Until a few hundred years ago having a regular source of clean drinking water was a problem. Hunters and gatherers would drink the fresh water from lakes, springs and rivers as they were hunting their prey. When they would settle in and set up camp, following the herds, they would usually have one main source of water they would use for all their needs such as drinking, cooking, cleaning, and waste removal. With the birth of farming and domestication of animals, people started to congregate and live in tighter quarters, fueling the need for cleaner drinking water. People began to see the correlation between drinking fetid water and sickness. As early as 4000 B.C. People at this time were aware that boiling water did help to purify it. They drank more wine than water. The process of fermentation killed many of the pathogens contained in the water used to make the wine. In the ancient world, the people who were healthy drank wine and beer, while the poor people drank the water. Tea made with boiled water helped curb illnesses including rampant alchoism and the popularity of tea encouraged the acceptance of coffee. The 17th century was the first time Europeans were able to regularly drink coffee. Explorers from Britain, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and other nations were not just busy discovering and colonising, but were also keen to introduce the food and drink of far-off lands. Coffee, cola or an energy drink: caffeine has become the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance. And humans have developed what is known as The caffeine personality whuch is quite different from thw non-caffeine personality. And researchers have now shown in a study that regular caffeine intake can change the gray matter of the brain. Within 10 minutes the first molecules of caffeine reach your brain and start binding to its adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a naturally occurring substance that relaxes and dilates blood vessels. Adenosine also affects the electrical activity of the heart. Side effects of adenosine include: facial flushing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, heart attack, lightheadedness, dizziness, tingling in arms, numbness, nausea, low blood pressure (hypotension) irregular heartbeat ( palpitations) apprehension, head pressure, chest pain, blurred vision, burning sensation, heaviness in arms, neck, and back pain, and more. Various health problems are assocated with adenosine. Caffiene is a drug with legitimately addictive properties, affecting our bodies in such a powerful way that once we become accustomed to consuming it, we physically need more of it. Our body and brain quickly gain a higher level of tolerance, needing more and more just to attain the expected results. And after a while we all come to a point where we no longer can use caffeine for a boost, rather just to get back to a new baseline energy level. This is when the final step in the addiction process takes over: once your body is accustomed to having its regular dose of caffeine, withdrawal symptoms occur on the days you go too long without it. Aside from putting you into a fight-or-flight mode (which basically makes you very anxious and stressed, but at the same time able to take on challenges as you feel amped up), caffeine also produces several other changes in the personality. Only in the past few decades have we begun to understand Behavior Complexity and Brain Chemistry. Extensive research into caffeines effects, and personal experience shows that caffeine increases impulsiveness and aggression. How it does this is in the fact that it causes a spike in cortisol and adrenaline and the fight or flight response. Coffee changed the course of civilization. Its use became more widespread in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and in Europe. The last three centuries witnessed an utter transformation of the world during the growth of empires. Michael Pollan, author of "This Is Your Mind On Plants," explains how caffeine has affected history. Mr Pollan writes about his on experience of cafeine withdrawal. According to one study, 79% of workers believe that coffee breaks can help boost productivity across the business. But he effects of combining sugar and caffeine are devastating on the body. The blood glucose levels soar and then crash shortly thereafter, and when combined with caffeine, the enormous surge of energy from the sugar and the stimulant in caffeine lead to a crash of blood sugar within hours. The body then resorts to a vicious cycle of cravings. A related problem is the use of stimulants in the military which dates from World War II. Militaries worldwide have used or are using various psychoactive drugs to manipulate performance of soldiers. It helps in turning ordinary men into killers. But there is little to no effort made to turn them bsck to ordinary men. Almost 1 out of every 3 Veterans seeking treatment for Substance Abuse also has PTSD. The number of Veterans who smoke (nicotine) is almost double for those with PTSD (about 6 of 10) versus those without a PTSD diagnosis (3 of 10). The caffeine personality basically makes you very anxious and stressed, but at the same time able to take on challenges as you feel amped up), caffeine also produces several other changes in personality. The killer ape theory or killer ape hypothesis is the theory that war and interpersonal aggression was the driving force behind human evolution. Humans and chimpanzees are the only two species in the world known to attack each other in organized onslaughts. The question is how we can become less compulsive and greedy and more compassionate. “We must abandon the absurd idea that there can be unlimited economic
development on a planet with finite natural resources, and a growing
human population...” - Jane Goodall
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