Doctors are expected not just to diagnose and treat diseases but to prevent disease by counseling patients about behaviors that expose them to risk. We are expected to ask patients about smoking, alcohol use, high-risk sexual behavior, failure to use seatbelts and dancing on windowsills. We are expected to counsel our patients to refrain from behaviors that may lead to injury or disease.
“Mrs. Jones, I’m very worried about the fact that you grease your stairs with motor oil. I advise that yo...
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Heavy Coffee Drinkers May not be Getting any Boost from their Caffeine Fix
Everyone knows that caffeine is useful on occasion if we need to stay alert, especially when we’re sleepy. Is there any college graduate who hasn’t had a caffeine-fueled all-night study session before an exam? I certainly remember several nights in which I drank coffee to the point of inability to blink, much less sleep.
But for those who drink a lot of coffee daily, how much of a boost in alertness are they getting? A study in this issue of Neuropsychopharmacology offers an interesting insi...
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