Have you ever wondered a simple Indian spice box wrongly used can give rise to acidity. These days in order to make the food tastier, without rational thinking, garam masala, mixed masala, garlic paste is added to every dish cooked. But there is wisdom hidden behind a simple spice box. Just to give a few examples, you do not add garam masala when you cook brinjal because brinjal is already hot in nature.
You don’t need it either when you are cooking capsicum. You don’t need garlic giner paste in Moong dal. It should be added to Udad or chana dal because they can increase Vata in the body. But today’s generation without knowing the things behind, add every spice to the dish and then think, why do we have gas, acidity issues even after having home-made diet.
Why does an Ayurveda physician ask you “Do have night shifts at work or work till late ?” when you complain of indigestion issues. There are studies saying that night shifts impact digestion and cause GERD. So, what changes should you bring in if you work during nights.
Diet (Ahaara)
In Sushruta Samhita,excessive lavan ras (salty foods) is attributed to causing Amlapitta
We have many children turning up at the clinic who present with signs of acidity. Their parents and you too must be thinking why children suffer from these symptoms. They eat food on time, they sleep on time, they don’t drink tea/coffee. But what about their love for chips, packet foods, junk food, cheese bursts, pizza sauces, noodles oodled with maggi masala. These foods have extra added salts i.e excessive Lavan ras, sufficient to cause acidity and indigestion in children.
Incompatible foods
It is not a rare sight of witnessing some very strange combinations of incompatible foods at every food outlet. Be it gulab jamun and icecream, cold coffee being poured on frying pan and mixed with maggi, having hot burger with a cold drink and many so weird combinations in the name of trying something new. For little pleasure of our taste buds, we forget what impact it will have on digestion in the long run.
Pishtanna (food prepared from flour) and heavy food
A middle aged lady came to my clinic and said she is suffering from acidity, but it bothers her only during winters. I don’t drink tea/coffee, I don’t eat outside foods, no masalas do I use in my kitchen then why do I have this I am unable to contemplate
The next question I put before her was, “Are you fond of gajak, chikki, gajar halwa, laddoo” to which she affirmed
Yes, Kashyap Samhita mentions heavy, unctuous food, grains food to cause hyperacidity. We generally think hyperacidity is caused by hot and spicy food, but this is also a contributing factor
Over intake of liquid things
Oh this a beautiful trend these days. You are made to believe that drinking plenty of fluids clears out all toxins from the body but Ayurveda never advocated it. Instead it says drink liquid only when you are thirsty. Liquid diet is a popular form of dieting nowadays but it can dilute hydrochloric acid secreted in stomach and cause difficulty in digestion of food.
Over intake of hot things
Even this is very common practice. Some people keep drinking hot water throughout the day maybe to lose weight or they feel light but this may aggravate Pitta in the body. We witnessed during Covid period. There were patients who developed gastritis, acidity, ulcers, hiccups’ because they were drinking Kadha 3-4 times in a day owing to the fear of covid that was looming on our minds. They did harm than good to themselves
Adyashana
Eating too soon after a meal
Fasting or overeating does not do as much harm as frequently eating does especially when the previous meal has not been digested.
A 72-year-old lady would get admitted in the hospital every week with complaints of heaviness over chest and difficulty in breathing. All reports would turn out to be normal. She visited our Ayurvedic clinic in Delhi NCR for gastric problems. She was put on simple medicines for Vata and Pitta pacifying drugs. Within 10 days, her episodes of difficulty in breathing stopped. She didn’t land up in the hospital thereafter. Gastric issues are often sidelined. They can manifest as heart attacks too. You should not ignore it and consult a good ayurvedic doctor near you.
Home remedies like ginger, garlic, jeera water help only to some extent. If off late, you have been having a lot of trouble with gastric issues, then you should visit an ayurvedic clinic near you. Vata anulomana medicines by a good ayurvedic doctor can treat indigestion permanently. Ayurvedic medicines work remarkably in treatment of stomach gas, bloating and indigestion.
At our ayurvedic and panchkarma clinic in Faridabad, we treat the patients of IBS, indigestion, colitis, gastric upset with herbs like Nagarmoth, Chitrak, Pippali, Kumari, Erand, Lavan Ras. There is considerable improvement in the symptoms within a week.
Panchkarma therapies like Basti, Virechan work very well in gastric issues. Pain in the abdomen, stomach heaviness, bloating, discomfort over abdomen can be treated with Panchkarma. First, medicines to kindle the digestive fire are given. This is followed by Snehapan (medicated ghee). This ghee lubricates the gut and increases the Agni. After the proper regimen of Ghritpan, medicine for purgation (loose motions) is given. The patients feel very light at the end of the day. Proper choice of ghrit has to be made. So, you should visit a good Panchkarma centre near you.
People keep on taking antacids, eno for years. But they forget it is just a quick fix. Ayurveda from the beginning has laid emphasis on gut health. Diet, ayurvedic treatment and lifestyle modification together can keep your gut healthy.
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