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Date sent: Sun, 14 May 2000 17:25:33 IST Send reply to: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network <[log in to unmask]> From: Sinead Aungier <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Drugs and You To: [log in to unmask] > More Excerpts from The Vitamin Bible: > > The release of stored sugar places heavy stress on the endocrine > system. Who says so? Not at all true, actually. What kind of "stress" on what part of the endocrine system? Heavy coffee drinkers often develop nervousness or become > jittery. Coffee-drinking housewives demonstrated symptoms typical of > drug withdrawal when switched to a decaffeinated beverage. This is true, but only when large doses are ingested. > > People who drink five cups of coffee daily have a 50 percent greater > chance of having heart attacks than non-coffee drinkers, according to > the British Medical Journal. Please let me have the citation. > > Scientists at John Hopkins University have shown that caffeine can > interfere with DNA replication. Also, a citation, please. > > The Centre for Science in the Public Interest advises pregnant women > to stay away from caffeine, since studies have shown that the amount > contained in about four cups of coffee per day causes birth defects in > test animals. And a few years ago, caffeine also caused heart attacks, hypertension, breast cysts and a few other nasty things and recent data has contradicted this allegation. > > High doses of caffeine will cause laboratory animals to go into > convulsions and then die. > > Caffeine can be highly toxic [the lethal dose estimated to be around > 10g] new research shows that the one quart of coffee consumed in three > hours can destroy much of the body's thiamine. Huge doses of caffeine will indeed cause convulsions. The dose mentioned above (10 grams) is about the equivalent of a *thousand cups* of very strong coffee! There is probably enough water in a thousand cups of coffee to throw someone into fatal heart failure! > > Regular tea is not the answer either, since that has nearly as much > caffeine. But herb teas can be quite invigorating. Right. There are a few which contain poisonous substances such as strychnine (in small doses). > > > What Alcohol Does to Your Body > > Alcohol is the most widely used drug in our society, and because it is > so available, most people don't think of it as a drug. But it is; and > if misused, it can cause a lot of damage to your body. > > Alcohol is not a stimulant, but actually a sedative-depressant of the > central nervous system. > > It is capable of rupturing veins. Tell me how. Maybe if it (alcohol) is injected directly into veins. Postings such as this, filled with half-truths (and an occasional truth), can cause fear, guilt, and worse, if people in power are influenced, can lead to abridgement of individual rights. We tried to ban alcohol in this country and we got Al Capone; now we are working on cigarettes; who knows, maybe steak and sex will be next? Best, Bob ********************************************** Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C. 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 Berkeley, California 94704-2636 Telephone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 WWW: http://www.dovecom.com/rafink/ mailto:[log in to unmask] "Ex Tristitia Virtus" *********************************************