Archives for 2022

Digestion Optimized

April 17, 2022 by Martin Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Most people’s hair stands on end when they hear the word chemistry. Be it because of the many negative media reports about chemical accidents or because of the boring, almost incomprehensible chemistry lessons that they are actively trying to forget. However, chemistry is extremely exciting. And in our digestive tract, there is so much chemistry going on from the mouth to the anus!

We could not exist without chemical processes. And the best thing is that it runs on auto pilot without any programming on our part. However, we can still support the digestive processes, so that they are happening the way they are intended to be.

Let’s take a look at our digestive tract. To put it simply, it is a tube from the mouth to the anus with sections of different widths. In terms of structure, all sections are similar. However, there are significant differences in the fine tissues. And by adding coordinated secretions, they fulfill very special functions. Digestion breaks down the nutrients contained in food, until they can be absorbed through the intestinal wall. They are transported with the bloodstream to various organs, where they perform their important tasks and generate energy.

The digestive organs include the oral cavity with dentition, tongue and salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver with bile ducts and pancreas.

Digestion Starts in Your Mouth

When we take a bite of our meal, digestion begins right in the mouth. The teeth work to break down food and prepare it for digestion. At the same time, the resulting pulp is insalivated and the alpha-amylase contained in the saliva begins the process of splitting the carbohydrates. If we chew a piece of bread long enough, it will start to taste sweet because the long chain starch molecules are broken down into glucose, providing energy for our body.

But if we choke down our food and wash it down with a soda, these processes don’t take place. Unfortunately, the stomach doesn’t have teeth to handle the unfinished work with the same efficiency. If you have not yet created the habit of chewing, you should try to chew every bite 20-30 times. You can count along for a while until thorough chewing becomes your second nature.

Dwell Times

The length of time spent in the individual sections varies from person to person and depends heavily on the composition of the food. The esophagus itself is approximately 10 inch (25 cm) long. It takes about 10 seconds for a bite to slip through this tube and arrive in the stomach. The food stays here for an average of 1-4 hours. The dwell time of carbohydrate is shorter than that of protein. High-fat foods stay in the stomach the longest; a fatty roast up to eight hours, and sardines in oil up to nine hours. That is why you should be using fat in your diet rather sparingly.

It is good if we give our stomach a break at night. Therefore, the last meal should be taken no later than 3 hours before bedtime and should be easily digestible. Therefore the meal should consist mainly of carbohydrates and you should avoid fats as much as possible. A fruit with a piece of toast or a rusk bread would be an optimal option for dinner.

The emptying times of the small intestine is about 5-9 hours, of the colon is 25-30 hours and close to the rectal area feces can sometimes stay another 30-120 hours. Now we understand why colon cancer is appearing commonly in the lower part of the intestine. There, the feces stay along the longest. Carcinogenic substances have the longest time to act on the intestine. So we would be doing good by avoiding them. Carcinogenic substances include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in grilled meat, seafood and sausage, and heavy metals that tend to concentrate themselves in animal products. Fish is often burdened with mercury.

The Stomach

The stomach is in the upper left abdomen. It serves as a storage container and for breaking down the food. It produces up to 3 liters of gastric juice per day. This consists of mucus, hydrochloric acid (HCl), bicarbonate (HCO3), protein-splitting enzymes and intrinsic factor.

The mucus and the bicarbonate protect the stomach wall from the very strong hydrochloric acid. The concentrated acid would result in a pH of about 1, but this is buffered to pH 1.8-4 by the chyme. The low pH kills the vast majority of bacteria. The duodenum is therefore very low in germs and, by the way, alkaline and not acidic like the stomach. However, if we consume liquids during meals, we dilute the stomach acid and delay the work of digestion, until the stomach can return to an optimal pH. Very hot or ice-cold drinks delay digestion even further, because the stomach contents have to be acclimatized first.

Intrinsic factor is secreted by the gastric wall and is necessary for the absorption and transport of vitamin B12. If this factor is missing, vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed. Deficiency symptoms often occur in people with gastritis or in the elderly. A regular B12 test would therefore be advisable.

Solid food stays in the stomach until it is broken up into particles about 0.3 mm in diameter. This is done by peristaltic waves produced by several muscle layers all over the stomach. They are particularly strong in the lowest part of the stomach. The chyme is pushed forwards and backwards. The food is crushed up, mixed with the gastric juice, and fats are finely distributed. If you chew the food well, you relieve the stomach of a considerable amount of work.

