Coffee side effects from chronic consumption

Its caffeine can boost concentration and energy, making you feel more alive, sociable and productive.   Coffee is a warming diuretic that can help with a hangover, and purge your bowels!  So whats the problem?  Basically that its usage is abused.   In this article I spell out some coffee side effects from chronic consumption.Most of us at this time are living in a place where substance abuse (coupled with stress) is the primary cause of disease. And what is the most abused substance? Things substituting as food.  Those times are gone when malnutrition as a result of lack of foods was the big problem. Nowadays, the big problem is malnutrition as a result of too much access to “foods.” We are especially enabled in this time and culture to eat and drink ourselves to death, and we do.

Oriental medicine is all about balance. People always ask “is this or that food good or bad?,” and I explain that most foods aren’t just simply good or bad for everyone – its a matter of quantity, quality, and especially your state at that time. Those are what really determine whether a substance is good or not, for you.

Having said that, there are certain foods that are almost always bad for you. For chronic users, coffee is one of them.  Now, I’m sure you can do a google search and quickly find very qualified people who will disagree with me, and even go as far as to tell you that its great for soooo many things. I’m sure it is good for certain things, at certain times – but I’m talking about chronic use by the masses.  So just take in the following information:

• A 2001 study in the Journal of Epidemiology of 30 studies shows coffee drinkers increase their likelihood of developing urinary tract and bladder cancers by twenty percent!
• The amount of coffee intake has been shown to be directly related to incidence of pancreatic cancer and heart attacks.
• New studies in November 2010 show coffee raises  cholesterol.
• Most coffee drinkers are mineral deficient, especially calcium (as if that wasn’t already an issue in our times!) – the acids in coffee eat away at the small intestine villi that support nutrient assimilation.
• People who drink coffee experience exciting changes in their bowel movements as a result of their addiction, i.e. they tend to be constipated without their dose, not to mention the headaches.
• Then there is the adrenal stimulant aspect. This is a drug that throws your heart into overdrive and forces you to get extremely cerebral. Of course just like any other drug, this can be a lot of fun – but there are consequences.

• Poisonous herbicides and pesticides are almost always used in its cultivation.
• When decaffeinated, petroleum based solvents are used (so use steam processed if you have to). When instant, other nasty chemicals.
• The oils in coffee easily go rancid once ground. I wont go into why herbicides, pesticides, and rancid oils are bad for you; you probably already have a good idea since so much information has come out in the last few years about why to go organic and the dangers of bad oils in the body.

• Especially as a substitute for a good breakfast, coffee will devastate healthy blood sugar levels, which then taxes your adrenals even more.

Its a rule that going to extremes in one direction opens the door, often gaurantees, eventually going to extremes in the other direction. Coffee drinkers’ moods and energy get jacked up, and then in time the moods come crashing down. Maybe you can keep yourself jacked up for a good long time, maybe years without feeling the crash. But you will experience the emotional drama! (You may think I’m being over-dramatic myself.)

Now I’m all about moderation. I dont suggest we outlaw the sale and consumption of this drug. There’s other drugs that are doing more damage, like sugar! And in fact, I think moderate use of coffee is fine and great. Its just that most people have no idea what moderation is, and its an addictive substance, so moderation can easily slip out of your grasp.

Some of my experience: used over the long run it will tax your adrenal complex that we generically refer to in Oriental medicine as your “kidneys.” This often leads to back problems, knee, leg issues, fatigue, depression and lowered libido. You will have all sorts of dryness issues (skin, hair, …) and will get grey hair sooner than you otherwise would, you will just plain age faster. Did I mention it blocks calcium absorption?

Coffee and fertility – Chronic overactive adrenal glands combined with an overstimulated nervous system can prohibit the proper function of uterine contractions, the tubal functions of transporting the egg, and finally implantation itself. Its basically acting to supress female hormones. My advice: if you are trying to get pregnant, dont drink coffee.

In my practice, I see a lot of people who come in with fatigue issues, constipation, stress, and mood swings. I work with you to restore and rebalance your taxed adrenals and help restore harmony in your body. With acupuncture and herbs I can help your body to recover from the damage, including restoring healthy bowel movements, rescuing your from GERD / acid reflux, back/leg/foot problems, and mood swings. However, the first step is yours: cut down, moderate, just say no!