What is Acidity? Symptoms, Causes, Home Remedies For Acidity

Acidity is a common condition among people of all ages. When coping with gastric discomfort, we usually heavily rely on over-the-counter medicines and home remedies for acidity. But we never tried to understand the root cause of our gastric issues, did we? You see, it could be something more than just acidity.

According to studies, 60% of people confuse their earlier signs of a heart attack with acidity. That's huge. Looking at the stats today, we will understand what is acidity, its symptoms, causes and everything about it, including the difference between a heart attack and acidity.

What is Acidity?

Acidity is a chemical that forms in your stomach by gastric glands. The acid is usually in place, but sometimes it moves into the esophagus, causing heartburn. It can also cause other acidic symptoms, such as indigestion, difficulty swallowing, and a sour taste in your mouth. In some cases, people might also experience a severe headache and vomiting.

Symptoms of Acidity

Knowing the symptoms of acidity will help you identify it earlier and take precautions before it worsens.

1. Heartburn Sensation — The burning sensation you feel in your chest area after eating is heartburn. It usually occurs when the food or the stomach acid reaches the esophagus once you had food or while lying.
2. Headache & Vomiting — When stomach acid excesses and irritates your stomach, you happen to face acidity problems like headache or vomiting.
3. Abdominal Bloating — Abdominal bloating after having a meal is another sign of acidity. You will feel discomfort because of fullness and GERD in your stomach.
4. Constant Burps & Sour Taste In The Mouth — Some individuals with an acidity problem experience constant burps, which also causes a sour taste in the mouth.
5. Regurgitation — When you feel the food or any liquid substance after eating comes up the stomach lining, it is regurgitation.
6. Difficulty in Swallowing — In rare cases, someone with an acidity problem also faces a situation where they are unable to swallow food because of the burning sensation.

What Causes the Problem of Acidity?

Following is the list of foods and liquids that are the causes of acidity.

• Food with excessive chillies and condiments.
• Caffeine intakes from coffee and tea.
• Consumption of oily and fried food every day.
• Soft drinks.
• Dairy products are high in fat.

In addition to these, your lifestyle and daily habits are the major causes of acidity. So if you are dealing with acidity and know you haven't consumed anything mentioned above, see if your routine matches these:

• Eating too much or too fast
• Unusual gaps between your meals
• Lack of sleep and physical activity
• Lying immediately after the meal
• Often, the intake of smoking and alcohol
• Stress and depression

Certain medications or conditions like pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, menopause, or depression can also be the reasons for your acidic stomach. These conditions can actually worsen your state.

How To Cure Acidity At Home?

In Indian homes, before medication, we always look for quick remedies to ease the acidity. Here are certain home remedies for acidity that can be used to eliminate acid reflux.

1. Drink A Glass Of Cold Milk — Cold milk gives instant comfort from acidity. Drink a glass of cold or room temperature milk and avoid eating anything for an hour or two.
2. Eat A Ripe Banana — A ripe banana is one of the most effective alkaline foods with the highest potassium content, which helps in soothing heartburn and the cause of acidity.
3. Eat Less Food — Constantly eating acidic food in acidity can exacerbate acid reflux. Avoid stuffing your stomach to mitigate the symptoms of acidity.
4. Chew Fennel Seeds With Warm Water — Fennel seeds with warm water have been an Indian home remedy for ages. It helps reduce symptoms of acidity, like bloating and gas.

When Should You See The Doctor?

Acidity-related concerns like bloating, heartburn, and gas usually improve with home remedies and lifestyle changes. However, acidity occurring every second day or twice a week needs to be examined. The following are several circumstances when you need to see the doctor to understand the causes of acidity and its treatment.

• Acidity stays for more than two days after trying remedies.
• Spots of blood in vomiting or stool.
• Experience Diarrhea because of excess stomach acid
• Unable to swallow food due to discomfort
• Severe abdominal pain

Diagnosis & Treatment Of Acidity

Your eating habits, lifestyle, and medication are the general questions your doctor will ask you first to understand the causes of acidity. For mild acid reflux, you may be given medication, but if you happen to be in extremis, a few tests are likely to be performed.

1. PH Monitoring — PH monitoring helps doctors understand how intense the acid reflux is and what could be the solution to the condition. This test is primarily used to diagnose gas-related issues such as heartburn, GERD, and abdominal pain.
2. Esophagram — An esophagram is done through a liquid called barium that helps doctors diagnose the abnormalities in the oesophagus and stomach, causing the acidity problem. This identifies the problem that might be promoting gas formation and hyperacidity.
3. Electrocardiogram — ECG, aka electrocardiograms, are performed when the patient has severe chest pain. This is essential as chest pain related to acidity can also be a symptom of a heart attack. This test helps in differentiating between the two conditions.
4. Upper GI Endoscopy — In upper GI endoscopy, also known as EGD, doctors insert a thin, flexible tube from your mouth to the oesophagus and stomach area. The process takes a maximum of 10-20 minutes to examine the respective areas.

What Are The Prevention Tips To Control Acidity?

Prevention is better than cure, right? People with consistent acidity problem should find ways to improve their gut health. One of them is taking a gut test with Mool Health, which tells you the root cause of your acidic stomach so you can cure it better. However, till then, look at the following dos and don'ts to control acidity.

• Eat less amount of food and chew it well.
• Avoid your late-night cravings.
• Don't sleep right after having your meal.
• Sleep on the left side of your body.
• Avoid having intoxicating products like cigarettes and alcohol
• Daily exercises or walking for 10 minutes after every meal
• Manage stress with medication, yoga, and breathing exercises
• Avoid having spicy and oily foods every day.
• Reduce caffeine consumption as much as you can.
• Keep your antacids handy as it is best tablets for gas and acidity.

Managing gut health not only controls your acidity problems but also keeps your hormones balanced, reduces seasonal allergies, and improves digestion and absorption of crucial nutrients.

Heartburn vs Acid Reflux vs GERD

Though each one of them sounds similar to the others, they have distinctive meanings.

Heartburn or Heart Attack? How to Tell the Difference

A simple heartburn can sometimes be more dangerous than your acidity symptoms. In India, people have been confusing their earlier heart attack symptoms with heartburn and acidity pain. And of course, that has caused their lives. Both of the conditions trigger the pain around the chest area, therefore the confusion. Here are some detailed differences between the two for you to take precautions before an unfortunate event.

Mool Health's Take On The Acidity Problem

A study says 1 in 6 people in India suffers from chronic acidity. The repetitive acidity problem is usually caused by poor gut health. People heavily depend on over-the-counter medicine and home remedies for acidity conditions. Mool health, unlike others, helps people understand the causes of acidity issues and improves gut health. It provides a customised gut health kit with the best tablet for acidity and gas to slowly eliminate the cause from the root.

Conclusion

Acidity is a common health condition people face due to poor diet and lifestyle. Mild gas-related problems can be addressed with home remedies for acidity, but for severe conditions, major lifestyle changes and a doctor's consultation are required. Different gas health problems like acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD share somewhat identical symptoms, but the cause of each can differ. With a Mool Health gut test and expert consultation, you will know the root cause of your acidity to find the right solution.

Frequently Asked Questions