How To Evaluate the Best Vitamins?

This is my quick review of Ethan A. Huff's article, titled "Whole Food Multi-Vitamin Supplement," posted at Mike Adams' site, Natural News.

Ferreting through the information surrounding vitamins is long and confusing.  We take what we can and we retake that which provides us a noticeable and measurable improvement over our condition.  I remember when I took fish oils for the first time, I was absolutely impressed and concluded then and there that all that I had to do was to take a teaspoon or two a day of fish oils and I would never have be fatigued.  It didn't quite work out that way.  Yes, I was committed to the fish oils for nearly 10 days before I noticed a growth or a small cist develop on my leg.  So read further on fish oils.  They were not all alike.  Some were cleaner than others; some, in fact, had mercury in the oils themselves.  So I stopped taking that one brand of fish oils and purchased a purer form.  No more growths, but the benefits also plateaued.  What makes shopping for vitamins such a chore is that because we all have unique biochemistries or conditions or metabolisms that we each have slightly different reactions to certain vitamins or certain brands.  For years I have taken Solgar brand vitamins.  They feel potent.  I like that.  The vitamins give me a boost however temporary, and on certain days the after-effect of the vitamins I am willing to endure for they are ever so slight.  But how do I find the vitamin that is truly the best for me, one that is made of whole food items instead of synthetics and their attendant petroleum-based fillers, plastics, BHT and such?  Right now I don't know.  But there is a   

Standard Process is an excellent whole foods brand.  They do add exotic bovine hormone.  I don't know their benefits, if any, or their therapeutic effects.

Sedatives Are Waking Up Coma Patients?

This was interesting for its paradoxical point.

SIOBHAN REYNOLDS, RIP

Siobhan Reynolds died Christmas Eve in a plane crash.  She was a hero to many suffering from chronic pain.

LOW IMMUNITY?

If you have low immunity, there are at least 2 minerals and 1 food that will rebuild your immunity immediately.  

One is selenium.  If someone has cancer, selenium is their best friend.  The 200mcg daily dose is not an anti-cancer dose.  800mcgs is.

Another, for general immunity, is zinc. 

The third is chicken soup.  It's not just a wives' tale.  The health benefits of chicken soup have been scientifically proven.  But what is it in chicken soup that makes it so healthy?  Is it the chicken meat?  Nope, though the chicken does help to restore strength.  Is it the chicken fat?  Nope, though the fat also fortifies you.  Is it the vegetables?  Nope, but you need vegetables to digest the protein.  But the real immune benefits derived from chicken soup have always come from the marrow inside the bones that were often served as part of homemade chicken soup.  You'll not find any bones in Campbell's though that soup is good and is good for you to some degree.  The salt in the soup helps to restore electrolytes from dehydration.

VITAMIN D HARDENS TOOTH ENAMEL

Foods that Increase Tooth Enamel by Tiffany Tseng at Symptom Find. 

1. DAIRY PRODUCTS                                                                                Dairy products, such as milk,  yogurt, kefir and cheese, have plenty of calcium and phosphorous that can help strengthen teeth enamel and help with re-mineralization. They also promote saliva secretion, which can have a preventative effect, as saliva protects teeth against bacteria and balances the mouth's pH level. For those who are lactose intolerant, enriched soy milk can be a good alternative as it usually also have added calcium. 

2. CELERY                                                                            
Celery, considered an "abrasive" food item due to its high fiber content, can help protect teeth and its enamel by cleaning the surface of the teeth. Its fibrous nature also requires longer chewing time, which can promote saliva secretion and maintain a healthy pH level in the mouth. The gums, which are also integral to healthy teeth enamel, are also massaged in the chewing process to ensure its health. 

3. STRAWBERRIES                                            
Strawberries are full of antioxidants and vitamin C, which are important in maintaining the overall health of the oral cavity. Strawberries also have a natural exfoliating effect due to its malic acid content, and can also help whiten your teeth while removing enamel harming tartar. There is no need to actively rub the actual fruit on the teeth, however, as an excess of malic acid may actually do harm and dissolve tooth enamel. To keep your teeth enamel and oral cavity healthy, just incorporate strawberries in your diet, as a snack or a healthy dessert. Your vitamin D as ordered with spinach and cherry tomatoes.  What's not to like?

