How is the acidity of the human stomach determined? How to determine the acidity of the stomach at home: methods and methods. What methods are suitable for home conditions

An increase or decrease in the acidity of the stomach is evidence of how well and smoothly the digestive system works. That is why it is very important to know how to check the acidity of the stomach at home. There are several methods that will allow you to independently carry out such a check and get 100% accurate data.

Everyone needs to know the acidity of the stomach. The fact is that this is one of the most important indicators of how smoothly and successfully the human body works. Pay attention to the fact that the normal gastric environment is acidity.

The main merit in this is given to hydrochloric acid, which in the normal state is produced by the glands of the mucous surface of the stomach for the protection and neutralization of food of not the highest quality. An increase or decrease in the presented indicator affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and the whole organism as a whole, and can also lead to a number of serious diseases.

In order to prevent their occurrence, it is recommended to resort to independent measures, which will be discussed later. It is these procedures that will be the prevention of a number of diseases:

photohyperacid gastritis;
ulcerative lesions of the stomach or duodenum;
inflammation of the mucous surface of the esophagus;
aggravation of the condition of the lower esophageal sphincter (a muscle that is located on the border with the stomach);
deterioration in the functioning of certain organs, namely the pancreas, small intestine or gallbladder.

The presented pathological conditions are much easier to prevent initially than to attempt subsequent deliverance. To determine the level of acidity, it is recommended to resort to several simple and affordable methods.

Instructions - how to find out the acidity of the stomach at home

In order to identify the type of acidity, it will be possible to use familiar and affordable products. One of these is lemon, which tastes extremely sour to people who have been identified as predominantly acidic. While with low acidity, the pulp and juice of a lemon are consumed much easier - this does not cause any unpleasant or unusual sensations.

Other demonstrative techniques that you can use at any time at home:

Millet porridge with butter. If heartburn develops after using the indicated dish, this is an obvious indication of an increased level of stomach acidity.
Apple juice, which is also recommended to control the type of acidity, is done on an empty stomach. If we are talking about increased rates, unpleasant and even painful sensations in the abdomen appear. If there are no such sensations, then the ratio is normal. In the same case, when a person has a desire to consume apple juice or other types of acidic foods, one can confidently speak of a decrease in the level of acidity.

What are the best mistakes to avoid

When attempting to independently determine the current state of gastric juice, it is necessary to avoid the most common and annoying attempts. As a result, they can lead to obtaining incorrect data that will not allow for a full and effective treatment.

First of all, it should be borne in mind that it will not be possible to identify the acidity of gastric juice using litmus paper.

They say that for this it will be more than enough to place the indicator on the tongue area (in this case, the paper will be wetted with saliva) and, depending on the pH level, the shade will change. However, in this way it will be possible to identify the state not of gastric juice, but of saliva, so the verification method is not informative.

Next on the list of unjustified methods is the method involving the use of baking soda. It is advised to mix it with water and consume it in the morning on an empty stomach. If a pronounced eructation occurs, it is supposedly possible to talk about an excess of acid in the stomach. However, the method is not informative, because acid is always present in this area, albeit in a small amount.

Due to certain characteristics of the body or an improper diet in recent times, the indicators may be slightly overestimated, but this does not at all indicate hyperacidity. Thus, baking soda is not recommended for use at home to identify stomach acidity.

The acidity of the stomach is an important indicator of the state of the internal environment of a person and his health in general. In various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, acidity changes depending on the function of the site, and changes in this indicator in one direction or another can lead to the development of a whole galaxy of various diseases. Determining the acidity of the stomach helps in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and everyone should be able to recognize the symptoms that accompany acid-base shifts in the stomach.

Normally, the composition of gastric juice includes both hydrochloric acid and bicarbonates, which have an alkaline reaction of the environment, that is, in different departments, alternately, and sometimes simultaneously, processes of acid and base synthesis take place. For the mucous membranes that line the entire gastrointestinal tract, both extremes are dangerous because they are an aggressive environment. But together they neutralize each other, holding back the damaging effect.

Gradually passing through these areas, the contents of the stomach physiologically move along the digestive tract, breaking down into molecules that the body is able to assimilate. Most enzymes are secreted in an inactive form so that the stomach wall is not digested with food, and they become active at a specific acidity for each section.

