Here, you’ll find all kinds of information on how your physical health effects your relationship with your wife. It’ll be a challenge to keep this page stocked with relevant and current information. Check in here, and if you need information on something and don’t see it here, let us know via the Post Office and we’ll leave no stone unturned to find it for you .
Daddy’s Little Helper?
(July 14, 2009)
What a drag it is getting old
Kids are different today,
I hear every mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she’s not really ill
There’s a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day
- The Rolling Stones
In 1966 the Rolling Stones released this song about a suburban housewife abusing prescription drugs to get through her day. Fast forward nearly 50 years and change one or two words in the lyrics and the song fits just as well today as it did then. As a parent of two, I find myself running all over God’s green earth getting people here and there and struggling to find time to keep myself centered. I’m blessed to have a wife who can help me with most things – I seriously don’t know how single parents keep all the plates spinning. I hate those days when all you can think about is getting from here to bedtime – whatever time that might be.
To keep up, we have our own versions of mother’s little helper to get us through the day. In the last couple of years an entire market has been created for energy in a can. Advertisers tell us that this is the stuff that can get behind us and give us that push we need to get through the day. What’s more, some of us have come to rely on energy drinks daily to either get us going in the morning, keep us chugging in the afternoon, or give us that final push to get everything wrapped up at the end of the day.
The burning question is whether this stuff is simply “not bad” for us or if it actually causes harm to our bodies. To answer this question I’ve called on the official MD of 4BetterOr4Worse, Dr. Jeff VanWingen. Yes, Dr. Jeff is a real medical doctor who has a practice here in Grand Rapids and he is also a Christian. He’s going to help us take some of the mystery out of energy drinks and bring a dose of truth to the hype.
Dr. Jeff views energy drinks to be a bad thing. “The ads promote the positives of these drinks that they give you a quick boost of energy. But, this is a ‘buy now, pay later’ mentality,” he says. “It is true that they give a quick boost but this is via huge doses of caffeine. The ‘other’ perhaps ‘all natural’ additives are usually caffeine derivatives or simply filler that sounds good with no value.”
Natural forms of caffeine (1-3-5 trimethyl xanthine) are guana, cola nut, ma huang or coffee bean. You might find some other ingredients that claim to be helpful and are “all natural”, but these are worth more to the marketing people than they are to your energy level. The National Institute of Health (http://www.nih.gov/) has done studies to show that things like Royal Jelly and other additives are worthless.
Let’s consider a couple of things:
Caffeine – The problem with caffeine is that it’s a diuretic. It dries you out – dehydrates you. Dr. Jeff says the result of this is achy feeling and mental slowness – maybe even muscle spasms.
Sleep – If we continually drive our bodies to perform without giving them the opportunity to recharge it will have a negative long-term effect on our bodies. In other words, sleep is very important to your energy level and you can’t shortcut sleep with an energy drink.
Addiction – Caffeine is most definitely addicting. Dr. Jeff says, “The classic example I see is someone who presents with chronic headaches. I here things like ‘Motrin doesn’t touch the headache but when I take a red bull, it finally goes away.’ They are surprised that the Red Bull is the ultimate cause and the headache is a symptom of withdrawal.”
So, what can you do to get more energy? Dr. Jeff is a fan of natural energy. “Exercise gives us a natural caffeine when we need it (nor epinephrine AKA adrenaline). People who exercise regularly need less sleep and sleep better.” He also states that there is no substitute for 8 hours of sleep (However, if you do get enough sleep and are still tired all the time you should see your doctor). If you’re living off energy drinks at this point I challenge you to take inventory of your lifestyle, take stock of those things that truly are important to you, and consider making some wholesale changes for the sake of improving your physical and mental health.
Parting thoughts –
In the material Dr. Jeff sent me for this article he made a great statement. For a Christian man, the standard should be “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and NOT “I can do a little bit more through Red Bull who energizes me”.
Dr Jeff also points out a great article called The Truth About Energy Drinks. This is a great article from the Yahoo people on the content and safety of 5 of the leading energy drinks. If you drink these things regularly you need to read this article.
The truth is that this stuff doesn’t contribute in any way to a healthy balanced man of God. In addition, if you need this stuff to get through the day, every day, you’re not in a good place to begin with. If you’re pushing yourself through your daily life with stuff from a can you can’t expect to have a lasting positive influence on relationships with people you love. At 4BetterOr4Worse, it’s our hope that what we post here on the Med Center page causes you to think about these things and make some changes.
As always, if you need some help, send us a note via the Post Office page. We have people who can give you a hand.
Past Med Center Articles
Hey Baby – Ya Wanna? May 1, 2009 How to tell if low testosterone level is affecting your life.
