The ulcer has formed in the same leg where the blood clots of my past had also existed. This is not a coincidence. The blood clots have weakened the entire circulatory system in my leg, and in my case where blood slows and pools, especially around the ankle, it can break the integumentary system (skin) down and an ulcer can form. The healing process is long and painful, so I wish it not on anyone of you. But just recently I have found something that internally I knew all along, just not at the level of which I should have known, and was to weak to let it go.
I have talked to everyone about weaknesses. I am not immune to this cultural problem, no one truly is. Where some people have alcohol, or sugar, or computer games, or whatever, I have to admit that mine is simply: A Grande Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks. I started getting into them when I went to massage school 10 years ago. Until then I hated coffee and the idea of drinking anything close to it made me cringe. I did find that the boost of "energy" helped the 1 hour drive to school in the early afternoon for 5 days a week for 1 full year, and found myself drinking at least one a day. The financial hit definitely isn't fun, but it took a far more dangerous toll to my body.
3 1/2 years later, a life threatening DVT showed itself one day after my daughter, Rayven, was born. This is where they found that I have a genetic blood clotting disorder. All of my blood clotting problems occurred at times where I was consuming a high amount of coffee on a consistent basis. In between my clots, for a 3 year period, my coffee consumption didn't disappear, but it dropped significantly. I was an independent contractor in massage, which is code for "I was broke", and couldn't afford coffee on a regular basis. And usually the only time I drank coffee was when I carpooled boys I coached when we had road trips which usually averaged 1 1/2 hours of driving one way to the games.
Deep down I've always known the coffee was bad for me, but it was my weakness. I have been addicted to my coffee ritual routine each day for a while now and my leg was getting worse and worse and worse, then the ulcer occurred. While trying to heal the ulcer I still consumed the coffee and things kept going the wrong direction.
I finally came to a fork in the road: Either I allow my leg to get so bad that I could be looking at amputation before I'm 40, or I give up the unhealthy things in life and allow my body to fix itself, aka... ditch the Frappuccino's.
Two weeks ago I did just that. After a week without the caffeine, I noticed that my leg actually felt like it was getting a little better. And when healing an ulcer, you'll take whatever you can get. Two weeks after giving up the drink my leg not only feels significantly better, but it LOOKS significantly better. And while I was at the dermatologist today, we joked about the caffeine in the frappuccino and she said something that I thought I knew, but found out I was always wrong. She said, "Well yeah, caffeine is a vasoconstrictor so it surely wont help the healing process."
Not help the process??? It is shutting the process down completely!
For as long as I could remember, I always thought that caffeine was a vasodilator, meaning it opens the blood vessels instead of closing them (vasoconstrictor). Truthfully I am not sure why I always thought that. But in truth it causes the heart to pump harder. The caffeine prevents the vasodilating inhibitors from reacting properly, so because of such, the blood vessels constrict, the heart pumps harder to get the blood through, which is that "burst of energy" you feel. It can also cause one to have a headache, get light headed or have erratic heartbeats (I've had both), as well as high blood pressure and so on.
The reason for the ulcer is simple. The consistent flow of caffeine into my system has made it to where my leg's circulatory system, already weakened and damaged from the previous blood clots, encloses even more on a regular basis, leaving it prone to many different ailments, like Ulcers and Blood Clots, and the inability to repair the damage. The only reason most don't get clots who still drink a lot of coffee is because most don't have the over coagulating gene like I do. I was perfectly fine, until I started pumping caffeine into my system on a daily basis. The excessive sugar and acidity were also major contributors, but it is now that I realize the true culprit.
I am writing this to you now with a leg that actually feels cool to the touch. This might not seem a big deal to most, but understand that with the weakened circulatory system from the clot, I am used to a leg that is hotter than my hand, which is pretty warm all the time. (Something my clients can attest to)
Daily, I am on the quest to learn more and more about the human body through the eyes of what I've learned in Shiatsu. Most of my quests involve learning aspects of the human body that medical science haven't entirely focused on. After all, that is why Sennin-So Shiatsu is so fascinating and impressive. Even doctors are shocked with the physical reactions of the philosophy and technique.
Truthfully, very little is found to prove what I have written is correct. Whether they want to prove it or not is obviously debatable. The coffee industry is rather large and making caffeine look dangerous isn't the best marketing move. But while I can't give you proven scientific evidence, I am willing to offer my own experiences and excitement over my own findings.
My own personal battles with the truly unhealthy things of our culture just took a major step in the right direction. When you feel better the world opens up to you faster and in more amazing ways then one could ever imagine. I hope that I can continue learning and discovering more amazing connections that we all have to get ourselves, our family, and our friends in better health.
Stay Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Anything.
