Health Tips on Acidity

Acidity is a condition that many adults experience. The stomach normally produces acid to dissolve food, aiding in digestion, but when the stomach produces too much acid, the resulting discomfort is called acidity. Acidity can cause damage over time, but making some simple diet changes and being aware of what causes acidity can help.

Health Concerns

• Acidity is painful and can sometimes keep you from doing the things you want to do. More than that, acidity may actually cause long-term health concerns. According to Swanson Vitamins, the body needs to maintain a pH of 7.4. When there is a pH imbalance, such as acidity, the body uses calcium from the bones to restore the ideal pH. That means that over time, acidity can cause brittle bones.

Causes

• The first step in controlling acidity is to know what causes it. The most common culprits are spicy foods, alcohol, fast food, meat, sugar, starches, coffee and soda. If avoiding these foods eases your acidity, it's likely these foods are the cause. According to an article by Dr. Mukesh Batra, stress may also cause acidity, and taking long, deep breaths may help calm you down and control the acidity.

Solutions

• In addition to over-the-counter medicines that may help your acidity, there are several home remedies that work for some people. Adding sugar to the juice of one white onion, sprinkling sugar and black pepper onto a pineapple slice, making a concoction of gooseberries, grapes and honey, and drinking lemon water with sugar one hour before lunch are all said to help your acidity. While some of these remedies may not taste very good, some people find that when taken once a day, their acidity is controlled, even if they sometimes indulge in foods that cause acidity.

  PH alkalizing drops are available at many health food stores, and some people find that adding the drops to their food helps their bodies to maintain a healthier pH balance.

  Sometimes, acidity causes too much pain and is not well controlled by diet changes and home remedies or over-the-counter medications. In these cases, visit your doctor so that she can find out the exact cause of your acidity and help you determine how it should be treated.