It's supposed to be good for you, right? To cut down on caffeine, I mean.
So how many people -- your's truly excepted -- can get into trouble by cutting the caffeine?
Okay, I'm telegraphing the punch line, I know, but it happened like this.
For a couple of weeks, I'd been having mild balance problems, occasional dizziness, feeling weak when standing suddenly ... all the symptoms of low blood pressure.
And, sure enough, I was showing systolic pressures as low as 80 -- not exactly a welcome figure. Okay, if you're one of the vast masses who are battling hypertension (high blood pressure), a diastolic of 80 might sound enviable. And, if you're trying to get systolic figures under 140 ... well, maybe so.
But a systolic of 80 ... or even 90 or 100 ... is not good news for anyone. And, I'd talked to my cardiologist(s) about the problem; I'd sent them a data dump from my defibrillator/pacemaker (nothing showed up as a red flag) and I was considering a trip over to Seattle to the VA hospital ... or, maybe, to the local ER ... when it struck me: I had not had any caffeinated drinks (except for an occasional iced tea) for several weeks.
So, another call to Seattle to report this additional factor and the response -- "Of course that would explain it; now, here's what I want you to do ..."
The what -- in brief -- was to cut my lisinopril from 5 mg twice daily to 2.5 mg once daily. Lisinopril is a vasodilator ... just like caffeine is a vasoconstrictor ... cut one you've got to cut the other, right?
Now, the real question -- to me -- is ... why am I taking a vasodilator in the first place? I've never had hypertension even without medication. For years, I've been going to the clinic and they always want to begin with my weight, temperature ... and blood pressure. And it's always been "Ah, your blood pressure's kind of low, are you feeling okay?"
And my response has always been: "Sure but, just a second ... now, try again ... 115 over 60 okay?" (Yes, I do have fairly good voluntary control over my blood pressure ... perhaps there are Zen masters and Yoga masters who can do better but I've still had a lot of practice.)
But my point is: what's good enough? If it ain't broke, why are we fixing it?
And don't even get me started about cholesterol ...
I think I'll go get a hamburger ... No frys, please, too much starch ... but extra grease please.
The primary reason for cutting caffeine is simple: I found something I like better. I always liked Pepsi but I can't stand most diet sweeteners -- literally, they taste terrible to me. Pepsi ONE -- which uses sucrulose (Splenda), a non-nutritive sweetener derived from sugar -- is pretty good; a little thin but acceptable and okay for a diabetic like me. But it is still a caffeinated beverage even if sugar free.
Note: Regardless of the weather, I've always preferred cold drinks ... except for an occasional hot coco or Irish coffee.
Well, actually, I didn't find something I like better -- it's something I've liked very much for many decades -- just that I found a better (faster and more convenient) way to have it readily on tap (figuratively speaking).
The restorative of choice in the tropics (excluding rum drinks and similar) has always been a very simple concoction of lime juice, sugar and soda water (with a pinch of salt if desired).
Since the juice of one lime yields roughly 6/10ths of a gram of sugar (versus 41 grams for a can of soda), replacing the sugar in the original recipe with sucrulose provides a dietetic (or diabetic) drink which is refreshing, tasty and healthy (no scurvy here, me lads). All of which leaves the only shortcoming the time and trouble of squeezing limes, etc.
So, I mentioned a simpler solution?
That's solution in the very literal (or chemical) sense. I can buy lime juice in 15 ounce bottles (any grocery store) or in 1 gallon jugs (from a wholesale grocery outlet catering to the restaurant/bar trade) and I can buy bulk Splenda (equiv. 13.5 lbs sugar) from CostCo quite cheaply and I can buy soda water (about 40 cents per liter) at most groceries (sometimes even cheaper). With those very simple supplies, I set up my own soda factory and prepare a syrup by placing 4 Tbsp of Splenda (equivalent to 4 Tbsp of sugar) in a 16 ounce bottle, add fifteen ounces of lime juice, cap and refrigerate.
I make up a half-dozen or so bottles of this sweetened lime juice (half teaspoon of salt optional) at a time; enough to have readily on hand without worrying about spoilage.
Then, when I want a cold drink (which, for me, is first thing in the morning; last thing at night, middle of the night and various other times). I put one jigger (1.5 ounce) of juice in a tall (insulated) glass and fill with cold soda water.
And that's it ... cold, refreshing, healthy ... and a sure prophylaxis against scurvy. But with no caffeine and no sugar.
Cheers, me hearties! Cheers!
Oh, yes, that's how I came to quit caffeine.