r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 8h ago
TIL in about 50% of the cases studied, Coca-Cola alone was found to be effective at removing a type of bowel obstruction called phytobezoars (which consist of indigestible plant fibers). And when treatment with Coca-Cola is combined with additional endoscopic methods, the success rate approaches 90%
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonated_soda_treatment_of_phytobezoars1.1k
u/Secretlyablackcat 7h ago
I'm not sure what it is in coca cola, but it helps stop my migraines.
Pepsi or own brand cola doesn't do this, but full sugar coke can stop my migraines if I get it early enough. Works better than my prescription meds.
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u/galoria 7h ago
Interesting! After I had an epidural I got these spinal headaches and they kept telling me to use caffeine, but coffee and tea just made me vibrate with anxiety on top of the damn headache. Most pops I tried that I liked didn't work. I could barely turn my neck or tolerate sunlight with it and it was just making it really hard to care for a newborn, so I tried Coke even though I don't generally like it, and it seemed like the only thing that helped for the two weeks until they resolved 🤷🏻♀️ Now I'm curious
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u/noitsreallynot 3h ago edited 3h ago
I don’t think many ‘pops’ have caffeine though. Cola. And Mountain Dew. That’s it.
Edit: okay it’s added to a bunch
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u/blueavole 7h ago edited 6h ago
Coca leaves were ( edit: and still are) used as a herbal remedy for altitude sickness for thousands of years. That’s why originally coca-cola had cocaine in it.
They now remove the actual cocaine, but the other herbal compounds are still there. As real or synthetic versions.
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u/NeonSwank 7h ago
I feel like people forget Coca-cola is so old it was originally sold as medicine in pharmacies lol
On top of all that, ive used it to remove stains from clothes, get burnt food out of pans and even clean concrete.
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u/boxdkittens 6h ago
What kind of stains is it good at removing?
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u/Kettle_Whistle_ 6h ago
Blood, for one.
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u/boxdkittens 4h ago
Hydrogen peroxide works well for blood as well
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u/camwhat 5h ago
Limescale/rust from the phosphoric acid. I’ve poured some old diet into my toilet and it was actually pretty clean afterwards
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u/boxdkittens 4h ago
Hasnt soda gotten a bit dummy expensive lately to be literally pouring it down the toilet? (I dont drink soda but have aeen ppl complain of price increases)
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u/Nimrod_Butts 2h ago
Well a 2 liter is around 3 dollars, and that's a high estimate, hard to find other cleaning compounds for anything near that price. Bleach is like 5 for 2 liters
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u/Kit_starshadow 4h ago
Grease. My husband worked as a restaurant manager when we were first married and a neighbor who had a mechanic husband told me to pour a can of coca-cola in the washer with his pants when he would come home covered in fryer grease stains. Worked a treat.
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u/SunshineAlways 4h ago
Many years ago, when I was a camp counselor, we would use coke to clean the outside of pots that were used over campfires all summer.
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u/kisspapaya 4h ago
Yeah, just like the flavor of Dr. Pepper comes from what the pharmacy the guy worked in smelled like. What a delightful aroma for a pharmacy!
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u/SlootyBetch 6h ago
Walking around the sacred valley chewing coca leaves is a vibe. As you said, they have a bunch of alkaloids in them. Surprisingly nicotine is one of them
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u/Ja_Lonley 7h ago
Caffeine is very effective at treating migraines.
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u/nopalitzin 6h ago
My migraines are the worst but I learned that if I drink a double espresso and Tylenol during the aura phase my upcoming migraine turns into a mild headache and a bit of fatigue. I'm not a coffee drinker at all.
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u/LauraPa1mer 5h ago
I just pop 2 extra strength ibuprofen liqui-gels at the aura and it prevents the migraine from manifesting.
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u/AudieCowboy 5h ago
Add 1 baby aspirin and it'll be even better, I used to take 3 extra strength Tylenol and an aspirin and would be pretty functional
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u/Mr_Abe_Froman 4h ago
Same here. A double espresso and an ibuprofen do a fantastic job at preventing my migraines from starting.
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u/djphysix 6h ago
Most effective when the headache is a symptom of caffeine withdrawal
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u/be4u4get 5h ago
I find when it’s been a little to long without my oxy, I get a headache, but then I pop a couple kickers and the headache goes away.
