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Hyperacidity/ Acidic Dysepsia
Anta-acid drugs are just common today in every home. According to some data more than 30% of people in US are suffering from the hyper-acidity. This is a data, from the medical studies. Actual percentage is much higher as the people suffering from the hyperacidity used to "treat" them b y themselves. Because most of the drugs for hyperacidity are "over-the-counter" drugs, which are easily available to all. With increasing work loads in professional life and due to emotional ups and downs cases of hyperacidity are increasing day by day. Conditions like hyperacidity seem to be "nothing" for the physicians even as they think it is quite normal that stomach starts to produce extra Hydrochloric Acid. They have only antacids to prescribe, as their main aim is to relieve the symptoms, not to treat the cause. Ayurveda is much more concerned about all these diseases, which look small and nothing to all of us, as these diseases when combine together these may cause the deadly diseases by themselves.
When it is a disease, it means that something is on wrong side in the body. How much serious it is, none can tell other than body and time! And over all diseases never happen for good.
Causes of Hyperacidity:
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Excessive use of the oily and spicy foods
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Anxiety, depression and anger
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Irregular eating habits.
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Consumption of Maida products in big amounts.
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To use more leafy vegetables (Some may think these are curative?)
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Sleeping just after taking meal.
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Drinking of excessive water (People do it by themselves, as they think water can relieve them?)
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To not to sleep in night, long working hours.
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Addictive use of the caffeine and nicotine products.
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Constipation
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Carbonated drinks
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Wrong combinations of food items, Incompatible Food items!
According to Ayurveda hyperacidity is known as Amlapitta, this is a disease caused by the excessive acidic nature of Pitta inside the body. All the causes enlisted above are those, which basically increase the Pitta Dosha inside the body. Amlapitta associated with the constipation is known as the Vidagdh-ajeerna. Symptoms of both of these are similar. There is only one difference in these conditions that is, Vidagdh-ajeerna occurs following constipation and Amlapitta may occur without constipation also.
Pathology of the Hyperacidity:
This is a well known thing that whenever the excessive secretion starts from the stomach, this is known as the hyperacidity. Why does it happen? It is because of the hyper activity of the cells, which are responsible for the secretion of the HCl. HCl is a main secretion in the stomach, which does the disintegration of the food. Beside this, it also shows the carving towards the foods inside the body. When there is lack of sugars "carbohydrates" for the brain, brain gives message to the stomach to produce HCl, so that we can know that body requires food. Due to ignorance of these signals or over-signaling to the stomach, it starts producing extra quantity of the HCl. Cells of stomach knows to produce the HCl, is it useful or useless, they don't know about it.
Due to corrosive nature of its, HCl start eroding the mucous membranes of the stomach. When this erosion is on a normal level, nerves lying there start sending message of burning in the stomach, which is basically known as Hyperacidity. And when we don't control these secretions, it lead to the peptic ulcers and then perforation in the stomach walls might happen. Following complications start to appear-
Complications of the Hyperacidity:
By looking at the severity of the complications it is important to answer few questions first, before talking the treatments.
Q. Is it helpful to drink more and more water in hyperacidity?
A. It may be for a moment. No doubt drinking of water gives temporary relief in the hyperacidity. But when secretion of HCl is on higher side and we keep on drinking much water, we just sending a massage to the GIT that there is something ingested, and body start producing the HCl. We only dilute the HCl, don't stop it to secrete by drinking excessive water. On other hand. What people do when it is to drink water? They feel that chilled water is more beneficial. But it is quite opposite. Chilled water has a similar corrosive effect on the soft mucosa of the stomach. So by drinking that we are just complicating the conditions, nothing else!
Q. Why don't Antacids relieve permanently and is there any complication of these?
A. Antacids do what they are known for only. Antacid literally mean the drugs which neutralizes the acid, because these are alkalic in the nature and it is chemistry that when acid and alkali meet they neutralize each other. It is chemistry, neither the bio-chemistry nor the medicine?
By using these antacids, we can successfully neutralize the "acidity" inside the stomach. By this we can relieve for a moment or hours, but this gives message to the body that acid produced inside the stomach is less than the enough and next time stomach produces more acid, with higher strengths? So before taking the antacids think twice, what are you doing? Are you treating a disease or making it stronger?
Beside this, antacids suppress the singles of hunger and by neutralizing the acidic environment of the stomach causes, anorexia. When you are anorexic once, it will lead you to the lesser amounts of the insulin in your body by Pancreatic cells as whole the GIT is a unit and it works together. Anorexia is a big cause not only for obesity but also for the diabetes also. Be aware dear friend! |