The several muscle layers of the stomach

In the lower part of the stomach, the chyme is already very fine and thin, and the coarser parts are layered on top. When moving back and forth, a part of the coarser pulp is always carried along and further crushed. The fine pulp, called chyme, can then flow through the pylorus into the duodenum. The chyme can only be released to the duodenum to the extent that it is ready for further processing. There are measuring points at the stomach outlet that check the exact composition.

Gastric Emptying

The work process and emptying of the stomach is controlled by many factors. Various hormones and messenger substances are involved. Measurements and comparisons are constantly being made. The 10th cranial nerve plays an important role. It stimulates the gastric glands and is responsible for stomach contractions. But the mind also plays a role. We may remember the effects of stress on our digestion before an exam! It’s always good to create a relaxed atmosphere around meals.

The pylorus is usually slightly open so that liquid and the thin chyme can drain. The pylorus is closed again when larger pieces of food arrive. Indigestible things such as bones, coarse fiber and foreign bodies do not leave the stomach during the digestion phase. Only in the subsequent resting phase, according to an internal clock, do special contraction waves run through the stomach and intestines, during which indigestible matter and digestive secretions are emptied. We often hear the rumbling of the stomach, which is not a signal of hunger. So it makes perfect sense if we only eat something every 5 hours and allow the digestive tract this resting phase in between. 2 to 3 meals a day, at regular times, are ideal.

If we are constantly snacking, food is repeatedly refilled at the top. The stomach never finishes processing everything into fine chyme. So it can happen that something from the breakfast bread still has to be lounging around in the stomach in the evening.

Our Body – A Marvel

It is far from possible for us to go into all the details that take place in the digestive tract. Otherwise we would have to write an entire book. However, this excursion was already enough to recognize what a marvel we have in our body. Let’s help our digestion, as far as it is up to us, to accomplish its diverse work! We can do this by living a sensible, healthy lifestyle. He will thank us with good health. And we thank him for a job well done.

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How to Free Yourself from Your Past and Cure Emotional Wounds

April 10, 2022 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Today we are going to deal with some very simple tips, but if you practice them, you can improve some emotional struggles that you may have. Our mind has an area called the unconscious. To this virtual dimension of our mind, memories, feelings, ideas, positive and negative, pleasant and unpleasant desires throughout our life are deposited.

How to Free Yourself from Your Past and Emotional Wounds

Everything that happens in your life, in your relationship with people, what you think, what you think you are, everything goes into this space, this virtual file in our mind called the unconscious. So, all the thoughts and feelings that you lived throughout your childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and everything you lived in your family of origin back in the past, are all stored in this mental file called the unconscious.

We do not have access to this file of the unconscious when we want to, but when we can. That is, when you are ready to be aware of some kind of remembrance, memory, emotion or thought that was there in this space, unconscious for so many years.

Many people, when they come to a psychology or psychiatrist office, to talk about their suffering, their symptoms, they say: “I don’t know why I’m feeling this, I don’t know where this sadness comes from, I don’t know where does this anguish, this affliction come from? Well, where does it come from? It comes from some things that are there in the unconscious, some dynamics, some emotion, some situation of stress, of conflict that the person has experienced, but that the mind itself has put some barriers, some defenses for you not to think about it, because thinking about what hurts, really hurts.

So the mind does this defense mechanism, it puts it under the rug, it puts what was painful for you into the unconscious, so you can continue your life, survive without getting stuck, without stopping because of those unresolved conflicts. But unresolved conflicts need to come to the surface of consciousness, at least some memories, so that you can learn to deal with it in a better way, with more courage, with more determination, with more humility as well.

Many people have physical symptoms, originating from these emotional conflicts. We call this somatization. Somatization is when a person presents in the body some physical manifestations without having a specific diagnosable disease. The body always works together with our mind, trying to help each other. So, if you have important emotional traumas from your past or present that really hurt, it is possible in adult life that you will present physical symptoms of emotional origin, or psychological symptoms as well, such as the urge to cry, excessive anxiety, irrational fears, continuous sadness among others.

Many children are victims of abuse from their family of origin. Sometimes it is a physically aggressive father, other times it is an authoritarian mother, being kind of rude with her children, leading the child to have some emotional disorder in his adult life, some behavioral complications, such as excessive shyness, or the opposite of that, being a very irritable, socially aggressive person. These dysfunctional behaviors really have to do with the traumas and conflicts in the past.

