
Out stomach is powered with couple of enzymes and secretion which mix up with material taken by mouth and try to make it digestible. An acid called hydrochloric acid is one of them that flow in the stomach. There are certain hormones that regulate this flow as per the food eaten. Gastrin stimulates and Somatostatin suppresses the flow.
Acidity is generally caused by an imbalance between mechanisms of the secretion of acid in the stomach, and protective mechanisms that ensure the stomach’s safety. The stomach secretes acidic fluid that helps in digestion process. But when the stomach exceeds the production of the acid by glands present within it, it results in the situation termed as acidity. Acidity is referred to hyperacidity.
There are certain conditions like ulcer in which the secretion is either low or normal. Acidity may cause other symptoms like dyspepsia, formation of ulcers (erosion of the lining of the intestines or stomach) and heartburn. This situation tends to be in higher incidence in nervous and emotional individuals. Now a day this problem has become big in developing nations where the lifestyle is fast and people don’t prepare the food which is nourishing but they depend on the food that can be quickly prepared. There are certain other factors like alcohol, highly spicy foods, NSAID’s and non-vegetarian diet etc.
When there is excessive secretion of acidic material in the stomach it creates the burning sensation. That is nothing but acidity. Acid dyspepsia and hyperacidity are one and the same having almost same symptoms. Ayurveda describes this as excessive Pitta Dosha (one of the three doshas – humors).
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