TO BE OR NOT TO BE a Coffee Drinker!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE  a Coffee Drinker!

My wife often says I am drinking too much coffee! So I got to wondering if this is good or bad for me.

Starting facts have been revealed to me which I am sure you’d like to hear if you are a coffee lover too.

Firstly, what is coffee? 

Coffee is made by roasting seeds from Coffea plants. 

These plants initially in Africa and Southern Asia are now grown all over the equatorial region. 

Coffee drinking started in the 15 th century in the Sufi of Yemen. Then travelled to Arabia, Persia, Turkey and finally to Europe and the rest of the world.

What are the nutrients in coffee?

Coffee has vitamins (B2, B5, B1, B3), Folate, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus.

It also has a high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants help to prevent cancer!

Most importantly it has caffeine at an average of 90-100 mg per cup. 

Caffeine is a brain stimulant. By blocking adenosine, it increases activity of the brain and releases noradrenaline and dopamine. These make us more alert. So there is improved mood, quicker response time and increased level of alertness.

Caffeine also increases body metabolism, but most of these actions get tolerant when coffee is drunk on a long term basis and the effects are not so pronounced!

How does coffee prevent or delay diseases? In other words, what is the good news with coffee?

1.Alzheimer’s disease which causes forgetfulness and dementia in the elderly is delayed 65% in coffee drinkers.

2.Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and coffee drinking brings the risk down by 32-60%

3.Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus may be protected by coffee drinking . Plasma levels of of Sex Hormone- Binding Globulins (SHBG) appear to have a role in development of type 2 diabetes.These are altered to protect against the development of diabetes (Harvard School of Public Health).

4.Liver Cancer - the risk of liver cancer is lowered by about 40% if one drinks 3 cups of coffee a day ( Italian Study).

5.Liver diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis and cirrhosis are reduced by 22% in coffee drinkers (USA study). Drinking decaf coffee also lowers liver enzyme levels.

6.Cardiac health - Beth Israel and Harvard School of Public Health concluded that coffee in moderation (2 European cups or two 8-ounce American servings) per day protects against heart failure.

7.Prevention of premature death - MNT news revealed that 4-5 cups daily reduced the risk of early death - even in those who drink decaf.

8.Multiple sclerosis ( Brain and nervous demyelinating disorder) risks are lowered by coffee.

9.Depression and suicides are reduced by 20 % and 53% by coffee drinking in Harvard study, 2011.

10.Longer life in coffee drinkers (4-5 cups per day) published in New England Journal of Medicine, 2012.

What then are the bad things about coffee?

In some folks, it causes anxiety, palpitations and panic attacks. 

Loss of sleep is well known. Best avoided after 2 pm. 

Coffee may  increase urination and to some extent the blood pressure by 1-2 mm Hg.

Tolerance ( tendency for coffee not to have any action and so need to increase dose) and addiction to coffee can post a problem.

Who are the folks who should avoid coffee in large amounts?

The pregnant, the anxious, hypertensive ( high BP), insomniacs and the highly strung best avoid excess coffee.

How to use coffee to aid the health?

Avoid sugar, excess milk, artificial cream or artificial sweetening agents .

I usually take 5-6 cups of coffee a day…. and enjoy it !

And I hope my wife gets to read my blog!

MEDICAL SYMBOL - RIGHT AND WRONG ONES

Medical Symbol – RIGHT AND WRONG ones

Most medical associations around the world including the Indian ones carry the medical symbol.

CADUCEUS

( The wrong one)

Caduceus is the staff  with two encircling serpents with over shadowing pair of wings. According to Greek and Roman mythology, caduceus was carried by Hermes (Greek) and Iris. It is also seen in the left hand of Mercury according to ancient Roman history for guidance of the dead and protection of merchants, shepherds, gamblers, liars, and thieves.

Caduceus is actually associated with trades, occupations and the gods. It is also associated with astrology and planet Mercury. With reference to its ancient relationship to commerce and negotiation, the caduceus is used as a symbol for these as well as printing due to the association with Mercury.

The origin of two snakes is assumed to be due to the shepherd’s crook used as a staff. Other iconographers opine that the wand entwined by two serpents represented a god in the pre-anthropomorphic period. Why snakes? Serpents have, in all cultures, been associated with health and healing, perhaps because they can shed their skin and rejuvenate themselves. In honor of Asclepius, snakes were often used in healing rituals and non-venomous snakes were allowed to crawl on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept.

Caduceus is wrongly attributed to as a medical symbol in North America and elsewhere due to similarities of the to actual correct medical symbol- the Rod of Asclepius.

THE ROD OF ASCLEPIUS

( The correct one)

As for description,the rod of Asclepius has only one serpent and no wings. Because of the close similarity, the confusion between the two arose.

Asclepius is the Greek god of health and healing. He is also the son of Apollo, the Greek sun-god. His mother died when he was still in her womb. Apollo  the father of Asclepius cut the womb of his wife,pulled his unborn child out and declared that his, Asclepius, would be responsible for the human fight against disease and death.

More famous than Asclepius is the rod with a single serpent wound around it known as the Asclepian. This became the symbol of doctors and modern medicine. This must be differentiated from the Caduceus, or a rod with two serpents around it, which refers more to the occult arts and which was carried by the Greek god Hermes when he took souls from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

Asclepius was so good in health and healing that many people who were supposed to die did not die. Hades, the god of the dead, was so annoyed that he complained to Zeus, god of the sky, who struck Asclepius with a thunderbolt and killed him. Asclepius and his staff with the serpent were then cast upon the sky as a constellation.

The incorrect use of caduceus with 2 serpents was popularized by Captain Frederick  Reynolds or Colonel John van Hoff of United States Army Medical Corps in 1902.

US Army Medical Corps

The rod of Asclepius is the dominant symbol for professional healthcare associations in the United States as well as many countries. A study showed that 62% of professional healthcare associations used the rod of Asclepius as their symbol. 76% of commercial healthcare organizations used the Caduceus symbol.

The difference exists as professional associations are more likely to have a real understanding of the two symbols, whereas commercial organizations are more likely to be concerned with the visual impact a symbol to sell their products.

The original mistake has led to the adoption of the wrong symbol. The long-standing and abundantly attested historical associations of the caduceus with commerce, theft, deception, and death are considered by many to be inappropriate in a symbol used by those engaged in the healing arts. This has led to mounting criticism about the use of the caduceus in the medical field of healing and care.