Doctor's Column: Does coffee cure high blood pressure?

Dear doctor, there is some nice coffee that is being sold in Kampala and is said to cure hypertension. Is it true or the usual Ugandan gimmick?
Stella Nabukwasi

Dear Stella, many people take coffee in bean (empokota) or roasted powder form because of its aroma and its instant stimulation of the body and the mind. Coffee increases mental alertness and helps one perform better physically and can act as an effective anti-depressant.

Students use lots of coffee to improve alertness, concentration and are able to stay awake when needed. The stimulant property of coffee has been attributed to xanthine derivatives, caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. Though a cup of coffee can be refreshing, one should not take it in excess amounts because the stimulants especially caffeine may be dangerous to one’s health.

This is especially true in people who already have conditions like hypertension. Coffee’s bad effects should not be attributed to caffeine alone because there are many other substances that if taken in excess can in combination with caffeine lead to bad health effects. Those who chew coffee berries seem not to be affected as much since they take in less of the bad substances.

Caffeine apart from increasing the strength and speed of the heartbeat, speed or flow of blood in arteries, also keeps one awake, factors that are theoretically likely to raise blood pressure.

Therefore, people with high blood pressure are advised to minimise the amount of coffee they take or resort to decaffeinated coffee.

Use of coffee to treat hypertension should be avoided since there are better standard blood pressure treatments that you can easily access from a medical worker.

Dear doctor, I’m almost nine months into my second pregnancy. I know what labour is because it starts with the back and stomach pains which intensify. For three days, I have this pain which comes and goes. I went to hospital and the doctor said I was falsely claiming pain. I was taken aback and swore never to go back there. Can a pregnant woman falsify labour?
Fatty

Dear Fatty, any person whether pregnant or not, may have abdominal pain which comes and goes (colicky pain). In a pregnant woman though, the pain may have other causes and may be mistaken for labour pain.

Right from early pregnancy, the womb may contract painlessly (Braxton Hicks contractions) from time to time without causing the mouth of the womb (cervix) to open.

These irregular contractions which may be felt by the hand atop the womb area may become a little painful later in the pregnancy albeit without opening up the cervix. This is incase the doctor has ruled out other causes of abdominal pain that comes and goes could have been the reason your doctor may have told you that you had false labour pains.

Therefore, rather than castigate your doctor, please go back to him since he knows your history which is helpful to properly look after you and your unborn baby all through to delivery.

It is true that labour in many cases may start with a regular backache and abdominal pain associated with a discharge of bloody mucous and opening up of the mouth of the womb (cervix) to finally let the baby out. The strong uterine contractions which starve the womb muscle of blood and oxygen and the stretching of tissues that hold the womb and the pressure from the foetus on surrounding tissues all contribute to the pain.

Three days in labour is too long not to be taken note of. It is a sign that there will be difficulty in delivery and therefore a requirement for surgical delivery.

Dear doctor, I am two-and-a quarter months pregnant. I did not want this pregnancy because I got it after taking a morning after pill. I went to a pharmacy two weeks ago and was given tablets to put in my private parts so that it comes out. It did not though I bled a little and the scan still reflects that I’m pregnant. What do I do?
Esther

Dear Esther, “I did not want the pregnancy” might mean that you have now come to terms with having got an unwanted pregnancy and now you want to keep it which is good.

“What can I do” carries a tone of wanting another method to abort the pregnancy. You were taking contraceptives to avoid pregnancy and when you failed, you used other drugs to eliminate it but it survived.

This pregnancy may be giving you a warning that it has survived rough seas and any attempt to remove it may have repercussions. Abortions today are safer but not 100 per cent safe.

Whereas women abort claiming the morning after pill may have maimed the unborn, what is true is the pill is not known to be associated with abnormalities when it fails to prevent pregnancy.

That said, misoprostol usually given by mouth, under the tongue and intravaginally (what you call put in the private parts) though is more used for peptic ulcers and is commonly accessed from some pharmacies to procure abortions.

Misoprostol may be associated with foetal abnormalities when given to a pregnant woman especially in the first third of pregnancy when organs are forming. Please visit your doctor for more advice.

Dear doctor, my nine-month-old baby enjoys only sweet things. I’m told this could spoil its teeth and so I have resorted to giving honey. Can honey spoil teeth?
Manuela Adakun

Dear Manuela, at nine months, a baby may have two or three milk teeth which in around five years will be shed to develop permanent teeth.

Sweet foods cause damage to teeth when they stick between the teeth, hence inviting hungry bacteria whose products damage teeth. Also, too much sweet food may put infants at a higher risk of becoming overweight with a likelihood of developing type two diabetes, heart disease and some cancers later in life.

It is true that honey is very nutritious for anybody including infants. However, honey may contain spores of bacteria (Clostridium Botulinum,) which can grow in a baby’s immature digestive system and cause a potentially fatal condition called infant botulism.

These spores are usually harmless to adults and children over one year of age because the digestive system is more mature and has small bacteria (micro-organisms) in the intestine which stop botulinum bacteria from growing out of the spores. It is unwise to give a baby below one year honey even when it is boiled since the spores are heat resistant.

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