The acidity of the stomach normally varies for each department, depending on the time of day and food intake. In the cavity of the stomach on an empty stomach, acidity is in the range of 1.5-2 pH, and approaching the transition to the duodenum, the pH shifts to a neutral and even slightly alkaline side (up to 7.4). In the epithelial layer, the acidity should be neutral.

Only if the acidity is appropriate, digestion will be effective, and the gastrointestinal mucosa will remain intact.

Why is it necessary to maintain a certain acidity?

The oral cavity is inhabited by a huge number of microorganisms, which, with adequate functioning of the immune system, do not pose a danger to a healthy person. Mixing with food, they enter the stomach, which acts as the main factor in protecting against infection precisely due to the acid reaction of gastric juice. Hydrochloric acid neutralizes most of the bacteria that enter the stomach, preventing them from entering the intestines, where they can be absorbed into the systemic circulation.

In the stomach, the first stage of the breakdown of complex molecules occurs under the action of its own enzyme systems. The wall of the stomach is rich in glands that produce various enzymes, in particular pepsinogen.

Pepsinogen is an inactive form of the enzyme pepsin that breaks down proteins. Hydrochloric acid converts inactive pepsinogen into active pepsin. Hydrochloric acid is also involved in the breakdown of proteins, having an independent proteolytic effect.

Like any other acid, HCl has a mild irritant effect. By stimulating motility and irritating receptors, hydrochloric acid becomes a trigger for the movement of food from the stomach into the duodenum.

Why measure acidity?

Measurement of acidity in the stomach is prescribed for an accurate diagnosis, changes in this indicator indicate a developing pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.

Depending on the direction in which the acid-base state has shifted, one can find the cause that caused the disease. Only by normalizing acidity can effective therapy be achieved.

Methods for determining acidity

The lowest accuracy and approximate information in the hospital gives probeless method based on the detection of different staining of urine using ion-exchange resins. More widespread in this line of products received "Acidotest". The kit includes several tablets with:

dye;
ion exchange resins;
stimulant of secretion of gastric juice.

Resins are inert for the body and are not absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, which means they cannot appear in the urine, as well as the dye, which is in a strong complex with them. But the dye is easily displaced by hydrogen ions coming from hydrochloric acid. Depending on how many ions from hydrochloric acid have displaced the dye, the urine will be stained differently. A color scale is attached to the kit, according to which one or another condition is judged.

Probing of the stomach will more accurately tell about the state of acidity: gastric contents are sucked off, the acidity of which is measured in the laboratory. This method is not physiological, as there is a mixing of liquids from different departments, which have different acidity. The result is an average figure with low reliability.

The process of sounding the stomach

During the it is also possible to determine the acidity of the stomach by irrigating the mucosa through a flexible endoscope with a special indicator of acidity. The method is visual and also not very accurate.

Carrying out intragastric pH-metry is considered the gold standard and the most informative way to determine acidity. This method not only gives an accurate pH value, but also reflects the complete picture of the distribution of acid in the stomach in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract or even at different times of the day.

How to suspect an acid disorder at home?

To determine the acidity of the stomach, you can use a simple test with litmus paper, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. The test strip should be placed on the tongue for a few seconds.

It is important to conduct a study either 2 hours after a meal, or an hour before a meal. Remember that you should not drink juices and carbonated drinks on this day, they can distort the result, limit yourself to clean drinking water. It is best to repeat the experiment on different days, and then see the average result.

Litmus paper is a simple indicator for changing the pH of a medium.

Changes in the color of the paper will indicate the acid-base state of the gastric juice:

red (or pink) color - acidic environment;
purple color - neutral environment.

Another way is based on the psychosomatic reaction of the body. It is enough to mentally imagine the taste and smell of lemon and listen to your feelings. Lack of secretion or increased secretion of saliva are signs of a change in the environment in the stomach.

Obviously, at home it is impossible to accurately determine "your" acidity in the stomach. But everyone can assume a violation, it’s enough just to follow your feelings during the day.

