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The Good Side of Coffee

By Francine Milford

75% of Americans jump start their mornings with a hot cup of coffee. Coffee drinkers have long
discovered that caffeine helps them to feel awake, alert, and better able to face the day.
Despite the fact that too much coffee drinking causes jitters, insomnia, and heart palpitations;
not too many people are aware that moderate coffee drinking may have health benefits.

Coffee (coffea, various species), contains the stimulant caffeine which constricts the blood
vessels. This constricting action may help those who suffer from certain forms of headaches. In
fact, caffeine is an ingredient in many pain relievers. A cup of coffee, when taken with an
aspirin, can boost the pain-relieving powers of aspirin by as much as 33%.

Coffee contains two major anti-asthmatic compounds (theobromine & theophylline) which can
help stop bronchospasms and open up constricted bronchial passages. This is good news for
asthma sufferers. If you are ever caught without your medication, drink a few cups of coffee!

In a study at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, caffeine was found to have an
antidepressant effect. This effect gives people a sense of well-being, lowers suicidal tendencies,
and even reduces alcoholic dependency.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA), male coffee drinkers who
consume 2-4 cups of regular coffee a day enjoy a 40% lower risk of developing gall stone
disease.

Another study done by the American Chemical Society found that caffeine contains certain
compounds that act like other antioxidants. Moderate coffee drinking may reduce the risk of
colon cancer by 25-30%, it may prevent LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), and was found to
“significantly reduce” breast tumors in rats.

Yukmiko Hara from the Mitsui Nurin Company in Japan reports that coffee and tea drinkers not
only enjoy antioxidant and cancer fighting properties, but also antibacterial properties as well.
Drinking your coffee may help to fight viruses, prevent tumors, and even help to reduce stroke.

In a study done by Chi-Tang Ho from Rudgers University, N.J., it was noted that when caffeine
was applied to the skin and added to the drinking water of mice and rats, that it inhibited tumors
in their stomachs, lungs, and on their skin.

What is the recommended safe dose? Anything less than 300mg/day (under 4 cups) a day. As in
all things, practice moderation. But before you run and out and starting guzzling half a pot of
coffee, please check with your primary health care professional.

Francine Milford, N.D., owns the Reiki Center of Venice and offers correspondence courses in
many alternative methods of healing.