Dr. Jamie Phillips

Just the other day I saw an article on sciencedaily.com about a study done on aged mice induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the boost that caffeine gave to improving memory loss. The article lead with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by discussing coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that demonstrated that caffeine notably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

But, before you opt to add another cuppa to your daily routine, let me, Dr. Jamie Phillips warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were at least two articles regarding studies that professed to prove the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

Almost any point of view, from my experience, particularly when it has to do with age-related health issues, can be confirmed, or at least given credence, by a number of specific studies. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to considering about the likelihood that there will never be any “one thing” that will incontrovertibly help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. We are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t raised in unnatural confinement We are free to make choices in life. And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously we, cage-free humans, have not been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t going to be the “one thing” that is going to prevent or reverse it.

The human body is an exquisite, complex system that is designed to function homeostasis (balance). It makes sense, then, that good health is cultivated by a healthy, balanced attitude towards living, instead of our being momentarily convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one particular thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other over-indulgent and unhealthy things we have done to our bodies.

I believe, as a chiropractor in Santa Barbara, that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will help us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. When it comes to what is good for us, we know what actually “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll keep this in mind. Neither one of those things is the “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

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