In adult life, the person with psychological sufferings that impair their performance at work, in studies, and in relationships in general, can find relief when they try to make a personal analysis, thinking about what they suffered in the past and what they have been doing with this suffering throughout their lifetime.

Did you keep your resentments, still not able to forgive the people who hurt you back there? Do you repeat attitudes you hated and swore you would never do, what your father did or what your mother did that you didn’t like? Do you find it difficult to cry? On the other hand, do you cry very easily, not knowing why? We call this emotional lability. Have you got any phobia, which is exaggerated fear? Do you feel depressed most of the time? Do you have a lot of anxiety, do you keep fighting with others? Well, then talk about your emotional pain, because talking can relieve it.

Try to think about what bothers you the most on your mind? Is it fear, is it anxiety, is it sadness, is it irritation? Talk about it to someone who is trustworthy, someone who is ethical, who will not take advantage of you, who will maintain confidentiality, and who will not promote emotional or sexual involvement either. Someone ethical who has experience, not necessarily a professional, but perhaps an uncle, a grandfather, a religious leader who can give you some counsel.

Put your difficulties in sincere prayer before the creator of the universe, using your own words in this prayer, believing that he hears your venting, and persevere in it: in prayer, in venting, in talking to God, believing that He is listening to you, but having patience, because the answers don’t always come quickly. Not because God is not ready to give quick healing or quick restoration, but because there are some things he needs to teach us and we need to learn.

Many people get relief and insight in their emotional problem through prayer. Scientists are studying this: what prayer does to people’s minds, brains and behavior. It’s always a positive thing when you say a sincere and honest prayer. By venting to God and to someone who is able to help, and who doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional in psychology, you can improve. Venting helps to improve.

If your symptoms are very limiting, for example preventing you from studying, or working, or getting along well with the majority of people, then you may consider that you need an evaluation with a professional. But start with something simple, like venting, and think like this: do I need to ask someone for forgiveness? Then ask! Do I need to put an end to resentments? Then you will forgive someone who hurt you to end that resentment. Do you need to treat yourself better and stop having self-deprecating thoughts? So work on that. Every time you catch yourself thinking bad about yourself, criticizing yourself, putting yourself down, say to yourself: I won’t do this to me. I’m going to treat myself better, I’m going to respect myself. So this simple attitude that you can start doing there right now, will promote the healing process. Healing is a process you need. Start with simple things. It works!

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Gardening for Body and Soul

April 3, 2022 by Esther Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

When the first tender leaves sprout in the garden, forests and meadows are covered with young green, then nature lures you with all of its force. Digging up the earth, planting seeds, planting flowers, bushes and vegetables is not only good for the body, but also for the soul. What’s more, gardening even has healing powers.

Handling rakes, watering cans and spades is part of the therapy when it comes to helping mentally ill people get back on their feet. Residents of retirement homes also benefit from dealing with plants, if they have been uprooted from their previous living environment and have become dependent on caregivers. Gardening has a calming and balancing effect even on delinquents.

Effects of Gardening on the Body

After spending just a few minutes outdoors, blood pressure begins to drop, the pulse calms down, and the heart rate becomes more even. Muscle tension is relieved, coordination and fine motor skills improve, metabolism is boosted and general mood improves. The movement stabilizes the circulation and mental tension is reduced.

Effects on the Mind

By dealing with plants you can learn how to deal with yourself. Plants have a strong will to survive, they can adapt, they even produce themselves what they need to survive. They show us formation, growth, maturing, but also retreat, dying and decay. When gardening, connections are recognized and ways to solve problems are found. Those who work in the garden experience themselves as being the active force, not as being manipulated or at the mercy of others. This is how you learn to control your environment and don’t feel helpless, at the mercy of your surroundings. You are very close to the Creator, in whose hands ultimately lies the success of one’s efforts. This gives a feeling of security and has a positive effect on mental well-being.

Gardening as Therapy

As early as the 18th and 19th centuries, philosophers and educators called for more green in the gray monotony of cities. Wise regents allowed the population access to parks, gardens and forests that had previously only been accessible to the nobility. We think of the entry of the people into the Viennese Prater or the inhabitants of Munich into the English Garden. Unfortunately, such local recreation areas have not been able to very effectively stem the alienation of man from nature.

