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Quit Coffee

From the Bhakti List Archives

Anand Karalapakkam • November 24, 1998 


Sri:
Srimate Sri Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmanE namaha

Dear devotees,
namO nArAyaNA. pranAmams.

The habit of drinking coffee is unfortunately prevelant everywhere.
Even some devotees drink it since they are addicted to it.
Anyway, if one wills to leave that habit, one can. But that
determination somehow doesn't arise. Probably, the following
report on the effects of drinking coffee might triger that
determination.

adiyEn is not advocating that any scientific report on such issues
are to be accepted with reverence. sAstrAs declare the things that
are helpful for the spiritual health and also the things that diminish
the spiritual health. Materialistic Science is concerned only with the
physical health. Coffee is not good for spiritual health. But,
many may not quit this habit based on these reasons (increase of
rajO and tamA gunAs). But, atleast after knowing that coffee is very
bad for even physical health, adiyEn hopes that many will quit it.

If this is not of direct use to the devotees, atleast one can pass this
on to those who have the habit of drinking coffee and make them
realize its consequences.

This posting is done because it will help a devotee to observe
pratikoolyasya varjanam (rejection of those proscribed by sAstrAs)
and in this light adiyEn feels that it is within the objectives of the
list.

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
ananthapadmanAbha dAsan
krishNArpaNam
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> Coffee America's Favorite Drug
>
> Michael Traub ND
>
> America's Favorite Drug
>
> It is the caffeine in coffee which makes it addictive, and which
accounts for
> most of the known adverse effects of coffee. However, there are
hundreds of
> other chemicals in coffee. Caffeine is a carcinogen, but coffee
contains
> numerous other ones, created by the high heat of roasting, such as
creosote,
> pymdine, tars and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The darker the
roast, the
> greater the potential hazard. Studies linking coffee consumption with
cancer
> are conflicting and inconclusive at this point, but there is a
suggestion of
> a higher incidence of cancers of the pancreas, ovaries, bladder, and
kidneys
> in coffee drinkers.
>
> Caffeine raises adrenaline levels and heavy coffee consumption can
lead to a
> state of adrenal gland exhaustion, where the adrenal glands are no
longer
> able to adequately respond to stress by releasing enough adrenaline.
> Adrenal insufficiency can then lead to a host of other problems,
including a
> weakened immune response, anxiety and panic attacks. Caffeine also
interferes
> with adenosine, a brain chemical that normally has a calming effect,
and
> raises the level of lactate, an biochemical known to produce panic
attacks.
>
> Caffeine also raises the production of the adrenal hormone cortisol,
another
> stress hormone. Cortisol causes the blood vessels to constrict and the

heart
> to pump harder, which leads to hight blood pressure. Studies have
shown that
> coffee seems to worsen the symptoms of persons with high blood
pressure, and
> can nullify the effect of high blood pressure medications, making
expensive
> drugs useless.
>
> Some cold and sinus medicines contain phenylpropanolamine and
ephedrine,
> which can increase blood pressure, to the point of causing strokes in
> research animals. Drinking coffee after using these medications can
increase
> blood pressure even more, and significantly increase the risk of
stroke.
>
> Coffee should absolutely be avoided during pregnancy and
breastfeeding.
> Fetuses and newborns cannot metabolize caffeine in their livers, so it

> remains in their bodies for up to four days, stimulating their nervous

> system the entire time, causing irritability and sleeping difficulty.
> Animal studies have linked high blood levels of caffeine to premature
birth,
> delivery complications, low birth weight and birth defects. Human
studies
> have found an increase in the rate of miscarriages, stillbirths,
breech
> births and low birth weight. Pregnant women are also three times
slower to
> metabolize caffeine than nonpregnant women.
>
> Research also indicates that women who drank more than one cup of
coffee
> a day reduced their likelihood of conceiving by 50%, and men who drank

two
> to three cups of coffee a day had an increased incidence of abnormally

> formed sperm. Having five cups a day appears to make sperm sluggish as

well.
>
> Several studies have linked caffeine consumption to a higher incidence

of PMS
> symptoms including tension, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, sleep
disturbance
> and breast tenderness. Research into whether cutting out coffee
reduces or
> eliminates the lumps and pain of fibrocystic breasts has usually found

that
> it does. Some of coffee's components have a mild estrogen-like effect
on the
> body.
> Since estrogen is responsible for premenstrual syndrome and breast
> tenderness, this may be one reason why coffee aggravates these
conditions.
>
> The caffeine, oils and acids in coffee irritate the stomach lining,
which can
> cause excessive production of stomach acid and lead to a variety of
> digestive disorders. Decaf will also bring on a similar increase in
> stomach acid.
> Research has shown a definite link between coffee drinking and ulcers.

> Some anti-ulcer drugs, like cimetidine (Tagament), slow down the rate
at
> which the body metabolizes caffeine. So not only does coffee increase
> the acid, but the drugs extend caffeine's effects by keeping it
circulating
> longer.
> Coffee affects the lower esophageal sphincter and thus contributes to
the
> reflux of stomach acid into the throat (heartburn). Research has also
shown
> that drinking coffee causes a significant loss of several vitamins and

> minerals, including vitamins B anc C, calcium, iron, and zinc.
> Coffee, including decaf, contains significant amounts of Vitamin K
which is
> an important factor for blood coagulation. People at high risk for
blood
> clots, strokes, and heart attacks should avoid coffee and decaf for
> this reason.
>
> It almost goes without saying that coffee decreases the quality of
sleep and
> is one of the leading causes of sleep disturbance. Coffee drinkers are

> sleepier and groggier than non-coffee drinkers when they get up in the

> morning, causing them to depend on coffee to get them going.
> This grogginess may be the result of their entering caffeine
withdrawal
> during the night, or that drinking coffee kept them from sleeping well

in
> the first place, or both! A homeopathic dose of coffee, known as
Coffea,
> is an effective remedy  for insomnia.
>
> Excessive coffee intake will also exacerbate the withdrawal symptoms
when
> quitting smoking and make it all the more likely to fail to stay off
> cigarettes.
> Quitting coffee "cold turkey" can cause mild to severe headaches as
well as
> nausea, anxiety, fatigue and depression, lasting for several days.
> One method to avoid this is to gradually decrease the amount of coffee

> you drink by 50% each day. Another way is to keep to your usual number

of
> cups and gradually increase the amount of decaf until it reaches 100%.

> Eventually you'll feel more awake and have a more even energy level
> throughout the day than when you were drinking coffee.
> A few weeks or months after quitting, most people come to realize that

> they feel much better without the coffee habit. Then most people can
enjoy
> a cup of coffee on occasion when a boost is really needed, without
triggering
> a recurrence of the craving that one feels when it is consumed
regularly.
>
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