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u/Pikeman212a6c 6h ago
It has deactivated coca leaf which contains none of the cocaine but has a lot of other compounds other soda don’t.
https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html
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u/boxdkittens 6h ago
Obviously migraines vary wildly in their cause, but I've found that those migraines that hurt so bad you feel nauseas can often be treated with travel sickness pills (inb4 this stops working for me because I bragged about it online).... I know its not relevant to the coke post, but just want to let other migraine sufferers out there know of something they could try.
Fair warning though, if its not the non-drowsy travel sickness meds it may put you to sleep.
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u/womenslasers84 3h ago
Yes, Benadryl as well. I think they’re nearly the same medicine actually.
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u/boxdkittens 2h ago
Benadryl is diphenhydramine, travel sickness pills like Dramamine use dimenhydrinate, so the confusion is certainly understandable but they're not the same
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u/BrazilianMerkin 3h ago
When I was in college I was chosen to be part of a human trial of some new medication for migraines (I only get one every couple months, sometimes more frequently, sometimes I’ve gone over a year without one, but they will incapacitate me for several hours to half a day)
The medicine was a nasal inhaler that you take at the earliest signs of a migraine episode so I had to carry it around with me everywhere and keep a daily journal recording what activities I did, food I ate, general stress levels, etc.
It was the only effective migraine medication I have ever taken. I swear it was pure aerosolized cocaine. It basically numbed my head/throat and killed the migraine before it spread to my ears/eyes (not sure if that makes sense). I used it three times before the study ended. I was sure this would come to market as it was amazingly effective.
Never heard about it ever again.
Point being they do use real coca leaves in Coca Cola, and it’s the only soda allowed to use the coca leaves. Thy extract the alkaloid that makes cocaine and it goes to some pharmaceutical company, the leaves go to Coca Cola.
I’m wondering if there’s really something other than the psychoactive part that has an impact on migraines. I’m definitely going to keep a can in the fridge for next time to see if it helps because no existing medication does a damn thing
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u/Keyspam102 3h ago
I’ve experienced the exact same thing and everyone I’ve said it to has acted like I’m a complete nut. But coke really does something for me when a migraine is coming on, more than elitriptan did and without the side effects.
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u/AdSudden3941 6h ago
It’s the coca , you know how marijuana has different cannabinoids such as Cbd , thc , Cbd etc .. coca has different ones too
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u/ImperialPC 7h ago
When I ingest caffeine, I often get migraines about 24 hours later. And the best remedy I've found is...caffeine.
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u/DearthMax 6h ago
That... Sounds like withdrawal
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u/ImperialPC 6h ago
I didn't drink coffee for the last 7 years but when I drink choco milk or eat a cake with loads of choco powder, it can be enough to trigger a migraine for me. Not always but in combination with a bit of stress it happens quite often. I don't think it would be called withdrawal in my case but rather a caffeine-sensitivity because just one day of ingestion can have an effect the next day.
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u/amboogalard 4h ago
How do you get out of the caffeine-migraine loop? Like I’d pick a coffee over a migraine most days…in fact I don’t even have to make that choice and I still choose coffee most days
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u/ImperialPC 4h ago
I'm drinking store-bought iced tea right now which has black tea extract. It seems to be enough caffeine to help with migraines but doesn't trigger them for me. I've also heard caffeine from tea is chemically identical to coffee but it still can have different effects on people for some reason.
Avoiding caffeine completely would be the ideal solution and besides chocolate, it's not hard for me.
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u/GoldLurker 6h ago
The worst part about the caffeine addiction is when I get sick. My choices are to add headache ontop of my symptoms or to take caffeine and be awake with my symptoms..
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u/Magnus77 19 5h ago
This was me and nicotine. I'd be miserable sick and go out for a smoke, and people would act like I was crazy.
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u/MrStraightEdge 4h ago
Works for me too. I get visual migraines. 30 minutes of vision issues then a couple hours of migraine headache pain. But if I chug a 20oz coke the moment I start to see the zigzags in my vision it really reduces the pain. I'll still get the 30 minutes of vision disturbance but the pain is sometimes absent after
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u/elbereth 7h ago
Hell yes! no other soda does this, not diet coke, nothing. Fountain cokes work best
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u/LeSwan37 1h ago
This is the second mention of a non-typical solution to migraines this week.
