Low-effort ways to heal acidity without giving up on peri-peri fries

Let’s stop chugging Digene like Fireball shots

I pushed, I pushed and I pushed until it pushed back. My body with acidity I mean. It happened on a pleasant December night. Dreams of a week off from work crashed violently when my stomach started making fart noises. A hammering headache and red rashes followed. My body looked like mosquitos had just finished a sit-down dinner with my blood.

Over the next few days, as I lay in bed sick and exhausted, my dad started burping more than he was breathing and four more people around me complained of acidity. Dr Meghraj Ingle, director and senior consultant gastroenterology, Global Hospitals, Mumbai confirmed this, “We have seen a lot of patients suffering from acid reflux since the last couple of months. One reason is the holiday season, people really are not careful about what they are eating and second, their lifestyle patterns are haywire. We’re even seeing acidity in patients as young as 12 and 14 year-olds now.”

Truth is, our stomachs have been busy digesting boondi laddoos, paneer pasanda, chicken 65 and schezwan fried rice since the festivities rolled around three months ago. Ignorance is bliss but it has triggered the stomach acid into rebellion. The damage is done; most of us have acidity from the holiday hangover, poor eating habits and far-from-ideal lifestyle patterns. But unlike Alisha from the fifth floor, I can’t commit to kale juice and vinyasa yoga at 5 am. I’m still trying to recover from last week’s party and a big work deadline from June 2023.

So I went in search of low-effort but long-term ways to heal my gut that won’t demand a sacrifice of my serotonin-boosting peri-peri fries and eight-hour beauty sleep. And here’s what the Ayurvedic, homoeopathy and allopathy doctors had to say about it.

What is acid reflux?

The stomach contains hydrochloric acid (HCl) that digests food. A muscle valve called the oesophageal sphincter prevents stomach acid and undigested food from entering the food pipe. If this muscle weakens, stomach contents can flow back, causing a burning sensation and nausea, known as acidity.

There are several causes for this — weakened digestion due to weather fluctuations, over-eating, excessive consumption of junk, spicy and oily food, disturbed sleep patterns, stress, overuse of alcohol and smoking, among others.

A classic marker of acidity is having a burning sensation in the food pipe (remember those TV ads for Eno with a troubled man rubbing his chest?) It’s accompanied by heartburn, headache, bloating, feeling of indigestion, burping and regurgitating food or sour liquid. We can see you nodding been there, done that’.

How to treat acid reflux ft. different schools of medicine

Ayurveda

According to Ayurveda, excess pitta (HCl) in your gut results in acidity. Dr Kapil Saini, BAMS, a Kota-based Ayurveda practitioner, says, “There are three treatment pillars —aushadh, aahar and vihaar (medicine, diet and lifestyle) that help reverse acid reflux. The best method is to expel the excess pitta through motions using mild laxatives, and the primary method to do so is by making lifestyle changes.”

Mumbai-based Ayurveda consultant, Dr Anusha Pendse Vedpathak, agrees. “There’s an abundance of medicines available in the market for acidity at the moment, but the best long-term solution is lifestyle modification,” she says while adding, “I recommend that my patients stick to ‘saatvik’ or simple food with less oil and spices for five to six days a week. And you can have one cheat day or meal when you indulge.” Dr Saini further adds that one must eat slowly and chew food properly before consuming it to prevent regurgitation of stomach acid and drink water at least 45 minutes after your meal to avoid dilution of gastric juices.

Doctors’ diet suggestions: Add black raisins (soaked or dry), pomegranate, cucumber and buttermilk (if you are lactose intolerant, buttermilk may worsen the symptoms) to your diet and drink three litres of water daily.

Homoeopathy

Dr Yashodhar Bhalerao, Pune-based homoeopathy consultant, BHMS, PGNAHI, and Dr Fathima Nushrath, Mangalore-based homoeopathic consultant, both note that the increase in consumption of junk food has contributed to a rise in digestive problems. Dr Bhalerao also observes that pre-COVID, acidity was largely seen in people above the age of 50 or 55. However, post the pandemic, people of all ages have become increasingly susceptible to it.

Since homoeopathy medicine is an alternative form of medicine which relies on the healing properties of nature, medicines extracted from plants like Robinia (or black locust), Iris versicolor (or Northern blue flag) and Nux vomica (or strychnine tree) are used by homoeopathy physicians to treat acidity. Dr Bhalerao shares some gharelu nuskas as well. “One tablespoon or teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted with one glass of water and some lemon juice is a great auxiliary measure for acidity. But remember to drink it using a straw otherwise, it can impact your teeth enamel,” he says. Avoid this remedy if you suffer from gastric or stomach ulcers.

Eating a few pieces of raw garlic first thing in the morning on an empty stomach also works as an antidote to acid reflux.

As a long-term measure, Dr Bhalerao suggests Vitamin B1 thiamine tablets prescribed by a physician, since acidity can also be rooted in a Vitamin B deficiency.

Dr Nushrath says a stable eating pattern will help reverse acidity, like having food at regular intervals, not skipping meals and eating dinner before 9 pm. Additionally, a brief walk post-dinner will help with digestion.

Allopathy

Did you come to this section expecting drugs and quick measures? Well, Dr Ingle notes that as allopathy practitioners, their goal is to administer less medication over shorter periods of time. “In allopathy, the first line of treatment for acid reflux patients is lifestyle modification. Drugs are secondary,” he says.

Medicinal drugs are prescribed to prevent excessive exposure of stomach acid to the oesophagus because that can cause ulcers and malignancy in the long-term. “We give medicines to treat the symptoms and avoid long-term damage till the benefits of your lifestyle modification can kick in,” he concludes.

He also pointed out that pre-teens and teenagers these days are suffering from acidity because of unhealthy eating patterns and excessive screen time which leads to reduced physical activity. This then affects digestion. Moreover, people who experienced severely symptomatic COVID-19 have seen an increase in gastric problems. Though this correlation will have to be researched further, a connection has been noted.

Dr Ingle recommends reducing the consumption of packaged foods, keeping a time gap between dinner and bedtime (three hours is ideal), clocking in sufficient sleep and incorporating some form of physical activity in your routines. You don’t have to jog 5 km every day; walking a few steps after being sedentary for an hour also works.

A calm mind equals a calmer gut, since there’s a gut-brain connection, which determines how your gut reacts to the brain’s status with hormones. Hence healthy food, less stress, physical activity and relaxing hobbies all come together to provide a sense of zen to the brain, which ultimately leads to a healthy gut. You don’t have to give up on your aglio-olio pasta or vada pav, but there’s definitely merit in reducing the portion and frequency of consumption.

A note of caution: This story is for educational purposes with inputs from trained experts. Please consult your healthcare provider to know what suits your needs best.