Increasing the acidity of the stomach is a common and rather unpleasant problem. In order to cope with it, symptomatic treatment will also help , but in order to completely get rid of an unpleasant phenomenon, you need to understand the causes of this pathology and the mechanism of getting rid of it. Then the question of how to neutralize the acid may be irrelevant.
Reasons for acidity
An organism is a well-coordinated system in which malfunctions in the functioning of one organ can cause disturbances in the functioning of another. But when it comes to the high acidity of the stomach, it is worth considering external factors, that is, human nutrition.
Acid in the stomach is necessary in order to prepare food for its digestion in the intestines. It follows that if there is a lot of acid so much that the question arises of how to neutralize the acid, there is reason to assume that a person is eating too much food. The stomach, unable to cope with the load, is forced to increase the level of acidity in order to accelerate the process of digestion, without reducing its quality, that is, so that the food mass enters the intestine in the required form.
The same applies to the situation when a person eats the usual amounts of food, but all the foods in the diet are heavy and rough for digestion. Thus, the stomach gets used to function only in such conditions, and even if for some reason a person stops overloading the body with food, the acid level will remain high, and this will be felt in the form of heartburn, pain, and nausea.
Other reasons
In addition to overeating, a catalyst for increasing the level of acid in the stomach can be:
- infections
- smoking;
- chronic stress;
- taking certain medications.
It becomes clear that the best way to neutralize the effect of acid is to eat right, to monitor the quality of products. It is not necessary to exclude spices from the diet at all - it is enough to monitor your feelings after eating various foods.
You also need to give up bad habits and eat small meals about 5-6 times a day.
What is the danger of high acidity?
Normally, the acid in the digestive tract is neutralized in such a way that it does not cause any danger to humans. But if there is too much of it, it can damage the gastric mucosa. On it erosion will begin to form, and later - even ulcers. It is known that diseases such as gastritis, ulcers, erosion are often preceded by a chronic increased level of acidity of the stomach.
A high acid level reduces the amount of alkali in the stomach, which means that food cannot be digested properly. This affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and the condition of the person as a whole, because nutrition is the intake of vitamins, useful and nutrients, that is, the basis of the life of the body.
It follows that it is necessary to know how to recognize such a problem and how to neutralize the acid.
Symptoms
There are signs by which a person can recognize that the acidity of his stomach is increased.
- Heartburn - a sharp burning sensation in the esophagus. This occurs as a result of the release of gastric juice into the esophagus.
- Belching - it usually occurs when a person has eaten too much food, but if it has a sour or bitter taste, we can definitely speak about an increase in the level of acidity.
- Pain in the stomach, which becomes dull while eating. After the food enters the stomach and the digestion process begins, the acid concentration begins to increase, and it enters the previously damaged sections of the gastric mucosa.
- The remaining symptoms of acidity are less specific. That is, they indicate the presence of some kind of pathology in the body, but without other, more characteristic signs, it is impossible to recognize the disease. These symptoms include bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
If these signs are found, you should immediately consult a doctor so that he prescribes treatment and explains how to neutralize the acid and how to prevent its increase.
Diet treatment
The easiest and safest way to treat increased stomach acid is to normalize your diet. There is a need in small portions, about five times a day.
First of all, in order to normalize acidity, it is necessary to completely exclude the following products:
- tapas, smoked dishes, canned food;
- fatty meat dishes;
- fatty dairy products;
- coffee;
- carbonated drinks;
- pickled vegetables;
- sweets on an empty stomach;
- sharp root vegetables.
The list can be supplemented with any dishes that cause discomfort in the stomach. It is necessary to draw up your individual list and adhere strictly to it.
The basis of the diet should be foods that lower the level of acidity in the gastric juice:
- nonfat yogurt;
- cereals in milk (especially buckwheat);
- ordinary drinking water (several sips);
- cottage cheese and fruit casseroles;
- vegetable juices (carrot, beetroot, potato) on an empty stomach;
- honey.
A properly composed menu often allows you to get rid of the problem without medication.
Folk remedies
- Herbal decoctions, for example from mint or chamomile, not only normalize the activity of the gastric glands, but also soothe the nervous system.
- A decoction of flax seeds helps digestion.
- Dill tincture normalizes the digestive tract.
- Activated carbon and other sorbents are a simple way of neutralizing acid.
The use of such recipes is necessary in conjunction with the diet, not forgetting the systematic nature and regularity of their use.
Soda
How to eliminate excess acid in the stomach? The most popular way is to use ordinary baking soda. It neutralizes acid, and this fact is clear to everyone familiar with the laws of chemistry. After all, soda is an alkali, and it is an acid antagonist.
Thus, knowing that soda neutralizes the acid, many people regularly use it for signs of heartburn or stomach pain. Indeed, soda has a short-term effect of reducing acidity. And if at hand there are no other means to lower acidity, it is quite possible to use a solution of soda.
But it is important to know about the process inside the body when taking soda. It acts as an acid-absorbing antacid, so immediately after taking it, the amount of acid actually decreases. But the interaction of soda and acid becomes a catalyst for the production of carbon dioxide. Gas, in turn, has a stimulating effect on the cells of the stomach, which produce acid, and the amount of acid rises again, and it becomes more than before drinking soda diluted in water.