4. VITAMIN D                                  Studies have shown that vitamin D is a nutrient that plays a key role in regulating proteins that create tooth enamel. Hence, foods rich in vitamin D, such as fish oil, cold water fish, or enriched egg yolks, are great for strengthening and possibly re-mineralizing tooth enamel. For example, canned sardines is a great super food, rich in vitamin D, for strengthening tooth enamel, as you can also eat the bones of the fish for added bone-strengthening calcium and fluoride.

5. ANIMAL PROTEIN                      Most animal proteins, such as chicken and beef, contain phosphorus, which is a mineral essential to healthy tooth enamel. Indeed, when phosphorus is paired with calcium and vitamin D, healthy bones and teeth are created. Tofu may be an alternative option for vegetarians, as it contains a good amount of protein, and may also have the added benefits of calcium and magnesium. 

6. SESAME SEEDS                                                             
Sesame seeds are similar to celery in that it is also an abrasive food that can help "brush" the surface of teeth and remove bacteria causing debris. They are also high in calcium, which is important in bone and teeth formation, and are extremely easy to incorporate into the diet. Toss a handful of toasted sesame seeds on your next snack or meal, or blend it into your smoothie for some enamel protection. 

7. VITAMIN  K                                                                  
Essential for bone growth and mineral absorption, vitamin K can help strengthen teeth enamel when paired with vitamin D. Cruciferous vegetables, such as kale and broccoli, are high in vitamin K and other immune-boosting nutrients that can also contribute to healthier gums and teeth. Other great sources for this vitamin include egg yolks, hard cheese, pasteurized butter, fermented grains, and naturally-cured salami. 

8. PARSLEY                                                                         
Parsley has been used as a natural breath freshener for ages. This herb is known for its anti-bacterial properties and may help prevent bacteria that can lead to loss of tooth enamel. Next time, chew some parsley in place of sugary gum or breath mints; not only will it freshen your breath, it can also save your teeth from sugars that can deteriorate enamel. 

9. TEA                         
Naturally high in antioxidants for a healthier oral cavity, almost all leaves that brew tea also contain fluoride, which protects tooth enamel from decay. Green tea, in particular, also contains the antioxidant polyphenol, which protects the teeth by preventing plaque from adhering to its surface. As an added bonus, freshly brewed tea may also help eliminate bad breath for a more presentable smile.

10. WATER                                                       
Drinking water can ensure a clean mouth, as it washes away trapped debris between teeth that serves as a breeding ground for enamel harming bacteria. For the sake of your teeth, it is also advisable to swish and rinse the oral cavity with water after drinking or eating highly acidic or enamel-dissolving foods, such as alcohol, coffee, or lemons to keep the harsh foods from dissolving teeth surface and enamel. By keeping yourself hydrated, your body can also have a stronger immune system to potentially help ward off gum disease, which in turn, can be detrimental to tooth enamel.

Read more at Symptomfind.

You might find these resources helpful. 

Tooth Health.

Flouride Action Network.

Organic Consumer Association.

I like choices.  Here are 6 different alternatives to toothpaste.

HYPOTHYROID: QUELL THE FIRES OF AUTOIMMUNITY WITH ZINC, SELENIUM & B6

The above photo was obtained from stopthethyroidmadness.com.

from Dr. Mercola's "On Hypothyroid: The #1 Aging Marker?"

Thyroid hormones work in a feedback loop with your brain – particularly your pituitary and hypothalamus – in regulating the release of thyroid hormone. Your pituitary makes TRH (thyroid releasing hormone), and your hypothalamus makes TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). If everything is working properly, you will make what you need and you’ll have the proper amounts of T3 and T4.

Those two hormones – T3 and T4 – are what control the metabolism of every cell in your body. But their delicate balance can be disrupted by nutritional imbalances, toxins, allergens, infections, and stress.

If your T3 is inadequate, either by insufficient production or not converting properly from T4, your whole system suffers.

You see, T3 is critically important because it tells the nucleus of your cells to send messages to your DNA to crank up your metabolism by burning fat. That is why T3 lowers cholesterol levels, regrows hair, and helps keep you lean.

SYMPTOMS of HYPOTHYROID

Sometimes people with hypothyroidism have significant fatigue or sluggishness, especially in the morning. You may have hoarseness for no apparent reason. Often hypothyroid people are slow to warm up, even in a sauna, and don’t sweat with mild exercise. Low mood and depression are common.

Sluggish bowels and constipation are major clues, especially if you already get adequate water and fiber.

