RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K.

IN COKE

Putting the O.K. in Coke: How Coca-Cola Has, and Continues to Provide Health
Benefits for its Consumers
Jonathon M. Rush
Liberty High School

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

Abstract:
This paper focuses on the pre-dated use of Coca-Cola as a medicinal tool.
In the paper, it is suggested that Coca-Cola has been cast in a negative light due to
public health concerns, and for that reason no longer has any further connection to the
medicinal world. It is also suggested that Coca-Cola can still perform its intended role as
a medicinal solution, and the possibility should be given considerable thought on the
matter. A brief history of the beverage is also mentioned,as well as its transformation
into the most successful sugary soft drink company currently in order to stress the idea
that Coca-Cola went through a forced evolution. While Coca-Cola might have cause
some health problems, used in the correct manner, the beverage could function to be
beneficial to a medical patients health, even going as far as to save their life.

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

Criticism for the popular soft drink, Coca-Cola, is not new or revolutionary. Since
its inception in 1886 by John S. Pemberton, Coca-Cola has become a victim of lawsuits,
and has received unwanted attention by businesses, health officials, and as of late,
governments. The argument against the distribution and consumption of Coca-Cola has
been concrete, but one-sided: it is a sugary drink that, rots your teeth, causes fat to
build up in the liver, and [it] can increase the likelihood of a stroke or heart attack
(Nemery, Fischler, Boogaerts, Lison, Willems, 1999. P. 1657-1667). While these
concerns are certainly not invalid, the allegations only paint Coca-Cola as a villain.
Through modern technology and experimentation, medical experts are now admitting
that Coca-Cola is not entirely harmful to the human body (Benefits of Coca-Cola
Syrup, n.d.). Recent studies have revealed that modern Coca-Cola is acidic enough to
erode food blockages in the human stomach and intestines, but is also effective at
alleviating pain caused by other digestive abnormalities (The Benefits of Coca-Cola,
n.d.). These findings are vital to the continued advancement of medical procedures,
specifically noninvasive, as the soft drink can assist in specialized tasks, such as
gastrointestinal treatment, with less cost or risk to the patient(s). While Coca-Cola has
been decreed a health hazard in the United States throughout recent decades, the
beverage has retained, and continues to fulfill, specific roles as a medicinal solution in
past, present and future medical practice.
Historically, Coca-Cola was more closely related to a medicine than the fizzy soft
drink the name currently represents. Due to growing concern of drug and alcohol
addiction in 1885, the Womens Christian Temperance Union met in Atlanta, Georgia
and encouraged the passing of a temperance law to moderate the consumption of

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

alcoholic beverages. This was troublesome for early Americans, as conditions such as
pain and diarrhea were common symptoms which were relieved through the use of
alcohol or anaesthetics. Morphine was one such anaesthetic that became ubiquitous
throughout households of all social classes for reducing the effects of colds and pain,
but the enthusiastic use of habit-forming drugs sparked an enormous drug addiction
problem (Frederick, n.d.). Alcohol and anaesthetic addiction were under constant
scrutiny in the later half of the 19th century. Cocaine, however, was popular with
scientists and entrepreneurs worldwide, and was even praised during the years alcohol
was banned and excessive morphine use was frowned upon.
Pemberton, belonging to both professions during the same time period, decided
to use 8.46 milligrams of cocaine in the original formula, and, due to cocaines positive
social standing during the time, the solution known as Coca-Cola was advertised as a
medicine and a cure for morphine and opium addictions, among a wealth of other
health effects (Paracha, Waqas, Khan, Ahmad, 2012). The cola was thought to be a
cure for morphine and opium addiction by enhancing electrical stimulation via cocaine,
which would interfere with the nerve synapses in the consumers body. Cocaine
functions by preventing the removal of dopamine from nerve synapse, which results in
an accumulation of dopamine, and an amplified signal to the receiving neurons. This
trait of synapse blocking is also shared by popular modern medications, such as
Ibuprofen.
Following the American Civil War in the mid 1860s, the sweet, fizzy beverage
was used as a treatment for addiction and as a pain reliever, especially for soldiers.
When war broke out between the United States and Spain in 1898, the government of