The Emperor's lawn in the Viennese Prater

Fortunately, the beneficial effects of nature have not been completely forgotten. Psychotherapists have developed an extremely effective therapy for the sick and old, for people in need and in crisis. Horticultural Therapy is an interdisciplinary method. Gardeners, landscapers, doctors, psychotherapists, physiotherapists and ergotherapists create programs for their patients together. Garden therapy can begin as soon as a sick person is no longer bedridden. A separate small area in the garden that belongs to him, for which he bears responsibility, in which he can or must move, is the best training program for him.

Gymnastics on equipment or physiotherapy is often carried out without much enthusiasm or is perceived as a nuisance. When digging, sowing, planting and pulling weeds, the patient forgets that this is an exercise program. In addition, there is the excitement when one’s own harvest can be brought in. In the great outdoors, people are also much more open to their therapist than in an office or group room. They are more accessible to conversations.

Plants as Therapists

Plants accept people as they are. They do not judge. They don’t care if they are being cared for by a healthy young person, or by a depressed, an addicted, a criminal, or a wrinkled old man. Plants are dependent on who cares for them and takes care of them. They react positively to care and attention, they thrive, blossom, grow and bear fruit. In the garden, the patient becomes the caregiver and the doctor himself. This gives mentally ill people new self-confidence and a new meaning in life. Tired eyes suddenly light up when a wonderful flower unfolds its colorful petals, when home-grown radishes shoot out of the ground and can be spread on the sandwich. There is another pleasant side effect: the physical work improves the appetite of the sick, they need less medication and can sleep better again.

Gardening for the Healthy

If you have a garden, you don’t need a gym or wellness clubs. Nothing relieves stress better than digging in the ground. Exercising in the fresh air stimulates circulation, strengthens muscles and the immune system. Experiencing the seasonal processes, the new awakening and passing away gives you stability and security. Anyone who is allowed to shape their own piece of land into their paradise and learns to unwind their soul in it does not need a therapist.

In addition, the harvest from your own garden has a very special contribution for your health. Fruits, vegetables and berries can mature. They can be harvested at the optimal time. Phytochemicals that are so important for health are higher than in products that are harvested unripe. It takes less time from harvest to consumption. Vitamins and the appetizing appearance are preserved. In addition, there is the satisfaction of having produced everything with my own hands and the certainty that there are as few environmental toxins as possible in them.

Don’t Be Afraid of Gardening

So that gardening doesn’t overwhelm us – it never stops – we have to stick to a few rules. It must never dominate us, we must dominate it. If it overwhelms us, we either have to cut back on ambitious plans or delegate some work. Your own garden must also be a place to relax. There should always be a hammock stretched out somewhere that you can retreat to when you have the opportunity to relax, to listen to nature and listen to your own inner voice. A pleasant garden bench, a large stone or other seating should invite you to linger. In this way, our garden becomes a real therapist and gives us a lot of joy.

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How to Control Stress by Creating a Productive Environment™

March 27, 2022 by Barbara Hemphill - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

How often do you feel stressed looking at papers piled on your desk, browsing through hundreds (and for many people, thousands!) of emails, or searching for your glasses, a book, a form, or a piece of equipment?

How to Control Stress by Creating a Productive Environment

Your ability to accomplish any task or goal is directly related to your ability to find what you need when you need it – and that ability is essential to any organization in order to accomplish its mission, serve its customers, minimize legal risks, and reduce overhead costs. In other words, good business requires what I call a “Productive Environment™” – an intentional setting in which everyone can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives.

While current economic conditions require organizations to do “more with less” and technology rushes forward, individuals are overwhelmed with “too much” – of everything – email, paper, projects, meetings, and interruptions. So what can you do to overcome these obstacles? The first step is eliminating physical, digital, and “systems” clutter.

While offices are cluttered with paper, and our computers with electronic files, other types of clutter, such as unused office supplies and outdated equipment, also cost money and take up precious real estate. And then there are those unidentified business cards you collected at networking events months, even years ago, and the mustard packets from the take-out that are how old?

Because most people have never been given a process for eliminating the clutter in their lives, and unless they are “born organized,” were brought up in a family where it was role-modeled, or worked with someone who taught them, they are left to their own devices – which rarely works.