Are the upper outer third of your eyebrows thin or missing? This is sometimes an indication of low thyroid. Chronic recurrent infections are also seen because thyroid function is important for your immune system.

Another telltale sign of hypothyroidism is a low basal body temperature (BBT), less than 97.6 degrees F[4] averaged over a minimum of 3 days. It is best to obtain a BBT thermometer to assess this.

Mercola says to look to family history.  Do you have any of these markers?

Some of the family history that suggests you could have a higher risk for hypothyroidism includes:

• High or low thyroid function
• Goiter
• Prematurely gray hair
• Left-handedness
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sarcoidosis, Sjogren’s, etc.)
• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Elevated cholesterol levels

It might be useful to take an online thyroid assessment quiz, as a way to get started. Mary Shomon has a good one. Some of the classic symptoms are mentioned above, but there are many more – too many to list here.

If you suspect you might be hypothyroid, you should see a health care provider who can evaluate this, including ordering the basic lab tests for thyroid function.

SUGGESTIONS

Coconut oil is one of the best foods you can eat for your thyroid[11]. Coconut oil is a saturated fat comprised of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are known to increase metabolism and promote weight loss.

Coconut oil is very stable (shelf life of 3 to 5 years at room temperature), so your body is much less burdened with oxidative stress than it is from many other vegetable oils. And coconut oil does not interfere with T4 to T3 conversion the way other oils can.

Here are some suggestions that can be used for general support of your thyroid, as well as treating an under-performing one:

• Eat plenty of sea vegetables such as seaweed, which are rich in minerals and iodine (hijiki, wakame, arame, dulse, nori, and kombu). This is probably the most ideal form of iodine supplementation as it is also loaded with many other beneficial nutrients.
• Eat Brazil nuts, which are rich in selenium.
• Get plenty of sunlight to optimize your vitamin D levels; if you live where sunlight is limited, use vitamin D3 supplementation[18].
• Eat foods rich in vitamin A, such as dandelion greens, carrots, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, and sweet potatoes.
• Make sure you are eating enough omega-3 fatty acids.
• Use pure, organic coconut oil in your cooking – it’s great for stir fries and sautéing many different meats and vegetables.
• Filter your drinking water and your bathing water.
• Filter your air, since it is one of the ways you take in environmental pollutants.
• Use an infrared sauna to help your body combat infections and detoxify from petrochemicals, metals, PCBs, pesticides, and mercury.
• Taking chlorella [19] is another excellent detoxification aid.
• Many women suffering from hormonal imbalances report significant benefits from the South American herb maca. For more information, please review this article by thyroid expert Mary Shomon, or her Q & A session with Dr. Viana Muller on this topic.
• Take active steps to minimize your stress ... relaxation, meditation, hot soaks, EFT, whatever works for you.
• Exercise, exercise, exercise!

The list above are all Mercola's recommendations.  I am not listing them here as a substitute for medical advice or expertise.  See your doctor whenever seeking medical advice.  This post is designed to give you information that you can share with your doctor and discuss the best options for yourself.  Read on.  Then check out his video on the topic.

Mercola is excellent at diagnosing problems . . . within limits.  But if you want a thorough going over of an issue, followed by targeted remedies, then I recommend you start with this Bill Sardi article.  Here is the ending excerpt, but be sure to read the entire article(s).  

And you may find, through further self-investigation, that part of your thyroid problem may be rooted in adrenal fatigue.  A licorice root extract may be in order.

If you are reading this report and you have unexplained, insidious irritating dry skin, agonizing thinning and loss of hair, worrisome fibrillation of the top (atrial) chambers of your heart, or an unexplained slow heart rate, or severe unremitting bloating, unremitting fatigue and sleeplessness, chronic constipation, loss of eyebrows (alopecia), elevated cholesterol (for which your doctor will inappropriately prescribe a statin drug), anxiety, slowness of speech, sensitivity to cold, weight gain, joint pain, muscle cramps, forgetfulness, muscle weakness, you may have joined the low thyroid club.  Worse yet, many of these same symptoms are associated with thyroid hormone replacement itself.

My report posted at Knowledge of Health today may help you find your way of the thyroid treatment maze.  (No advertising, no membership requirement, no placing your email on a list to receive unwanted email.) 

Mercola on Hypothyroidism

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on the Relationship Between Gut Flora and Brain Development

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on the Relationship Between Gut Flora and Brain Development

It all starts in the gut.  Great article.

