Pitta on fire : The alarming hyper acidity!

“After the fairness cream antacid tablets and syrups are the most hot selling products without the prescription or advise of the doctor.For many of people they are like regular pachak goli (digestive pill).Take the pill and eat whatever you want” 

Sorry to say folks , it doesn’t work. It gets worsen for sure.

Hyper acidity is the favorite condition of people. Many of us think that it is the condition to treat by ourselves. So many on counter antacids and so many home remedies available on fingertips to try out. I call such people “Homely doctorate in acidity”.

A very funny fact is that this condition becomes chronic. People themselves consider it a dangerous conditions, opt for many complicated investigations by themselves ,even enteroscopy which is most of the times is unnecessary. With huge report file and list of medicines tried on themselves finally they come to the right place.To the doctor, an Ayurveda clinic to be more specific.

Lets talk about hyper acidity or Aamlapitta in Ayurveda term. Trying to put the post in simplified points.

What is hyper acidity?

A condition where the digestive juice (Pitta dosha) which is supposed to digest the food without causing any harm to the body starts causing harm. The Pitta Dosha got vitiated by its quantity and quality causing various digestive impairments. The sour property of Pitta Dosha is increased abnormally . The condition is chronic and changes take place slowly over the period to show the symptoms later on body.

Reasons for hyper acidity :

• Intake of too sour, too spicy food frequently.
• Incompatible diet (mixing fruits and milk together ,eating non veg and milk products together etc.)
• Diet opposite to the body type Eg. Pitta increasing diet by Pitta prakriti people.
• Rotten, leftover, processed , too salty food.
• Food intake too heavy to digest,too dry,  too liquid , burnt or cooked in high tempetrature.
• Fermented food.
• Habit of eating on irregular time or late, skipping meals and keeping fasts frequently.
• Lack of sleep ,staying awake late at night, sleeping in day time after meal.
• Smoking, alcohol , tobacco .
• Psychological stress is also important cause of hyper acidity.
• Some medicines like Antibiotics, Antidepressants and pain killers can also cause hyper acidity till you are on medicines .

Pre symptoms of hyper acidity:

• Due to bad practice in lifestyle and food habits the body starts alarming us by showing some symptoms before the hyper acidity becomes chronic and more rooted. But we tend to ignore these symptoms .
• The symptoms include reduced appetite, nausea and burning in throat after sometime of food intake. Do not ignore these early symptoms of hyper acidity.

Symptoms of hyper acidity:

• Indigestion, nausea and vomiting after food intake, belching with strong sour or bitter taste of pitta,
• Burning in throat,heaviness in stomach,pain in stomach ,headache,pain in chest region due to flatulence ,
• Vommiting, sometimes loose motion,(symptoms relievs for sometimes after this)
• Itching and rashes on skin in severe and chronic patients of Hyperacidity.
• Giddiness and redness in eyes and buring of extremities .

These are some common symptoms of hyper acidity.

What happens with body when Pitta is vitiated? 

The wrong habits and reasons behind the hyper acidity increase the sour property of Pitta dosha. This altered Pitta cannot digest the food properly instead it remains in stomach in half digested fermented rotten state for long.

Indigestion causes the various symptoms. Now even if you try to shift your food habits and lifestyle to good the impairment of Pitta is still there.

Let me give you a simple example. When the milk is soured, the pot gets sour too. If you don’t wash that pot properly and still add some fresh milk in it , what will happen? Yes, the good milk will turn sour too.

The same way the system is already affected by the vitiated Pitta Dosha. It should be made free of the vitiated Dosha, then only the good food or lifestyle will show results.

Complication of untreated hyper acidity:

Improper nutrion ,Frequent loose motions,swlleing on body, nutritional disorders, Anemia,Vertigo, are some of the complications of untreated hyper acidity

Chronic hyper acidity further causes gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers and reflux esophagitis. (Inflammation and ulceration of inner wall of digestive track)

Management of hyper acidity:

• Assessing the body type of patient and following  proper food and lifestyle is the key practice in the management of hyper acidity .
• Ruling out the causes and avoiding them is the important solution.
• Medicines and dos and don’t as suggested by the doctor.
• Vamana and Virechana are the panchkarma therapies which are practiced to bring Pitta Dosha at its normal state.

As my readers know I never suggest or name medicines or home remedies in general articles. 

Any medicine, yes Ayurvedic too is not supposed to take on counter without doctor’s advice.

By doing this, you are helping the chemist to earn the money at your own health’s risk. Choice is yours.

So Ayurveda doctor will prescribe or give appropriate medicine for specific time to reduce the Pitta associated problems.

Dos n don’ts in hyper acidity:

• Eat lunch and dinner earliest and on regular timings.
• Avoid eating fullest of stomach.
• Do not drink water or any liquid immediately before or after meal.
• Avoid keeping stomach empty ,at the same time do not frequently munch on food too.
• Do not keep awake late at night.
• Easy regular excercises and yoga will imorove the digestion.

This is a digestion related disorder so what to eat and what not to is of prime importance.

Good food :

• Food like yellow and green mung ,old red rice, wheat ,barley is good grain category in hyperacidity.
• Boiled water for drinking has specific effect on reducing the hyperacidity as the heat makes water easy to assimilate.
• Honey, lime water, unprocessed sugar (khadisakhar/patra sugar)cow milk, tender coconut ,pomegranate ,snake gourd, okra,pumpkin are advised to in diet frequently.
• Use of dry ginger powder, cinnamon in food.
• Shatavari kalp with milk.

Food to avoid:

• Avoid spicy , leftover, overcooked food like barbequed kebab etc.
• Thick gravies of onion , garlic and other hot spices.
• Sour curd and its use with food for marination.
• Cold drinks, aerated drinks, fermented food , bakery products,
• Alcohol, smoking and tobacco .
• Tea and coffee.

This article will definitely help  you to identify yourself with hyper acidity.

You may pop up with many queries in mind after reading this article.

For consultation and queries mail on rupali.panse@gmail.com

(This write up belongs to Dr.Rupali Panse. Change in the original write up or change in author name is considered illegal )