So that explains “physical and digital clutter,” but what is “systems clutter?” A little girl observed her mommy cutting the end off of the ham before she put it in the oven. “Why do you cut off the end of the ham, Mommy?” she asked. “I don’t know,” her mother replied. “Go ask Grandma. That’s what she always did.” The little girl ran to her grandmother and asked the question. Her grandmother replied, “Oh, honey! I didn’t have a pan big enough for the whole ham so I cut off the ends so it would fit!”

How many systems are you holding onto that are not contributing to a profitable, sustainable business?

Few employees are willing to take the risk of getting rid of something for fear someone else – especially the boss – might want it. Besides, it’s boring work, and they have “real work” to do! So here are four simple questions to ask yourself in order to make your office a more productive environment.

Is this item helping me accomplish my work or enjoy my life?
Who else might find this item valuable?
What’s the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn’t have it?
If I got rid of it, and I was wrong, could I live with the consequences?

So here’s my challenge for you! It’s always easy to see what other people need to do to make their workspace more productive, but how productive is your environment? Let’s find out! Click here to get your Productive Environment Score™ now.

And if you’re the boss, be sure to ask about our “Productive Environment Day™” — a one-day event educating and empowering all your employees to make your office a “Productive Environment™” which truly reflects the quality of your products and services, and where everyone can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives!

How can we delay aging?

March 20, 2022 by Esther Neumann - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

1875 – 1997, that is the lifetime of the oldest woman in recent times, Jeanne Calment from France. She lived 44,724 days or more than 122 years. At 100 she was still cycling. According to her statement, she didn’t do anything special to get that old. So it’s the genes after all?

Aging research says that genes only account for about 1/5 whether someone reaches a high age. Of course there are long-lived families. On the other hand, some families simply tend to accumulate certain illnesses. Mankind has always struggled with the travails of aging and the ailments of old age.

Meanwhile the anti-aging wave, the cult of eternal youth, has almost become a substitute religion. The business with anti-wrinkle creams, dietary supplements and special sports equipment to combat aging is booming. Most people want a long, fresh life and a healthy, fit body. Doctors and genetic researchers claim to open the gates to longevity. Just it is almost forgotten that it is in everyone’s hands, at least to a large extent, how one ages and how one spends his final years.

Not everyone is content about aging. But it is a losing battle to resist it. Aging is an inevitable part of our lives. It actually begins at conception and occurs at the cellular level. Our body cells are constantly dividing. And mistakes happen all the time. The free radicals that are produced during metabolic processes in our own body and as a result of environmental influences also damage our cells. Thankfully, our creator also included a repair system. But this also works worse and worse, as the cells have to divide more often. Mistakes in the genes accumulate. The aging process continues. We know the consequences: Poor memory, slower digestion, poorer enzyme system, balance disorders, stiff joints, insecurity in walking and much more.

Fighting a losing battle?

Is the battle already lost before we start? Ultimately yes, and considering all the misery around us it may be a great blessing that we do not have to live forever. But how we age and how we face that process is, to a large extent, in our own hands. Even if things don’t go the way we would like and illnesses are part of our lifes. Ultimately we all die, since we can hardly cope with the approximately 70,000 DNA damages per day that our repair system has to eliminate. Our enzyme system against free radicals isn’t always victorious either, and our stem cells can’t repair everything either.

Can we then live better and longer with help from the laboratory? Is it the supplements? spermidine? The glass of red wine? Or dinner canceling? There are always new success stories. But be careful: the resveratrol from red wine also protects cancer cells, and certain dietary supplements also nourish unwanted blackheads. So is it all useless?

Anti-Aging Agents

The advertising of many miracle cures promises us almost eternal youth. Many are too lazy, or believe they don’t have time to do something for their health, and want to do it the quick way. Anti-aging agents are not intended to heal illnesses, but to alleviate the symptoms of old age, to help the sensory organs get going again and to make wrinkles disappear. Associations for Consumer Information in various countries have examined such preparations and not given them good marks. No studies were found for any of the products that confirmed the life-prolonging active ingredients. The more euphoric the advertising is, the more skeptical one should be.

Many substances that have been tested in laboratories cannot simply be transferred to humans. Side effects cannot be ruled out for many preparations. Too much vitamins or minerals, for example, can be harmful. The collagen in many anti-wrinkle products can trigger allergies. Many supplements are marketed over the internet along with promising testimonials. But according to consumer associations, you can neither achieve physical fitness nor reduced susceptibility to illnesses nor organic improvements with such preparations. So another lost battle?