Campbell-McBride says that "What happens in these children [is that] they do not develop normal gut flora from birth…" she says. "Gut flora is a hugely important part of our human physiology. Recently research in Scandinavia has demonstrated that 90 percent of all cells and all genetic material in a human body is our own gut flora. We are just a shell… a habitat for this mass of microbes inside us. We ignore them at our own peril.

…As a result, their digestive system—instead of being a source of nourishment for these children—becomes a major source of toxicity. These pathogenic microbes inside their digestive tract damage the integrity of the gut wall. So all sort of toxins and microbes flood into the bloodstream of the child, and get into the brain of the child. That usually happens in the second year of life in children who were breast fed because breastfeeding provides a protection against this abnormal gut flora. In children who were not breastfed, I see the symptoms of autism developing in the first year of life.

So breastfeeding is crucial to protect these children."

Here, Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Natasha-Campbell McBride. 

 

My Daily Diet

2 slices of pepper jack cheese
1 cup instant coffee with cream

My Daily Diet

2 slices of pepper jack cheese
1 cup instant coffee with cream

ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Following a good protein diet with eggs and bacon each morning, I gained a little weight.  After 50, shedding those pounds is a never-ending battle.  But I came upon Edward Group's site through Lew Rockwell and found that organic apple cider vinegar helps to alleviate what you don't want, stimulate what you do want, and to help you lose weight.  Check out the benefits and how to use it as a weight-reducer.  My word not convincing enough? Here is a testimonial.  Though they perform a different function, I'd hoped that by taking digestive enzymes that I might lose a little weight that way. Not so much.  But the apple cider vinegar definitely stimulates my metabolism and I can feel it.  I've just started.  Been on the vinegar for 2 days.  I will let you know the results, yay or nay, at the end of a week.  So, until Tuesday, July 26.  Here is a good article on the benefits of apple cider vinegar.  I do notice that vinegar breaks up mucous; that breaking up of mucous causes phlegm to form in my lungs.  So I can tell, I can feel that vinegar works on mucous build-up, what is effectively residuals from chronic illness, fatigue, and whatnot.  MindBodyGreen notes that apple cider vinegar can do the following:

HELP YOU DETOX                                                                                      As part of balancing the body's pH, apple cider vinegar creates an overall detoxification of the body. Research shows that it can help stimulate cardiovascular circulation and help detoxify the liver.

ACV IS GREAT for YOUR LYMPHATIC SYSTEM                                   This miracle vinegar helps to break up mucous throughout the body and cleanse the lymph nodes. Believe it or not, research suggests that apple cider vinegar can help with allergies because of its ability to reduce mucous and sinus congestion. When reducing the effects of allergies, it can also help stave off sinus infections and their related symptoms, such as sore throats and headaches.

HELP GET RID OF CANDIDA                                                                   This vinegar is rich in natural enzymes that can help rid your body of candida—yeasts that are attributed to thrush in humans. Candida also is blamed for creating symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings, and yeast infections.

I just don't know how long I will have to take this stuff to the point where I feel energetic.  I did notice that my stomach feels a little stronger, a little tighter.  I do believe that the vinegar's role in clearing up the mucous produces energizing effects.  It's gradual.  I've got to be patient.  I noticed last night, too, that after taking some fish oils the muscles in my left leg grew relaxed.  Again, I think that the vinegar I've been on for the last week has produced a clearing effect and it allows for other therapies to have a more potent effect.  So there it is.

One reason why apple cider vinegar works is this:

"Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight.  Here's why.  The acetic acid suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolism, and reduces water retention.  Scientists also theorize that apple cider vinegar interferes with the body's digestion of starch, which means fewer calories enter the bloodstream."

More on vinegar. 

The Skinny On Red Wine

LUNGS: A small amount of alcohol speeds up the breathing rate. 

But at this level of intoxication, the stimulating effects of alcohol are replaced by an anaesthetic effect 

that acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. The heart rate lowers, as does blood pressure 

and respiration rates, possibly to risky levels - in extreme cases the effect could be fatal. During exhalation, 

the lungs excrete about 5 per cent of the alcohol you have consumed - it is this effect that forms the basis 

for the breathalizer test.

Margaret Durst on Losing Weight

Cranberry Juice: "5 times a day . . . helps cleans out the lymphatic system and cellulite."

