LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

coffee

Will That Cup of Coffee Protect My Brain?

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I’m not sure where along the process caffeine got such a bad rap.  I continue to see suggestions to avoid caffeinated products like coffee and tea.

I can understand if someone has adrenal fatigue and needs an IV directly from the coffee pot just to get started in the AM, but other than that the research is pretty soundly in favor of mild caffeine consumption.

This particular study looks at the ability of caffeine to protect against the free-radical-induced damage to the brain of rabbits that was consistent with Alzheimer’s dementia damage.  They found that even low levels of caffeine were able to protect the brain.

At our office, we have an espresso machine at the office and I play the role of barista at lunch, creating mochas with a double shot of espresso, cinnamon, organic cocao and dark chocolate almond milk.  Just recently switched to organic raw Ecuadorian cocoa…

Kidney Stones Suck; Add This to Banish Them

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Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/arboreality/
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/arboreality/

Kidney stones are one of the most painful acute conditions that humans can endure.

Whenever I asked female patients who have had both children and kidney stones which was worse, the answer is always the kidney stones.  Maybe this is because childbirth is a natural process and the body will release endorphins to curb the pain.

Either way, kidney stones are extremely painful and if you just had a kidney stone you are likely willing to do anything to avoid getting another.

Like pretty much everything else in medicine, dogma rules when it comes to advice on lowering your risk of getting another kidney stone.  And frankly, the research that I have come across is pretty limited as well (you can read about some of them in a previous article by clicking here).

What I usually tell patients is that it is clear that a plant-based diet will lower your risk of kidney stones and, despite the long held belief that vitamin C contributes to kidney stones, they do not.

Another long held belief is that caffeinated beverages will also increase the risk of kidney stones.  This may be related to the also-long-held-but-incorrect belief, that caffeinated beverages dehydrate you.  This is the reason that the “experts” tell you to drink an additional glass of water for every caffeinated beverage that you take in.

Regular Rantings readers will know that I am not a big fan of the “8 glass of water a day” recommendation (especially when that water is from BPA-laden plastic water bottles) and I have always felt that the need to drink an additional glass of water for every glass of tea or coffee you drink was unneccesary.

Do you really think the Dalai Lama is dilligently drinking a glass of water for every cup of green tea he is drinking?

Of course not.

Looking back at blog posts I did over a decade ago, I was pretty sure that caffeinated beverages needed to be avoided for kidney stone prevention.  But, like a handful of other recommendations over the years, this one is subject to change.  Especially according to this particular study.

In this study, researchers looked at 4982 kidney stone patients to see if caffeine intake had an effect on their risk of developing kidney stones.  Here’s what they found:

  • Those with the highest intakes of caffeine intake had a 26%, 29% or 31% lower risk depending upon which is the three study groups were looked at).
  • Higher caffeine intake was linked to higher urine volume, calcium, and potassium as well as with lower urine oxalate and supersaturation for calcium oxalate and uric acid (meaning that the urine could hold more calcium before stones started to form).

Overall, these are pretty strong numbers given the long-given recommendation to avoid caffeinated beverage intake.  So, if you are a kidney stone sufferer, than it’s time to add some tea and / or coffee to your daily regimine.

 

Coffee and Tea Health Benefits: 5 Facts to Know

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Society is hooked on bottled water, and although the sentiment is beginning to change, we still think that coffee and tea should be on the “use infrequently” list.

Funny how topsy-turvy our health perceptions are. I’ve written in the past about how the “8 glasses a day” of water is built entirely on dogma with no actually supporting medical research to back it up. Personal trainers, doctors and weight loss experts have pushed the mantra seemingly forever. You need to drink water to feel more full (not true), you need to drink water to help your body detox (not true—although your body uses a water molecule to detox, drinking more water will not stimulate the detoxification process). You need to drink water before you feel thirsty because by then it’s too late (not true).

The list goes on, and none of these recommendations backed up by medical literature. (Just in case you need more info on how little of an effect water has for dieters, here is another recent article that I didn’t feel compelled enough to write a full blog article on)

Enter tea and coffee.

The research behind these two drinks is extensive and ranges from lowering the risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s (for coffee) and lowering the risk of cancer and osteoporosis (tea). When comparing these two drinks and their health effects to water, it’s reminiscent of a battle between tax accountants and Filipino Escrima masters.

And yet, even as I sit here in the airport awaiting my flight, I quickly lose count of the number of dutiful passengers lugging around that 12.5 ounce bottle of BPA laden tap water marketed as spring water.

Just in case all of this is not enough to convince you, I present this particular article as further evidence. Researchers looked at a group of almost 2500 Manhattan residents comprised of whites, blacks and Hispanics, both males and females, followed for 11 years. Here’s what they found:

  1. For each cup of coffee there was a 7% lower risk of dying from any cause, while caffeinated coffee offered a very strong protection among those who drank at least 4 cups per day.
  2. Each cup of tea lowered overall risk of death by 9%.
  3. At least 4 cups of coffee per day led to a hefty 43% lower risk of nonvascular death.
  4. At least 2 cups of tea per day was not as powerful, but still logged a 37% lower risk of nonvascular death.
  5. Lest we switch to coffee instead of tea too quickly, at least 2 cups of tea led to a staggering 67% lower risk of cancer.

