Caffeine Withdrawal.

Double mocha tall iced. That's the language of the Country of Caffeine.
The adult inhabitants of this country drink close to 500 million (that's right, half a billion) cups of caffeine-containing coffee every day. Younger citizens prefer their caffeine in chocolate bars and in colas served in cups the size of small buckets.

For the ailing, there is caffeine in nonprescription medications for headaches, weight loss, and menstrual cramps. For the overheated, there are almost as many varieties of iced tea sweetened with sugar and spiked with caffeine-on supermarket shelves as there are sweat glands in the body.
Since caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, the people in this country are electrified: always on, brains jazzy as neon, bodies humming like generators.

Unfortunately, quite a few of them also end up electrocuted. The Country of Caffeine is America, of course. And many of its highly caffeinated citizens are nervous and irritable and can't get a good night's sleep. They have headaches, queasy stomachs, and daytime drowsiness. And they may be putting themselves at risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and possibly even certain types of cancer. All because of caffeine.

Caffeine is a powerful drug, and it works its fatigue-banishing, brain-clearing wonders by stimulating your adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline, the hormone that launches your nervous system into action. But that hormone is pure stress-a biochemical emergency button installed by evolution for threatening situations-and the constant, unnatural overdrive can wear your body out, from your brain cells to your bones. What's worse, your body soon grows accustomed to its dose of caffeine, so you need more of the drug to produce the' same energized effect.

If your body doesn't get its caffeine quota, it can go through a week or two of caffeine withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, intense cravings for caffeine, constipation, anxiety, and a dim bulb where you used to have bright ideas.

In short, you're hooked, a condition that alternative doctors call caffeine dependency. Now, a caffeine intake of about 250 milligrams a day (the amount in two to three cups of coffee) is probably not going to cause those kinds of problems, although some individuals are quite sensitive to caffeine and will develop caffeine-related symptoms and caffeine dependency at levels as low as 100 milligrams.

Get more than that amount, however, and your risk of developing a dependency starts to rise, says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California.
What happens if you successfully get through the withdrawal symptoms and kick caffeine? "After 2 to 3 days, you'll feel more awake and have a more even energy level through the day than when you were using caffeine," says Dr. Haas.

So if you've had your fill of being a citizen of the Country of Caffeine-if you've decided that you want natural energy, and you don't want all the health risks from a daily fix of caffeine here's how alternative practitioners recommend that you move to the Country of the Caffeine-Free with an absolute minimum of inconvenience.

Caffeine Withdrawal : Gradual Is Best

If you cut back on caffeine slowly, you'll be much less likely to suffer the symptoms of withdrawal, says Dr. Haas. He recommends taking a week or two to reduce or eliminate all the sources of caffeine in your life: coffee, tea, cola, medications, and chocolate.
"If you're having 5 cups of coffee a day, for example, cut back to 4Yz on the first day, to 4 on the second day, to 3Yz on the third day, and so on. Or substitute tea for coffee the first week, then slowly cut back on the tea the second week"

TYROSINE: Stop Your Caffeine Cravings
Caffeine withdrawal is similar to withdrawing from a central nervous system drug like amphetamine," says Michael Rosenbaum, MD., an alternative physician in Corte Madera, California. "You're likely to feel intense craving for the stimulation of the drug during the withdrawal period."To stop the cravings, Dr. Rosenbaum recommends taking a daily supplement of tyrosine. This amino acid can boost the level of the brain chemical dopamine, which, according to Dr. Rosenbaum, can help reduce cravings in people with all kinds of addictions during a withdrawal period.
Take the supplement on an empty stomach for maximum absorption and effectiveness, following the dosage recommendations on the label, Dr. Rosenbaum says. He recommends using tyrosine only under the supervision of a qualified alternative practitioner.

CARDAMOM: An Ayurvedic Antidote
In Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient system of natural healing from India, the "antidote" to caffeine is the spice cardamom, says John Douillard, D.c., a chiropractor, expert in Ayurveda, and director of the LifeSpa in Boulder, Colorado.

