Stomach acidity problems are one of the banes of modern living. This problem could lead to some pretty troublesome problems like peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, and even to a case of pneumonia that can follow on from GERD. The reason for acidity or the body creating too much stomach acids are a few. These include eating at improper meal times, eating food that is acidic in nature, stress, and smoking. Eventually, the excessive amounts of stomach acid will cause the lining of the stomach to be inflamed. Further, the stomach acids can attack the esophageal sphincter and cause reflux to occur. These problems can eventually cause some form of cancers in the stomach, esophagus, and even pneumonia from foods or fluids in the food pipe going into the lungs.
Reducing stomach acidity with the use of medicines is traditionally done using antacids. These are alkaline substances that contain some kind of carbonate that will react with the stomach acid and neutralize it. This is a quick fix mechanism. Other more intensive methods include the use of proton-pump inhibitors and sucralfate. Proton-pump inhibitors are a class of drugs that include omerprazole and pantoprazole. These work by inhibiting the creation of hydrochloric acid in the parietal cells of the stomach. Some kinds of antihistamines can also work in this regard since histamine release is a major part of the chain reaction towards the production of stomach acid.
Naturally, the best way to prevent acidity is to switch from fatty and sugary foods to foods that are more suited to the human palette. These include vegetables and white meat – especially sea food. Vegetables that are not overcooked will use up a lot of hydrochloric acid to be broken down. Additionally, most plant matter is very alkaline in nature and this is the neutralizing factor for acid. A natural substitute for antacids is to have a fruit dessert after every meal. Eating times are a major contributing factor in chronic acidity. You need to ensure that you eat three square meals a day and if you ever have to snack in between these meal times, it should only consist of plant matter like carrots and other such finger foods. Milk and carbonated drinks should be substantially reduced because these can increase the acid production in the stomach. Milk is less potent at causing damage than carbonated drinks but is an acidic food at the end of the day.