Should Christians be drinking caffeine

[HappyChristian]

Well, I don't want to argue, but herbs aren't chemicals. Sorry - if they are, then so are carrots and tomatoes. Chemicals used in the body are laboratory produced. Herbs grow from the ground.

Check it out, and you will find that when people (the ones who work with them both) talk about them, they will say herbs and chemicals, differentiating between the two.

[kevinmiller]

Well, I don't want to argue, but herbs aren't chemicals. Sorry - if they are, then so are carrots and tomatoes. Chemicals used in the body are laboratory produced. Herbs grow from the ground.

Check it out, and you will find that when people (the ones who work with them both) talk about them, they will say herbs and chemicals, differentiating between the two.

You're right. Herbs might contain chemicals, as any organic substance does, but it is not a chemical of itself. It is a compilation of chemicals and compounds.

[Psalms18_28]

Well, I don't want to argue, but herbs aren't chemicals. Sorry - if they are, then so are carrots and tomatoes. Chemicals used in the body are laboratory produced. Herbs grow from the ground.

Check it out, and you will find that when people (the ones who work with them both) talk about them, they will say herbs and chemicals, differentiating between the two.

http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/chemicals/guide/pdfs/lesson1.pdf

[HappyChristian]

Link

Okay - this is kind of what I thought you were referencing. Yes, everything is of molecular composition...but when we speak of chemicals in meds, they are synthetic. Herbs are molecular, everything is, but they don't do the same thing in the body, and they aren't processed the same. That was my point in refuting them as chemicals. Thanks for the article - interesting stuff!!!

[Anon]

That's what I said...herbs contain chemicals and when you take herbs, you are also taking chemicals. Marijuana is the perfect example of an herb that contains powerful chemicals. They are virtually indistinguishable.

[Psalms18_28]

about coffee and asthma, I believe it, It is what helped me coped all these years of asthma when my mom couldn't afford to take us to the doctor and get prescriptions. My asthma is very, very mild, but it does make things difficult for me. I recover quickly back to normal whenever I take an inhaler, but I don't take it everyday.

It's probably why I like drinking coffee today. It helps me cope without an inhaler. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_coffee_help_asthma

edited: I do want to mention that when you cook, or boil dried herbs, or whatever, you are altering the natural chemicals just a little. the only example I can give that I know of right now is that when you cook carrots, Vitamin A gets stronger. this is where I don't see the different from herbs and prescriptions, unless you eat the herbs as it is (raw).

[His by Grace]

I feel really beaten up on! My son has a strong conviction about caffine and has been telling me such for years. Cutting back slowly then stopping looks to be in my future. Whatelse can you make (caffine free) with a "coffee maker"? His by Grace

Caffeine's Effect is Long Lasting and Compounds Stress

DURHAM, N.C. - - A study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center shows that caffeine taken in the morning has effects on the body that persist until bedtime and amplifies stress consistently throughout the day. These results show for the first time that the effects of caffeine last considerably longer than originally thought, said the scientists, and that caffeine exaggerates stress in people who consume it every day.
The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, appears in the July/August 2002 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

"The effects of coffee drinking are long-lasting and exaggerate the stress response both in terms of the body's physiological response in blood pressure elevations and stress hormone levels, but it also magnifies a person's perception of stress," said James D. Lane, Ph.D., associate research professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke and lead author of the study. "People haven't really accepted the fact that there could be a health downside to caffeine consumption, but our evidence ? and that of other studies ? shows that this downside exists and people should be aware of it in order to make the best possible health choices."

To determine the effects of caffeine on people as they go about their normal activities, the researchers enrolled 47 healthy, habitual coffee drinkers in a double blind, placebo-controlled study. That is, neither the participants nor the researchers knew when the participants were receiving caffeine or the placebo.

To qualify for the study, the coffee drinkers were asked to fill out a daily diary of caffeine intake for a period of one week. They kept the diary in order to determine the average amount of caffeine they consumed on a daily basis, the type of caffeinated beverages they drank, and the variation from day to day, all of which helped verify the participants as habitual coffee drinkers.

Once the coffee drinkers qualified for the study, their responses to caffeine were measured on two different, randomly chosen days. On one day, the coffee drinkers were given a 250-milligram dose of caffeine in the morning and again at lunchtime. On the other day, they were given identical capsules containing a placebo at the same time interval. The doses of caffeine -- equal to four cups of coffee -- and the dosage times were chosen to reflect normal patterns of coffee drinking in adults. Half of the study participants received caffeine on the first day of study and the others received it on the second day. The coffee drinkers were given, on average, two to three days off between study days during which they could consume as many caffeinated beverages as they normally desired.

On both study days, coffee drinkers wore a portable monitor that measured blood pressure and heart rate four times an hour from early morning until bedtime, while they went about their normal daily activities. They were asked to collect urine samples so that the researchers could measure the amount of stress hormones they had produced that day. They were also asked to keep a diary to record their perceived stress levels as well as their physical position ? standing, sitting or lying down ? each time the monitor was activated.

When the researchers compared the caffeine days to the placebo days they discovered that caffeine consumption significantly raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure consistently throughout the day and night, and adrenaline levels rose by 32 percent. The researchers found that the elevated levels persisted as the evening progressed to bedtime.