Acidity

Most often, an increase in pH in the stomach accompanies the development of so-called acid-dependent diseases. These include hyperacid duodenitis and gastritis, peptic ulcers of the duodenum and stomach, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

pain that occurs after eating (1-2 hours later);
sour belching;
burning and heaviness in the abdomen (heartburn);
nausea (in rare cases, vomiting);
constipation.

Decreased acidity

Reduced acidity of gastric juice is a common pathology that is almost asymptomatic until the moment when atrophic gastritis develops. Low secretion of hydrochloric acid leads to a weakening of the antimicrobial barrier, which leads to frequent intestinal infections, weakening of the motility of the stomach and intestines.

The symptom complex characteristic of this condition:

bad breath;
lack of appetite;
weakness, chronic fatigue;
tendency to constipation or diarrhea;
anemia;
tendency to allergic reactions;
flatulence (increased formation of gases in the gastrointestinal tract);
recurrent indigestion.

How to normalize acidity?

With an increased level of acidity in the stomach, anticholinergic drugs, such as atropine and platifillin, have shown their effectiveness. The aggressiveness of gastric contents is also reduced by:

antisecretory drugs (ranitidine, omeprazole);
antacids (rennie, gastal).

Potato and aloe juice, propolis tincture and natural honey have proven themselves among folk remedies. Carrot juice and warm milk can reduce gastric secretion and, accordingly, acidity. In addition, carrot juice reduces abdominal pain, having a weak analgesic effect.

It is much more difficult to increase the acidity in the stomach. Traditional medicine can also help: wormwood, calamus or peppermint. Herbal preparations from chamomile, St. John's wort and herbs (bitter wormwood) should be brewed in a thermos and taken half a glass half an hour before meals.

Drug therapy is prescribed only after a therapeutic diet has been prescribed and has had its effect. Replacement therapy includes hydrochloric acid preparations (acidin-pepsin) or drugs that stimulate the production of gastric juice. They cannot be taken independently and without constant monitoring by a specialist.

Nutrition with high levels of acidity

A therapeutic diet with an increased level of acidity is prescribed taking into account the degree of damage to the mucosa and the stage of the process.

During the period of exacerbation, first of all, it is necessary to reduce any irritation of the inflamed stomach: chemical, thermal or mechanical. Food should not be too hot or cold, spicy, salty and especially sour foods should be completely excluded from the diet. The patient should chew food well and eat small portions, but often. All products are steamed or boiled. An hour before meals, the patient is recommended to drink bicarbonate mineral water.

During the period of remission, it is allowed to add carbohydrates (wheat and rye bread, cookies, crackers), lean meat, soups cooked on vegetable broth to the diet. Still, it's best to stick to a steam diet and avoid spicy, salty, or acidic foods. Enveloping mucous membranes (natural jelly or oatmeal infusions) have a beneficial effect.

With this patient, a sanitary-educational conversation is conducted about the dangers of alcohol and smoking, which stimulate the secretion of the gastric glands, which is unacceptable in the position of a patient with an increased level of acidity.

Nutrition with a low level of acidity

Common mistakes in the treatment of low acidity are precisely the stimulation of secretion and attempts to artificially increase acidity. In no case should this be done, since the mucous membrane is in a weakened state, you should not load the stomach even more. First of all, it is necessary to prescribe a sparing diet with easily digestible foods.

As in the case with a high level of acidity, various cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat), rice, mashed potatoes will be the dish of choice. Products should be of a soft, uniform consistency and not hot in temperature. The patient can cook vegetable soups, steamed lean meat and fish, and even flour.
From the moment when the symptoms subside, you can begin to stimulate the secretion of gastric juice. Acidic fruit and tomato juices, marinades help in this. Vitamins will be useful for improving the general condition and as stimulants for the healing of the mucosa.

How to find out if the acidity of the stomach is increased or decreased? Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract) are most often associated precisely with a violation of the acid-base balance in the human body. One of the most important indicators of the functioning of metabolism in the body is its normal acid-base environment. And yet, people often ask a doctor how to determine the acidity of the stomach at home and what signs indicate its increase, as well as a decrease.

