Keasidan

The common causes of acidity include

• Stomach contents flowing back into the food pipe, often because the valve between them doesn’t prevent reflux well.
• Being overweight, smoking, alcohol use, some eating habits, and certain medicines, which are associated with reflux.
• Pregnancy and hiatus hernia, which can make reflux more likely.
• Heartburn related to food ingestion
• Stress and increased cortisol levels

Ayurveda classifies the etiopathological triggers (Nidana) of acidity under four broad domains:

Aharaja Hetu – Dietary Factors

• Heavy (Guru), oily (Snigdha), sour (Amla), salty (Lavana), spicy (Katu) and fatty foods.
• Incompatible food combinations, eating before the previous meal is digested, eating at irregular intervals and overeating.
• Processed junk foods, caffeine, carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus fruits and fermented products overstimulate acid secretion.

Factors of the Lifestyle – Viharaja Hetu

• Sleeping in the daytime immediately after meals and disturbed sleep or keeping awake at night for long disrupt biological rhythms.
• Suppressing the natural urges of the body like hunger, sleep or the urge to defecate hinders the motility of digestion.

Psychological Factors – Manasika Hetu
Chronic emotional stress is exemplified by the classic triad of “hurry, worry and curry”. Psychological stress activates the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to increased cortisol and catecholamines.

• Anger, anxiety and grief are some of the emotions that negatively affect the mind and digestive system, leading to irregular digestion.

External and Systemic Causes – Agantuja Hetu

• Regular use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin, corticosteroids and antibiotics causes irritation of the gastric mucosa.
• Obesity, pregnancy, hiatal hernia, H. pylori infection and smoking are examples of things that relax the lower oesophageal sphincter.