How To Eliminate Stomach Acid Problems Naturally?
Stomach acid is also known as gastric acid. It is secreted in the stomach and helps to digest the food that an individual has taken. The level of gastric acid in the stomach is controlled automatically by the body. Too little or too much of it will lead to digestive disorders which may be in the form of stomach bloating, burping or belching, flatulence, etc. Doctors treat digestive disorders through medications. One of the common ways that doctors try to deal with such sort of a problem is by prescribing proton pump inhibitors.
Proton pump inhibitors are drugs that will stop acid production in the stomach and thereby reduce stomach pressure. This will result in less gastric reflux and the amount of heartburn is minimized finally. The major problem with proton pump inhibitors is that they stop calcium that is found in the food from being absorbed into the body.
Therefore, the amount of calcium in the body is reduced. When the body requires calcium, it will draw from teeth and bones. This results in osteoporosis which is a disease condition. The bone mineral density is reduced making the bones brittle and prone to fractures.
Besides that horrible side effect, the drugs stop our digestive system from digesting our foods in a timely fashion, and the longer your food stays in your stomach the more stomach pressure and problems you will have. Although there are many different conditions that can cause stomach acid problems the most common cause is being overly acidic.
Stress, anger and frustration are factors that lead to acidity and so is our diet. If we consume an acidic diet like meat and grains and not enough fruits and veggies our body will become acidic. Spicy foods can also negatively affect the digestion process and cause the stomach over-produce acids which can lead to gastritis and be very painful.
The first place you should start when trying to stop stomach acid is to check your pH levels. This can be accomplished by purchasing some "litmus paper" at the health food store and doing a test at home which will tell you your acidic levels. Even though the test is very easy to do, doctors for some reason never do it.
The normal value is around 7.3 to 7.4 which is slightly alkaline. The ideal time for carrying out the tests would be in the mornings and evenings.