  Margaret Durst explains, "Fat burning foods help keep metabolism high. These are grapefruit, lemon and lime juice, unsweetened cranberry juice, green tea and celery. One of my favorite diet plans requires drinking unsweetened cranberry juice 5 times per day because it also helps cleans out the lymphatic system and cellulite."  

See the post on using organic apple cider vinegar for losing weight.

Magnesium

Magnesia phosphorica in the 6X potency.

“Our current protocol includes a once-daily use of the magnesium oil. I add ionic magnesium drops to our drinking and cooking water, as well as to every pot of soup, pan of sautéed vegetables, tray of stuffed peppers. I call this ‘microdosing’ and it is in addition to using sea vegetables and plenty of bone broths. Along with the Magnesia phosphorica, Alex takes the tissue salt Kali phosphorica (potassium phosphate) which is indicated for all conditions of nervous debility; the two together make a very good heart tonic. At bedtime, Alex has a single dose of magnesium citrate with a food complex vitamin C powder. This is a relaxing evening ritual and now causes no intestinal upset.

DON'T AGREE TO HAVE YOUR DENTIST POISON YOU
Ramiel reviews the different Rall aspects of possible dental interventions, including root canals, amalgam fillings, fluoride, sealants, whitening, x-rays, conventional vs. biological dentistry and dental visits in general. Wait, what?  What does that last one mean, "dental visits in general"? Even for a cleaning?  He mentions that he still has mercury amalgam fillings following the advice of “a wise person who suggested that he not get the fillings replaced.” One of the biological dentists I work with believes that this is not the best health advice and that all mercury-based fillings and other dental metals such as metal with porcelain or gold crowns should be replaced with less toxic composite or pure porcelain  crowns. I personally like what Ramiel says, “Fillings, regardless of the material used, can block the energy currents in the tooth”. 

"Block energy currents in the tooth"?  Hmm.  What kind of energy exists in the tooth?  And why is that the energy that these gurus talk about is always energy that one cannot feel to begin with even with healthy teeth? At what age do people feel the energy in their teeth, and is that energy different from energy in other parts of your body?  If it is, prove it.  But no, we don't get these proofs.  We only get the credentials of the messenger.  

Not everyone gets ill from amalgam fillings nor does their replacement always make people well. “Again, this demonstrates how the most ideal solution to cavities is to heal and prevent them with nutrition.”  So food is a more powerful healer of the mouth than any metal or porcelain molds inserted into the mouth?  

THE SORROWS OF DENTISTRY

I.  Mercury.  Mercury Amalgams.  Mercury amalgams are not good. The metal degrades over time and slow drips into your blood disrupting key organs and their fluids, like hormones.  Amalgams are bad for your brain and other nervous systems.  And amalgams weaken your immune health.

Charlie Brown and Joseph Mercola talk about the boycott of Henry Schein.

Henry Schein says that dental manufacturing is a major seller and distributor of dental mercury and amalgam in the United States. Okay . . . and?

To get you on the right dental track, he directs you to more information--to the Mercury-Free Dentistry's Facebook Page and their website.

DENTAL CARE

Weston Price Foundation maybe the best place on caring for your teeth. Don't miss it.

DENTAL DEFINITIONS

1.  Premolar.

2.  Canines, Cuspids, Dog teeth, Fangs, Eye-teeth.

3.  Incisors.

4.  Molar.  Wisdom teeth are molars.  Their removal is not necessary.  It's better to keep all of your teeth.  Do not let dentists persuade you that they have to be removed.  Extraction of teeth is a surgical procedure that dentists charge you for.  Your mouth is not a dentist's ATM machine. 

ANATOMY OF YOUR TOOTH

Your Tooth 

II. ROOT CANALS: WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS? 
1.  DO NOT DO ROOT CANALS.

2.  Extraction leaves you with 3 options: one, a partial; two, implant (not recommended); best and most elegant solution, but also most expensive, is the bridge. 

This video offers some pretty good advice on how to repair your teeth.



CALIFORNIA HOLISTIC DENTISTS HERE.

DENTAL IMPLANTS: YES OR NO?

III.  HOW DO I KEEP MY TEETH?
1.  A balanced diet of greens and meat.

2.  Oil-pulling.  Take a teaspoon of olive oil after eating and suck it to the back of your throat without swallowing.  Repeat this several times in the courser of 90 seconds.  Suck up the oil through your teeth.  Then spit the oil out.  Do not swallow the oil please.  Oil-pulling serves as an anti-biotic and anti-viral.  As bacteria and viruses build up in your mouth, one of the best ways to keep your mouth infection free is oil-pulling.  I use olive oil; some recommend other kinds of oils.  The recommendation on oil pulling is to do it for 20 minutes each time, three times per day.  Apparently, the 20-minute mark is when the oil should turn white in your mouth, indicative of all the bacteria in your mouth being collected.

