy food or perhaps sour beverages. Other things that can cause acidity are white flour products, white sugar-made products, alcohol, excessive intake of tea/coffee, active/passive smoking, intake of food during indigestion, controlling urine or stool, prolonged exposure to heat or sun and many more. While Ayurveda is not the only warrior against the acidity war, it sure provides some exceptional solutions to fight it. Easy and efficient treatments ensure quick recovery for people. Some of the basic ayurvedic products that can help one overcome acidity are -
Indian gooseberry (commonly called Amla): Filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, it is a direct cooldown to Pitta. It can be eaten raw or as a juice along with other recipes and it considerably lowers your acid reflux.
Cumin seeds (commonly called Jeera): They can be consumed in powder form and have a spoonful of water. It is a great everyday ayurvedic drink for recovery from acidity.
Licorice (commonly called Mulethi) and honey: Easily available at your nearest grocery shop, licorice can be a great neutralizer in your diet that helps reduce acidity. Take it with ghee in form of a paste after meals to get quick relief.
White pumpkin juice: White pumpkin juice helps in fast recovery from gastritis and acidity.
Aniseed (or fennel seeds): Also known as saunf in our day-to-day language. These can be chewed and swallowed with water for quick relief from acidity.
Mint leaves and Tulsi: Mint reduces acid production while Tulsi boosts mucus production in the stomach and has antiulcer properties. They help ease your discomfort.
Cardamom and Cloves: Age-old remedy present in every kitchen in India (Elaichi and Laung), stimulate digestion, reduces stomach spasms, soothes the stomach lining, and prevents excessive acid production.
Ginger: A great boost to digestion and regularisation of secretion of gastric juices when consumed regularly in a moderate amount.
Buttermilk and cold milk: As the name suggests, they cool down the stomach and take care of your acids to improve your digestion.
Jaggery: A sweet blessing, jaggery is also a famous Ayurvedic remedy and a good tool against acidity. Try to replace your regular sugar with one-year-old organic jaggery.
Bananas: Bananas have a high Potassium and fibre content and help to relieve constipation and begin a healthy bowel movement. Thereby helpful in acidity.
How Ayurveda Improves Digestive Power?
Whenever, because of multiple reasons, the digestive power of an individual weakens, the body tends to secrete an excessive amount of acidic Pitta to compensate for it, causing symptoms of acidity. Ayurvedic medicinal herbs like Pittapapda, Patolpatra etc. that improve digestion and at the same time do not add up to the Pitta are considered best to address long-standing acidity.
Elimination of ‘irritated Pitta’ can be achieved through mild purgative herbs like Amaltas, Haritaki, Milk etc. that are not irritant and helps in aggravated pitta situations are helpful.
Some herbs are helpful to improve digestion like Shunthi. Cumin seed, fennel etc help to improve digestion and relieve bloating, fullness, and belching.
Some herbs with healing properties work on acid burns in the throat, oesophagus and stomach, like liquorice, shatavari, to relieve individuals from burning sensations and further complications of acidity like gastric ulcers.
Concomitantly, Ayurveda suggests a person suffering from repeated acidity, improve his diet and lifestyle so as to prevent the recurrence of the acidity. Avoiding excessive spicy, oily, fermented foods, refined carbs like sugars, starch, white flour, excessive tea-coffee, smoking, and alcohol is necessary. One needs to eat on time in moderate amounts and avoid odd time munching or eating when not hungry. Adopting an active lifestyle, walking for half an hour on empty stomach in the morning, avoiding sleeping immediately post lunch, and keeping two hours gap between dinner and bedtime helps significantly.
