Imagine life as a coffee addict dentist: jittery paws and black-stained jaws. Or a stressed-out surgeon who sips coffee to unwind. Slicing skin during anxiety attacks.
In my younger days, I’d drink nonstop pots of coffee. I spent more on caffeine than on my education. And due to coffee-rushes, I’d lie awake bedtimes, fretting.
But later, caffeine spurred panic attacks—not just in me, but in a friendly female barista. One cup of coffee, her hands trembled; three cups, she’d slap faces.
Not only does caffeine cause jitters and stress, it darkens teeth. When I tried whitening toothpaste, my mouth shone. That is, until my next sip.
But then, I met a cashier with a snowy smile. “How did you get those teeth?” I asked. “I don’t drink coffee,” she said. Inspired, I quit both caffeine and decaf. Within three days, my teeth twinkled. Within a week, I felt calmer than the Dalia Lama’s tenth hour of meditation. I felt so calm I lacked oomph—no life for chatting, only life for napping.
So, I surrendered. In one guilty sitting, I swigged green tea nonstop.
My afterthoughts? Would one more week of withdrawal have reaped rewards? I then read that withdrawal can last a month. I also meditated on Dr. Daniel G. Amen’s words: “I deal with the stress in my life without caffeine …” (Change Your Brain Change Your Body, p. 129).
Inspired, today I guzzled my last green tea.
Daniel G. Amen, MD shows how caffeine harms in his book Change Your Brain Change Your Body.
- Why stop coffee? “Caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain, and anything that compromises blood flow leads to premature aging” (p. 99).
- Coffee also makes you dumber: “Caffeine dehydrates the brain … which makes it harder to think quickly” (p. 99).
- Coffee can sicken you: “Caffeine can cause an upset stomach” (p. 99).
- And cause disease: “Caffeine can elevate inflammatory markers. Two studies showed that … two cups of coffee … raised homocysteine levels, a marker for inflammation and heart disease” (p. 99).
- So, what’s safe coffee intake? “If your caffeine intake is limited to one or two cups of coffee or two to three cups of tea a day, it probably is not a problem. But any more than that can cause problems” (p. 99).
- Ditch coffee, drink green tea instead: “L-theanine, one of the components of green tea, has also been shown to boost GABA, while at the same time helping with concentrating and mental alertness” (p. 50).
- But if you suffer anxiety, quit caffeine, even green tea and decaf.
So, stop jittery paws and black-stained jaws by cutting out caffeine. Also, pull with coconut oil. What’s pull? Swishing coconut oil in your mouth for thirty minutes. Whitens teeth. Fights tooth decay. Heals gums.
As a final tip, if shaky hands and stress keep you from med school, switch black brew for B-vitamins.
