Herbal View: Caffeine, Patient Education

I like pendulums. I don’t like pendulum swings. I know it sounds really silly, but it’s how I feel. It’s neat to watch how they go back and forth, but to feel like life is that way or could be because of some circumstances out of my control – well, that bothers me.

The use of caffeine concerns me. No, the overuse of caffeine concerns me. It’s like anything–you have to have balance. Yes, I’m inserting my opinion here, but wouldn’t you agree?

As a general rule, I think all would agree that balance is best, and when different circumstances may require one to lose sleep or not get the right amount of nutrition or exercise, caffeine can be useful to power a person through the day.

Let’s remember, though, that for a normal healthy person the maximum amount of caffeine consumption is not to exceed 250 mg/day. So, what if someone has a heart condition? What if something bad happens? What if the use of caffeine, whether in a drink or diet supplement, causes major health concerns or even death?

I read one such article related to an energy drink, and I was struck by the fact that those involved didn’t seem to have a clue about the effects of the drink, not only the amount consumed, but also because of a pre-existing medical condition of the consumer.

This is where the rubber meets the road, folks. We must educate people to ask questions, to seek answers, and to be vigilant in their search for knowledge. We have to help them see the importance of this before something happens so they can avoid the pain of tragedy.

I wonder how many people have said the phrase, “If only I’d known XXX or where to turn to ask questions” or “If only my doctor or my child’s doctor had told us. I wonder if he knew about this.”

We have to do our homework, and then we must point them in the right direction. Showing patients the information or giving them the tools (studies, articles, websites, etc.) and encouraging them to take that information and make the best, most-informed decision is only part of our job.

We have to follow-up. We can’t force them to do anything or make the decision for them, but we can keep track of their progress or lack of it.

We also make ourselves available to them, answer their questions, or at the very least, tell them that you’ll do further study and get back with them on what you find. Being open-minded to what they’re experiencing is key to getting them to listen to our objective advice (again, this is my hopeful opinion).

Then, if you’ve not done so already, remember the nursing process – Assess, Plan, Intervene, and Evaluate. It’s best to refer back to this page for a detailed list of questions. Those questions can easily be tailored to individual needs and information.

Above, several different links are listed throughout, but I always like to have the option of hard copy. I’ve listed the top three here, and I’m also including a link since the amount of hard copy information is quite extensive.

Human Sleep and Cognition, Part II: Clinical and Applied Research. eds. Hans Van Dongen, Washington State University, Spokane, USA; Gerard Kerkhof, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May, 2011.
Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews: Official Journal of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society. Ed.-in-chief, Verity Brown, 2012.
Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Benjamin Caballero, Sept. 2009.

References

http://www.criticalbench.com/Caffeine-Supplement-Review.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/stimulants.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/307907-diet-supplement-without-stimulants/

http://www.herbs.org/greenpapers/stimulant.html

http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=103792&page=5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_Sinensis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_bean

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee