Gastritis is a group of conditions that causes inflammation in the lining of the stomach. There are two main forms of gastritis, which are acute and chronic. Acute gastritis occurs all of a sudden, while the chronic type appears slowly over time. 

Gastritis can increase your chances of having ulcers. If you do not treat it in time, it can even lead to stomach cancer. 

In most cases, it is not serious and can improve with treatment. There are effective treatments in Ayurveda for gastritis.

Your stomach has a protective lining of mucus cells to protect it from its own digestive acids. If there is any injury or weakness in these linings, the digestive juices will damage or inflame the linings. Some of the main reasons for it are

Injury to the stomach

Use of some medicines

Long periods of vomiting

Acid reflux

Exposure to radiation 

Some allergic and immune conditions 

Some of the main risk factors are

Age

Smoking

Alcohol misuse

Anti-inflammatory drugs

Bacterial infections like H.pylori

Conditions like Crohn's disease

Viral infections

Stress

Excess intake of coffee

Food allergies 

Not everyone who has gastritis will experience symptoms. It depends on the person. Some of the common signs are:

Nausea

Stomach pain

Vomiting

Indigestion 

Hiccups 

Poor appetite

Belching or bloating 

A feeling of fullness in the abdomen which is made worse by eating

Black, tarry stools 

There are a few tests which the doctor will ask you to do. These are

Upper endoscopy - It will help examine the stomach lining. Your doctor will be able to check for inflammation using this test. 

Blood tests - You will have to do a few blood tests that will include checking your red blood cell count and screening your blood for the H. pylori infection. You may also have to go for a biopsy test in some cases.

X-ray of your upper digestive system - It will show any abnormalities in your stomach.

Ayurveda is the oldest medical system that is still in practice in the world. It has a long history of more than 3000 years in India. You can find mentions of this in the old Vedic texts.

There are three doshas, which are a combination of elements, present in all of us. These are Vata, Kapha, and Pitta. Each of these doshas has a set of main functions in our body. 

Each person has one primary dosha, which defines them. The other two doshas will also be there in all of us. All these three doshas need to be in balance for us to be healthy.

Ayurveda views diseases as a manifestation of dosha imbalances. Gastritis is a Pitta disorder as per this. 

Proper digestion is the key to overall health in Ayurveda. Agni, which is the digestive force or energy. It breaks down the food that we eat into digestible parts. As Pitta dosha is responsible for digestion and metabolism, it governs Agni. So, you need a balanced Pitta dosha for proper digestion.

Bad food habits, improper lifestyle, stress can all aggravate the Pitta dosha. It can either make the Agni weaker or stronger. If you are a Pitta dosha dominant type, the Agni will be stronger. It creates more digestive juice than needed. This excess juice or acid damages the stomach lining, causing gastritis.

Urdhva Amlapitta is the name for gastritis in Ayurveda. The main goals of Ayurvedic treatment for gastritis are

Balance the Pitta dosha

Remove the toxins from your body

Improve nutrition and digestive function

Reduce stress 

Build immunity

You will have internal medicines to balance the pitta dosha. These medicines are also capable of healing the intestinal mucosa. 

Another step is to correct the digestion, for which the optimization of the digestive fire is necessary. It includes effective detoxification methods to clean up the gut and associated organs and channels. Sleep is also corrected.

The main methods of treatment are

Virechana - In this, you will take oral medicines to remove the body waste through induced purging 

Vasti - a standard procedure in Ayurveda using a medicated enema to remove the toxins from your body.

Nasya – Nasal drops are applied to clean up the upper part of the body.

Vamana- It is a cleansing method to remove toxins through induced vomiting. Inducing vomiting is carried out only if the doctor thinks that it is very necessary. 

Treatments like Shirodhara helps to calm down the nerves. 

 

In most cases, you will need to be in the hospital for 21-28 days for the treatment. Your diet may need changes and will be as per the advice of the doctor. 

You will need to continue with these changes in diet and medicines even after the treatment for the best results. 

Some of the common treatments are

Acid reducing medications that will reduce the levels of acid in your stomach. 

Antacids to reduce the pain

Probiotics to heal the ulcers

There are some steps that you can take that can reduce the risk of gastritis. These are

Quit smoking 

Avoid excessive alcohol consumption 

Avoid spicy, acidic, and fried foods can irritate your stomach

Practice hand washing regularly 

Eat well-cooked food

 

There are specific foods that can relieve gastritis pain. These are:

Teas

Yogurt 

Peppermint 

Wheat Bran 

Carrot juice 

Apples 

Garlic 

Celery 

Kale 

Broccoli