Testing Doctors, Coffee and Your Ability to Heal
I want to state emphatically that my purpose in writing this newsletter is not to pick on doctors. Nope! Absolutely not! Ever!
My purpose is to have you, as parents, be aware of some of the quirks belonging to the medical paradigm that you should know in order to make sound health decisions for your family- you may find this next tid-bit somewhat unsettling.
In a very recent research study published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery the authors concluded that basic musculoskeletal knowledge is essential to the practice of Medicine. Yes, Anatomy. What a concept! I totally agree. I feel strongly that all physicians should know that the knee bone is attached to the hipbone, etc. As a matter of fact, I feel that this knowledge is crucial for any doctor. With that in mind, the authors of the study tested the knowledge of basic anatomy principles in a number of medical disciplines in order to test physician-training adequacy.
Here are the results:
The average score was 56.9% (This is an F grade)
Only 21% scored 73.1%, the recommended passing grade.
79% flunked the test!
82% of medical students in their last month of training failed.
100% of these students failed the anatomy portion of the examination
46% of those who stated that they were very comfortable with performing a patient examination, had an average score of only 66%
And, the public is asked to implicitly trust that their doctor knows what they are doing at all times?
Considering that aches and pains are the largest group of complaints (second only to respiratory conditions) that physicians handle, this is a very unsettling thought. Again, my aim is not to take pot-shots at doctors, the majority of whom are very dedicated to their patients, I am simply presenting you with published facts so that you may be able to understand that things are not always as they seem.
But first, coffee… or maybe not.
Let’s talk about Coffee - specifically Caffeine. The most commonly used drug in North America is caffeine. Eighty percent of North Americans consume it daily. Here is the problem: It is so common that we, as a populace, do not even question it. Coffee drinkers usually start out with one or two cups a day, but over time it isn’t unusual for the habit to increase to between five and 10 or more cups daily. The morning coffee becomes more than a ritual - it’s a ”caffeine fix” needed by the body to rebalance the blood that is out of balance because of the previous day’s caffeine intake.
The major addictive substance in coffee is caffeine, a white crystalline alkaloid that stimulates the brain, and artificially and chemically reduces fatigue. Injected into human muscles, caffeine will cause paralysis, while 10 grams of caffeine accumulated suddenly in a human body would result in death.
Fortunately, coffee ingested in a single cup at a time is not fatal because the kidneys work overtime to eliminate this toxin and prevent accumulation (that is why you need to pee so much after you’ve had coffee.) However, continuous use of caffeine devitalizes the body to the point that the body cannot function without it. The adrenal glands become so over-stimulated that it takes a high level of caffeine just to feel normal again. Thus a vicious cycle is created. The very thing that creates the problem becomes the “cure” and perpetuates the problem.
While not causing paralysis or death, small doses of caffeine do cause bad things to happen to the body.For instance, caffeine causes stomach temperature to rise 10-15 F, making the stomach more acidic, and years of over-acidity can lead to stomach ulcers.Caffeine causes the heart to beat faster, the lungs to work harder and the blood vessels leading to the brain to narrow, while increasing the body’s metabolic rate.Studies show that caffeine consumption is related to increased bladder and stomach cancers, elevated blood pressure, increased rates of diabetes and damaged stomach lining.Reports indicate that caffeine may be linked to male infertility as well as birth defects, and can even be passed through mother’s milk into the nursing baby -and this is my main reason for it’s inclusion in this month’s newsletter.
Dr. Kurt W. Donsbach, once said: “Would you agree that everything you put into your body should be for the benefit and the use of the body? Coffee does not fall in such a category. It has no positive function. It furnishes no vitamins, minerals, enzymes or proteins in the diet, but does create many problems that cause the body to expend much energy to overcome. Coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate all contain caffeine. There are many herbal teas and coffee substitutes that can be consumed to benefit the body. The elimination of caffeine-containing substances from your diet can be one of the most important health decisions you ever make.”
But if you cringe at this newsletter and these findings I give you a partial list of some commonly consumed products that contain caffeine. The amount of caffeine is in milligrams (mg) per seven-ounce cup of coffee or 12-ounce can of soda:
Drip Coffee 115-117 mg
Brewed coffee 80-135 mg
Instant coffee 65-100 mg
Decaf coffee 2-4 mg
Tea, Iced 70 mg
Mountain Dew 55 mg
Coca Cola 45 mg
Dr. Pepper 39 mg
Pepsi Cola 37 mg
Chocolate bar 30 mg
Stay-awake pill 100 mg
Cold tablet 30-200 mg
Diet pills 100 mg
Excedrin 65 mg
Midol 32 mg
There it is parents – the truth behind coffee!I have to say that Decaf coffee is now so very close to the real thing that even a coffee connoisseur would have a tough time determining which is the real stuff.
Did you know?
Red blood cells live for about four months
White blood cells live on average more than a year
Skin cells live about two or three weeks
Colon cells have it rough; they die off after about four days.
Sperm cells have a life span of only about three days.
Brain cells typically last an entire lifetime (neurons in the cerebral cortex for example, are not replaced when they die.)
Your body is designed to heal itself! It is in a constant state of change and repair! In order to do this, your body must follow a precise program. Your nervous system (your brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves) is the thing that runs that program; it is your computer central command center, and as long as it is functioning normally everything works at it’s best…you have optimal health and that is normal. If something interferes with the function of your nervous system your body won’t be able to do what it is programmed and designed to do…it will fail, it will break down, it will compensate, and it will never be as good as optimal. Chiropractors are the only ones who are trained to assess and improve the function of the nervous system.
So…no matter the age, everyone deserves to have optimal function and to live life at it’s fullest.Make sure that you have a chiropractor as part of your wellness team and see them regularly so you live life at it’s fullest and raise your kids at their highest potential.
