My Late Great Friend

I quit drinking coffee around 45 days ago. I don't feel any better - yet. Yet is the key word. I do not have a scheduled bedtime and my hours of sleep vary greatly from one to the next. If I were consistent, I could probably think more clearly and feel better. Guess I really should look at my sleep (or lack thereof).

I have read many articles and visited many websites regarding the danger of coffee, caffeine, tea, etc. Bla, bla, bla...



I am not much of a person who practices moderation. I am hot or cold; not lukewarm. I am "all in" or I leave the table... so to speak. Things are very black and white with me. Right or wrong. It's just how I am. Think Hubs knows this? MMMWWWaaaa.... I am cracking myself up here today.

This one, I felt was worthy to share. Enjoy (or not). Taken from here.

The Truth: Coffee Can Wreck Your Health

Among the typical health claims about coffee is it decreases the risk of developing cer­tain cancers and diabetes. However, it increases your risk for stomach cancer and leu­kemia. Just like with most drugs, there are perceived benefits – and then there are the side effects which often render the “cure” worse than the disease.

Coffee can also[5]:

• interfere with your body’s ability to use water, and promote fluid loss
• raise your cholesterol
• send your insulin levels out of control
• contribute to rheumatoid arthritis and stroke
• damage your blood vessels
• increase your risk of heart disease

Coffee interferes with your body’s ability to use folate, and vitamins B12 and B6. Your body needs these nutrients in order to keep your homocysteine level in the healthy range. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with a wide range of serious, even life-threatening conditions.

Pesticide Exposure

Chances are the coffee you drink is made from beans grown outside this country.

Coffee beans are known to be a heavily sprayed crop, and the U.S. has limited input and control over the type and quantity of pesticides used in the countries from which we import.

Aside from the damage coffee alone can do, pesticides are contributors to a wide range of health problems, including prostate and other cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and even miscarriages.

Metabolic Damage

Coffee stimulates your adrenals -- the hormones that activate your fight or flight re­sponse. If your adrenal hormones are stimulated too often, which is bound to happen if you are a daily coffee drinker, your adrenal glands may eventually burn out.

When your adrenals no longer function effectively, your body will go in search of a re­placement hormone -- which happens to be progesterone.

Progesterone has its own full-time job to do, part of which is to keep your body’s estro­gen in balance. As your progesterone is used up compensating for your exhausted ad­renals, you run the risk of becoming estrogen dominant.

Estrogen dominance can lead to osteoporosis.

Coffee also raises the acidity level of your blood, causing calcium to be pulled from your bones and teeth for use as a buffering agent. The combination of estrogen dominance and high blood acidity puts you at an even greater risk for osteoporosis. In fact, research has established an undeniable link between coffee consumption and hip fractures.

Caffeine -- Coffee’s Not so Hidden Menace

Caffeine is a psychoactive substance able to alter the way your brain functions, bringing about temporary changes in your behavior and mood.[6] The more sensitive you are to the drug, the more pronounced its effects. Caffeine intoxication is not an uncommon condition -- especially with the high levels of caffeine found in today’s “energy drinks.”

My firm position is that caffeine is a very powerful drug and should be avoided or strictly lim­ited.

Symptoms and health hazards of caffeine use can include:

• insomnia
• a rise in blood pressure and stress hormone levels
• heart palpitations
• a sensation of jitteriness and nervousness
• symptoms of anxiety, especially if you already have a panic or anxiety disorder
• depletion of iron and calcium levels in women

If you happen to be a protein Nutritional Type™, you are likely extra sensitive to caf­feine. I recommend you consume it only in small quantities, if at all, and never in the late afternoon or evening, as it may interfere with your ability to sleep.

Honestly, for the first time in my entire life - I cannot get to sleep at night. For the last month, I just lay there... thinking. Ever since I quit drinking coffee. I don't understand it, but - I am not going back to the dirty water. The pesticides on coffee beans... well, that is really disagreeable to me. Yuck.