Chiropractic Works

Posts Tagged ‘caffeine’

Just the other day I found an article on sciencedaily.com how caffeine decreased memory loss in aged mice raised to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The article began with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by reporting on coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that showed that caffeine notably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

But, before you opt to add another cup of coffee to your daily intake, let me warn you that also on the website, under “Related Stories,” were a couple of articles regarding studies that demonstrated the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

Nearly any viewpoint, I’ve noticed, particularly when it comes to health and longevity, can be corroborated, or at least bolstered, by a number of specific studies. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, by any means, the only ones. Nonetheless, it did get me to pondering about the reasonableness that there will never be simply “one thing” that will absolutely help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t raised in unnatural confinement We are free to participate in life. And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease is likely on the rise, obviously none of us has been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” so caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that is going to prevent or reverse it.

Our body is an elegant, complex system that is based on homeostasis, i.e, balance. Consequently good health is about a healthy, balanced approach to living, as opposed to our being momentarily convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one particular thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and harmful things we have done to our bodies.

As a doctor of chiropractic, I believe that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to make healthy choices for our body, to decide what will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. We know what genuinely “feels” life enriching and what doesn’t when it comes to what is good for our body. So, the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll think about this. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your good health.

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