What is acidity and all about it?
Updated: Mar 10

As per request from many of you, I will be starting a series on diseases commonly faced in our daily lives. To start with, I intend to start with Acidity. According to a task force set up by the Indian society of gastroenterology, about 20 % of the urban population are suffering from some or other form of acidity.
Acidity is mostly used as an umbrella term for various discomfort and symptoms of the digestive system. In clinical practice, I have often heard terms like gastritis, gastric problem, hyper acidity, acid reflux, gas problem used to express the discomfort in the gastrointestinal region. In Ayurveda, the condition is classified as Amlapitta. Before exploring more from the ayurvedic perspective, it will be useful to list all the symptoms which can be experienced due to acidity.
Heartburn (Burning pain in the upper chest area)
Bloating
Regurgitation: Sour or bitter liquid felt in the throat
Nausea and vomiting
Headache
Feeling like something is stuck in the throat
Fullness of the abdomen
Dry throat
Chronic dry cough
Frequent hiccups
Chronic/ recurrent sore throat
Change in voice or hoarseness
Acid reflux in lying position sometimes in the middle of the night
Burping
Pain/and burning in the abdomen