Traditional remedy for acidity can make you suffer more acidity warns doctor: ‘You will get relief for 20 minutes but…’

Many people rely on traditional home remedies to ease problems like acidity, heartburn, or stomach pain, believing they provide quick relief. However, some of these commonly used solutions may have the opposite effect and can worsen symptoms after a short period.

Sharing insights on X, internal medicine specialist Dr. Priyam Bordoloi highlighted how one widely trusted household remedy for acidity may trigger an increase in stomach acid production a couple of hours later instead of providing lasting relief.

He posed a question to his followers, asking which of the following everyday remedies could lead to significantly higher acid secretion around two hours after consumption:


Drinking a glass of chilled milk
Having warm lemon water
Eating a banana
Sipping ginger tea

He also challenged readers to explain the biological mechanism behind this rebound increase in stomach acid.

He then explained how drinking cold milk is a poor solution to fight acidity and how it “backfires. While it may give you temporary relief of maybe 20 minutes, it’s nutrient makeup which consists of calcium and protein will wreak havoc once you consume the milk. They will trigger a hormone called gastrin, which will signal your gastrointestinal system to generate more acid to absorb the protein. One to two hours later, you will experience more acidity.

“Your acidity ends up worse than before you even drank the milk!!” Dr Bordoloi concluded at the end of his tweet.

Understanding Gastrin

Gastrin is a hormone that plays a vital role in the digestive process. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it signals the stomach to release acid, stimulates the muscles that help move food through the digestive tract, and promotes the production of digestive enzymes. Together, these functions support efficient digestion. However, when gastrin levels become excessively high or unusually low, they can disrupt normal digestive function and contribute to conditions such as acid reflux, stomach ulcers, and other gastrointestinal disorders. Measuring gastrin levels can help healthcare professionals identify the underlying cause of persistent digestive complaints.

Signs of Elevated Gastrin Levels

An increase in gastrin may be associated with a range of digestive symptoms, including:

A persistent burning, aching, or gnawing pain in the stomach
Frequent acid reflux, heartburn, or ongoing indigestion
Regurgitation of stomach acid or partially digested food into the throat or mouth
Long-lasting sore throat or a hoarse voice caused by repeated acid exposure
Persistent diarrhea
Ongoing digestive discomfort or impaired digestion

These symptoms may indicate excessive stomach acid production and could be linked to conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers, atrophic gastritis, or other acid-related digestive disorders.