Acidity is a common problem and according to doctors, it affects more than half of the urban Indian population, but each time you pop in a pill for that painful bubbling, undying pressure, you get one step closer to kidney damage.

A large-scale study done on nearly 11,000 people for almost 14 years found that most of the popular heartburn medicines, like – Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid and Pepcid among others, made people prone to fractures, pneumonia, gut infections and chronic kidney ailments. Ouch! Now that’s some real heartburn.

Acid Reflux Medicine Associated With Kidney Damage

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University studied the medical records of more than 11,000 people and after adjusting various variables, they found that popular heartburn drugs were associated with a 20 to 50% higher risk of kidney disease.

Chronic kidney ailments can lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant. Around 17% of the Indian population suffers from some sort of kidney disease, according to a study done by New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Kidney damage can lead to all kinds of heart problems and increase your risk of death.

Desi Nuskhe for Acidity

Before you reach for a heavy-duty pill, try these home remedies to get relief from that unrelenting overall gross storm that’s brewing up in your stomach:

Start your day with a warm cup of water and lemon juice. It is a myth that heartburn is produced when the stomach produces acid, many times it can be because there is too little acid in your body for the food to digest. So a cup of water with lemon juice on an empty stomach will balance out the acid levels.

Lose the excess weight: People who are overweight tend to suffer more because abdominal fat interferes with the oesophagus function. Research shows that losing just 10% of your body fat can improve acid reflux symptoms.

Anti-heartburn diet: Opt for oatmeals and bananas in breakfast instead of that sugary doughnut because high-fat foods are known to cause heartburn. Bananas naturally fight stomach acids so the combination is killer.

Avoid onions, ketchup, spicy, oily foods and grab the leafy green vegetable, egg whites, lean meat, fish and potatoes. You can’t tell how acidic a food is by looking at it. Google its pH value, the lower the pH, the higher the acid. Aim for foods with pH higher than 5 for lesser acidity.

Try eating raw almonds, they produce alkaline which can balance your pH because they are a good source of calcium.

Mix one teaspoon of baking soda in half a cup of water and gulp it down - not tasty but really effective.

Chamomile, mint or fenugreek tea also help in reducing acid reflux symptoms.

Lastly, sleep on your left side. Research says that sleeping on your right side or the stomach can increase heartburn.

Also Read: 6 Ridiculous Health Trends That Need to Die in 2016