Royally Bad Coffee

We signed up for a cruise. I was a little concerned about finding allergy-safe food but with assurances from Royal Caribbean personnel and a choice of three restaurants on board, I felt that I could find adequate food. (However, I did bring a bag filled with snacks just to be sure. )

Since I recently started on a heartburn medication, I was looking forward to being able to drinking decaf coffee with meals. At the first dinner, I had a rude awakening.

My cup of decaf had a scorched, acrid smell. I asked the waiter if any other kind was available. "No madam," he informed me, "All the coffee on the ship is Shattle's Best." That's how he pronounced it, but I knew what he meant.

I asked if another restaurant would have a different brand. I don't care for Seattle coffee, and the so-called "Best" is actually the city's worst, at least in the decaffeinated version. Even if I could get past the odor, the taste is not pleasant and I'll always associate it with the severe chest pain I suffered after drinking it at Burger King.

But no, the entire ship serve's Seattle's Best exclusively. And not only do they not provide coffee makers in the staterooms, they don't allow passengers to bring their own. I imagine I could have got away with bringing in a French press but I did not pack one.

So there I was at the dinner table, horrified with the prospect of spending nine long days on a ship without decent coffee. And when my dinner arrived, it was mediocre. I ate part of it, trying not to look unhappy in front of the strangers we were seated with. But before dessert was served, I made an excuse and left. I made it back to our room before letting the tears of frustration flow.

Lactose Intolerant? It's Normal.

Wow, 60% of adults can't digest milk! If your ancestry is not northern European, the odds are that you can't handle lactose.

"Somewhat less than 40% of people in the world retain the ability to digest lactose after childhood. The numbers are often given as close to 0% of Native Americans, 5% of Asians, 25% of African and Caribbean peoples, 50% of Mediterranean peoples and 90% of northern Europeans."

Read the article.

In a word: GERD

I got the results from a recent endoscopy: I have GERD. That's Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. The usual symptom is heartburn, which I get once in a while but not so often that I expected it to show up on the examination. And I thought I was controlling it through diet, but apparently not that successfully.

It turns out that there other symptoms of GERD. Ones that I often had were chest pain and coughing.

The gastroenterologist gave me samples of Nexium. It seems to be working and I have had decaf coffee several times in restaurants without getting chest pain, and I even had a meatloaf lunch that usually causes heartburn without experiencing it. So I'm happy that the medication is effective.

A nurse told me that it can actually cure the condition so I won't be on the pills forever. This is great news, but for now I'm thrilled to be able to eat out without getting sick.

See: NIH page on GERD

Our Tap Water is Not Bad but ...

I had a lab test samples of our tap water just in case it was contributing to unresolved health issues. The results finally came back and in some ways they were good.

Our water is clean. No significant contaminants or e. coli bacteria were found.

The negative finding is that the water has a pH of 6.34 which is somewhat acid. It is quite low in minerals such as calcium which normally bring the pH up to a normal level which is between 6.5 and 8.5. (Low pH is acid, high pH is alkaline.)

Perhaps this is a temporary situation brought on my acid rainfall. I'll have to repeat the pH test to see.

Low pH in water can cause corrosion in pipes. Healthwise, the corresponding lack of minerals in the water might contribute to osteoporosis so I need get plenty of minerals by eating enough vegetables.

Related articles on the web:

• Is alkaline water better?
• Water corrosivity and plumbing

Manganese

My chiropractor suggests that I increase my consumption of foods rich in manganese. He did not recommend a supplement because you can overdo it.

HealthVitamins has an article on manganese which lists these foods:

Good natural sources of manganese include avocados, nuts and seeds, seaweed, tea, raisins, pineapple, spinach, broccoli, oranges, beans, whole grains, blueberries, egg yolks, dried peas, and green leafy vegetables.

Many herbs also contain manganese, such as alfalfa, burdock root, chamomile, dandelion, fenugreek, ginseng, hops, horsetail, lemongrass, parsley, peppermint, wild yam, and raspberry.

I've Got Bruises (and they have names)

I received several large bruises when our car was hit from behind a few days ago. We had stopped behind a car which was turning when a vehicle behind us did not stop in time. My car was totaled but our injuries were not serious.

I've decided to name my bruises Lucky, Caution, and Nagging.

1. Lucky because I was really fortunate that I was not seriously hurt.
2. Caution because I must remember to use caution while driving. For instance, the next time we have to stop for traffic, I will turn on the flashers to be sure drivers coming up behind me can see me sooner.
3. Nagging because not only does the largest bruise produce nagging pain, but also because nagging someone can be a positive thing! I'm glad I nagged my husband to wear his seat belt; it may have saved his life.

Coffee Enzymes and Acidity Can Cause Problems

I've given up coffee again. This time it's decaf, even the morning cup I had with breakfast.

Last week I had a cup of decaf in a local restaurant with lunch. About an hour later the pain hit me! It was in the upper abdomen and chest. I've had this reaction to restaurant coffee before, but it used to happen rarely and only last a few hours. Now it happens about a quarter of the time I drink restaurant coffee unless I stick to a tried-and-true eatery, and this time it lasted until bedtime and was so painful that when I got home, I went to bed and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. The next day I still felt some residual pain.

I decided to give up all coffee for a while to see what happens. So far so good -- and I actually feel less fatigue.

The Help for IBS site has an article that helps explain why even decaf causes problems.

...just one cup of coffee is all it takes to completely disrupt the gut of most people with IBS. Coffee is a very powerful GI tract irritant - and it's NOT the caffeine that's the culprit. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it can aggravate IBS as well, but this just means that regular coffee has an awful double whammy.

Decaffeinated coffee is still practically guaranteed to trigger abdominal spasms, diarrhea, and a very unpleasant sense of urgency. Why? Because all coffee beans, decaf included, contain an enzyme that irritates the entire digestive tract.

...Coffee is also highly acidic, and acidic foods can aggravate IBS as well as upper GI disorders such as GERD.

Since I am allergic to tea, I really hate giving up coffee. I may go back to having an occasional cup of mild-brand decaf at home after cold weather moves in. But the risk of drinking it in restaurants is no longer worth taking. Chest pain is scary as well as uncomfortable, and enduring it for over nine hours is something that I won't forget anytime soon.

By the way, I have not been diagnosed with IBS, but I do have a sensitive digestive system and a low tolerance for acidic foods.

When Weight Loss is Toxic

Weight loss can increase the level of pollutants in the blood according to a study. That explains why I feel so bad when losing weight!