Acidity – Symptoms and Treatment

A lot of people are aware of a condition when a burning sensation is felt in your tummy and travels to your throat via the chest. This uncomfortable condition of heartburn is known as Acidity. Almost all individuals have known this situation at some of the other points of their life. The only difference is that in some cases it is mild and in some it is severe. The condition has become more common with lifestyles that all of us lead. One goes through acidity when they would have consumed a heavy meal that is high in fats, consumption of food that is generally acidic, or even if you lie down just after you have had your food.

Even though you may have several medicines and syrup for acidity in the stomach, popping a pill or spoon of Antacid is not always the solution. In case, you are doing that very often, it means you need to take care of your eating habits or even see a doctor if the situation is bad. One reason that frequent episodes of acidity should not be overlooked is that this eventually turns to a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The acid from one’s stomach travels up in the food pipe and causes great discomfort and if proper care is not taken this could even lead to life-threatening diseases such as throat cancer.

Some symptoms that must be checked in case acidity has become very common

1. Heartburn that is too frequent: If you are experiencing a burning sensation in your stomach after every meal that you take and this frequency is twice a week and is constant, you should consider this as a serious condition and not a regular occurrence.
2. Nausea: in the morning: In case one is detected with GERD, the acid in the stomach goes up and back to your mouth, which in turn leads to nausea and a sour and bad taste in your mouth. This condition is very common in the morning because there is a big gap between your last meal and the next.
3. Dry Cough that has gone bad: One of the other primary symptoms other than discomfort and heartburn is a chronic cough that gets worse especially at night.
4. Hoarseness: As we know that acid reflux goes down your throat, it usually affects the voice box and which in turn leads to hoarseness and even bad sore throat.
5. Pain in the Chest: One of the other conditions of acid reflux is a pain in the chest that has been caused by the acid that has traveled from the stomach to the chest. In situations where this goes beyond control then one needs to visit a doctor as soon as possible.
6. Bad Breath: In case you are someone who brushes regularly and even flosses and even pops mints and gums, yet experience bad breath, this may indicate you being a case of Acid reflux.
7. Regurgitation: To make this word even more clear, it is a condition in which you bring the food that you had swallowed back to your mouth again. This is known as indigestion and it should not be taken lightly.

In most cases, something, as small as a lifestyle, change can easily cure the condition; changes such as a healthy weight, avoiding tight clothes, eating small and frequent meals. Some methods by which mild cases of acid reflux can be treated are:

1. Eat just enough and slowly: When we say eat just enough means to eat as much as not being full yet being satisfied. One could eat six small meals rather than three big meals, just so you don’t eat it all in one meal and then your full tummy leads to acid reflux.
2. Avoiding some foods: In the olden time’s people who were diagnosed with acid reflux were asked to leave all the spice and eat only bland food, this no longer stands valid. One needs to identify the trigger foods, which cause more acid reflux than others when consumed. These could be garlic, spicy food, mint, tomatoes, onion, alcohol, tea, and coffee. In case you are common who suffers from Acid reflux, you must try leaving these foods and then comparing your condition too before, once you are fine it is ok to bring these back to your diet one by one.
3. Carbonated Drinks: Drinking carbonated drinks makes one burp and this burping sends acid to the esophagus. It is always better to go for flat water rather than a carbonated drink.
4. Staying up: As mentioned before, sleeping right after you have had food is one of the major causes of acid reflux, therefore it is extremely important that one stays up and not eat at least 3 hours before sleeping. The midnight snacking or after lunch, napping could be a reason for your acid reflux. Something as simple and easy as standing and sitting keeps the food in its place, the stomach, and prevents acidity.
5. Sleeping inclined: In an ideal situation, your head should be placed 7-8 inches above your feet. This can be done by making use of wedges rather than regular pillows, as could turn out to be uncomfortable.
6. Quit smoking: Nicotine relaxes the esophageal sphincter which in turn causes acid reflux. Therefore one should quit smoking to get rid of acid reflux.
7. Medications: In most cases one may have a very healthy lifestyle and still be a patient of acid reflux, one thing to consider then is to check the medication you may have been consuming for other purposes. Certain salts have a natural tendency of making acid in the stomach. Therefore, in case you are experiencing frequent acidity episodes consider checking your medications.
8. Moving too fast: One should not be doing any sort of vigorous exercise right after they have had food. A little stroll after dinner is considered fine but if you think you can hit the gym or go for a jog right after food or any other strenuous activity, especially one that would involve bending down, it would lead to acid in your esophagus.
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Little to mild acidity can easily be managed by taking small steps like these for the rest of them one needs to consider other methods. From the changes mentioned above, one can also look for organic and natural syrup for acidity in the stomach, which would not only treat the acidity but also have no side effects on the body. One such syrup that is available over-the-counter is Torzyme syrup. This syrup for acidity is not only great for those gastric disturbances but also other stomach related troubles like constipation, worm infection, indigestion, and several others. It also helps in absorbing the food well and provides energy. Made with all-natural products like papaya, Ajwain and many more syrups like these are a great alternative to using medicines.  

Now, in case all these methods do not help then one is left with only one alternative which is visiting the doctor and checking what could be the cause and thereafter treating the problem well enough so that it does not return.