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From: bmcjmp@burdvax.UUCP (Barb Puder)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: About caffeine
Message-ID: <949@burdvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Aug-83 09:09:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: burdvax.949
Posted: Wed Aug 10 09:09:42 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Aug-83 04:42:09 EDT
Lines: 20

Not everybody has as severe a reaction to caffeine as those I have seen
posted in the net. I find that my own reactions are usually mild, and vary
depending on the form in which I ingest it. Chocolate has no apparent effect
on me, and tea and soft drinks bother me only in great quantities. Coffee,
which I do not indulge in regularly, seems to show the most effects, and
even then the worst symptoms I exhibit are edginess and occasonal difficulty
sleeping.  If I only have a cup every few days, I don't register any
difference in he way I feel. Excedrin doesn't bother me in the least, while
Midol sometimes makes my hands quiver a bit.

Perhaps the worst reaction I ever had was numbness in my upper arms, but
that was after I had three 16-ounce bottles of Dr Pepper after having five
mugs of VERY strong tea, over a period of about five hours. 

I guess the key is personal sensitivity. Caffeine is a chemical that tends
to have harmful effects on the human body when too much is ingested, and for
some people, any at all is too much. We should be aware of what our
tolerance level is, and keep within it. (I agree, by the way, that food
vendors should have caffeine-free drinks available, just as many restaurants
have non-smoking sections.)