Dealing with dyspepsia in 1898 with Brad's drink - Pepsi


You really don't hear the term "dyspepsia" much anymore, it's an old-fashioned term that just means that you're having difficulty digesting. That is, what I usually call "stomach distress", which can mean any one of things that would probably make you giggle, or gag. Digestion problems are not pleasant, I know! If you suffer from dyspepsia, I suggest that you travel back in time to 1898 and try a drink created by Caleb Bradham. That's his daughter in the photo at the top of this post by the way, and the pic is from the Pepsi website.


People called it "Brad's drink" for a while, but it became better known as Pepsi Cola. And while it may have never really had any medicinal benefit, other than making you burp (which any carbonated beverage will do), it caught on, and is still sold today, just because people like the taste of it.

Just to clarify, since my name is Brad, if you want to drink Brad's drink (meaning my favorite), it would be Coca-Cola. It was sold as a medicine originally (and even had a trace of cocaine in it for a few years), but like Pepsi, it just became a drink that people enjoyed the taste of. I like it over ice, with peanuts.

Medicine, like science, is always going through changes. Back when I was in the womb, in 1958, my mother's doctor recommended that she continue her regular habits, including smoking. My mom loved to tell me that story, and I'm convinced that if she hadn't been a smoker I would have grown to be 6' 4" (well, maybe not, she was only five feet tall). I'd imagine that doctors recommended Pepsi for dyspepsia in 1898, although my best guess nowadays is that they would recommend something else, like Tums, or just drinking some water.

I've always suffered from stomach distress, going back to when I was a sickly kid. When I delivered newspapers early in the mornings I would chug down Coca-Cola, which probably just made things worse for me. Now I enjoy it in moderation. I like the taste of it.

So if I see you tomorrow at the soda fountain at the QT and you turn to me and tell me that you have a "touch of dyspepsia", I'll understand, if you're drinking Brad's drink.

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