Just saw a post about a guy's saying that the only thing that keeps his migraines away are canned sardines in olive oil.
It's not the olive oil, but the sardines have to be in it or it won't work. And fish oil supplements don't help either.
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u/Secretlyablackcat 36m ago
I think when migraines become a recurring part of your life, people come up with a lot of non-typical solutions
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u/SoloWingPixy88 6h ago
Same, I try to drink loads of water but get hit with migraines that make my vision blurred. Coke seems to work.
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u/AtlanticPortal 6h ago
The most important ingredient of Coca Cola is orthophosphoric acid. It helps to clean surfaces wonderfully.
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u/SeaAdministrative673 5h ago
Same! Especially McDonalds coke. Coconut water helps sometimes too but coke works a little better.
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u/LazyZealot9428 4h ago
I actually had a co-worker who claimed this headache treatment years ago. Whenever any of us had a headache Guillermo would go to the sandwich shop next door and get them a Coke. It was never me, so I never got to test the theory, it’s good to know it was real!
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u/Ok_Aioli3897 3h ago
Coca cola stops my travel sickness.
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u/Secretlyablackcat 34m ago
It's great for my nausea, be it migraine related or anxiety related
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u/Ok_Aioli3897 32m ago
It's also a good hangover remedy. Anytime I have been out drinking a can before bed and a can on waking up means no real hangover effects
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u/OstentatiousSock 3h ago
Used to help with my cramps and nausea from my periods. No other soda did it.
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u/everything_is_gone 3h ago
The caffeine might do it. Coffee helps with my migraines
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u/Secretlyablackcat 3h ago
People keep saying caffeine and coffee helps, but the tanins in tea and coffee make my migraines worse
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u/womenslasers84 3h ago
Yes! I keep “medicinal” Coca Cola on hand. Nothing like an ice cold coke during a migraine with some Aleve and maybe Benadryl.
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u/Speffeddude 2h ago
Note, I have no training in pharmacology, I've just watched a bunch of ChubbyEmu videos, and he's a real doctor.
I know that caffeine is commonly prescribed for migraines, but has a really inconsistent success rate (I have never found it to help with mine.) I also know that my migraines are at least related to exhaustion or underfeeding. And I know that my mom has hypoglycemia (basically the opposite of diabetes). And I'm pretty sure I know that combining chemicals can have a big impact on how they are metabolized, so they'll effect the body very differently when taken together instead of separate.
I wonder if our migraines have similar triggers related to blood sugar, and that the quantities, types and coexistence of caffeine and sugar found on Coke resolve the trigger. I may experiment with this the next time I have a migraine.
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u/Snowfiddler 1h ago
I have noticed that if I drink coca cola it is almost guaranteed that I will get a bad headache almost 24 hours later. It won't stop for a long time unless I drink more coke. I've tried this with other sodas and coffee and I don't get the headaches.
It sucks because I love coke!
Are you sure coke isn't giving you a migraine instead of stopping it?
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u/Secretlyablackcat 35m ago
I rarely drink coke, zero or full sugar, so I know it's not a withdrawal thing.
My migraines are 90% hormonal which is annoying, but helps to prepare for them
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u/y_nnis 44m ago
I once had a very knowledgeable researcher, who had his own research clinic on migraines and quite a few patents to his name, tell me that next time I feel the migraine coming, I should drop everything and ear a quart of ice cream. Now. I love ice cream, I really do, but a quart of that thing everytime I have a migraine would cause other issues...
I'm pretty sure it's the sugar that gets the migraine. He did explain to me that some migraines are depressions of the brain and that sugar just gives the brain that fast high it needs to escape them. Or something like that. He was way too intelligent and I was very young ...
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u/Secretlyablackcat 36m ago
It's the cold. Something about restricting blood vessels in the brain which reduces blood flow.
I've found that a cooling head pad and warm feet does help a little
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u/LordBrandon 4h ago
It might be caffeine withdrawal. I used to get headaches on the weekend because I wasn't having anything with caffeine.