To stop the craving for coffee during the withdrawal period, he recommends sucking on cardamom seeds (just as you would suck on lozenges) all day long. Cardamom is available in the spice section of most grocery stores.

"Your brain will respond to the cardamom as if you were actually drinking coffee, helping to reduce your urge to have another cup of coffee," Dr. Douillard says.

AROMATHERAPY: Massage Away Headaches
A tension headache with the pain centered around the temples is the most common symptom of caffeine withdrawal. It's fine to take mild pain relievers for the first few days of withdrawal, unless they contain caffeine, says Dr. Haas. (Excedrin, Anacin, Vanquish, Empirin, and Compound are some painkillers that contain caffeine.)
But there are also alternative home remedies for handling that headache. One of the best is lavender essential oil.

"The major component of lavender is linalool, which acts as a sedative," says Sylla Sheppard-Hanger, principal instructor at the Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy in Tampa, Florida. It helps ease mental tension and calms pain, she says.

To apply the oil, put a drop on the tip of each index finger and rub your temples with the fingertips for a minute or two. Some people may get more headache relief from this massage by using peppermint oil, which, according to Sheppard-Hanger, relaxes the blood vessels and the muscles in the area. Experiment with the two oils and see which one helps you most.

ACUPRESSURE: Use the Headache Point for Relief
Another place to massage for headache relief is the web between your thumb and index finger.
"It's known as the headache point in acupuncture, and massaging this area provides a lot of relief from headaches," says Ben Dierauf, a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco. It's also known as LI4. (For the exact location, see An Illustrated Guide to Acupressure Points on page 638.) Rub the web of each hand as hard as you can tolerate for about 30 seconds, he says.

MASSAGE: Relax Your Tight Scalp
You can loosen and relax the tense neck and scalp muscles that cause headaches with two techniques recommended by Elizabeth Cornell, a licensed massage therapist and craniosacral therapist in New York City. First, tilt your head gently toward your left shoulder and tap the muscles on the right side of your neck with the tips of your fingers for 30 to 60 seconds, Cornell says. You should tap firmly enough to soften the muscles but not hard enough to make them sore. Then tilt your head gently toward your right shoulder and repeat the procedure on the left side.
Next, grasp your hair firmly at the roots and pull gently, working from the front of your head to the back until you've covered the entire scalp, she says.

EAR MASSAGE: Boost Your Energy in the Morning
Fatigue is a common symptom when you're quitting caffeine. One way to beat it is to "thoroughly rub your ears and earlobes for a couple of minutes when you wake up in the morning," says Dierauf.
Why your ears? "In Chinese medicine, the ears are considered to be mini-circuit boards that are connected to the whole body," he says. "When you massage your ears, you're pressing all these little buttons that wake up the energy, or chi, in your body and get it moving. And you need to restore the chi because it was depleted by the caffeine intake."

HYDROTHERAPY: Take a Warm Bath to Stop Insomnia

To help you beat insomnia during caffeine withdrawal, take a warm, soothing, 30-minute bath before you go to bed, says Robbie Porter, a hydrotherapist and certified massage therapist in Albany, Oregon.


Reduced Coffee But Still Need A Boost.
Try A Natural Stimulant.

Alternative healers say that there are some healthy, natural stimulants that you can use instead of caffeine, both during and after the withdrawal period. Inhaling stimulating essential oils can give you that heady feeling. Take a quick sniff of oils such as rosemary, peppermint, basil, or juniper, says Sylla Sheppard-Hanger, principal instructor at the Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy in Tampa, Florida. "Sniffing an essential oil is the fastest route to the bloodstream and can provide an instant brain boost," she says. Or you can try an herbal substitute.

"As you move away from caffeine and caffeine-containing beverages, there are a number of substitutes that can be both stimulating and refreshing," says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California.

He recommends drinking teas made of roasted herbal roots, such as barley, chicory, and dandelion, which are available in powders and tea bags. He also suggests grain coffees, taste-alike versions of the caffeinated variety, such as Rombouts, Postum, Pero, and Cafix. "Herbal teas made from lemon grass, peppermint, ginger, and red clover can also be very energizing," Dr. Haas says.