Is MS and coffee or Multiple Sclerosis and coffee drinking a good idea?

There are pros and cons, when it comes to drinking coffee, after you have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Not all caffeine is the same, the way the body metabolizes it.  Coffee metabolizes different than the caffeine in chocolate, teas or other foods or drinks.

Problems with drinking coffee, when MS is present can include:

* Drinking coffee adds stress to adrenal glands 

You adrenal glands control the production of
the "fight" or "flight" hormones, which are produced when you are put in a stressful situation.

If you already have a problem with your adrenals being too exhausted or stressed out already, drinking coffee will make this worse.

Coffee is known for stimulating the adrenal glands. That is what gives you that extra boost of energy after you drink a cup of coffee, but when the adrenal glands are already over stressed, then you get the spike and crash effect from drinking coffee.

You can temporarily feel better, after you drink the coffee, but then you end up feeling much more exhausted after the initial effects of the coffee wears off.

The adrenal glands are two small kidney bean size glands, located on top of the kidneys. 

The adrenals help regulate body temperature, energy levels, and control the production of the fight or flight hormones, adrenaline, as well as epinephrine and norepinephrine.

When you feel that you are under stress, your adrenal glands kick into high gear to compensate for the need for a boost of energy. 

The problem results, that when you feel that you are under stress for a prolonged period of time, then the adrenal glands become depleted or exhausted, as it is called, and then you end up feeling extremely exhausted or overly fatigued.

* Drinking coffee overstimulates the Central Nervous System.

When it comes to Multiple Sclerosis, MS tends to make the central nervous system over respond to stimulation of any kind. 

Multiple Sclerosis attacks and damages the nerves through out the nervous system and the more severe your case of MS is, then the more difficult it becomes for your body to handle stimulation of all kinds.

The nervous system tends to short-circuit more often in the severe cases of Multiple Sclerosis, often making the symptoms of MS become much more out of control more often.

If you have a more severe case of Multiple Sclerosis, it is much less advisable that you drink coffee or consume coffee containing foods or drinks, since this will over stimulate your nervous system even more.

* Drinking coffee can increase MS fatigue

If you have a problem already with MS fatigue, you should definitely avoid drinking coffee, since when the adrenal glands become overtaxed, like they do when your drink coffee, this just adds to the degree of fatigue that you are already experiencing.

The tendency is for people who drink coffee to think that it makes them feel better and that is true initially, but the after effects can make things much worse, especially after you have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. 

Coffee also is known for doing 2 other things, as it metabolizes in the body.

* Drinking coffee can put more stress on liver

All caffeine detoxifies from the body through the liver.  Since many people with MS often already have a problem with the liver not functioning as well as it should, drinking coffee just adds to the stress on the liver. 

Taking the herb milk thistle can help repair the liver problems often present in most cases of Multiple Sclerosis, but that still doesn’t mean that it is a good idea for you to drink coffee.

Also keep in mind that if you are taking any prescription drugs, then it is not advisable for you to take any herbs, until you check with your doctor to find out if the herbs will be a problem because of interacting with any medications you are taking already.

* Drinking coffee spikes blood sugar

Coffee also spikes blood sugar.  If you have diabetes or Candida, along with having Multiple Sclerosis, then it is best to avoid drinking coffee.

The liver stores the excess sugar that ends up in your blood, from whenever you eat sugar or anything related to sugar (even honey or maple syrup) and when you drink coffee, the excess sugar that the liver is storing is released into  the blood stream. 

So coffee can actually spike your blood sugar and if you already have a problem, this can make things much worse, especially if you drink coffee several times within the same week.

The extra sugar in the blood stream adds to the feel good or extra feeling of energy that you feel after you drink coffee.

If you have hypoglycemic episodes, where your blood sugar drops to low at times or you have problems with metabolizing sugar, it is also best to avoid drinking coffee.

Don’t take any information from this article as the definite answer for you as to whether you can drink coffee or not, when it comes to you having been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Discuss all of this with your doctor, since some of this also depends on how your body tends to react to things, since not every one’s body is exactly the same as to how it responds to the foods that you eat or drink each day.

If your body appears to be able to handle you drinking coffee, then go for it, but often with Multiple Sclerosis, drinking coffee just adds to aggravating the problems you may already be experiencing with the symptoms of MS.

Remember – be kind to your body and listen to your body as to how it responds to what foods you eat or drink and do what helps your body to function better, so that you can do more each day, in spite of the Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.

To find out more about Multiple Sclerosis, along with more about ways to help reduce MS symptoms, complete the form below to subscribe to our FREE Multiple Sclerosis Report.

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