S G Blog Post: CAFFEINE

     Boy it's hard to give up coffee.  It has been part of our morning routine for such a long time.  It makes us more alert and just improves our well being.  We are smarter on coffee.  This is why it is the world's most popular drug.  
     And it sure is potent.  According to "The American Headache Society", 100 mg per day can sustain a dependency.  Caffeine as low as 10 mg (some decafs) is noticed by very sensitive people.  30 % of drinkers feel the effects of 18 mg or less.
     At Starbucks, decaf  has been measured to contain up to 6.9 mg ( 8 ozs. of brewed decaf) and up to 15.8 mgs (for decaf espresso).  So a 12 oz tall or 16 oz grande may have a sizable effect on some sensitive people.  (9/1/16: Just had an email from Starbucks and one measure, 2 Tb., of decaf is 15 grams of caffeine!!!  So two cups is 30 grams.  That's a lot.)
     Caffeine needs to be totally eliminated for at least 3 months when you begin medication, the Migraine Diet and the reduction of stress and other physiological triggers.  Caffeine just interferes with the goals of trying to reduce vertigo/migraine:

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• Sleep 7-8 hours a night  (caffeine affects relaxation and sleep habits)
• Adequate hydration  (caffeine dehydrates the system)
• calm nerves  (caffeine excites the nervous system)
• Reduce eye and head movements  (caffeine makes this difficult and makes you move more quickly - gives you too much energy)
• Caffeine may cause you to overdo on the amount of activities for the day - you then overdo and ARE MORE SENSITIVE TO TRIGGERS
• negatively affects blood vessels and eventually causes rebound and symptoms
• Caffeine affects insulin levels which affect migraine 

 (Click Here for "Migraine and Caffeine"  by Shapiro and Cowan)

(Click Here for Caffeine Content of Favorite Foods) 

     
AFTER YOU ELIMINATE CAFFEINE FOR THREE MONTHS, THEN YOU CAN TRY SMALL AMOUNTS TO SEE THE AFFECTS.  BUT YOU PROBABLY HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE REGULAR COFFEE LEVELS OF CAFFEINE FOREVER.