A Field Guide to Caffeine

In 1976, Tom Ferguson—then a fourth-year medical student at Yale—launched a magazine called Medical Self-Care . . . which—he hoped—would serve as "a Whole Earth Catalog of the best medical books, tools, and resources".

Tom spoke of his plans for the publication—and of his conviction that self-care could raise the general level of health in this country and lower our inflated levels of medical spending-in the Plowboy Interview in MOTHER NO. 51 . . . and left no doubt that he would work toward making those "dreams "come true.

Well, Tom Ferguson is Doctor Ferguson now, and the medical self-care "movement"-as well as Tom's magazine—has flourished. People are beginning to assume more responsibility for their own well-being and are eager for information that will help them take better care of their bodies.

So—in an effort to provide just such very necessary data-THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS offers as a regular feature a piece by Tom Ferguson, M.D., entitled (what else?) "Medical SelfCare ".

Medical Self-Care

Millions of law-abiding North Americans are physically addicted to caffeine—a potent central nervous system (CNS ) stimulant—and aren't even aware of it. When deprived of their "fix", such addicts often experience severe withdrawal symptoms . . . which may include depression, throbbing headaches, disorientation, constipation, nausea, sluggishness, and irritability. And, as with other addictive drugs, heavy users often develop a tolerance, and require even higher doses to obtain the desired effects.

This much-abused substance causes a dramatic increase in muscle tension and stomach acid secretion, and can—when taken in the form of two to three cups of coffee—raise the blood pressure by as much as 14%. Caffeine also produces a marked increase in the rate at which oxygen is used by the cells . . . and has been implicated as a possible contributing factor in birth defects and fibrocystic breast disease. (In fact, extremely large doses are potentially fatal.)

In spite of its potency, caffeine has only one medical use . . . the treatment of poisoning by CNS depressants. In fact, if caffeine were a newly synthesized drug, its manufacturers would have great difficulty getting it licensed for sale . . . and if it were licensed, it would certainly be available only by prescription.