The human body is a complex interconnected mechanism, the slightest violation of which turns into a global failure. Digestion is fundamental to its functioning.
Small deviations in the work of the stomach affect the state of the body as a whole. The well-being of the digestive system is significantly affected by the indicators of gastric juice. According to the statistics of visits to medical institutions, gastritis with a low level of acidity makes up a fourth of the registered diagnoses of a chronic disease. This condition of the disease progresses over time and with age, 60% of patients show symptoms of low stomach acid. That is why the diagnosis is most often determined by older people.
What is stomach acidity?
For the digestion of food in the human stomach is digestive juice, which contains hydrochloric acid and enzymes. A sign that the organ is in order is acidity, or rather the amount of acid in the gastric juice. Acidity is measured in pH.
1 pH - a sign of an increase in the parameter (maximum acid content), 7 pH - a neutral balance of alkali and acid, 14 pH - an indicator of lowacidity (maximum amount of alkali).
The content of hydrochloric acid in a normally functioning stomach is constant (0.3-0.5% or 160 mmol/l). Up to 2.5 liters of hydrochloric acid is produced per day in a he althy organ. To neutralize it, alkaline components (bicarbonates) are produced in the stomach, thereby maintaining a normal, he althy acidity of the digestive juice. The slightest change in the balance of the content of both components in the stomach leads to an increase or decrease in acidity. Hydrochloric acid performs the following functions in the body:
- promotes rapid protein degradation;
- creates an acidic environment so food is digested faster;
- antibacterial action;
- breaks down metal molecules for quick absorption.
The acidity of the stomach is determined in two ways: using the aspiration method or intragastric pH-metry.
Causes of stomach acidity
The cells that make up the mucosa of the body produce gastric juice, it supports the digestive processes responsible for the proper absorption of substances. The acid content rises or falls due to:
- Wrong diet. Excessive consumption of fatty and spicy, alcoholic drinks, irregular meals in small volumes, or large quantities of food at a time.
- Badly chewed food. The acid balance will be disturbed if the stomach receives a lot of insufficiently chewed food.
- Medicines. Thanks to aspirin, paracetamol, analgin and hormonal drugs that negatively affect the gastric mucosa.
- Stress. Under its influence, a person stops eating right or starts drinking alcohol, which also has a negative effect on the stomach.
- Smoking. It is especially hard after cigarettes for a hungry body. Toxins will interact with the mucosa with the greatest possible force.
- Helicobacter pylori. Bacteria that cause gastritis and peptic ulcers. After entering the human stomach, they produce enzymes that can damage the mucous membrane.
- Infections. Influenza can cause complications that affect the lining of the stomach.
Symptoms and treatments for low acidity depend on the cause.
How to detect low acidity at home?
Few have the desire to stand in long queues at the clinic to see a doctor to determine their diagnosis. Often low stomach acid has the following symptoms:
- The most common symptom is rotten breath followed by belching that smells like rotten eggs.
- Nausea in the morning, complete or partial lack of appetite, a feeling of heaviness or dull pain in the stomach after eating will also tell about the disease.
- Defecation problems such as constipation or diarrhea are common symptoms of low stomach acid.
- Bloating, flatulence, rumbling, bloating - incomplete digestion leads toprocess.
- Using chewing gum after meals greatly relieves the condition.
- Due to a decrease in the acidity of the stomach, the body's resistance to various types of mycoses decreases - fungal infections of the mucous membranes, skin, nail plates. In addition, there is a high probability of infectious diseases and the development of oncological neoplasms.
- Violation of the digestion process leads to a deterioration in appearance: the appearance of skin acne and dilated blood vessels on the face, brittle and dry hair, exfoliating and brittle nails, dry skin of the hands and face.
- One of the manifestations of low acidity is the presence of undigested food particles in the feces.
Other diagnostic methods
Initially, it is necessary to monitor exactly what stimuli the body reacts to, which subsequently secretes gastric juice. In order to avoid a number of unwanted diseases, such as gastritis or stomach ulcers, and simply not to resort to medication, it is important to determine low acidity at an early stage.
- Distinctive features in a person after eating, there may be severe heartburn, accompanied by belching with a sour, not pleasant aftertaste.
- People with this condition may experience symptoms such as solar plexus pain and poor bowel movements.
- There is a possibility that ulcers or some other pathology have formed on the mucosa. Therefore, it cannot be said with firm certainty that the disease is onearly stage of development.
- Relative signs of increased acidity, with the exception of heartburn and belching, will also be a deterioration in the well-being of the body as a whole.
- Constant desire to eat something sour. Such sensations can occur even with visual attention to foods such as lemon, sauerkraut or apples.
- The same symptoms may appear with a significant intake of foods high in protein, this draws attention to the presence of a problem.
- When drinking carbonated lemonades, eating fatty and fried foods, drinking alcohol, as well as various sweets, there is heartburn, severe belching.
- All this is coupled with severe pain in the stomach and frequent constipation.
- After waking up, in the morning, there is a taste of copper in the mouth.
- After taking anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a cutting pain.
- Dishes that previously seemed very tasty are beginning to disgust.
- Feeling completely worsening.
