Diseases associated with excess acid secretion

Diseases associated with excess acid secretion –

Ayurvedic views and an integrated approach

By: Dr. Vijay Singh Chauhan, M. D. (Ayu)

Piramal Life Sciences Limited, Mumbai, India

The occurrence of the diseases related to acid-peptic problems has substantially gone up in the last couple of decades, owing to the stress, erratic food habits and life style. The management of these problems keeps switching over from antacids to surgeries to H 2 antagonists to muco-protectives and so on. In ancient times, as the facilities did not exist to detect the exact location and presentation pattern of structure-functional disorders caused by excess acid secretion, the acid-peptic conditions were described under the titles of ‘Amla-pitta’, i.e., hyperacidity or chronic functional dyspepsia and the with severe pain were termed as ‘Gulma’ or ‘Shoola’.

Functional Dyspepsia Vis-à-vis Amla Pitta:

(Closely resembling to chronic dyspepsias and gastritis) This disease is claimed to be the result of vitamin of a vital humoral component ‘Pitta’ – which, in its normalcy, is responsible for physiologic enzymatic functions. Vitiated in G.I.T., Pitta produces ‘Amla-Pitta’ and is thrown out of body in the form of regurgitate reflexes and produces symptoms like nausea, excess thirst, vomiting, sour eructations, abdominal pain/discomfort, burning, severe indigestion, occasionally fever and some other systemic problems. The treatment of ‘Amla-Pitta’ should comprise of the reduction of acidity and alleviation of pain by correcting digestion/appetite, control of vomitings and improvement of general health.

Gastric & Duodenal Ulcers Vis-à-vis Annadrava & Parinama Shoolas:

The clear description of gastric and duodenal ulcers in Ayurveda was first presented before the world in 8-900 A.D in ‘Madhav Nidan’ in the chapter of Shoola Nidana. The word ‘Shoola’ actually stands for throbbing, pricking or colicky pain which, in absence of facilities to detect the underlying cause, must have been given the status of an independent disease entity. Among the 8 types of Shoolas described in ‘Madhav Nidana’ the clinical features of Annadrava Shoola & Parinama Shoola clearly match with the symptoms of gastric and duodenal ulcer respectively.

In this presentation, an attempt is being made to highlight as to how, even today a logical Ayurvedic therapy could help control the acid-peptic diseases in a holistic way.