With these kinds of numbers, there is no reason to continue to push drinking 8 glasses of water per day in lieu of tea and coffee.

A few points of clarification, though. Given how much we toxify coffee here in the States, this data may have been stronger if we put in a few requirements: Organic coffee (coffee is notoriously loaded with pesticides) only, with no creamer and no added sugars and NO artificial sweeteners. Instead, opt for some locally grown honey, cinnamon and/or coconut or soy based creamers.

As for tea, unsweetened is the only option, although I personally drink all kinds of naturally flavored teas (you’ll never catch me with boring old Lipton black) and constantly fluctuate between greens, blacks and whites. I’ve written about how I prepare tea in a previous blog article that can be found by clicking here. In summary, by all means continue drinking your boring water out of a diabetes, obesity and cancer causing plastic water bottle, but you can no longer deceive yourself into thinking it’s for your own good.

Coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis – (08-17-00)

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Coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis

This is a small study suggesting that coffee may be a risk factor for development of RA. Considering that coffee has many other effects that are not so friendly to the body, and that green tea has many documented health benefits, switching from coffee consumption to tea can have a large impact on overall health.

Read entire article here

Intakes of Antioxidants in Coffee, Wine, and Vegetables – (03-01-04)

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Intakes of Antioxidants in Coffee, Wine, and Vegetables Are Correlated with Plasma Carotenoids

Coffee was found to have contribute the highest levels of dietary antioxidants in this study was coffee. Now, the author does not describe just how much coffee the study participants took in, but this still goes to show that some things just get a bad rap without having done anything bad (kindof like the minivan…). However, I might add that Starbucks’ iced white chocolate mocha is probably not loading with these same polyphenols as fresh brewed straight-up coffee. The same goes for tea brewed at home versus those teas found in bottles and drink dispensers at the local convenience store.

Nutrition.org — Abstracts: Svilaas et al. 134 (3): 562 –

Read entire article here

DRINKING TEA AND COFFEE PROTECT AGAINST DIABETES

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Tea, coffee and diabetes.  No big surprise that the polyphenols in tea and coffee protect against diabetes, but 7% for each cup / day!!?? Keep in mind that if we add sugar, creamer or HCFS into this it’s going to ruin the benefit. Try blue agave nectar, Silk creamer, honey (darker, locally grown), stevia instead. My favorite tea is Republic of Tea. Great flavors, naturally flavored (not sweetened).  Drink away!

Read entire article here

 

DRINK THIS TO FIGHT OFF DEPRESSION

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While society generally does not support this concept, there is absolutely no doubt that our mental health is massively impacted by our overall health. Improving your health will improve your mental state, whether we’re talking about depression, anxiety or even something as debilitating as schizophrenia. The problem with this is twofold. 

First, it means that the patient with mental health issues is responsible, in a large part, for their own mental health. Most people do not want to deal with this level of personal responsibility. It’s much easier to think the problem is genetic or with their boss or their spouse or their kids or with a chemical imbalance in their brain, whatever THAT actually means.

The second problem then stems from the first. When it is all you can do to get out of bed and function, how can you make it to the gym to exercise or play racquetball or to grill a healthy meal of organic chicken and broccoli. While these things may dig you out of the trench of depression, it is oftentimes easier just to stay there.

Maintaining good health from the start, and feeding our children healthy from the womb has a good chance of aborting the mental health issues in the first place. Prevention is always the best and easiest route.

But what if you’re already stuck in the trenches of depression or manic from anxiety? What simple steps can you take now that require virtually no effort but can begin to impact your mental status?

This particular study finds that drinking coffee can lower the risk of depression up to 20% for those drinking more coffee. Decaffeinated coffee had not effect, which is consistent with other benefits of coffee such as lowering the risk of diabetes.

Other changes to make to improve your mental status include:

None of these alone are powerful enough to knock out depression or anxiety as a single intervention. But they may be enough to get someone to a level of function that can allow the addition of more powerful approaches such as exercise and stress management tools like meditation. 

Don’t wait.  Get started with the changes NOW.

DRINK THIS TO STAVE OFF DIABETES

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Coffee has yet again been shown to be an effective part of preventing diabetes.  Coffee had a bad rap for a long time, likely because it was associated with other behaviors like coffee (for breakfast!) and smoking.  However, the studies I have come across recently have shown that coffee lowers the risk.  Decaffeinated is not effective and the coffee is best taken around meals.

A few other tips.  Watch the creamers.  Most are evil and contain hydrogenated oils, which will promote diabetes.  Consider soy or coconut based creamers, which do not contain these hazards.

NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!!  Period.  Try honey or stevia instead (honey is the preferable sweetener).

We have an esspreso machine here at the office.  As barista in charge of mochas, I make a double shot of esspreso w/ Ecuadorian cocao, cinnamon, ice and top it off with some form of chocolate almond / rice / soy / hemp / hazelnut milk.  Probably about 80 calories but loaded with high quality phytonutrition.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2362.2010.02455.x/abstract