Dr. Eddie Concepcion is one of my heroes in this profession. Kind, humble, witty, clever, and a pretty darned good physician and acupuncturist as well! With his permission, I am reposting this Facebook Note on Coffee.
Coffee. Image by imagerymajestic and freedigitalphotos.net
SIMPLIFIED HEALTH UPDATE ON COFFEE:
the good effects: – sharpness of mind – cleansing – warming (great for the current weather)
the bad effects: – pedal on metal with no “fuel” being added to your system aka life in the fast lane. – possible depletion of one’s JING — the inherited “energy” or, i prefer to use “fossil fuel” (no accurate english translation) – increased heat accumulation that may lead to production of “wind” or “fire” — dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, poor sleep, stroke, heart attack, etc. – accumulation of dampness* (thick viscid material) — a reason why coffee is contraindicated for those with inflamed or big prostate glands
additional note on moderation: one can only talk of moderation when one is in a state of balance. much like a kite that flies. adding even a small amount of weight to one side can cause the kite to crash. much like a cup filled to the brim, a drop may cause spill. get it?
lastly, chinese medicine looks at one’s “addiction” to particular foods as indications of illness. so if you can not survive a day without coffee, that MAY mean that you are ill. for sure, one is not in the pink of health unless you are one for the guinness book.
chinese medicine looks at coffee as a drug with specific indications and contraindications.
*dampness requires more explanation but simply put it is a result of poor diet and/or digestion, sedentary lifestyle and/or chronic exposure to damp conditions — fats, uric acid, phlegm, etc fall under this category.
Original Facebook post on Doc Eddie’s Page here.
Now I’m off for some home brewed barako!
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