harm

harm,

n the condition of promoting injury or damage. The injury or dam-age can be described as physical, psychologic, or both.

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Patient discussion about harm.

Q. Is coffee so harmful? I am Saloni, 17 and a keen coffee-lover. Now-a-days, I drink lot of coffee which my brother has noticed and advised me to minimize the quantity. He also blames coffee for heart diseases and addiction status of the person. Is coffee so harmful?

A. Coffee is a great morning stimulant. Tea can do the same thing. There are lots of grades of coffee. The normal stuff you can get in a regular restaurant is usually not the best grade. I drink my coffee black. Sugar is not so good for you, but it can give you more energy and keep you going in difficult circumstances. If you shop around for better blends, grind your own beans, and keep your ground coffee fresh, its much better. There is actually a Starbucks blend that is quite excellent. You can easily tell the difference. The really good blends aren't the ones on sale. I find that if you keep your pot of coffee in a caraffe or a thermos where it won't evaporate, it will stay good a long time. Letting a pot of coffee sit on the warmer where it can evaporate all day, will ruin it after a while. My doctor told me that all I needed for morning stimulation was coffee. It keeps me alert when I study and read most days. Enjoy!!!

Q. Can ADHD and ADD medication harm you? My son is diagnosed as an ADHD and the Dr. recommended taking Ritalin

A. The whole issue is highly controversial. They were a lot of papers done on this question alone, some said Ritalin can give you cancer other works proofed it wrong (a much more extensive experiment I might say). The FDA gave a black box warning (medication that can cause death) only on Atomoxetine , which is not as effective like others anyway.

Q. Whats the harm in drinking coffee? I drink coffee all day long and love it! My friends say I'm addicted and should cut back. But what is the harm in drinking coffee?

A. What caffeine actually does is set off a stress response. It stimulates your adrenal glands to make epinephrine and norepinephrine—the same stress hormones that are produced in response to any stressor. This sets the stress response in motion, causing tense muscles, elevated blood sugar, and increased pulse and respiration. You may feel mentally sharper because your brain is high on adrenaline. If stress hormones remain elevated, the body is thrown into a state of chronic stress. By sipping on coffee all day long, you are forcing your adrenal glands to continue to pump out stress hormones.