Caffeine Effects & Dangers -

Howdy, all!

Hmmm, well, I've had to think a bit about how to respond to this one (seeing that 'Wings used to be an active forum moderator, and has done a large percentage of the IP, and is a role model or once was when she was IPing)...and I woke up with the words "no respecter of persons" flashing in my brain...so I'm going to respond like I would to any other poster (particularly since, by your post 'Wings, it seems a bit of your natural healing spirit & IP knowledge may have somehow escaped you).  As always when I post to anyone, this isn't necessarily 'for or at' you specifically (although parts may be), it's for everyone's benefit & learning.

Also, for those reading that aren't familiar with Dr. Schulze and his IP recommendations, Dr. Schulze, Dr. Gerson & Christopher ALL forbade the oral ingestion of coffee/caffeine on their program.  Schulze recommended those with true neuro-muscular diseases to use his Nerve Regeneration formula (a blend of herbs, including the stimulants ephedra, kola nut & green coffee bean) in order to 'wake up' nerves that are degrading or dying/dead, and didn't poo-poo Bizer about one cup of coffee daily in some situations.  Since MD is oft-times referred to as a neuro-muscular disease, initially 'Wings & I decided that one cup of coffee daily might be beneficial.  Later, we came to the conclusion that her MD and muscular degeneration was not related to nerve degeneration, so the stimulant herbs were taken off the table.

Since compiling the response to this post (and the one to Bundles), I see quite clearly that a LOT of information has come to light in the last 20-25 years (since Schulze was in practice), that indicates quite clearly that roasted coffee bean coffee has far more harm than it could ever have beneficial qualities...and I am sure that if this information was available 'back then', Dr. Schulze would never have suggested that even one cup daily was acceptable.  Dr. Christopher and Dr. Gerson cured neuromuscular diseases without the use of orally ingested coffee, so there's no reason to ingest caffeine orally in order to heal oneself of anything (Dr. Christopher was strongly against the use of any addictive herb).

 I'm doing Female Formula + St. John's Wort + Nerve Sedative and it really does help with the whole menopausal gig. Make sure you're on IF#1, too, whether you add IF#2 or not. My hot flashes were getting so bad I was in tears, too, so you're not the only one. Ashwaganda is looking really good right now, too. It will be on my next herb order. Does the stress aggravate the menopause or the menopause aggravate the stress? It's probably one of those chicken v egg things.  I'm thrilled (of course) to hear that the FF, SJW, & NS are working for you to relieve & bandaid symptoms (the FF is actually more than a bandaid, for sure).  But of course, the CURE (which is what we strive for in natural healing), is to address & eliminate stress issues at their root cause (not just band-aid the symptoms). 

From below you said:  I got down to 2 cups of coffee for the day and that's it. Even with Superfood I can't shake myself awake in the mornings without coffee. So, I understand you're drinking 2 cups of coffee to start the day (maybe more throughout the day?), and then using herbs to counteract the various stress reactions you're getting from the caffeine?  That's what I call 'herbal abuse'.  (And yes, I'll admit it, I've been guilty myself of using Kola Nut to stay awake when my body desperately needs sleep...to the detriment of my health/body - that's something I did far too often in the first few months of the forum when I was desperately trying to get everyone answered...but I also know/admit it was a great 'wrongness').

And the panic/anxiety/heart palps you reported (and hospital visit)?  This was happening WHILE you were drinking coffee every day? and you hadn't/haven't stopped ingesting one of THE most likely of physical causes?  :::sigh:::

#1 Rule (as I guess you remember) - STOP ingesting substances that make you sick! 

I'm going WAY out on limb here and assuming you do not know of the relationship between coffee/caffeine and abnormal/speedy heart rhythms & anxiety/panic?  The images below are from wikipedia (certainly not a source that we can trust for health & truth, but this information is valid and documented through other research.  First, the typical side effects of caffeine/coffee:

Next, typical signs of caffeine overdose (they say 300mg of caffeine = overdose.  1 cup of drip-brewed coffee contains up to 175 mgs of caffeine - so two morning cups could certainly put you/anyone at overdose levels):

What does caffeine really do to our brain chemicals & body?

In 1995, NASA’s Dr. David Noever and his fellow researchers at the Marshall Space Flight Center studied the webs spun by common house spiders (Araneus diadematus) dosed with several drugs, including LSD, marijuana, benzedrine, chloral hydrate and caffeine. The more toxic the drug, the less organized the web the spider created.

The spider on marijuana drifted off before finishing the job. The spider on benzedrine, an upper, worked energetically but without much planning. The spider dosed with chloral hydrate, a sedative, soon fell asleep.

To the surprise of Dr. Noever et al, caffeine did the most damage of all the substances tested. The spider dosed with it proved incapable of creating even a single organized cell, and its web showed no sign of the “hub and spokes” pattern fundamental to conventional web design.

