Fibrocystic breasts (Benign breast disease): In l979 two studies
by Minton described impressive improvement in breast pain, tenderness, and
swelling when women eliminated all caffeine from their diets from l to 6
months. We have heard the same feedback from many patients, although some women
do continue to have painful breasts even though their diet is caffeine-free and
need other natural treat-ment to free them from their discomfort.
Caffeine in pregnancy: Heavy coffee drinking has been associated in
various studies with low birthweight and there may be a correlation with an
increased incidence of birth defects.
Cancer: Coffee has been implicated in kidney, bladder, pancreatic,
breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. Although further research is necessary, our
feeling is "Why take a chance?"
Coffee and homeopathy: Another incentive for our patients to give
up caffeine is that the oils in the coffee antidote (deactivate) homeopathic
remedies. This is true of caffeinated and water-processed decaf. Though a few
of our patients continue to drink black tea (which is safe with homeopathy),
most take the opportunity as an excuse to eliminate caffeine entirely and tell
us they feel much better after doing so.
If I do decide to quit, will I get headaches? We've helped many of
our patients through caffeine withdrawal and can promise you that your
headaches, if you get them, will only last 3 to 4 days. They are not always
directly associated with a high amount of caffeine. Some people who only drink
two cups of coffee a day may still get withdrawal headaches. You can either
cold turkey caffeine and take a pain reliever such as Tylenol, if necessary, or
you can taper off caffeine gradually by
cutting your coffee or tea with decaf, progressively decreasing the amount of
caffeine.
How will I get up in the morning without my hit of coffee? If you
give yourself a few days to a couple weeks, you'll find that you
have much more productive energy, and less jazzed, wired, artifical energy than
when you were relying on caffeine as a wake-me-upper. If you need to, start
your day with a cold shower, some invigorating deep breathing or a shoulder
stand to bring blood to your head, or take a run around the block to get the
circulation going. You'll soon find that, assuming the rest of you is balanced,
you will awake alert and refreshed.
How can I keep my energy up throughout the day without caffeine?
Not only will you find it easier to get up in the morning and feel good once
you've kicked the caffeine habit, but you'll discover a calmer, lighter, more
relaxed yet vital you. Once you're free of caffeine, you may find the desire to
let go of other addictions such as smoking, and may also have less of an
interest in meats, sweets, and alcohol. When our patients come in for the first
visit and we inform them that they need to give up coffee for their homeopathic
remedy to work, they most often respond, "Oh, that's one of the reasons I came
here. I want an excuse to cut out caffeine."
What is there to drink if I can't have my expresso? We have to be
honest and say that there's probably nothing that tastes quite like coffee, so
you might as well give up finding an identical substitute. However, there are
very tasty toasted grain beverages such as Inka, Caffix, and Pero, Postum (our
favorite), and, of course,