I’ve had a cold this week and, during the throat-hurtier parts of the experience, have partaken in soda to ease the pain. I googled my strat the other night to understand the science behind it and found that nobody anywhere was talking about soda (specifically root beer and ginger ale) as a sore throat remedy. Here’s my theory:
All of the acids and syrups and red 43s that are in there and your doctor tells you are going to eventually burn a hole through your [vital internal organ] and fuck up your tooth enamel are also very handy at cutting through that nasty river of post-nasal drip you have careening down the back of your throat day and night. So when you sip that sweet, sweet poison, it fucks up the flow for a little bit and gives your throat a break from the barrage of mucus your nose is diverting into your stomach. It’s like drinking paint thinner, kind of. Or dish soap.
I’m not an MD, but I think that makes pretty good sense. And now maybe someone will google “soda sore throat remedy” or “drink soda when I have a sore throat” and this very important blog post will show up for them.