3.  Floss.

4.  Consistently brush after a meal.

5.  How to remineralize your teeth?

IV.  BRUXISM, a.k.a., TEETH-GRINDING

V.  TREATMENTS FOR HEALTHY TEETH

Cure Tooth Decay Naturally?

Fat-soluble Vitamin A called Retinol helps fight tooth decay.

Here is an added resource from Weston-Price Foundation on holistic care of teeth.  Good luck.  If anyone has fillings or crowns or root canals, we end up spending too much time and money trying to get back what we've lost while we lose more out the side door in the mean time.  I hate dentists.  I hate dentistry.  How many deadly institutions and murderous organizations exist today to make lives for human beings miserable?   

VI.  EAT YOUR TEETH TO HEALTH

Mark Sisson has some suggestions.

YOUR TEETH LOSING MINERALS?  HERE ARE A FEW REMEDIES

1. Acidic foods and drinks, like coffee and tea, rob your teeth of minerals.  Stop drinking these drinks for a while and watch your teeth remineralize.

2.  Start drinking water with minerals.  Distilled water does not have the minerals found in spring water.   

3.  My frugal friends like to argue that tap water is just as clean as bottled water.  I'm not convinced.  Tap water has fluoride, but so does bottled water.  The only water that may not have fluoride is distilled water.  And if you can manage it, the other thing you'll want to avoid is plastic containers for the PBCs.  I like the bottled spring water Mountain Valley.  It comes in a glass bottle, so you win there.  And the water tastes clean, like real mountain spring water.

Remineralize tooth health.  Mike Adams and tooth health.

The Skinny on Coffee

I love coffee.  I love the taste of coffee.  I love the smell of coffee.  I love the memories of coffee, like the one where my dad is pouring me out a cup at 5 am from his thermos on a road trip along the dramatic California coastline.  Coffee is opaque liquid love.  Its memories warm us.  Its heat consoles our loneliness, like a late-night cup in Ed Hopper's Nighthawks.

Coffee is riddled with memories.  Seeing my mother enjoy a delicious cup of hot coffee was one of my greatest pleasures.  My cousin's wedding held in a San Diego harbor was celebrated at a restaurant that served a deep, rich coffee.  The coffee was perhaps my greatest memory of his wedding; that and the actual church ceremony.  Coffee is so good and consumed in such delicious company that the cups themselves become discussion on coffee.  When was the last time that you were in a diner, enjoying coffee from a thick mug or fine china?

Or when a friend or family member wants to make an impression and serves coffee in decorative china?

 

Coffee occupies such an integral part in most cultures.  In our teenage years, we were instructed how to ask a girl out on a date--ask them if they'd like to go out for a cup of coffee.  Coffee was neutral that way; it was our wing man, that dark beverage behind which two strangers could be protected.

It would be nice to drink fine brewed coffee, organic coffee that I roast in my own home in a frying pan on the stove.  The coffee that I drink is NesCafe instant and Whole Foods instant.  James Wesley Rawles, who used to own and operate a coffee bar, states that most store-bought instant coffee is stale before it is vacuum-sealed that results in a tasteless beverage.  Another reason that I drank coffee, even endure the tastelessness of instant coffee, was because I love cream in my coffee.  No sugar.  I would not put sugar in my coffee; the cream was enough to enhance the flavor. 

But I write today on coffee because I may have to limit my intake.  Finding a recent post on coffee's effects on hydrochloric acid made me realize that my excessive consumption of it is harming the health benefits of the stomach acids.  Shannon Marks over at Livestrong.com reviews the health benefits of coffee and caffeine.  Citing naturopathic doctor Julia Gonen, Marks reports that "coffee can injure intestinal tissue by speeding up the process of gastric emptying, which can cause contents of the stomach that are highly acidic to dump into the small intestine too rapidly."  Caffeinated coffee has been implicated in malabsorption conditions, says Stephen Cherniske, a nutritional biochemist and author of Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America’s Number 1 Drug.

