To varying degrees, everyone experiences stressors in life. Yet many people seem to be able to tolerate life’s stressors without showing symptoms of stress — symptoms like anxiety, depression, heightened emotions and/or chronic pain.

So, if you’re someone who seems to be highly sensitized to stress, you might get the impression that there’s something “wrong” with you. (Spoiler alert: there’s not.)

We live in a culture that pathologizes emotional sensitivity and normalizes emotional numbness.

But the truth is, numbness and heightened sensitivity are both symptoms of emotional repression. On the surface, they look different. But they’re two sides of the same coin.

Repressed emotions are compressed energy. And compressed energy can take on multiple forms:⁠

• Compressed energy can stay contained for a while, like a pot of boiling water with the lid jammed on.⁠ But eventually it explodes.
• In some people, the lid stays jammed on most of the time. You might not even be able to tell that there’s boiling water under the surface, and they appear to be “doing just fine,” meaning: they’re conforming to the standards of our societal norms.⁠
• In some people, the pot of water looks like it’s always on the verge of bursting … and from time to time it does.⁠
• In other people, the pot seems to be constantly bubbling over, with the lid nowhere to be found.⁠

All of these are symptoms of a culture that encourages us to reject our own emotions. “Under-expressed” emotions are simply more convenient to patriarchy than “over-expressed” emotions, so blunted sensitivity is considered normal while heightened sensitivity is pathologized.

All this to say, it may seem like others are “doing just fine” while you seem to be “overly sensitive” — physically and/or emotionally. And you may be asking yourself “why me?”

But the truth is that we are all impacted by living in a culture of emotional repression — even if that impact looks different from person to person. And we would all benefit from a shift in culture toward allowing, accepting and honoring emotions. (If you’re reading this, I have a feeling you’re already taking part in this collective culture shift.)

Instead of seeing your sensitivities as something “wrong,” what if you were to view them as your superpowers? Your finely attuned antennae letting you know that there’s actually a kinder, more wholesome, respectful and nurturing way of being that we could all be moving toward? What if your emotions are the guiding stars pointing us all in the direction of a healthier and more loving human culture?

What if you aren’t broken at all, just reacting to a world that’s aching for positive change?

With love and warmth,

💖 Anna

The post Being Sensitive Doesn’t Mean You’re Broken appeared first on Medika Life.

Researchers are increasingly reporting health benefits associated with the consumption of moderate amounts of black coffee. Do you drink three to five cups daily? Good for you — we have some evidence that you may be lowering your risk of Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.

Of course, it is best if you dodge milk, sugar, and fattening flavorings many of us tend to add.

Let’s look at some new research that highlights the importance of genetics in determining our preferences when adding cream and sugar to coffee and regarding chocolate types. By the end, you’ll understand why some call coffee a “cup of Joe.”

Coffee consumption is common.

More than 150 million Americans join me in my coffee drinking habit. The developed world accounts for nearly 72 percent of the world’s beverage consumption.

In the United States, the average adult’s consumption is roughly two cups daily. There is great variability in content by coffee type and retailer. Here’s a breakdown:

• Brewed coffee (8 ounces; 235 mL) — 133 mg (range 102–200)
• Instant coffee (8 ounces; 235 mL) — 93 mg (range 27–173)
• Coffee, decaffeinated (8 ounces; 235 mL) — 5 mg (range 3–12)
• Espresso (1 ounce; 30 mL) — 40 mg (range 30–90)
• Espresso, decaffeinated (1 ounce; 30 mL) — 4 mg

Males consume more coffee than females on average, at least in the USA. Consumption appears lower among African-Americans than among whites.

Tea consumption is on the rise

Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors. — Alice Walker

While tea is not the primary focus today, I wanted to share with you some interesting statistics.

More and more Americans are drinking tea. The Tea Association of the USA offers that 87 percent of consumption is black tea, 12.5 percent green tea, and the small remaining percentage oolong and herbal teas.

More than 80 percent of consumers in the United States drink tea, with millennials the most likely at more than 87 percent. On any given day, more than half of Americans drink tea. The highest consumption is in the Northeast and South regions, respectively.

Consumers prefer tea over coffee in Asia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Behind water, tea is the second most commonly consumed beverage globally. People take in three times as much tea as coffee.

Trivia question: Did you know that as much as 80 percent of tea consumed in the States is iced? I love that (without additives) it is nearly fat-free and has no sodium, carbonation, or sugar.

Tea contains flavonoids, natural substances that appear to have antioxidant properties. Tea flavonoids can help neutralize free radicals (which we believe can contribute to chronic disease).

