I am pleased to announce that John Liming, publisher of The Liming Liberal Democrat, will be cross-posting from time to time on this blog. John is an Army National Guard and Air Force veteran who, like so many Americans, is dismayed at the actions and insanity emerging from the right-wing…and so his effort to “help protect and preserve the heart and soul” of his beloved America.
Most of John’s posts will deal with politics but not today’s.
-mario
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I am 74-years-old and when I was in my Twenties and Thirties, my Doctors were telling me that drinking “Too Much” coffee was life threatening because it was supposed to cause heart irregularities called arrhythmia that could lead to my death.
In those days, I was at my peak and working hard on career progression. This was also the time of my military service and coffee was an ever-present item and was, admittedly, indulged in prolifically by me and a lot of my compatriots.
I always lived with a little fear in the back of my mind that one day my heart might race out of control from the coffee drinking and I would simply keel over and be done for.
Now, all these years later, they are telling me that coffee drinking might actually be good for me and may even extend my life span?
Darn, how times to change!
When I was a little kid, they were telling me that I could be healthy if I made sure to drink at least a quart of whole milk every day. I really guzzled milk at every possible opportunity because I wanted to grow up to be “Big and Strong.”
It never occurred to me at that time I might be swilling life-threatening amounts of something I had never heard of called “Cholesterol.” That news all came much later—after I had drank enough milk to kill several people apparently.
Well, I made it to 74…milk and all…and nothing bad has happened yet. (Cross my fingers as I drink this glass of milk sitting here next to the computer.)
Have I cheated the bad parts of all this “Expertise” being thrown at me all these years or have I simply been lucky?
I have guzzled tea—hot and cold—by the virtual quart sometimes. I have drank enough coffee to float a battleship and, presently, I am experimenting with the newest weight loss diet fad, Green Coffee Bean Extract…which also contains caffeine. No palpitations yet!
Is it just that I am different or something? Is that why none of the scary stuff has happened to me yet?
I know that everybody is different and that one set of rules don’t always necessarily belong in the “One Size Fits All” category.
That is what I tell my personal sawbones (Doctor) when he glowers at me over those glasses of his and tells me that according to this chart or that chart I am a fat guy! He is always after me to lose weight.
I am always working on losing weight. In fact, it is an obsession with me—I never seem to lose all that much for very long…but I have my little successes and failures…and, for some reason, I seem to keep on ticking along. (For now, anyways.)
So, is all this “New” information about coffee drinking some kind of silver bullet that I might have been searching for all these years? Is this the key to super healthy living for years and years more than I have already enjoyed? Can I throw all caution to the winds now?
Absolutely not!
Even the new studies that I have been reading seem to be severely conflicted in some areas about the claims that coffee drinking can be really good for a body. There seem to be enough “No It Can’t” arguments as there are “Yes It Can” ones. In my opinion, the whole mess is just as confusing as it ever was and the “Experts” are….well….just that…”Experts” (Whatever that is supposed to mean.)
I am not making any rash decisions about all this. I know what I have done and I know what I have gotten away with doing.
Others may not be able to do as I have done and get away with any of it. Everybody is different.
I, for one, am going to continue to listen to what my doctor tells me—to the point where my stubbornness meets his education—(That is a problem that is uniquely my own)—and since I tend to love coffee drinking, I guess I will keep on doing it until I can’t anymore.
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( The coffee beans source photograph is a public domain image. The coffee cup source photograph is a Creative Commons licensed image by Julius Schorzman)
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John, welcome to greatest blog ever.
If you don’t like what the doctor says, change doctors.
Personally, I never much cared for coffee. If ya order coffee at 10 different cafes, ya get 10 different things to drink. If ya order a Budweiser, it’s the same wherever ya are.
Food for thought.
It is all very confusing, John! What’s good for you this week, just might kill you next week!! I get so I just take these reports with a grain of salt. I do swear by whole grains, though, as a means of controlling your weight. The less food is processed — the better for good nutrition. So eat your heavy whole wheat bread; whole wheat pasta; brown rice; fruits and veggies, and wash it all down with plenty of steaming hot coffee!! LOL. Welcome on board. :-)
It is nice to have you here John…from one heavey coffee drinker to another ;)
At my mothers 99th birthday party she was asked the question, “to what do you attribute your longevity?”