The food that has been chewed in the digestive process is sent to the stomach, richly mixed with the secretions of the salivary glands. There it is ground with the help of muscles, after which it mixes with gastric juice. It is secreted by the cell membranes of the gastric epithelium. The human body normally should produce at least 2.5 liters of such juice per day.

Gastric juice is a clear, colorless liquid. If a person is absolutely healthy, the juice consists of 0.5% hydrochloric acid, as well as enzyme particles involved in the process of splitting protein formations. It is she who has an antibacterial effect on the human body, and is also involved in ensuring the optimal level of acidity for the normal functioning of enzyme elements.

Without the presence of the necessary damper that performs protective functions, the acid, which is of a gastric nature, has a pronounced aggressive concentration. For this reason, the gastric mucosa secretes a protective lubricant that prevents its walls from burning. This process protects the stomach from self-digestion, since the secreted mucus is alkaline in nature.

Usually there are such types as:

normal;
reduced;
increased.

Acidity in the stomach is the amount of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. The reasons for its change in the body are various factors that you can identify yourself.

Reasons for changing acid levels

The production of a normal amount of acid in the stomach provides the necessary protection against the entry of pathogens into it.

The main reasons leading to the fact that the acidity in the stomach is increased or decreased are:

addiction to bad habits - alcoholic beverages, uncontrolled smoking, abuse of coffee or tea;
the predominance of spicy and fatty foods in the daily diet;
constant stress, depression;
taking antibiotics that have side effects;
state of beriberi;
burdened heredity.

When high acidity is noted, such diseases can occur against the background of a collapsing gastric mucosa, such as gastritis in a dangerous form, duodenal ulcer, bleeding in the stomach, and others. A decrease in acidity leads to the beginning of an accelerated reproduction of fungal diseases, viral cells, which - in turn - will lead to the development of such unpleasant and in some cases life-threatening pathologies as erosion, ulcers, gastritis, polyps, oncological neoplasms.

Keeping track of your own diet, moderate exercise, giving up bad habits is the best way to maintain an acid-base balance in a normal state.

Signs of high and low acid levels

Determining the acidity of the stomach is not an easy task. However, there are certain signs that indicate an increase in its level.

These include:

persistent heartburn;
pain and constant burning in the esophagus;
heaviness in the stomach;
constantly occurring belching, carrying an acidic smell and unpleasant taste sensations;
paroxysmal pain that comes during meals or immediately after it;
the presence of red walls in the oral cavity, accompanied by a whitish coating on the tongue;
gradual deterioration of well-being;
manifestation of pain attacks during sleep;
increased distraction.

Since it is quite easy to confuse a decrease and an increase in acidity, it is worth distinguishing the signs of one condition from the signs of another condition.

The main signs that the acidity of the stomach is lowered are:

the presence of bad breath with a hint of rot in the absence of dental problems;
the presence of belching with unpleasant taste sensations;
flatulence that occurs after each meal;
the presence of a taste of blood in the mouth;
loss of appetite;
the occurrence of anemia;
mental disorders.

To understand how to check the acidity of the stomach on your own, it is not enough to know the signs of its decrease or increase. Better get tested. However, there are certain ways to do this at home.

Ways to check the level of acidity at home

To know how to determine acidity in gastritis or other diseases, you need to follow some tricks.

You can establish whether it is reduced or increased using conventional products:

Baking soda, diluted in a glass of water and drunk on an empty stomach, should cause a burp. If it is not, then the acidity is reduced.
Lemon - in the case of high acidity, it will seem too sour to a person, and with a reduced level, the acid will practically not be felt.
Millet porridge with the addition of oil - when heartburn appears after eating it, they speak of high acidity.
Apple juice with an increase in acidity will cause discomfort, pain in the abdomen, with a decrease in its level, there will be a desire to eat something sour.

However, there is a surer way to find out the level of acidity - the use of litmus strips. They must be put on the tongue two hours before meals and held for several minutes, and then compared with the color scheme attached to the strips. From 6.6 to 7 - acidity is at a normal level, below 6.6 - reduced. It is recommended to carry out such tests for several days to obtain a reliable result.

You can check the level of acidity at home, but it is more reliable to consult a doctor and take special tests.