Island of Centenarians

On Okinawa, 50% of the people live to be a hundred years old. Of these, 90% are women. Actually some genes have been found that are favorable to reach a higher age. But some amazing lifestyle habits were found as well. For example, these women eat mostly fruit and vegetables. They still do their garden for themselves, and centenaries still sit behind a cash register in the supermarket or wipe the floors. These are extremely healthy occupations. They also say: “We only eat so much that we could eat some more to be full.” “Hara Hachi Bu” is what they call their habit that we know as dinner canceling, sometimes forgoing dinner. The women also lead an exemplary social life. They pay close attention to each other. If the blinds at the neighbor’s are still down at nine o’clock, they check on how she’s doing. This is followed by a chat with her and the offer for help if needed. The brain is also constantly trained. They participate in everything and with everyone.

Love

An Australian study shows that people who maintain close friendships live longer and age more comfortably. Loving is not just about having sex, even though it is beneficial for slower aging. Loving is simply being there for the other, caring for them. That distracts a lot from your own ailments, makes you happier and more satisfied.

Running Around

Running around does not mean jogging, but simply making movement, targeted movement and not just house and garden work, even though this is beneficial. Jogging in old age could damage joints. But daily exercise, walks and light gymnastics help our immune system to cope with inflammation. And it is exactly those inflammations that many age related ailments, such as rheumatism and the like, can be traced back to. We can literally outrun them. Exercise lowers the concentration of inflammatory substances in the blood.

Learn

Lifelong learning has become a buzzword of our time. Our youth grow up with it. In the old days you had a job for your life. Today you are constantly challenged to learn something new. This should also continue beyond retirement. Anyone who remains mentally and spiritually fit ages very differently than someone who is no longer interested in anything. I admire every old person who – often with the help of their grandchildren – knows their way around computers and is touching base with the grandchildren overseas via chat or Skype. Crossword puzzles and Sudoko, reading good books, putting together jigsaw puzzles also help to stay mentally fit. It is not the TV pictures that stimulate our mind, but the knowledge we have actively acquired ourselves. When I deal with a problem myself, it stimulates my mind.

Those who remain physically and mentally fit deal with aging in a completely different way. We can accept it and embrace the change. Advancements in research and medicine are certainly sensational. Anti-aging treatments are though still a speculative field. How we grow old is still in our own hands.

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What Caffeine is doing to You and Your Child?

March 13, 2022 by Dr. Cesar Vasconcellos de Souza - [rt_reading_time label="Reading Time:" postfix="minutes" postfix_singular="minute"]

Caffeine is a drug that is heavily used in various forms all over the world. An article by Jennifer Temple from the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University at Buffalo, shows the results of studies on the effects of caffeine in children.((Temple JL. Caffeine use in children: what we know, what we have left to learn, and why we should worry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2009;33(6):793-806. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.01.001))

What Caffeine is doing to You and Your Child?

Let’s see what Dr. Jennifer and other scientists say about caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a substance that acts on our brain, legally permitted, easy to obtain, and socially acceptable to consume. Previously, it was relatively restricted to adults, but caffeinated beverages nowadays are being regularly consumed by children. In addition, some drinks that contain caffeine are marketed specifically for children starting with the tender age of 4 years.

Caffeine is classified as a stimulant drug typically used for its ability to activate the central nervous system. Although generally recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, excessive caffeine use can result in serious health risks, and in rare cases can lead to death.

The use of caffeine in children has not been sufficiently studied so far. Children and teenagers are the fastest growing population of caffeine users, with an increase of 70% in the last 30 years. Along with this goes the development of new caffeine-containing drinks, called energy drinks, which contain levels of caffeine ranging from 50mg, equivalent to a can of soda to 500mg, the equivalent of five cups of coffee, and often very high levels of sugar.

Energy drink sales have grown by over 50% since 2005, and they are unfortunately the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry. Energy drinks are marketed specifically to young adults and children, with ads showing high-risk activities, extreme sports like rock climbing or paragliding, using catchy slogans, which is a commercial wickedness to do so.

Caffeine is found in coffee, black tea, chocolate, mate tea, green tea and guarana. It is naturally produced in the grains and leaves of the plants used to make these products. Caffeine is also used as an additive in other products such as soft drinks, energy drinks and pain relievers. Caffeine levels can vary greatly in these products, depending on the concentration and preparation, as in the case of tea and coffee, or the amount added as in the case of soft drinks and energy drinks.