Her immediate response was, “Lots of sugar, lots of pork fat, and lots of salt.”
She lived another year and finally died at the age of 100 years and 1 month. She was fat most of her life as were all of her sisters, three of whom died at the ages of, 95, 98, and 97. The youngest at death of all her family was a brother who died at the young age of 88.
I myself am an old drunk (70) who would like to point out that there are more old drunks than there are old doctors.
My gosh! I forgot to mention that my mother and all her siblings depended on their morning coffee fix!!
From a coffee aficionado, welcome aboard, John.
“If ya order a Budweiser, it’s the same wherever ya are.”
Yeah, it’s made from the urine of clydesdales.
John, welcome to the best blog on the planet! I respect Mario so much and so when he recommends you as a guest blogger, I am knowing I am going to get great insights and a mind honed by years of military training and tons of education! My late husband was 20 Navy retired and so I know what military living can result in…..the best of men! I eagerly await your next blog! Again, welcome, John!
First of all, I wish to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been so kind and warm and welcoming since Mr. Piperni made the announcement. I will do my best to live up to expectations but it must be remembered that I am in over my head here and for some reason, the person who I consider to be the best representative of what Blogging is all about has chosen to honor me and I am both overwhelmed and a little “Star Struck” because I cannot remember when something this wonderful has ever happened to me before. All I can say is that I will do my best not to disappoint and my deepest no-nonsense gratitude goes out to Mr. Piperni and to all the wonderful people who have been so kind with their welcoming and encouraging words. God Bless you all.
I can remember when the definition of an alcoholic was, someone who drank more than their GP!
Oh BTW Welcome, excellent piece.
John, welcome to this great blog! Rich
John,
It’s always been about balance. I like to eat a chocolate bar a day because I love chocolate. Also a moderate amount of chocolate can be good for someone. Now if I stuff myself on chocolate every day, it will have a really negative effect on my health.
Both my grandmothers lived long lives; one was somewhere between 109 and 115 (her birth certificate, if it ever existed, couldn’t be found and her memory failed her at that point). She kept a veggie garden and grew her own fresh vegatables but she also dipped snuff most of her life.
The other grandmother had a big sugar tooth, which I mean she loved eating sweets and always had pies, cakes and homemade candy in her home. Yet she never developed sugar diabetes, nor did she grow obese. She lived on into her 90s. She also walked everywhere she went as she never learned to drive.,so that probably helped.
Fidlerten — great points! I have an uncle who just celebrated his 101st birthday in April. He, too, has always had a sweet tooth, but he farmed all his life and grew his own food. He was a hard worker — maintaining his farm and also working in a factory to support his family. In his 80′s his tractor broke down and he tilled 17 acres singlehandedly. He’s slowed down a bit now but the staff at the “home” still has to chide him lovingly to watch his speed on his walker in the hallways. Oh — and he takes no medicine, except for an antidepressent, which was needed after the death of his wife last year. Now when asked about family, and his siblings who have all gone before him, he politely replies that he looks to the future. Another key to his longevity is a great sense of humor which is still as sharp as ever. He is the star at the nursing home where he now resides — the staff adores him as he is uncomplaining and never demanding. A life well lived by anyone’s standards!
An interesting fact about my mother is that the doctor had her on several drugs for high blood pressure and a few other conditions when she was in her 80s. She informed the doctor that all the prescriptions not only made her feel bad but they were too expensive and she was going to quit taking them. The doctor informed her that without the drugs she would die. She said she didn’t care and quit taking them anyway at the age of 85.. She lived another 15 years and never even took an aspirin.
Karen,
You made one point that I particularly liked – having a sense of humor. I think humor has got a great deal of healing properties in it. I have made it a point to laugh every day at every chance I get. I laugh a lot too. I even make faces in the mirror to get a laugh out of myself and I can make some pretty funny faces.
Even if laughter wasn’t a good medicine or you die of a younger age anyway, at least with laughter you got the most out of life and I’d rather have a happy shorter life than a long miserable one.
Very true, fidlerten — we’ve got to keep everything in the proper perspective and find a little humor when and wherever we can. Fortunately, we can always count on the Republicans to give us plenty of comic relief on a daily basis. :-)
I hear That. :-))