How Can Coffee Help You Control Pain? by Joan Kent, PhD
How Can Coffee Help You Control Pain?
By Joan Kent, PhD
It is not necessary to know exactly how caffeine works to be able to use coffee to control pain. Caffeine can help relieve pain by itself or boost pain relief from other pain-relievers.
It’s especially good for muscle pain relief – great news if you work out hard.
Scientists speculate that caffeine’s pain-relieving power comes from 3 mechanisms:
• It blocks release of adenosine. Adenosine is a brain chemical that carries pain signals to the brain.
• It activates adrenalin pathways in the brain. Those pathways include the body’s own pain-killing mechanism.
• It stimulates the central nervous system in a way that changes the processing of pain signals.
Of the 3, I like the first one best. The second 2 don’t really explain clearly, but the first does. Here’s why.
What Does Adenosine Do?
Adenosine’s job is to prevent the brain from releasing 2 brain chemicals – norepinephrine and dopamine. This is presumably so the amounts available at a given time are kept under control.
When we drink coffee, the caffeine occupies the adenosine receptors. That stops adenosine from “getting in.” As a result, dopamine and norepinephrine are released in larger amounts. That’s why coffee or tea makes us feel alert.
But now the adenosine can’t carry pain signals to the brain.
Further, norepinephrine has analgesic power, so it gives us a bonus. It wakes us up and helps to relieve pain.
Norepinephrine is made when we eat protein foods: fish, eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, shrimp, crab, yogurt (with 18-22 g of protein per serving).
For non-animal protein, use high-quality vegan protein powders from peas, hemp, brown rice, or vegetables. (Kale is great food, for example, but it doesn’t provide much protein.)
Your Take-Away?
Eat plenty of protein foods throughout the day, so your norepinephrine stores build. Then they’ll be there when you want to release them by drinking coffee.
For more tips like these – or for help with your health – just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and request your free Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it can be to get your nutrition on track, boost your energy, lift your mood, and improve your health.
Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.