Even though caffeine consumption is banalized by many, there are according to Dr. Jennifer two things that should be considered about caffeine consumption by children and teens. First, there is a wide range of caffeine use among teenagers, with some consuming considerably more than average, which makes them also vulnerable of developing other types of high-risk behavior.

Second, due to the paucity of research on caffeine use in adolescents, we do not know the “safe” level of caffeine use in this population. Consumption of caffeinated beverages in general and consumption of soft drinks in particular is of concern because of their potentially negative health effects, as well as their established relationship with sleep disturbance, obesity and tooth decay. In addition to traditional caffeine-containing products like coffee, tea and soda, people can now get their caffeine fix from a variety of nontraditional sources. It appears that caffeinated consumables are being marketed to younger populations.

In addition to its well-known effects on sleep disturbances and restlessness, caffeine exerts some more behavioral effects. Its use produces tolerance and dependence, that is, tolerance means the need to use larger doses to obtain the same stimulating effect, and dependence is addiction.

Acute caffeine use has dose-dependent effects on mood, attention span and physiology. For example, moderate doses of caffeine ranging from 200 to 300mg often produce the perception of heightened feelings of well-being, improved concentration and increased arousal and energy, but high doses above 400 mg lead to feelings of anxiety, nausea, agitation, headache, fatigue and nervousness. Worse though, acute administration of a moderate dose of caffeine of 200 to 300 mg, already decreases heart rate and increases blood pressure. In children and adolescents, caffeine consumption may be driven by peer pressure or a desire for increased sports performance.

Irregularly high levels of caffeine consumption, like above 400 to 450 mg per day increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. High levels of caffeine use are also associated with calcium excretion and bone loss, which may contribute to osteoporosis.

Dr. Jennifer continues to point out, that although data differ between studies, most agree that high levels of caffeine consumption in women trying to become pregnant may be associated with lower rates of conception, and higher rates of miscarriage. As with other peer-reviewed articles, the consensus is that some high levels of caffeine consumption can have adverse effects on fertility, and the recommendation is that women trying to get pregnant should limit caffeine to less than 300 milligrams per day, and it’s even better not to use it at all.

In children, the main vehicle for caffeine is soft drinks, which also contain a lot of sugar. This facilitates the development of caffeine dependence, and perhaps also contributes to an increased preference for foods and beverages containing added sugar. Sugar activates reward pathways similar to drugs like cocaine, amphetamine and nicotine.

Childhood and adolescence are periods of rapid growth and the final stage of brain development. In order to maximize growth and development, adequate sleep and nutrition are essential. Caffeine use disrupts sleep patterns, and excessive soda consumption is associated with a poor diet, excess weight, and tooth decay. If caffeine increases preferences for sweet foods and beverages, it can contribute to excess energy intake, and increase the risk of overweight and obesity in adulthood. Children and teens can be particularly vulnerable to caffeine, as their brains are still undergoing significant development, in specific areas of the brain involved in executive function, impulsivity control and planning.

Consumption of energy drinks can lead to several negative consequences, especially in children and adolescents, because of their high caffeine content, explains Dr. Jennifer. First, she says, children and adolescents may be more susceptible to caffeine intoxication, which results in a number of physiological and psychological effects, and can in some cases lead to death.

Second, in addition to the harmful effects of energy drinks, they are often combined with alcohol as a way to increase the symptoms of euphoria. This can lead to increased alcohol intake and consequently an increase in harmful alcohol-related symptoms.

Third, excessive consumption of energy drinks has been associated with involvement in various high-risk behaviors, including smoking, drinking, illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior and fighting.

I want to end by leaving a text by a last century writer, who already gave us this advice over 100 years ago:

Tea and coffee do not nourish the system. The relief obtained from them is sudden, before the stomach has time to digest them. This shows that what the users of these stimulants call strength is only received by exciting the nerves of the stomach, which convey the irritation to the brain, and this in turn is aroused to impart increased action to the heart and short-lived energy to the entire system. All this is false strength that we are the worse for having. They do not give a particle of natural strength.((Ellen White. Temperance, p. 75. Pacific Press))

So the best attitude to caffeine is to avoid its use in whatever forms it is present in beverages and foods. It preserves your health, and your brain as well. Cutting caffeine out of your life is worth it!

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