The study also showed that while caffeine increases blood pressure and heart rate, it also amplifies those effects at the times when participants report higher levels of stress during their day, said Lane. The caffeine appears to compound the effects of stress both psychologically in terms of perceived stress levels and physiologically in terms of elevated blood pressures and stress hormone levels -- as if the stressor is actually of greater magnitude, he said.

"The caffeine we drink enhances the effects of the stresses we experience, so if we have a stressful jOB, drinking coffee makes our body respond more to the ordinary stresses we experience," he said. "The combination of stress and caffeine has a multiplying, or synergistically negative effect.

"Everyone accepts that stress can be unhealthy. Our results suggest that drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks can make stress even more unhealthy."

The researchers noted that while habitual coffee drinkers might be expected to demonstrate tolerance to the effects of caffeine, they still showed significant responses to the drug.

"Our findings indicate that eliminating coffee and other caffeinated beverages from the diet could be a helpful way to decrease blood pressure and other stress reactions," said Lane. "I think that people who feel 'stressed out' should at least consider quitting caffeine to see if they feel better. Quitting caffeine could be particularly beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure, just as diet and exercise can help keep blood pressure under control.

The researchers said that despite the perceived safety of overwhelmingly popular caffeinated beverages such as coffee, the drug does show short-term negative health effects that, if continued over a period of years, could increase risk of heart attack and stroke.

"While today's cup of coffee might not, by itself, cause you much harm, the cumulative effects of drinking it day after day over a lifetime could really be unhealthy," Lane concluded.

Other authors on the study are Carl Pieper, DrPH, Barbara Phillips-Bute, Ph.D., John Bryant, Ph.D., and Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D., all of Duke.

www.HealthNewsDigest.com

also: http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffe ... dence.html

And the category with examples that caffeine falls into:
Stimulants
Effects
*
Speeds up the central nervous system.
*
Desired effects would include a sense of well being or euphoria, or an enhanced ability to think and function.
*
Other effects include anxiety, paranoia, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, reduced appetite, restlessness, insomnia, and a feeling of being ?shaky.?

Examples:
Cocaine
Dexedrine
Methedrine
Tenuate
Ionamin
Ritalin
Fastin
TOBacco
Caffeine

In Gal 5:20 one of the works of the flesh that is listed is witchcraft. According to Strong's the definition is:
G5331
?????????
pharmakeia
far-mak-i'-ah
From G5332; medication (?pharmacy?), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): - sorcery, witchcraft.

Caffeine clearly falls into the category of a drug, and according to research it has short and long term negative effects, yet christians use it daily without regard. I was just wondering what you all thought?

C

[trc123]

Most everything we eat today (unless you grow it yourself and don't use treated water or store bought fertilizer) is treated or contains some sort of drug or chemical. ALL processed foods have them and prOBably account for the much higher rates of autism, ADD and other such ailments we are seeing for the past 40 or 50 years.

[ptwild]

Most everything we eat today (unless you grow it yourself and don't use treated water or store bought fertilizer) is treated or contains some sort of drug or chemical. ALL processed foods have them and prOBably account for the much higher rates of autism, ADD and other such ailments we are seeing for the past 40 or 50 years.

I read the brief (distorted) comments about marijuana on this thread, then the above quoted reference to autism by trc and it reminded me of an article I recently read. The link below is not the specific article, but pertains to the same subject matter. Very interesting stuff.

http://www.autism.com/ari/editorials/ed_marijuana.htm

[trc123]

I personally think marijuana prOBably causes less health issues than all the chemicals and drugs in our processed food. But I wouldn't say that out loud in mixed company...........shsssssssssssshhhhhhhhh

[ptwild]

I personally think marijuana prOBably causes less health issues than all the chemicals and drugs in our processed food. But I wouldn't say that out loud in mixed company...........shsssssssssssshhhhhhhhh

No joke. When you consider the reason it was criminalized in the first place (a means of racial persecution) and who lOBbies against its legalization today (pharmacutical industry), it's absolutely laughable. This simple easily grown plant could quite possibly be the "health care reform" we've been looking for. Can you imagine if all a cancer patient had to do to alleviate his or her pain was walk out to their garden and pick a few leaves, rather than go pay a pharmacist for over priced addictive pain killers?

[trc123]

I know it's not nearly as addictive or harmful as morphine and some other "drugs" the doctors push.

I'm not saying it is a good thing to smoke "pot" but it is quite hypocritical of the government to allow other mind altering drugs and alcohol to be legal and not marijuana.

Just an opinion..........

[ptwild]

I know it's not nearly as addictive or harmful as morphine and some other "drugs" the doctors push.

I'm not saying it is a good thing to smoke "pot" but it is quite hypocritical of the government to allow other mind altering drugs and alcohol to be legal and not marijuana.

Just an opinion..........

I think scientist are hard pressed to find that it is addictive at all. That is another reason why the pharmaceutical companies cannot make as much money off of it. The last time I considered the issue (college), most if not all independent studies found it to not be addictive.

But there is no doubt that our government takes a hypocritical stance to it. However, just recently the feds announced that they would not be investigating, nor prosecuting, users. Thus, if your state has limited decriminalization, or limited enforcement, you're pretty much free to smoke all you want in your own home.

[Madeline]

I need to repent and ask the Lord to forgive me for going to Starbuck's this morning.

[kevinmiller]

Yes, you do, better do it before the caffeine wears off.