Thursday, June 14, 2018

Coffee Medicine


I have enjoyed a good cup of coffee in the morning for a long time, in college and through my working career, coffee had been a very good bone warmer in my time spent out on the water boating on a cold morning or a stormy night. I have always looked at the number one hot beverage on earth, as far as I'm concerned, as the feel-good, soul-warming drink it was. Not once did I ever consider any health effects coffee might have, aside from keeping me from falling asleep when I was doing something that needed all of my attention like piloting or driving. Recently I have begun to learn about some of the health benefits of caffeine some of which make me feel really good about my coffee connection, however, a word of caution.

Like any drug pharmaceutical or fresh off the tree, there are side-effects so before I get too deep into the positive health effects associated with coffee, let me start by saying that coffee seems to work it's health magic because it affects heartbeat, breathing, and mood to mention a few. If you suffer from high blood pressure coffee might pose a problem, on the other hand, if you suffer from low blood pressure coffee might provide some relief from low blood pressure. So as always when you read one of my articles keep in mind that I am usually expressing what works best for me. You might have to do some experimentation, maybe even consult with your own doctor before achieving the same result. I was already a long time coffee user when I first learned of some of the negative effects caffeine could have on blood pressure, in my way of thinking because I was already a coffee user the negative effects I experienced were not as severe as they might have been for a first-time coffee user.

To date, all of the physical effects I have experienced from coffee have been positive health-wise. Depending on where your health conditions and concerns might fall along the coffee pros and con link here are a few of the more positive effects drinking coffee can have. Coffee can boost your brain power, especially in the morning, some mornings just the smell of coffee can jumpstart my brain. I have read that coffee can also relieve a headache, I have some friends and a daughter that swears to the pain-relieving effect of coffee. I believe that for those show use coffee on a regular basis (like me) a headache is simply prevented from forming. I did, however, go without coffee long enough to bring on a headache and once a headache started, drinking coffee did not help.

I'll have to try another coffee fast, and see what happens for a personal research followup; a side note all of coffee's positive benefit seems to be wiped out if I drink coffee on an empty stomach so I try to include coffee with breakfast. In many cases coffee is not only good for the immune system, it actually strengthens the immune system and is good for the liver, heart and digestive system. From what I have read most coffee drinkers can maintain a healthy weight because coffee suppresses the appetite and increases hormone levels in the body, caffeine also promotes the bodies production of dopamine and serotonin considered contributing factors in the low suicide rate amongst coffee drinkers.

Add in the fact that during most mornings I have long noticed an improvement in my short-term memory, my attention span, and concentration, on the days I start off with coffee. For those of you who are on the fence when it comes to including coffee in your day, I would have to say that the pluses (the positives) outweigh the negatives when it comes to whether or not to give coffee a try if you haven's already. The brewed coffee types are a little better than the instant coffee variety mainly because of the chemical preservative added to some instant coffees.