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

the United States, desperate for greater war funds, taxed medicine in a bill known as
the War Revenue Act of 1898 (Nemery et al., 1999, P. 1657-1667). The United States
Government taxed Coca-Cola as a patented medicine, but the company sued, claiming
that Coca-Cola was just a soft drink, which resulted in the Coca-Cola company claiming
victory. The lawsuit was brought forth to save money for the company, but consequently
identified Coca-Cola solely as a soft drink, discrediting any further association of the soft
drink Coca-Cola, and the medical world.
In the years following the lawsuit, the Coca-Cola formula witnessed almost
complete alteration in order to become publicly acceptable as a soft drink. Cocaine had
been removed completely. Caffeine and carbonation, however, were greatly increased
in order to preserve the popularity and some effect of the product (Coca-Cola
recommended, 2013). Through these changes, the beverage was forced to fulfill its
new identity as a soft drink, which was contrary to its original purpose. As a result of
politics, the solution underwent a forced evolution from a useful drug, to a sugary drink,
and evolved into the focal point for health concern globally as the Coca-Cola business
continued to expand. The beverage, no longer under the protection as a medicine,
came under heavy scrutiny ever since low fat and diet products became popular after
World War II (Paracha et al., 2012). Coca-Cola came under critical attacks when the
company further delayed jumping on the diet bandwagon. The company eventually
released a diet product in the form of Diet Coke in 1982, but by then, the critics of CocaCola products were becoming louder and more dominant in American society.
The soft drink certainly has its drawbacks. Coca-Cola, however, contrary to
modern media claims, it has perks concerning human health as well. The carbonation

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

and chemical makeup of Coca-Cola, as harmful to tooth enamel as it may be, make the
beverage an effective method of treating stomach blockages; surgeons and doctors are
now recommending the beverage as an alternative to surgery (Coca-Cola
recommended, 2013). The material blockages in the stomach and intestines, known as
bezoars, are the results of foods popular in both Western and far Eastern diets. Bezoars
are essentially concentrated, undigested clumps of food which cause material
blockages. Though bezoars are not a new medical discovery, treatment and prevention
methods were extremely difficult, until the medical practicality of Coca-Cola was
discovered by medical professionals and researchers. The complications resulting from
material blockages (which occur when undigested food block the gastrointestinal tract)
can force life-complicating conditions on a patient, which can eventually cause death. In
previous years, once the formation was noticed, the only viable treatment was surgery
(Sanders, 2004). This procedure is taxing, both physically and financially. Various
medical researchers and doctors have found Coca-Cola can treat the condition less
invasively than surgery for a fraction of the price. Coca-Cola has a p.H. level of about
2.6 on the 14 scale. As a result, the extreme acidity of the beverage can be used to
dissolve the bezoar blockages as they are forming, or even after they have solidified.
Coca-Cola makes prescriptions for bezoar treatments easier for healthcare
professionals while saving patients money from gastrointestinal prescriptions and the
cost of surgery.
The soft drink also had medicinal value beyond the digestive system as the syrup
of the soda was used as a home remedy and elixir. It was common practice for a
physician in the late 20th century to recommend that a patient take a glass of Coca-

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

Cola, warm it to room temperature, and transfer its contents between two glasses to
minimize carbonation, and then consume the liquid. After a short time, the patient would
then be relieved from headaches, upset stomachs, feverish symptoms, and many more
common pains throughout the course of the day (Benefits of Coca-Cola Syrup, n.d.).
Transferring the Coca-Cola between two glasses is an important process while using
the beverage as a household medicine. In the case of an upset, or especially painful
stomach ache, the extreme carbonation can cause a reflux with the contents in an
individual's stomach, resulting in the patient vomiting. As all medications are prescribed
with care, the use of Coca-Cola is no different as it plays the same role as a medication
with similar effects and consequences while still being the more simple, and less
expensive, solution .
While many people may speculate why this medical phenomenon occurs, it has
been confirmed by the pharmaceutical industry that the syrup that resides in Coca-Cola
is the agent for such medicinal uses. The sodium within the syrup plays a crucial role in
the balance of the metal levels in the blood and stomach, where strong acids lay
dormant for extended periods of time (Sanders, 2004). Coca-Cola also acts as a
hydrating beverage that assists in replacing lost fluid and electrolytes. It is due to this
acidity, rehydration, and sodium concentration that Coca-Cola is better suited for
medicinal uses than other brands, such as its historic rival, Pepsi-Cola.
Pepsi-Cola is, without doubt, Coca-Colas number one competitor in the soft drink
market. Pepsi-Cola, as popular and successful as it may appear, is not remotely
comparable to the potential Coca-Cola now holds. With intense criticism for soft drinks
at an all time high, and soda sales the lowest they have been in the past decade, most

RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

soft drink companies could expect a financial crisis to occur within the next few years
(McKelvey, 2006, P. 114). Coca-Cola being reiterated into the medical world as a
medicinal solution would likely prevent such an economic crash to the Coca-Cola
company due to an altered public perception and acceptance by American society, but
would shake competition, such as Pepsi-Cola down to the financial core. Since 1898,
when Coca-Cola was classified strictly as a soft drink, and was therefore eliminated
from the medical world, the criticism against Coca-Cola has increased greatly, but the
allegations against the beverage specifically target Coca-Cola as a sugary devil. While
Coca-Cola as a soft drink may impact health negatively in certain aspects, overall,
Coca-Cola should be used as an over the counter (OTC) medicinal solution in order to
advance the development of noninvasive medical practice. For this to become a reality,
the beverage should exist more or less like alcohol: have a role in the medical world, but
still exist as a drink the world loves.

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RUNNING HEAD: PUTTING THE O.K. IN COKE

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