Is Coffee Bad for You??
For those of us who love coffee, read the following which comes from the Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture in Louisville, Colorado
Why we say “No Coffee Please’
In our work with clients we often recommend certain lifestyle changes that will enhance the effects of treatment. One thing we ask of ALL clients is to refrain from drink coffee for the following reasons:
Chinese Medicine classifies coffee as a bitter, pungent, cold medicine which has the power to transform kidney essence into qi energy which moves upward and outward through the body, giving an experience of heightened energy (this is unrelated to the caffeine content)
The Kidney is the home of ancestral energy. When we are born we come into the work with a finite amount of this energy, and while we can’t obtain more, we can, through careful lifestyle habits, enhance and guard this storehouse of energy. Using coffee as an energy boost is like continually dipping into one’s saving account with the expectation that someone, somehow will cover the shortfall later. The oils present in coffee are one of the foremost ways in which we can deplete this ancestral kidney energy.
When coffee was first introduced in Europe it was recognized as the powerful drug that it is. There were movements to prohibit its use and laws passed to that effect. Additionally, in some native cultures, coffee was used in animal rituals equivalent in strength to those once celebrated with peyote. It is ironic that we think of coffee in this culture as a daily ritual.
Women especially do well to avoid coffee because the upward dispersal of energy initiated in the body seems to clog the Chong Mai – the central pathway which connects the kidneys and the heart, causing accumulations in the breasts and the pelvis.
For people with any kind of heart condition, blood or skin disorder, ulcers, arthritis, bowel problems, PMS, depression, stomach problems, emotional ups and downs, or low energy, coffee should definitely be eliminated. For everyone else coffee should simply be avoided because of its effects on our basic health and strength.
Coffee is one of the very few things we unequivocally ask all our clients to avoid. Your whole being will thank you!!!
AND from “GUA SHA: A Traditional Technique for Modern Practice” by Arya Nelson
If a patient is losing blood, fluid, Qi or Jing through leakage, before attempting it’s restoration, ‘first stop the leaks’. For example, this applies to excessive menustral bleeding, sweating, urine, exercise, sex, work, illness, stress, drugs like pot, cocaine, amphetamines, any lack of sleep and so on.
Regular coffee drinking is like having a little hole in the bottom of your boat. There is a constant tiny leak. As a diuretic taken daily, coffee deplete the boyd of water-soluble nutrients: B vitamins, Victam C, as well as minerals such as calcium and magnesium. This will exacerbate any painful conditions as well as fatigue the patient, supporting their desire for more coffee. It can slow and even prevent the healing of musculoskeletal problems. I also believe that coffee abuse contributes to the prevalence of hot flash disorder in menopausal women in the West. The diuretic activity severely depletes the Yin which is already in decline at this age. Depletion of Yin unroots the Yang which flashes chaotically up and out to the surface. Soon the unchanneled Yang also becomes depleted and the patients becomes cold between hot flashes.
Caffeine of any kind increases urination frequency. This abuses the Kidneys and weakens Yang areas associated with the Kidneys, such as the back and knees. It is strongly recommended that caffeine be removed from the diet altogether. Chronic painful conditions often resolve with treatment because the patient has stopped the leaks. After recovery, coffee can be resumed as an occasional pleasure rather than daily habit