Black coffee, dark chocolate, and genes

The greatest tragedies were written by the Greeks and Shakespeare … neither knew chocolate. — Sandra Boynton

Do you like your coffee black? If you answered yes, you probably also prefer dark and bitter chocolate. Recently writing in Nature Scientific Reports, Dr. Cornelis and colleagues analyzed types of coffee drinkers, separating black coffee lovers from those who prefer their coffee with cream and sugar (or more).

Let’s get right to the findings:

Coffee drinkers with a genetic variant reflecting a faster caffeine metabolism prefer bitter, black coffee. The same genetic variant is present in people who prefer plain rather than sweetened tea. We can find the gene change in those who prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate.

Now it gets even more interesting: The researchers don’t think the coffee or tea preference is secondary to the taste of the drinks. Instead, they believe that people with this gene “prefer black coffee and tea because they associated bitter flavor with the improved mental alertness they crave from caffeine.”

In essence, we equate caffeine’s bitterness with a brain stimulation effect; this is a learned behavior and preference. The same holds for preferring dark chocolate over milk: Think caffeine, think bitter (and choose dark chocolate).

Dark chocolate has limited amounts of caffeine but also contains theobromine, a caffeine-related nervous system stimulant. High doses of theobromine may dampen your mood and increase your heart rate.

Researchers look forward to looking at genetic preferences for other bitter foods. Cornelis observes that bitter foods are “generally associated with more health benefits.”

Let’s hope that those genetically predisposed to prefer dark chocolate (or black coffee) are more likely to engage in other health-promoting behaviors.

Coffee shops

Do you have a favorite coffee shop? I searched for outstanding coffee and chocolate, cafes, and museums on my last visit to Barcelona. Here is a cafe that I highly recommend: Granja M. Viader.

This historical cafe dates back to 1870, and the owners do an excellent job placing memorabilia on the walls. Picasso enjoyed its chocolates, and I loved (repeat: loved) the fresh churros. If you miss your childhood, consider a Cacaolat, a vintage refreshment.

Now, a trivia question: What is coffee sometimes called “Joe?” The use of the term dates back to the early 1900s when Joseph Daniels served as Secretary of the US Navy. A new biography explains that Daniels attempted to “imbue the navy with a strict morality.”

The Secretary increased the number of chaplains, discouraged prostitution at naval bases, and banned alcohol consumption. Stewards purchased more coffee to substitute for the beverage, and Daniels’ name became associated with coffee. Less than pleased folks called it “a cup of Joeseph Daniels,” a label soon shortened to a “cup of Joe.”

Thank you for joining me. I hope you have a health- and joy-filled 2022.

The post Like Dark Chocolate or Black Coffee? Here’s Why appeared first on Medika Life.

Many of those people first received an opioid drug, not from a drug dealer, but from a doctor, prescribing it in good faith to treat pain. The question is: are opiates good for treating pain that is not from cancer. The latest research says, “No.” 

Researchers from Australia randomized two groups of patients who had 1 or more bone fractures that required surgery to receive either oxycodone — what they called a “strong” opioid — or acetaminophen and codeine (aka “Tylenol #3) to treat pain after they were discharged to the hospital. 

They found no significant difference in pain between each group, despite the fact that the oxycodone group had a 6-fold higher opioid dose. The study authors concluded, “These findings suggest that ongoing first-line strong opioid use after discharge from the hospital should not be supported” in those patients who had a surgically managed bone fracture. 

This is an important study. It further strengthens the recommendation that strong opioids such as oxycodone should not be used for noncancer-related pain. In fact, when thinking about a bone fracture, the mechanism of the pain after surgery has nothing to do with the opioid receptors in the body, and they are more likely due to the inflammation after the fracture and the surgery to fix it. 

In fact, the absolute best pain medicine I’ve used to treat the surgical pain of patients recovering from heart surgery — and this was confirmed to me by a physician colleague who had the surgery himself — has been ketorolac, which is an NSAID like ibuprofen. The only thing is, NSAIDs such as ketorolac can cause serious complications like bleeding and kidney failure (which I’ve seen in my practice). 

Still, even though opioids are ubiquitously used for post surgery pain, they really are not good drugs for the pain. This also goes for pain after dental surgery and procedures. As clinicians, we need to use less of them. 

Of course, it is not our fault if we prescribe an opioid for pain in good faith and our patients abuse the medication. At the same time, we need to heed the science about opioids for noncancer pain. The literature increasingly suggests that opioids are not effective and can lead to abuse and complications. Thus, we should prescribe less of these medications as much as possible. 

The post Oxycodone No Better in Treating Post-Orthopedic Surgical Pain appeared first on Medika Life.