Caffeine Addiction - A Problem To Be Solved As Early As Possible

We all have this preconceived notion that only coffee contains caffeine but that is not the case. Beverages like cokes and chocolate products contain caffeine. A hot cup of coffee with the morning sunshine sounds so tempting and revitalizing.

It has the ability to keep you awake and help burn that midnight oil in time of dire need. Coffee becomes a matter for social gathering. It helps you socialize by letting you bump into one of your colleagues in the office which otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

It is being considered as one of your friends as it has helped you sit up late at night and clear those grueling Math papers. With all the usefulness one can think of we also happen to know that coffee contains caffeine which is not good for your health.

Having coffee can help you remain alert but it is the aftermath you should be worried about the ill effects it has on your health. It is a stimulus which does wonders to your central nervous system by stressing the hormones in the bloodstream and keeping you alert and awake whenever you have it. 

This unnatural way of keeping your body alert takes a toll on your body. The normal way of functioning gets disrupted due to the intake of coffee or any other product which contains a good amount of caffeine.

As caffeine gets into our system it makes us addicted. After knowing the ill effects of caffeine if you suddenly stop taking coffee, you will face caffeine withdrawal symptoms which can be anything from a headache, irritability, fatigue, constipation, lack of appetite, lack of concentration to even forgetfulness. 

The withdrawal symptoms can be very harmful leading to stomach ulcers as the coffee can be acidic. This excess acid gets into your blood streams causing loss of calcium in urine. Caffeine which has been freely used in most of the beverages has led kids get addicted to it. The high content of sugar just makes it very popular among children which are the future generation with excess weight. 

It is also the cause of abnormal fast, slow or irregular heartbeats. It is also known for increasing blood pressure which leads to constant stress and hypertension. There are increasing chances of heart disease; pancreas and bladder cancer which we all know can be very fatal. 

The idea to quit caffeine should be very strong and not one to tampered with. The process should be slow and gradual. As we all know the withdrawal symptoms of caffeine is very bad. Avoid other caffeinated products which would just make matters worse. If you happen to drink 6 cups of coffee a day, cut it down. Try to have 2 cups green tea and 4 cups coffee and similarly as you go ahead you will completely stop til you got rid of caffeine from your life.

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Addictive Foods And Their Harmful Consequences

Most of us are fond of at least one product that has the effect of a stimulant and that eventually becomes an addiction. These products include exercise stimulant drinks (they come in cans and look like cola), fizzy aerated drinks, tobacco, betel nut, betel leaf, strong coffee, strong tea, ma huang (an ephedrine-like compound consumed in China), and alcohol.

Before I tell you why we shouldn’t consume these products, I’d like to deal with the question of why we do consume them in the first place.

There’s no one who doesn’t know that products like these, consumed in excess, can severely harm our bodies. Yet, we still find them hard to resist. The need to eat stimulant food is a simple human weakness that has existed for ages: humans (and many animals) have always indulged in foods that give a sort of emotional high. In clinical terms, this means rapid heart beat, a little sweating, dilation or constriction of the pupils of the eye, a warm flush on the face, and a sense of greater sensitivity, concentration and perception.

These sensations of ‘high’ die down within a few hours, and we are left feeling listless and low. This leads to a craving for that food again, to experience the high one more time. And there we are going round and round in a vicious circle.

The physiology of addictions is as follows:

When you eat an addictive food, it stimulates the hormone like substances found at the end of your nerves, which triggers an avalanche of similar stimulatory substances and you experience a high. As the substances near the nerves are depleted, you get into the low phase, which leads you to crave that food again. This yo-yo phase of nerve stimulation and depletion leads to a pattern of addiction.

Consuming addictive foods is one of the oldest unhealthy food practices and, despite a revolution in health consciousness; it shows no signs of dying out.

Below are some side effects of certain addictive foods.

Alcohol Addiction: Erosion of stomach and intestinal lining, liver damage, nutritional deficiency.

Tobacco: Erosion of gum and tongue can lead to cancer of the buccal mucosa.

Betel nut: Leads to the discoloration of teeth, erosion of the lining of the mouth, and cancer of the mouth and upper tract. It also leads to heart problems among people who already have a weak heart.

Ma huang: It contains ephedrine and leads to heart problems.

Aerated drinks: High doses of caffeine.

Caffeine and xanthine: Found in tea, coffee. These become harmful only in very high doses; don’t consume more than five cups a day.

Mixed drug reactions: People who consume medications for the heart, hypertension and asthma have to be very careful about the interactions of the drugs with stimulant foods, as mixing the two can be fatal. After years of experience, all doctors know how difficult it is to break the food addictions of their patients. So like them, I can only advise a good compromise. If you can’t break the addiction, then at least you should practice moderation.

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