Natural Therapy: Coffee Treats Asthma, Headaches and Has Other Important Benefits

Everyone knows that drinking a cup of coffee will give you a little boost of energy. But, it can also treat and prevent a number of other disorders such as asthma, headaches, Parkinson,s Disease, Type II Diabetes and colon Cancer.

Coffee as a Stimulant

While most people realize that the caffeine in coffee may wake them up in the morning, many do not realize there may be additional benefits to drinking coffee. Coffee has also been shown to improve mental performance and increase productivity at work. According to the National Coffee Association, 54% of adult Americans drink coffee on a regular basis. The average amount consumed is around 3 cups per day.

Coffee as Disease Prevention

The International Coffee Organization, states that it is also believed that since coffee contains a slew of antioxidants there may be benefits to the liver, brain and it may actually help prevent colon cancer. Coffee has also been shown to have benefits in prevention of Parkinson's disease, Type II Diabetes.

Coffee Treats Asthma

According to WebMD, Coffee's primary stimulant activity is caused by the presence of caffeine. Caffeine is a member of the chemical group Xanthine derivatives which also includes Theophylline and Theobromine.

Theophylline is a powerful bronchodilator which has been in use for many years to treat asthma available by prescription as "TheoDur" and several other brand names. Theobromine, a related chemical is highly present in chocolate.

When medical help is not available, because of its caffeine, coffee can be used to treat an asthma attack. The Caffeine works similarly to Theophylline by constricting the blood vessels in the lung tissue leading to an opening of the airway and easier breathing.

Coffee Treats Headaches

Because Caffeine is a "vasoconstrictor", it can also be used to treat headaches. Some headaches, such as migraines are thought to be caused by a dilation of blood vessels in the brain. Drinking a cup of coffee can help to alleviate this condition. Many "migraine treatments" have caffeine as one of the active ingredient. This includes the popular over-the-counter pain relievers "Excedrin" and "Anacin" and the prescription products "Fioricet" and "Fiorinal".

As a health care professional and natural therapy enthusiast, I have often recommended that people drink a cup of coffee in order to alleviate a headache. If it won't completely treat the headache, it may help the pain reliever work better.

There are a few drawbacks to drinking coffee on a regular basis such as staining of teeth and possible bad breath, though good oral hygiene should minimize this effect. The worst potential side effect of daily use is that one may become dependent on the caffeine and develop a need to consume it daily. Withdrawal can be unpleasant and result in tiredness and withdrawal headaches which seem to be only treatable by consuming more coffee.

As coffee is readily available most everywhere in the world, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem and the benefits appear to outweigh the drawbacks. So, drink up!

Sources:

coffeeresearch,org, Coffee Consumption Statistics in the United States

Positivelycoffee.org, Positive Communication Programme of the International Coffee Association

WebMD, Coffee: The New Health Food?