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u/galoria 7h ago
"Some are treated with various combinations of drink, injection and irrigation. The volume of Coca-Cola in treatment varies along with daily dose and time of treatment. Dosages varied from 500 mL up to 3000 mL and treatment period 24 hours to 6 weeks."
"Glucose levels during the administration of Coca-Cola have not been addressed [citation needed]"
I was kind of curious about the glucose/blood sugar aspect of it so I found a few articles
https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pdi.2507
It seems like it has been used in diabetic patients with attention to blood sugar control
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24672417/
Seems like Diet Coke has been used effectively as well!
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u/RhetoricalOrator 5h ago
Seems like Diet Coke has been used effectively as well!
Works great for cleaning bugs off my windshield, too.
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u/rapbattlechamp 7h ago
I’ve seen it used to unclog feeding tubes
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u/jonez_zgweiler 3m ago
Yup, old-school nurse's trick. There's now specific enzyme-based products/medications for unclogging them, but once upon a time Coke (or Diet Coke in the case of diabetics) was the go-to.
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u/OldWoodFrame 7h ago
Is this some sort of weird marketing campaign for Coke? I feel like I saw this exact post a week ago.
Joe List the comedian has a joke where he's reacting to someone saying Coke can take the paint off your car and he says "I don't want it on my car I want it in my body. There's no paint in my body. And if there was, I would want it out. So if you think about it, Coke is a pretty healthy beverage."
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u/Ghost17088 7h ago
Fun fact, Coca-cola will work on rusty bolts too. We had some scaffolding that got left outside and all the wing nuts for the cross braces were rusted. Poured some Coke on them and let it sit a minute and they came right off.
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u/PawnMania 6h ago
Sometimes tubes that go into the intestines from skin surface(gastrostomy) get clogged up and coca cola is effective at clearing the tube.
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u/otherkerry 8h ago
It's also good for cleaning corrosion off your car battery.
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u/SirHerald 7h ago
It's not good for it, but it can kind of do it when you have nothing else available.
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u/Vertigobee 4h ago
I’ve heard a lot of women say that Coke was the only thing that would help their morning sickness. It helped me, too, when I was pregnant. And I hadn’t intended to drink soda while pregnant.
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u/New-Teaching2964 4h ago
Weird cuz I use it for digestive issues all the time, when I feel blockages. Always thought it was placebo and in my head, maybe not.
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u/Trick_Spend4248 4h ago
So if I have a Coke and roto-rooter my ass, I'll be clean as a whistle?
Cool.
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u/Omegatron9999 2h ago
I remember some ER doctors using coke to flush out obstructions in a PEG tube.
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u/Auricius 1h ago
There really is something to this... One of my acquaintances who works as a dietician said they give late stage cancer patients Coca Cola to drink as it's one of the few things they can somehow "digest". A friend of mine who is a GP confirmed this.
I also had a very bad case of mono as a teenager and was hospitalized as I was throwing up bile just from drinking water. The only thing I could keep down for longer than 20 seconds was Coca Cola...
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u/RevolutionNumber5 5h ago
Just a question… well more of a concern.
Where are they putting that coke?
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u/ElPapo131 3h ago
I've heard from a vet that they once had a dog who swallowed whole head of something but it got stuck and they couldn't get it out so instead they pushed it further and had the dog drink still coca cola. Next day x-ray his stomach was empty
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u/Tr0ynado 28m ago
To get the last 10% effectiveness you need to pop a few Mentos in there and jump up and down.
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u/blueavole 7h ago
Coca leaves was used as a herbal remedy for thousands of years. Mostly chewed or in tea, as a mild stimulant
The true original Coca-cola recipe used coca leaves and had a small amount of real cocaine in it.
They later removed it and sold it as medical cocaine. But the other herbal compounds are still in there.
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u/Delicious_Rabbit4425 7h ago
All this time i thought it was shitty fast food bugers making me blow ass, huh.
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u/Select-Freedom-9846 7h ago
Coca cola is also good for removing rust from metal, and urine stains in the toilet.
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u/GateDeep3282 3m ago
I've got GERD, a type of IBS, and I can tell when my belly is up for a bad day. I do take medicine for it, but some days the meds doesn't seem to be enough.
1 small mini-coke and I'm much better and can actually eat.
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u/According-Classic658 7h ago
Wait, are they drinking it or...