The Truth About Caffeine [Paperback]

Marina Kushner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: SCR, Inc; 1ST edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974758213
• ISBN-13: 978-0974758244
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,468,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marina Kushner is an internationally renowned lecturer, consultant, researcher, and keynote speaker. She majored in investigative journalism at the University of Moscow, Russia. She is the founder of the Caffeine Awareness Association., a non-profit dedicated to informing the public about the risks associated with the drug. Marina has traveled extensively throughout the world interviewing researchers, reviewing studies, and collecting information about caffeine addiction and intoxication.

Her organization sponsors two annual events which are "National Caffeine Awareness Month" in March and "Caffeine Addition Recovery Month" in October. Recognized in 5 states and 21 cities across America.

Marina remains North America's leading authority on caffeine addiction. Her work and her books continue to be supported and endorsed by leading holistic practitioners.

Marina continues to write many progressive articles online. She has also authored the following best-selling books: The Truth about Caffeine, The Truth About Coffee, and her latest award-winning book: Confessions of a Caffeine Addict: 40 True Anonymous Short Stories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overly zealous, historical and theoretizing, June 16, 2006

By 

Richard Johnson (Tallahassee, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Truth About Caffeine (Paperback)

The author almost shouts in your face Caffeine is a deadly substance that can easily kill you. To support it she uses authors and researchers who don't have nor will have soon conclusive evidences that there is something more than higher risk for this or that to happen to you. I guess that whatever you eat or drink may put at higher risk for some unpleasant health problem.

If you drink more than 1-2 cups of coffee per day then the advice is at least to reduce it because the risk is getting significant. Otherwise, the author does NOT present any studies that support the presumption that a cup of coffee even if you drink it every day will have a devastating effect on your health. Kushner's book mostly follows historical and neurological approach to caffeine. It was not very interesting to read who, when and what has to do with coffee and caffeine through out the history.

That was followed by an aggressive propaganda to forget about coffee once and forever. Everyone should know that moderation is very important and going overboard regardless of substance or activity will be bad for you. It is good that she raises awareness that huge consumption of caffeine is not good for your health but you definitely don't need to go through 200 pages just to come up with the same conclusion. I don't see something very significant or new in this book to justify many people all over this site to recommend it. This overly zealous marketing without any care for relevancy reminds me of her overly zealous efforts to convince you immediately to stop drinking coffee. I cannot support any of these 2 things.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book saved my life. It's simply priceless, August 5, 2007

By 

Kathryn Ivan (Beverly Hills, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us And What We Can Do About It (Mass Market Paperback)

To be honest, I really did not believe to get such excellent results from reading this book. I had hoped for a modest improvement. For 22 years I suffered from acid reflux disease and persistent heartburn. I took acid inhibitors and chewed antacids by the boxful.

At times, the burning sensation was so bad that I had trouble sleeping. It was especially difficult to handle during long commutes home from work; being hungry and tired led to carsickness and nausea, on top of the heartburn.

It was difficult to give up some of my favorite highly-caffeinated beverages and acidic things like tomatoes, but I knew if I didn't, I'd suffer for it later that day. After suffering with this condition for so many years, I didn't expect a miracle. Call me a skeptic.

My doctor suggested that removing caffeine, especially coffee, tea, and soft drinks from my diet might help the problem. He recommended this book to help provide me an insight about my caffeine dependency.

I had been a long-time coffee drinker, morning and afternoon, so I cut down on coffee slowly to avoid the nasty side effects such as headaches. Eventually I was able to virtually eliminate caffeine and acidic beverages from my diet.

Much to my surprise after switching from coffee to a coffee substitute recommended in this book, my problem is about 95% improved. I imagine in about several weeks I should not have any problems at all.

I found that not only did the heartburn clear up and my stomach settle down, but I was able to handle periods of hunger without overwhelming acidic, nauseated feelings.

I no longer use some of the medications I regularly took. I sleep better and my commutes are much more pleasant. In fact, I feel so good that I rarely miss my old beverages at all! For me, this book was simply priceless!

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Book is NOT My Cup of TEA...or COFFEE, October 12, 2006

By 

Dawn Fine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Truth About Caffeine (Paperback)

I did not like the tone of this book at all. I found it bias and condescending and I am asking for a refund.

The important word to remember while reading Kushner's book about CAFFEINE is the word "CAN" ...CAFFEINE "CAN" effect the heart of a new born child (what is the % of births that studies prove that statement? Nope...not in the book.)

CAFFEINE "CAN" be the sole cause of a migrane...but Kushner writes Caffeine causes migraines... (again in what % of headache patients studied no longer have their headaches due to removing just the caffeine?...What % of the headache patients studied no longer have their headaches by eliminating another single food from the diet or by using other interventions?) Nope..not in the book.

The text points out that caffeine is THE CAUSE of many ailments, simply because a proven relationship exists between caffeine and the symptom...such as caffeine and a rise in cortisol...or caffeine and a rise in blood pressure,etc...

...and that may not be TRUE for imbibing ANY AMOUNT of caffeine for ALL HUMAN BEINGS and each and every symptom she mentions in the book.

I am in complete agreement that if you drink a lethal poison, you will indeed suffer the serious/fatal consequences soon...

...If you have a cup of coffee, the book frightened me to believe that "poison" and "caffeine" are synonyms.

There is no denying that Kushner clearly brings the awareness of a variety of caffeine's serious/fatal consequences...(what she leaves out is)...that you may NOT suffer from at all.

The book is not objective in the presentation of many of the facts and that is the main reason I can not recommend it.