Can Food Treat Acidity?

Acidity Is One of The Most Common Problems

One of the most common problems faced by us Indians is acidity! Everyday we are faced with colleagues, relatives or someone else complaining about it.

But what causes this condition? Is it all because of poor eating and lifestyle habits? A lot of us are still not familiar with what acidity is and what causes it!  What changes can we bring to our life that can help us get rid of this health condition? First let’s understand what it really is.

What Happens in Acidity?

When the food passes down the esophagus into the stomach, the gastric glands in our stomach releases acids in order to breakdown the food into simpler form and begins the digestion process. When this acid is produced more than required, it causes burning sensation just above the stomach and right below the breast bone.

In addition to this, it also causes various other symptoms such as heartburn, stomach ulcers, dyspepsia, etc. Few other symptoms observed are nausea, difficulty in swallowing, burning sensation in throat, regurgitation, indigestion, bad breath, belching, soar taste in the mouth for long time, restlessness, constipation, etc.

What Causes Acidity?

The common reasons behind gastric issues in India are fad diets, oily and spicy foods, too much consumption of non-vegetarian foods, irregular eating habits, baked foods, stress, lack of physical activity, smoking, consuming alcohol, unhealthy sleep cycle, etc. There are many such causes behind acidity all of which come under lifestyle and eating habits except medicinal causes and existing health conditions.

Medicines also cause this problem in few conditions. Few medicines that cause this include Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anxiety and depression drugs, blood pressure controlling drugs, bisphosphonates for bone related diseases, antibiotics, etc.

Few health conditions that cause gastric issues include Diabetes, Hiatal Hernia, Asthma, Peptic ulcer, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, connective tissue disorders, etc.

Diagnosis & Complications

If this condition gets severe, doctor may ask to undergo X-ray of esophagus and stomach, upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy to check the linings of the esophagus and stomach.

If neglected, this can cause many other health problems such as gastric ulcers and cancer in addition to increased symptoms like too much of vomiting, severe pain in the abdominal area, etc.

All this brings us to our final question:

Can Acidity be Treated Naturally?

Your doctor may suggest antacids and if the condition gets severe, it can lead to surgery which is known as Vagotomy. Coming to antacids, there are various types of antacids each with different composition and each gives different kinds of side effects. These side effects include diarrhea, constipation given by magnesium containing antacids. Aluminium in antacids binds with phosphate in the body leading to phosphate deficiency. This deficiency causes loss of appetite, muscle weakness, tiredness, etc. It can also lead to kidney stones on long run.  Few other symptoms like black stools, irregular heartbeat, slow breathing, etc. are observed.

As can be seen through the evidences above, the major cause of this health problem lies in our poor food habits, and hence, the solution also lies within food

It is food through which all the nutrients in your body can be balanced yet again bringing your health back to normal, which is where we come in! Our approach here, like all other diseases, is guided by understanding the ‘why’ of the problem and not just treat the symptoms like most medicines.

Our holistic approach of including all possible factors behind acidity helps us understand why your acidity problem is happening and what we can do to reverse it completely. Through a host of small kitchen changes and psychosomatic one-line mantras, we have been able to achieve remarkable results with our clients suffering from acidity! In a matter of 3 to 6 months, you will forget those uncomfortable belches and heartburn completely!