What does the web of a caffeinated spider (which can hardly be accustomed to the jolt of a morning latte) have to do with human behavior? Unlikely as it sounds, it may be the most vivid illustration of caffeine’s disorienting effect....

...Nearly 80% of the world's population uses caffeine, and 25% of the population is diagnosed with a mental disorder. Clinical studies indicate that there may be significant overlap between those figures, and that many people diagnosed as mentally ill are in fact merely suffering from caffeine poisoning. Caffeine also exacerbates the symptoms of patients suffering from organic, non-caffeine-induced mental illness.

As a small, lipid-soluble molecule (like alcohol, nicotine, and certain antidepressants), caffeine is one of the few substances capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier, which is critical to maintaining cerebral homeostasis. Once it has penetrated this barrier, it is capable of affecting its victims' thoughts and behavior, sometimes to an alarming degree.

Because self-awareness is one of the first casualties of a toxic brain, caffeinism victims may not even suspect they are ill or (if they do) that caffeine is at the root of their symptoms.   caffeineweb.com/

For sure & for certain, caffeine/coffee is a drug, and a very addictive drug at that!  The correct term (NOT the politically correct term) for those that regularly ingest addictive drugs is....drug addict.

Folks, we HAVE to face the facts and learn/know the truth in order to be able to overcome what we need to overcome to ensure our health.

Eat "clean," babe. Now that Christmas is over I bet a bunch of us are feeling post-sugar-overload withdrawals. Love yourself through it.  You're dealing with a life-threatening illness and you're suffering from "holiday post sugar overload withdrawals"? ...meaning you chowed down on white sugar/poison over the holidays?  PLEASE tell me it isn't so! (and that I'm mis-reading/understanding).   I sure hope that the phrase "I bet a bunch of us" didn't mean that you actually ingested massive amounts of poison/toxins over the holiday season.

Yes, if we fail, we should still love ourselves...failing due to lack of knowledge is one thing - but "failing" when one intentionally & knowingly ingests "foods" they know are poison, simply to be doing what everyone else is doing or because they don't want to choose to refuse what they know is harmful to their body?   Well, yes..."love" is in order always, but in the case of the latter, it should be seriously tough love.    When someone said to Schulze, "well, I guess I kinda fell off the program", he replied, "NO!  You didn't 'fall' off, you LEPT off!!" 

Ingesting substances we KNOW are harmful poisons is a willful & intentional "failure" (for every action there IS an equal & opposite reaction - every action has a consequence)... and we can't expect any "spirit" to absolve us and undo Universal Law when we willingly & intentionally break the Law.  It doesn't matter the 'dose size', or what kind of taste-tempting "treat" (insert Uny gagging here) we might deem it to be...poison is poison, and poisons always compromise our body, our mind, our spirit and our health.

I did triple shots at Starbucks every afternoon for awhile, on top of the pot of coffee I drank at home. Break up with Starbucks like a bad boyfriend, sweetie. Your withdrawal headaches may be killers for a few days. White willow bark tincture is helpful. Be sure to tell everyone around you what you're doing because you might feel like eating nails. Lololol, good one!

But there's no need to suffer through 'withdrawal headaches' if we use Kola Nut (or Brain Tincture works - it has Kola Nut in it -) to get off the coffee/caffeine. 

I got down to 2 cups of coffee for the day and that's it. Even with Superfood I can't shake myself awake in the mornings without coffee.  Wow, 'wings, that would be really tough to read coming from anybody, but coming from you it's even tougher (and it grieves my heart to you say such a thing).  Suffice it to say, you (and anybody else) CAN break any addiction to any addictive substance.

Oh! Superfood is another thing you want to be on for stress. It's got loads of B vitamins which are essential "stress calmer-downers."  Agree 100% :) 

And exercise. I've started working out. I'm sure you mean you started working out again...you were always working out daily when you were doing the IP...right?

Fitness nuts are always saying how exercise helps with stress. Guess what- they're right. Yep - agree again (a great tip)...exercise does relieve stress.   I can't begin to copy/paste the amount of times Dr. Schulze uses the words "exercise & stress" together  >>> get LESS Exercise and have MORE STRESS...High stress levels and lack of exercise...get more exercise and have much less stress<<< 

But :::wink wink::: guess what else? lol, we don't need no steeenking 'fitness nuts' to tell us how to heal from disease...we've got the works and protocols of the greatest, most successful healers that ever lived.  All we have to do is get 'er done :)

Try these things and report back, 'K? Let us know how getting off the coffee goes...we're all here to help whenever you need it :)  Be sure to check out this post curezone.com/forums/fm.asp for more 'ammunition for the fight'!

Healthiest of blessings,

Unyquity