Well, thank you, folks!

Live Through This, I think that caffeine is related most specifically to those of us who have a sensitivity to it. If you're not especially sensitive to it, I see no reason why a cup or two per day would be harmful.

But for those of us who are! Wow! It has to go to improve the stability of moods.

The reason is that, and I've posted this before--and you may see it at a website called http://DoctorYourself.com (go down the left-hand column 'til you see the article "caffeine allergy" by Ms. Ruth Whalen) caffeine is not eliminated from the body normally in people sensitive to it. It builds in the tissues and organs and is addictive. In addition, it produces a high at first and then causes a drop below normal feeling tone.

The author,Ms. Whalen, communicated with me via e-mail on her article and gave me permission to quote it, but it's too long for me to do that. You can log on to the website though and see what she has to say as a lab technician who has examined the brains of people who have had years of caffeine ingestion. (It affects the frontal lobes of the brain, as I recall.)

Well, have a good night, and we'll talk some more as we all try to get better and better from removal of sugar, caffeine, and now wheat! (By the way, chocolate bothers me more than coffee does--I have no idea why, just ultra sensitive to theobromine (close first cousin to caffeine), I guess.

I'll be with you all in trying to stop these things completely. (It's easier to do when others are working together.)

I will add that Dr. Kathleen Desmaissons, who has written extensively about diet changes for treating alcoholic patients says to "be gentle with yourself". Don't try to do too much at once. I'm all for that, but do let me know how your days go as you work on eliminating these diet problems. I'll let you know how I fare, too.

Take care.

Genetic

P.S. Dr. Desmaissons' first book was called "Potatoes, Not Prozac". Since then, she has produced at least one other, but I haven't read that one. She's really good on this subject and is the first woman to be awarded a PHD in nutrition for alcohol allergies.