It turns out, ginger ale doesn’t really help alleviate stomach aches or dizziness caused in-flight. It’s more of the memory we have of them and just good ol’ assumption.
Dr. Sherry Ross of Providence Saint John’s Health Center tells FoodBeast that there’s nothing in the drink that helps your pain. “It’s not the ginger providing the relief…You’re buying into power of suggestion. We’ve learned from our mothers and grandmothers, who brought us ginger ale and chicken-noodle soup when we were sick as kids, that ginger ale works…Those types of foods have powerful messaging to our brains and that alone makes us feel better.”
If you really want some relieve your in-flight sickness, go ahead and ask for some aspirin or carry your own medication, if possible. Still, if you feel you need to have that can of Canada Dry and it brings you some kind of comfort, no one is stopping you. One Reddit user even said that it’s “magical sky juice.”
[FoodBeast]Photo courtesy of Yahoo
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