Other indicators
In addition to all the symptoms described earlier, there are also indicators that inform a person about low acidity. After eating something spicy, fatty, headaches may occur. Unremarkable environmental factors make a person irritated and nervous, for no apparent reason. A yellow coating forms on the surface of the tongue, unpleasantly smelling, which is almost impossible to remove. In order to avoid various kinds of diseases and consequences, towhich they can lead, the first step is to review the daily diet. Bad habits, smoking, alcohol adversely affect the gastric mucosa, so it is better to give them up. It is necessary to form and adhere, as far as possible, to a diet, excluding from it those foods and drinks that adversely affect the stomach. Thus, acidity can be predicted in everyday life, however, it will not be superfluous to contact a specialist.
Low Acid Treatment
Only a thorough diagnosis and treatment of low stomach acid will help identify the problem. Unfortunately, there are not so many remedies in the pharmacy assortment to deal with the problem. Very often, hydrochloric acid preparations and substances that help produce acid are prescribed to increase acidity. In addition, folk methods for increasing the acidity of the stomach are recommended for use. Herbs such as calamus, wormwood, peppermint will help improve digestion. For any disease, self-diagnosis and self-treatment are unacceptable, it is necessary to undergo an examination at the clinic and receive a full doctor's prescription, according to the disease.
Diet for this pathology
The acid-reducing diet is divided into 2 types:
- Gentle.
- Stimulating.
Sparing nutrition creates conditions that normalize the functioning of the digestive tract, eliminating the inflammatory process. It is prescribed when the inflammation has just passed into the active phase. For this purpose, food that can thermally, mechanically or chemically irritate the walls of the gastrointestinal tract is excluded from the diet. So food should be:
- Slightly above room temperature, boiled and finely grated.
- Fried or too baked dishes are prohibited, it is recommended to increase the amount of cereal decoctions, jelly, soft-boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, jelly desserts on the menu.
- Everything that has fiber is prohibited (it can injure the mucous membrane), solid connective tissue.
- Limit garlic, onion, meat and fish broths.
- No pickles and alcohol. The duration of such a diet is 7 days.
Stimulation diet for low acidity is administered to stimulate gastric activity. It involves the mandatory chopping or cutting of all products, without exception. Meals are taken every 2-3 hours. Little by little, foods that affect the secretion of hydrochloric acid are added to the food menu, these are: parsley, carrots, raspberries, lemons, oranges and crackers. Moderate consumption of fermented milk products is allowed, but prohibited:
- butter;
- fried;
- containing fiber;
- canned food;
- spicy.
Alcoholic drinks and tobacco are strictly prohibited. The duration of the diet is determined by the doctor, based on the patient's condition.
Recommendations for adjusting acidity (if it is low)
- First of all, you need to start eating small meals more than 4 times a day, and go to bed after at least threehours after dinner.
- It is important to give up spicy and sour, so as not to provoke a surge in the amount of gastric juice.
- Also, do not take medications again and get into stressful situations.
- Make sure you get your full daily protein intake.
- Be sure to regularly consume cereals such as rice, oatmeal, semolina.
- Meat consumed should be lean and not combined with heavy carbohydrates.
- Coffee, strong tea and carbonated drinks should be avoided.
- However, keep a close eye on your water intake throughout the day.
- You should also give up fried foods. It may well be replaced by steamed and boiled food.
- With low stomach acidity, fractional food is much better absorbed. Soufflé and puree are ideal choices.
He althy foods for this disease include soups with cereals, low-fiber vegetables, mint tea. To get vegetable protein, in addition to salads, you can eat raw nuts. When the condition is normalized, it is useful to drink milk. It regulates the acid level. You can fix this state with honey, which will bring life-giving elements and protect the walls of the stomach from damage. Aloe vera tea is helpful. It perfectly restrains the increase and decrease in acidity in the stomach.
Low acidity and psychosomatics
People with low acidity tend to be infantile and indifferent. This is far fromdetached, uninitiated individuals, but their level of social responsibility leaves much to be desired.
Reduced acidity in the stomach kills any anger and determination that help a person overcome difficulties and bring the job to the end. Thus, at the slightest obstacles, such people leave everything to chance, and also hope that subsequent problems will disappear on their own.
When interacting with such a person, it is important to remember that he is absolutely unaware of the difficulties that will follow him for this or that choice. And even if you explain to him all the upcoming problems, his psyche will crowd out their importance and the person will not take them seriously.
Often there is a sharp decline in acidity - from high to low. Then apathy, drowsiness and weakness take possession of the person. In such a situation, you should take an urgent vacation and go to rest during a breakdown. Active recreation is excluded, however, a variety of boarding houses and sanatoriums will help restore the balance of the nervous system. It is important to minimize all incoming responsibilities so that you do not get into the habit of dropping things halfway through.
Acidity and psychosomatics
There is a method of how to increase low acidity without medication and folk remedies. To do this, you need to change your psychological type. The portrait of people suffering from high acidity is the same in almost all cases. He is an overworked man who has taken on more thanhe can do.
The degree of responsibility on him is much higher than the resources of his nervous system. As a result, a person becomes a regular aggressive state of mind. However, his anger is not aimed at others, but at himself. Such a person blames only himself for his failures.
This disease has become almost professional among dispatchers, pilots, machinists responsible for safety at hazardous facilities. It's all about their responsibility. Therefore, such people carefully monitor their diet, since they cannot be indifferent to their work - people may die. So you have to work on the brink of gastritis.
In a situation where people's lives do not depend on you, but the acidity of the stomach rises regularly, you need to learn to calm down. It is important to know that no task assigned by others is one hundred percent binding. If the requirements for doing the job are higher than the available forces, then you need to forget about it. Thus, one should shed all obligations that exceed the available resource, and leave only feasible tasks.
