Overview of Balancing Acid – Alkaline With Ayurveda
We often feel restless, clumsy, tired, heavy and lethargic. But do we know why it happens? What goes wrong within the body for such lame feeling? Have we ever tried to understand our body and find a cure for it?
This lame feeling occurs when there is acid – alkaline is imbalanced. Thus, it becomes necessary to give our body rest to restore it’s acid – alkaline balance and boost up energy and health.
In Ayurveda, Pitta Dosha is responsible for the emotions of stress, anger, impatience and can cause the mind to become acidic, which inturn have effects on the body like heartburn, acid reflux, and hair loss. These are some temporary effects, but in the long run can adversely affect the body by medical conditions like IBS, ulcers and chronic indigestion.
The pH scale usually ranges from 1 viz. highly acidic to 14 viz. Highly alkaline. According to Ayurveda, the ideal pH of the human body ranges from 7.30 to 7.45. Any number below this is considered as acidic.
According to Ayurveda, there are three primary forces present within the human body. These are known as biological entities or what Ayurveda calls Doshas. It is these Doshas that are the causative factors behind the disease in the body.
The Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, are governed by a variety of natural elements like air, water, space, fire and soil, which determines the life processes of growth and decay within a human body. Vata is governed by air and space, Pitta dosha is governed by water, and Kapha Dosha is governed by soil and water.
Pitta Dosha, being governed by the biological fire, relates to bile juice of the digestive system. It is the Pitta Dosha that is responsible for digesting everything that is in the body. Pitta Dosha governs all the chemical and metabolic reactions in the human body, while also governing a sense of mental balance.
An imbalance of the Pitta Dosha can cause a range of intolerable conditions that lead to a variety of health disorders. Keeping all three Doshas at their balanced levels is necessary for good health, and in case of an excess of any Dosha, cleansing of the body is also important. If you are wondering how to reduce Pitta immediately, it’s necessary to understand that, bringing it to normal levels and maintaining it, takes time. Maintaining a good lifestyle which includes a healthy diet, exercises and Ayurvedic health supplements can help to integrate Pitta Dosha level.
Pitta is associated with fire and water. The three Doshas when balanced help to ensure good health. If any of the Doshas is disbalanced, it leads to poor health. The Pitta Dosha when becomes imbalanced leads to excess Pitta in the body. This causes health disorders. In such a condition, you need to cleanse the body of excess Pitta.
Pitta is known to be the fire within the body but exists in the form of water or oil. When it is exclaimed that it exists as water or oil, it exists in the form of acid as it cannot exist in the body like fire.
The word Pitta is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘tapa’ which means heat. Pitta Dosha looks over digestion, metabolism, and transformation within the body. The effect of Pitta on the body leads to increase in heat. This leads to inflammation, anger, heat buildup in the body, anxiety and many other symptoms.
Some effects of Pitta Dosha are:
1.Heat increase in the body causes discomfort.
2.Inflammation in the body leads to joint pain.
3.Stomach heat increases and leads to heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers.
4.Diarrhea and constipation
5.Mental heat increases which causes anger, irritation, and frustration.
6.Increased sweating and body odour.
7.Increased hunger and thirst.
8.Headaches with burning pain in the head.
9.Sore throat with infection.
The above lays a deep context why having a balanced amount of Pitta is necessary for our body. But how do we balance it? Are there some remedies for it?
Yes, there are several remedies, but in Ayurveda, remedies are entirely focused on what is to be ingested. If a good dietary plan is followed, the Pitta Dosha will all be good. It completely depends on what we intake and later what we think, our thoughts, which also affects the Doshas.
Below are some Ayurvedic diets that can be followed in order to neutralize the acid reflux within the body.
1.Oil pulling: In this, the mouth is rinsed with oil. It’s said that the enzymes in the raw fat pull out the toxins and excess acidity.
2.Tweaking the coffee: The people having the habit of drinking coffee are suggested to add cardamom powder into it. As coffee is highly acidic, cardamom contains an acid that neutralizes acid.
3.Alkaline diet: This food may include fruits, vegetables, green tea, olives, etc. It is also necessary to reduce the intake of alcohol, meat, sugar and other dairy products.
4.Adding turmeric in food: Turmeric is the best anti- pitta herb due to its blood and liver cleansing properties.
5.Changing mindset: Negative thoughts and emotions have the ability to accumulate acidity within the body. Thus, it’s necessary to keep our mind in a positive environment where self criticism, judgements, etc, aren’t present.
6.Self massaging: It involves pulling out toxins via massage therapy, which inturn helps to maintain the acid – alkaline levels in the body.
It’s necessary to focus on the above natural remedies rather than having medicine. It’s about taking care of one’s body and soul. Once that care is taken, a harmony is established within the body, which then helps to let go the toxins out of the body.