These images of coffee and caffeine wreaking havoc inside our gut goes counter to our images of a cowboy being refreshed on an open plain at dawn or a patient being revived by the stimulate after days or weeks of illness or a friend being comforted by a hot cup of joe.  But we've also lost sight maybe of the prevalence of coffee.  There are Starbucks on every corner, coffee that comes in every size and every flavor imaginable and even in ones that we can't.  Coffee shops are the new, or is it the old, local watering hole.  So people attend them even though they're getting a cookie or a milk shake.  The pressure to drink coffee is immense; to resist is futile.  Then there is all the talk about anti-oxidants.  Well, there are anti-oxidants in life, in chocolate, in sugar, somewhere, in some amount, I am sure.  It may be true that coffee has anti-oxidants.  But that point is often used to justify its consumption, not necessary to treat a condition.  We take Vitamin C or Vitamin D3 to overcome a cold or a flu; coffee is not that kind of an anti-oxidant.  So although the claims that the anti-oxidants in coffee can fight cancer, perhaps, but not in the doses that you would find in a cup of hot joe.  In the last couple of years, McDonald's, the hamburger joint, has marshaled rave reviews of their Arabica bean coffee.  And it's true--their coffee is good.  Ultimately, we have to pay attention to its health effects.  Claims about the benefits of coffee will persist and they will be true.  But you've got to take personal stock.  What is that coffee doing to you?

It's the destruction of the intestinal chemical and structural composition that have me concerned.  Now, coffee is not the only culprit or perhaps the most wicked of them by itself.  But if you're a coffee lover, like myself, you might point to the fact that coffee, as much as you don't want to point the finger at such a trusted companion, is not all that good for digestion.  For comfort, yes; for reviving wonderful memories with those we love, absolutely.  But the fact is that coffee does deplete important hydrochloric acid that is so important at keeping our guts running healthy.  One can take supplements to rebuild the depleted hydrochloric acid.  But at what point does someone stop relying on enzymatic supplements to provide the digestive juices that coffee purportedly has robbed us of?  And what is so bad, honestly, about losing a little digestive juices to a great tasting cup of joe?

What happens when hydrochloric acid is depleted?

This author, Stephen Stiteler, L.Ac., O.M.D., goes even further to blacken coffee.  This statement was disconcerting, "Caffeine forces the liver to release glycogen (sugar) into the blood stream.  The pancreas responds to the sudden increase in blood sugar by releasing insulin, the hormone which causes excess carbohydrates to be stored as fat.  Within the span of an hour or so, the result is a sharp drop in blood sugar.  This creates a condition known as hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.  That's when another cup of coffee seems like a good idea and the cycle repeats itself."  I wonder if heavy coffee drinkers end up with diabetic symptoms after so many years and so many cups?  

 I like Sally Fallon, so I googled her name and coffee.  And she concludes that coffee exhausts the adrenal glands.  How much coffee exhausts the adrenals, at what time coffee is drank actually exhausts the adrenals, and what type of coffee exhausts the adrenals, she did not say.  Her comment, which I greatly appreciate is here:  "Caffeine jolts the adrenal glands and eventually leads to adrenal exhaustion.  My own health did not begin to improve until I quit coffee–the hardest thing I ever did."

In her review of Kristina Amelong's book Ten Days to Optimal Health, Fallon advocates Amelong's findings that ". . . caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, and artificial sweeteners contribute to chronic disease, citing a study in the Journal of Natural Medicine which found that one teaspoon of refined sugar paralyzes fifty percent of the body's white blood cells for five hours."  50% is stunning.  I didn't realize that sugar consumption was so bad.  I guess that the sugar industry's assault on corn syrup have helped to legitimize sugar as the healthy sweetener.  Paralyzing 50% of our immune system does not seem healthy.

More on coffee here, here, and here.

COFFEE AND TOOTH HEALTH

It's true, too, that coffee stains your teeth.  More than that, coffee contains oxalic acid, which promotes tooth decay, according to Rami Nagel.

IS COFFEE A DIURETIC?  IN MOST CASES, YES.

This is an interesting fact on coffee.  We tend to think of coffee as a diuretic, which it is, and that as a diuretic it will help to eliminate food.  What it can do to a bowel stool is that it can dry it out because the coffee leaches out fluids from your body.  eHow has this to say, "Since coffee also works as a diuretic, which essentially means that it can remove some liquid from the body, it can leach liquid from a stool and further dry out it out, making it even more difficult to pass. So if you are constipated, drinking coffee could ultimately worsen the condition."  The article is here.