by Lawrence Wilson, MD

COFFEE - ITS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Coffee is an ancient beverage that has been used for thousands of years. It is made from a tropical seed that is dried and fermented before it is roasted.

In the past 20 years, coffee is growing in popularity in America, a nation that previously did not use as much coffee. It is also growing in popularity particularly among younger people.

We are not surprised at these trends. Many people are exhausted and looking for quick answers to their problem of fatigue.

Doctors offer few remedies because they are usually unaware of the need for better nutrition and the rebuilding of the adrenal and thyroid glands. Only nutritional balancing science, or a similar program, can truly rebuild the body’s energy system and restore excellent energy in a natural way.

Coffee’s benefits. Today, some health professionals recommend coffee, even for teens, because studies reveal that it helps with constipation and, in fact, reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis of the liver and perhaps other health conditions. Coffee contains some antioxidants, polyphenols and other chemicals that are beneficial for the body.

Coffee can also help people stay alert for studying, driving and other activities. Also, by speeding up the oxidation rate, coffee can help a person to remain balanced emotionally and mentally. These are among the benefits of coffee.

PROBLEMS WITH COFFEE DRINKING

The detrimental effects of drinking coffee include:

· Weak. Some coffee sold today is not strong enough. There can be different reasons for this such as the way it is where it is grown, how it is roasted, and other processing.

· Caffeine. Caffeine is a mild but still somewhat harmful stimulant. Stimulants whip the adrenal glands into action. This eventually weakens the adrenals and perhaps the thyroid gland, and this leads to more depletion of a person’s energy. In large enough amounts, or with chronic use, caffeine from any source is associated with anxiety, irritability, tremors, dehydration, and rebound fatigue and exhaustion.
Living on caffeine, as so many young people do today, prevents one from truly relaxing and resting as well. It can also lead to mental impairment because the mind simply does not function quite as well on stimulants, although it may indeed keep a person awake. Caffeine also tends to dehydrate the body.

· Rancid oils. If coffee is old, it may contain oils that are somewhat rancid. Rancid oils are toxic for the liver, and are also stimulants. This is why even decaffeinated coffee will often give a person a lift or a ‘high’.

· Toxic chemical additives. Most decaffeinated coffee and some “coffee blends” contain added chemicals that are used to remove the caffeine, add flavor, or for other purposes. If one wishes to drink decaffeinated coffee, Nestle’s and perhaps one or two other brands claim to use a water decaffeination process without chemicals.

· Dehydration. This is a particularly damaging effect of caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Drinking more than about one cup of caffeinated coffee always tends to dehydrate the body. Anyone who drinks coffee must become aware of this possibility, and must drink plenty of either spring water or carbon-filtered tap water to avoid dehydration. For more on this topic, please read Hydration on this site.

· Diabetes. Many Type II diabetics love their coffee, and it worsens their condition significantly. It does this through dehydration, adrenal stimulation, and perhaps other ways. For more on this, please read Diabetes on this site.

· Disturbed digestion. Coffee, particularly if it is strong, is an irritant to the stomach, and perhaps to other organs as well. This is the most common complaint about coffee, and the reason most people stop drinking it.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We do not recommend drinking coffee, but we allow one cup a day of regular coffee on development programs. It should never be given to children or to teenagers, as is the habit today. This was well known some years ago, but has been forgotten by many parents. It is too stimulating.

Unfortunately, most teens today are so tired they are attracted to coffee, and are often regular visitors to the cafes, coffee houses and Starbucks that have sprung up all over America and Europe.

If a person wishes to drink coffee, please limit it to one cup of regular coffee daily. Do not drink cappuccinos or lattes, which are much stronger. Also, please avoid the sweetened and flavored coffees that are high in sugar, chocolate and other items that are harmful for health.

Also, if you must drink coffee, do not add sugar to your coffee. However, adding real cream is okay. Stay away from the fake creams such as Cremora, powdered cream or the many other fake ones.

Finally, if you notice stomach irritation at all, stop drinking coffee.

Coffee often better than soda pop or some bottled sweetened teas. While we cannot recommend drinking coffee, it is better than drinking some other caffeinated beverages such as sweetened tea or the worst, soda pop. Soda pop often contains up to 70 chemical additives such as flavors, colors, preservatives and others that are not required to be on the label.

Soda is also high in sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup, one of the worst sweeteners. Other harmful sweeteners are dextrose, glucose, maltose, and other damaging sugars.

We don’t even recommend xylitol, mannitol or stevia. Even these are toxic and yin.

WHAT ABOUT COFFEE RETENTION ENEMAS?

Coffee retention enemas are very different from drinking coffee. We are often asked why we recommend coffee enemas, although we do not recommend drinking coffee. The reason is that some of the toxins in coffee are blocked from entering the body when coffee is administered rectally.

There is less caffeine effect, and no stomach irritation. The toxic metals and other toxins in the coffee are absorbed much less through the colon wall than when it is ingested as a beverage. The coffee retention enema has an extremely positive effect on the liver and colon, in particular, that does not occur from drinking coffee.

Though some do not agree, we observe as physicians that coffee retention enemas are a fabulously powerful, safe and effective healing modality that would benefit most people today.

We are always alert to possible ‘side effects’ from them, and very few have arisen. A separate article on this website entitled Coffee Enemas offers much more information about the use of coffee retention enemas, also called rectal implantation of coffee as a method of liver dialysis.

WHAT ABOUT VAGINAL COFFEE IMPLANTS?

These are also very helpful for many women, and totally different from drinking coffee. For much more about them, please read Vaginal Coffee Implants on this site.

Courses | About Dr. Wilson | Contact Us | The Free Basic Program