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Dr. Santosh Yadav (M.D.)
Consultant Homeopath |
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| Hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia |
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Hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia is the condition of excreting more than the normal amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Twenty minutes after eating a healthy meal, a burning, scalding pain is experienced by the patient in the mid section of the chest. It gives a feeling as if a burning cool is creating a hole in the gut.
Despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with heart. It is an irritation of the esophagus caused by stomach acid. It is painful, irritating and cause sleepless nights.
Occasional heartburn is not dangerous but chronic heartburn can indicate serious problems. It is a common medical condition that distress people of all races and age. Heartburn creates nuisance for 10% of Americans daily. |
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| Causes of Hyperacidity or Heartburn or Acid Dyspepsia |
Hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia is not a disease. It is actually an effect to certain stressors. It can be classified into primary hyperacidity and secondary hyperacidity.
Primary Hyperacidity :The causes of primary hyperacidity are :
Idiopathic : Sometimes there is no apparent cause for hyperacidity.
Eating habits : The most common cause to blame for hyperacidity is taking food items like spicy and fatty food, pickles, chilly, taking excessive coffee and so on. Inadequate exercise and going to bed immediately after a heavy meal are the major causes in this category.
Secondary hyperacidity :The various causes are :
Stomach ulcers : This is the main reason of hyperacidity in lots of people.
Acid reflux disease : This is a gastric disorder many people suffer from. The gastric acids in the stomach reach the food pipe, which is known as the esophagus. Due to this, the level of acid in the stomach goes up thus leading to hyperacidity.
Stomach cancer : Some patients suffering from stomach cancer have been reported to suffer from hyperacidity. Though rare, hyperacidity in stomach cancer patients has been known to be fatal. As such, it is very important to get hyperacidity treated if it persists for more than a couple of weeks. Timely diagnosis is very essential. |
| Triggering Factors of Hyperacidity or Heartburn or Acid Dyspepsia |
The various factors which are known to trigger hyperacidity or heartburn or acid pepsia are :
Prolonged intake of allopathic medicines like aspirin, NSAID’s.
Smoking.
Prolonged alcohol ingestion.
Stress is an important triggering factor. It is termed as nervous dyspepsia. The conditions like prolonged grief, financial or family troubles, mental exertion and so on cause nervous dyspepsia.
After certain surgeries patient may develop hyperacidity.
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| Symptoms of Hyperacidity or Heartburn or Acid Dyspepsia |
People suffering with hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia may explain the symptoms differently. For some it may be a simple stomach ache, but for others, it can be continuous cramps in the stomach with restlessness.
The common symptoms in the nutshell include the following :
A steady pain in the upper abdomen following a meal (may be large or spicy meal).
Nausea, vomiting.
Loss of desire to eat.
A sense of abdominal distention or bloating.
Flatulence.
Sour belching or eructations.
Bad taste in the mouth.
Vomiting of blood.
Blood in the stools.
If acidity persists the patient may develop anemia.
Long standing hyperacidity may lead to the formation of ulcers in the stomach.
Home Care in Hyperacidity or Heartburn or Acid Dyspepsia
Have meals on time. It should not be too late for dinner.
Avoid missing meals or leaving long gaps between eating.
Drink at least eight cups of fluid per day, especially water or other non-caffeinated drinks, for example herbal teas.
Restrict tea and coffee to one cup per day.
Reduce intake of alcohol and fizzy drinks.
Reduce intake of 'resistant starch' (starch that resists digestion in the small intestine and reaches the colon intact), which is often found in processed or re-cooked foods.
Avoid taking radish, oily and fried food, meat, and fish.
Take lime juice after dinner
A walk after dinner can do miracles. |
| Homeopathic Treatment of Hyperacidity or Heartburn or Acid Dyspepsia |
When a person suffers from hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia, he or she will go to the nearest pharmacy and buy over-the-counter (OTC) antacids. This usually takes care of the hyperacidity without any complications.
Hyperacidity will not reoccur after popping up the hyperacidity medicines and avoiding the food items which increase the acid levels in the stomach. But if the hyperacidity continues even after avoiding the triggering factors, it is the time to visit a doctor as it is indicative of some underlying medical condition.
Conventional or allopathic treatment includes giving antacids which will relieve the patient temporarily and will end up with side effects like headache, dryness of mouth, hypersensitivity and confusion.
In contrast homeopathy offers a treatment which is safe, gentle and will not end up with side effects. Homoeopathy is very effective in managing all the acute symptoms of hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia and also plays an important role in preventing relapse of the condition.
The allopathic medicines might provide immediate relief from the symptoms but the root cause of the problem is not touched upon and the dangerous side effects can be worse than the original symptoms.
The most recent approach in treating hyperacidity is addressing the overall symptoms of this disease and prescribing a remedy capable of normalizing unfavorable responses to aggravating factors (stress, diet and so on). Homeopathy is a non habit forming treatment which cures patient and leaves no side effects.
According to homeopathy the problems in the mind lead to the problems in the body. Homeopathic prescriptions are not based on the name of the diseases. While choosing the homeopathic medicine the cause of various symptoms of hyperacidity is evaluated such as sedentary habits, dietary errors, faulty feeding habits, mental stress, and weakness of digestive system muscles and so on.
The homeopathic treatment works at the deeper level of immunity and enhances the healing capacity of the body. Homeopathy medicines improves the resistance of the body. Timely administration of the homeopathic remedies can easily take care of the relapses and cure the hyperacidity from its root cause.
The treatment is decided after thorough case taking of the patient. Thus homeopathic medicines of hyperacidity or heartburn or acid dyspepsia are tailor made unlike allopathy in which all patients receive the same drugs although trade name may be different. |
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