PRESCOTT, AZ - 1/28/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET) -- Media is reporting caffeine benefits. “Suspect corporate benefits behind the research and their report,” says Dr. Richard Ruhling, a retired physician who taught Health Science at LLU. He cites the British Medical Journal that “There is a cancer eating at the core of medical research.” May 6, 2015.
50 years ago the soon-to-be dean of LLU's School of Public Health said he got offers from companies to fund his research, but usually they wanted to re-direct his research, and the past 50 years has only sharpened their ability to influence the outcome of studies. In contrast to reported benefits from the drug, caffeine, coffee and tea, here are some concerns that Ruhling offers:
1. Nervous disorders with anxiety, tremors and hyperventilation syndrome may be caused by caffeine.
2. Insomnia is common and can be a problem, even for those who only drink it in the morning.
3. Cleft palate and hare lip can be caused by chromosomal damage due to ingestions of caffeine in the first trimester of pregnancy.
4. Caffeine is not allowed in coronary care units because it lowers the threshold for ventricular fibrillation which is often fatal in the setting of a heart attack. Caffeine can also cause Premature Ventricular Contractions that can be a prelude to more serious arrhythmias.
5. Fibrocystic breast lumps can be caused by caffeine, and the condition is also a risk factor for breast cancer and are the most common reason for breast surgery—a biopsy to be sure it's not cancer.
6. Gastritis, ulcers, esophageal reflux and hyperacidity are common in coffee drinks. Drug companies love caffeine because then consumers need one of the host of antacids or blockers to control those symptoms. He once saw an emergency patient whose stomach was “on fire.” He had many previous tests; no one told him that two pots of coffee a day might be a problem!
7. Cancer of the pancreas had a strong association with coffee consumption reported by the New England Journal of Medicine in a lead article 35 years ago. Cancer of the bladder was also more common in coffee drinkers in a Harvard report.
8. Lower bone density (osteoporosis) in women is also linked to caffeine consumption.
9. The Russian scientist, Pavlov, called coffee “bad habit glue”--it glues our bad habits together. Many people live unbalanced lives, over-working, overeating, watching TV till late and would never make it up in the morning without their morning fix.
10. Headaches are commonly part of a withdrawal from caffeine addiction and can be severe, which is why so many would rather continue their drug addiction than face the withdrawal which usually peak on the 3rd day and over the hump in five. But this relationship is why drug companies put caffeine in headache meds like Cafergot (for migraine) or Excedrin. If trying to break the caffeine habit, beware and read the ingredients before buying something to get you through the withdrawal period.
When something is good for the body like exercise, it is good many ways, says Ruhling, maintaing the converse is also true, and drinking caffeinated beverages is like Russian roulette. He wonders how the FDA could classify caffeine as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). He thinks they are influenced by corporate interests and untrustworthy. Which of the above problems does one want, and who needs this addiction? Why not face the music by quitting over a long weekend?
Dr. Richard Ruhling is the author of Why You Shouldn't Ask Your Doctor, available on Amazon. He offers more information on his website, http://RichardRuhling.com
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Company Name: Total Health
Name: Richard Ruhling, MD, MPH
Email Address: Ruhling7@juno.com
Website: http://RichardRuhling.com