Therefore, people who are convinced that soda neutralizes acid and is the best way to treat the problem of high acidity of the stomach, are forced to constantly resort to this method.
And this, in turn, leads to alkalization of blood. A person who has encountered this phenomenon is familiar with the whole list of unpleasant symptoms: loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps. Also, a large amount of soda, and therefore the sodium that it contains, leads to increased pressure, kidney problems, and swelling.
The most harmless consequence of regular use of soda is rumbling in the intestines and diarrhea.
Thus, although soda (alkali) neutralizes acid, excessive consumption of it is unsafe for a healthy person. And such treatment is strictly contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, people with high blood pressure and chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to look for other ways to neutralize the acid in the body.
Acids
Before considering ways to reduce acidity, it is important to understand what kind of acid in question and which acids are.
The acid that the human stomach produces is called hydrochloric. It is able to break down food that enters the stomach, but at normal concentration it does no harm to the walls of the stomach. Moreover, it is perfectly neutralized due to the composition of the gastric juice.
If a person consumes a large amount of protein food, then the acid in his body begins to be produced more. Over time, the acid continues to be produced in the same volume, even if a person has reduced the intake of proteins or stopped eating them altogether. The stomach needs time to rebuild, but for now, a person is forced to look for effective and safe ways than to neutralize hydrochloric acid.
It is important to know that there are no other acids in our stomach, and if they get there in any way, this can entail the most terrible consequences, up to the death of a person. Therefore, advice on how to neutralize sulfuric acid in the stomach makes no sense. Sulfuric acid is used to dry gases or as an additive to fertilizers; in the digestive organs it is not and should not be.
The same goes for intentions to neutralize phosphoric acid in the stomach, which cannot be there in any way, unless a person decides to add a rust remedy to his lunch. Therefore, when meeting such information in recipes or on the packaging of dietary supplements, you should be aware that you need to stay away from such funds.
But acetic acid in the form of an aqueous solution may well get into our stomach from the outside and do no harm if a reasonable dosage is observed. Salad dressings or meat marinades are often made from table vinegar. In its pure form, acetic acid is deadly, but even table vinegar can be very poisonous. In this case, you need to think not about how to neutralize acetic acid, but quickly call an ambulance and wash your stomach yourself, take any vegetable oil or a mixture of eggs and milk. It is strictly forbidden to give soda to the victims.
Preparations
Thus, it becomes obvious that the best way to deal with high acidity is proper nutrition. But if you consider the symptomatic treatment, then you can use medications to solve the problem. Despite the fact that alkali neutralizes acid and soda seems to be the only logical way to reduce the amount in the stomach, it must be remembered that the modern pharmaceutical industry copes with the task, creating drugs whose effectiveness directly correlates with their safety.
In order to reduce the production of excess acid in the stomach, drugs are traditionally used:
- Pantoprazole;
- Esomeprazole;
- Omeprazole.
To neutralize the already present increased acidity, two groups of drugs are used: antacids and alginates. In order to understand which drug to choose, it is necessary to consider both groups of drugs. But in any case, the doctor should prescribe the drug, and this information will help to understand the processes and the importance of adherence to treatment.
So, the work of the stomach is as follows:
- stomach cells secrete hydrochloric acid, which processes food and disinfects it;
- other cells secrete pepsin, which processes proteins in the food mass;
- glands stimulate motility and control the process of acid excretion;
- excess acid is neutralized by the mucus produced.
If the amount of acid in the stomach is increased, therefore, one of the described mechanisms goes wrong.
Antacids
Antacids are drugs that neutralize acid in the stomach by increasing the amount of mucus produced. Mucus protects the walls of the stomach, reduces acidity, and the person instantly feels relief. In addition, antacids are able to absorb all harmful substances.
Antacids can be divided into two groups: “absorbable” and “non-absorbable” - this term indicates whether the drug will enter the bloodstream from the stomach or not. Of course, the process of absorption of antacid into the stomach is extremely undesirable. Therefore, the use of such drugs is necessary, like soda, only in case of emergency. Examples of this include:
- "Rennie";
- Tams
- Vicain
- "Vicair."
Non-absorbable antacids are more modern and safer drugs. They quickly and gently reduce the level of acidity in the stomach and are excreted from the body with feces, without subsequently causing an even more pronounced rise in acid, as often happens after taking soda.
These drugs include:
- "Relzer";
- "Gastracid";
- Gaviscon;
- "Maalox";
- "Rutocide";
- Almagel;
- Magalfil;
- "Phosphalugel";
- Topalkan.
Alginates
Alginates are polysaccharides that, after consumption, form a film on the surface of the gastric juice that prevents acid from entering the esophagus and causing a feeling of heartburn. Like antacids, they act quickly and, among other things, have no contraindications.
In addition, they are methods of absorbing acid, thereby reducing its concentration in the stomach. The special composition of alginates has a beneficial effect on the gastric mucosa, protecting it from erosion - an almost inevitable phenomenon for the stomach with an increased level of acidity. Thanks to this local improvement in immunity, the body can cope with the problem until the acidity is normalized by proper nutrition or by eliminating the factors that cause it.
You can find alginates (drugs that neutralize stomach acid) in a pharmacy under the following names:
Thus, the best way to get rid of the increased acidity of the stomach is to eliminate the cause of the pathology and apply the right symptomatic therapy in the form of a medicine with proven efficacy and safety.