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Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk

by Dr. Harlan Sparer, Tempe Chiropractor

Coffee is the popular drug of choice for many. It is, after all, legal and available in specialty shops and restaurants everywhere. Excessive consumption supposedly doesn’t affect operating a vehicle or heavy machinery. So, what harm could it cause?

Aside from the fact that it has zero nutritional value, it has three deeply harmful effects:

  1. It has caffeine in it. Caffeine directly causes the production of ACTH in the Pituitary gland in the brain, causing the adrenal glands to secrete adrenal hormones which causes various “fight or flight” effects. Repeated and regular overproduction of adrenalin increases blood pressure, stresses the heart, affects brain function, digestive function, hormone function, and promotes Diabetes.
  2. It is highly acidic, even more so in its decaffeinated form. This acidity is a lower pH than your stomach, causing the stomach to drain itself of Hydrochloric acid. This high acidity limits nutrient absorption in the stomach. When the coffee reaches your small intestine, the intense acidity causes the body to drain the gall bladder and liver of bile salts in an unsuccessful attempt to alkalinize the coffee. The pancreas then futilely secretes digestive enzymes which function in a limited capacity at the wrong pH. Without going through further details, suffice it to say Coffee is bad for digestion, other than for a purgative effect.
  3. Coffee has an oil present in it that is essentially insoluble by the gut. It is difficult to excrete and ends up adhering to the walls of the colon, wreaking havoc if deposited in large enough quantities. It forms an oily barrier that prevents many important colon functions.

Mild, occasional recreational consumption of coffee is essentially harmless. Regular, daily consumption of this addictive and somewhat toxic drink causes many problems of a chronic and insidious nature.

I recommend kicking this addiction gradually and gently, but as soon as possible. Because the nervous system attenuates, or gets used to the amount of coffee consumed, side effects like headaches, exhaustion and sleepiness can occur. Gradual easing of this addiction is smoother for the body and especially the nervous system this way.

Legal drugs such as coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol often find its regular daily users as in denial of their addictions and its effect on others and themselves as addicts of illegal substances. Keep in mind that although the government sanctions drug use and the industries that produce them deny harmful effects (and even publish unscientific studies stating how healthy they are), altering the body’s biochemistry regularly is a recipe for disaster.