Go Easy on Caffeine, and It's now time to Enroll at Healthcare.gov

My grand plans for steady blogging have yet to pan out, but we took my brother to the ER this past weekend so I felt like talking about a health issue.

First off, it's good to have insurance.  If you don't, head over to https://www.healthcare.gov/ and see if you qualify for an insurance subsidy.  The Open Enrollment and Reenrollment deadline is December 15th, but I recommend enrolling this month and avoid the site crashes that may happen in December.

Second, please take some time to educate yourself about caffeine, both about the general symptoms and conflicts it may have with certain conditions and about how much you're taking in with particular drinks.

My brother is ok now, but he went to the ER with a heart rate almost double what his resting heart rate should be.  Combined with other symptoms, dehydration was probably his main problem, but that was likely kicked off by too much caffeine and too little of other fluids.  Caffeine can contribute to dehydration (as can sugar which is another part of your diet to track).

Caffeine is not all bad.  In moderate doses (like the natural amount in tea) it may have health benefits.  However it may also aggravate certain medical and psychological conditions.  For me (and others I've known), it brings relief to my bouts of depression, but for someone with anxiety or bipolar, it could make their symptoms worse.

WebMD has a good over view of safe verses unsafe caffeine uses and that may help you recognize potential side effects and make the personal decision as to whether you should cut back.  Or at least how to balance your caffeinated beverages with other fluids like water, milk, and juice to avoid dehydration.

Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee has 2160mg per 32oz bottle... so if you follow their 4oz recommended serving size, you'll probably be fine at 270mg per serving, but it's not a bottle to try to sip down one in a single sitting.